sort of men the Lord doth speak Deut. 29. 18 19. shewing that he makes his covenant with his people lest there should be among you saith he a root that beareth gall and wormwood And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my own heart to add drunkenness to thirst It is possible few shall be found so impudent as that they dar in expresse termes professe this their mis-belief of Gods justice yet they are not a few who foster this error in their heart who having as it were made a Covenant with death and hell are far from fearing to perish in their sins In this sort are all they to be ranked who conceive that all the threatnings in the Scripture are given forth to the intent that men being bridled by terrors might compose themselves to a more humane and social life among others who lest they should seem Atheists in word do cry up Gods mercy bounty and love to man so as they make small reckoning of the Lords truth and justice even as if the justice of God in punishing rebels could not consist with his mercy to the penitent or as if the end of creating man could not be obtained if obstinat sinners be destroyed 2. The main cause of such error is an obstinat purpose to walk after the counsel and imagination of their own heart and because they cannot quiet their conscience in following their own wayes except in promising to themselves impunity in their sinning they presume confidently to go on in their own wayes against all threatenings and so do blow their consciences blind Such profane presumption although it deserveth to be beaten with a rod rather then to be reasoned with yet let the Pastor deal with the presumer as he ought to do with other desperat like sinners and in the first place let him propose for remedy of this evil what the Lord doth speak against such a person Deut. 29. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven And as he findeth this work upon him So let him deal with him 2. Some are near of kindred to such persons who do not reject all threatenings yet do think in their heart that none are in danger except grosse flagitious and notorious sinners but as to themselves they conceive because they are not the worst of men they are without the reach of divine justice especially if their conversation be according to humane laws so regulated as they have the reputation of honest neighbours With such men Christ dealeth Luk. 13. 1 2 5. when word came concerning the Galileans whose blood Pilaâ— mixed with their sacrifices Christ saith to them Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans because they suffered these things I tell you nay but except ye repent you shall all likewise perish This is the remedy prescribed by Christ to such men 3. Some there are who hope to be absolved before God and do absolve themselves in their own conscience by their good works and obedience done to the law Of this sort was Paul before his conversion who till the time that the spiritual light of the law brake in upon his mind and killed the conceit of his own inherent righteousnesse was no mean man in his own eyes Rom. 7. 9. Such was the rich young man in the Gospel who said to Christ that he had keeped all the commands from his youth up till Christ did prove him a covetous Idolater who put a higher price on his riches then upon Christ and the kingdom of heaven Such were the Pharisees who by their obedience to the law such as it was doubted nothing to absolve themselves and that God should absolve them also But that the met-yaird should be no longer then their cloath or the law of further extent then their imagined possible practice they admitted no metonymie or figurative speech in the law whereby under one branch of a duty commanded all duties of that kind are comprehended and all faults contrary to the duty are forbidden As for example they counted not the sixth command to be violat except the man did take away his neighbours life nor the seventh command broken except by grosse adultery and violation of the marriage-bed nor the eighth command transgressed except another mans goods were openly or privately taken away whose mistake Christ doth correct Matth. chap. 5. and 6. 2. Such men as those are far from repentance far from humbling themselves before God and seeking remission of sin through Christ for they are ignorant of the righteousnesse of the Gospel by faith in Jesus Christ and of the way of coming to ability for doing any acceptable work by faith in Christ and therefore they go about to establish their own righteousnesse Rom. 10. 3. and 9. 31. 32. The false ground which they do lay for their own absolution is this they think to be justified by their works against which ground the Apostle hath pronounced condemnatory sentence Rom. 3. 20. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in Gods sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin 3. With this sort we may joyn these who not only come short of the obedience due to the law but also are in conscience convicted of many transgressions of the Lords law yet they conceive that God will not exact of them or of any man who is about to obey his law more then the man can in the common infirmity of flesh overtake and do perswade themselves that God will be satisfied with all them in whom is a willingnesse to obey the law their false ground which they lay is this that God will accept a mans will for the deed And to this purpose they do abuse the Scriptures Isa. 1. 19 If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good things of the land And 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 4. But here is their error whereupon they purchase from their conscience mis-informed an unwarrantable absolution first they lay down for a ground that they must be justified by works 2. Because they know they do come and shall come short in obedience they turn the condition of the covenant of works into other terms then God hath appointed and make the will of a man to obey the law so far as he is able to be the condition of the covenant which God disclaimeth 3. They deceive themselves in this that what is spoken to converted believers in Jesus Christ already justified by faith aiming at new obedience they do apply to themselves lying under the curse
any man the Lord hath given no certain mark as long as they live except that malicious and wilfull rejecting and opposing of known Christ Jesus to the intent that none should dare to exclude either themselves or others from repentance and hope of mercy so long as the day of Gods long-suffering and patience doth last This is collected from this that God doth not make mention of the reprobation of these misbelieving fathers while they are living but now long after they are dead and this mention making of them is in general only and not by nameing them particularly 17. Albeit in the dispensation of the covenant of grace for application of saving mercies the mater be so wisely carryed by God that both the decree and covenant of Redemption is keeped closs as to particular names and yet it is effectually made out in the applying of grace to individuall persons as the agreement is made between God and Christ Mediatour yet the covenant of Redemption is made this far clear that it did not passe for the conversion and salvation of all and every man by this evidence that not so much as the offer of the covenant of grace and reconciliation shall be made to all and every nation far lâ—sse to all and every singular person but that the people and nation of Israel and Iudah is chosen out of all people and nations in the world comprehending such others as should be called unto their society and the fellowship of the olive tree among them as Psal. 147. 19 20. holdeth forth And in this place the whole elect under the Gospel are taken up under the name of this one nation 18. That the decree of election of some may both be keeped up as to particular nomination and yet have certain execution and be performed the Lord taketh up all his confederats whether in the letter or spirit also under the same common name This is gathered from this that the misbelieving Israelits that perished in the desart with whom God made a covenant and they did break it are designed under the common name of fathers and are taken up in that covenant under the name of spouse Ier. 31. 32. and the elect posterity are taken up under the common name of the house of Israel and Iudah 19. Such as the covenanters are in regard of their inward estate such is the covenant wherein they really are or such is the covenant in relation to their persons Unto the reprobat who do change for their part the covenant of grace into the covenant of works the covenant of grace becometh in effect the covenant of works and is rendered void to them as the Apostle doth threaten the Galatians Gal. 5. 4. and as did befall the pharisaicall fathers who are here declared as instances but the covenant of grace unto the elect and true believers remains still the covenant of grace from which they do not fall nor can altogether fall as the comparison here between the fathers in the wildernesse and their elect posterity maketh evident 20. The Lord hath wisely joyned life with the means and way to life and death with the way to death and will not have that separated which he hath joyned This is collected from this that the fathers by not continuing in the covenant are despised and rejected of God and so perished but their elect posterity having the law of God in their hearts and cleaving constantly unto the Lord are saved 21. The Lord will have this doctrine taught where His word is preached concerning the election of some and reprobation of other some of Gods covenanting with some people and persons and not offering a covenant to other some of covenanting with some in the letter and with other some in the spirit also to this end and intent that men leaving the searching in particular of that which God hath keeped secret in the particular may follow commanded duties repent their sins and flee to Christ offered unto them and take up his yoke upon them and beware that they neither despair nor yet presume or turn the grace of God into wantonnesse This we gather from this that God sendeth forth Ieremiah to preach these things not only to the visible Church of the Jews going into exile and captivity but also to all who shall hear this doctrine from him to the end of the world And the Apostle repeating this doctrine for the use of the Christian Church of Jews and Gentiles doth confirm this CHAP. VIII Of the prudent application of divine covenants in general HAving spoken of these three divine covenants concerning mens salvation it follows now to speak of the application thereof first in generall and then more specially In the mater of application we must first look upon Gods effectuall applying and working in the hearers of these covenants such effects as he hath intended by these covenants to bring to passe Next we must look upon the means whereby he ordinarly doth convey and work his intended works in men And thirdly we must look upon the prudent way of use making of these means both by Pastors and people for peoples good 2. As to the first the Lords effectuall application is a reall and actuall bestowing the good of these covenants upon his own by way of powerfull working on their spirits Such as are 1. the giving the grace of understanding of the Scripture And 2. the belief of what is understood And 3. the application of the doctrine of the law concerning mens sin and misery to their own conscience And 4. the making them judge themselves according to the law And 5. the raising of sorrow in their hearts and fear of wrath And 6. the setting of their eye upon Christ for delivery from sin and death And 7. the makeing them perceive a possibility and probability that they may be saved And 8. to have an earnest desire after reconciliation with God in Christ And 9. the making of his own to cast themselves over on Christ and to believe on him And 10. the making them to consecrat themselves to God in Christ reconciling the world of meer grace to himself not imputing transgression to the reconciled through Christ And 11. the making them to wonder at the riches of the free grace of God who in a self-condemned sinner desirous to be reconciled with him requireth no personall dignity no good work which may commend him to God but only that he would receive and welcome Christ offered in the Gospel as the only necessary and sufficient remedy against all sin and misery requiring no other condition but that he flee from the curse of the law and the wrath to come unto Christ the Redeemer who offereth himself unto lost sinners in the preaching of the Gospel that through him the beleiver may be justified and sanctified and saved for ever And 12. after wondering raised in the hearts of his children the making them cleave closly to Christ and to strive against all temptations which
to invocat his holy name for the right use-making of his affliction The ninth question is how remission of sin may be said to be granted in respect of sins to come IT is commonly said that the convert in his justification hath the remission of sins by-gone and sins to come whereupon the question is moved how this can stand with daily renewed remission of daily sins on the one hand daily renewed remission seemeth not necessary first because we believe that remission of all sin is the priviledge of all believers in Christ and the abridgement of the special articles of faith set down in the Apostles Creed as it is called holdeth this forth 2. Because it is certain that Christ in his death did compleat the payment of the price of redemption from all sin as 1 Ioh. 1. 7. The blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins 3. We are said to be not under the law but under grace and so fred from the curse of the law 4. Because if daily remission of sin be necessar to be granted then it presuppones that both original sin and every actual sin flowing forth from it daily must be taken notice of reckoned for and repented of daily which is impossible On the other hand the convert seeth that every transgression of and disconformity to the law is sin and the Apostle 1 Ioh. 1. 8. speaking of himself and other converts saith If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us And Christ hath taught us as oft as we pray for our daily bread to pray also for the remission of sins The question is how the doubt of the convert may be cleared 2. For answer We must grant to the convert that original sin remaineth in the believer and is not only an exceeding sin as the Apostle calleth it Rom. 7. 13. but also is the fountain of all actual sins which doth pollute the conscience and sometimes also the outward man 2. We must grant also that there cannot be an actual and properly called remission of sins which are not yet committed for no man is guilty of that fault wherewith he cannot be charged for such a remission were a dispensation and licence to sin such as the Pope granteth to his slaves to gratifie them in allowing their vile lusts for inriching himself with the price of that iniquity 3. If such an actual remission of sins were given in justification the once justified person could never become a daily debtor by his daily transgressions contrary to the declaration of Christ in one of the articles of the Lords prayer 3. For solving the doubt then we must distinguish the significations and acceptions of remission of sin For 1. it is taken for remission purchased by Christ by virtue of the covenant of Redemption in favours of the elect but not applied unto the elect before the mans conversion Heb. 10. 12 13 14. But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foot-stool For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified 2. It is taken for remission promised by Christ to all that shall believe in him to be bestowed on them so soon as they shall turn to him Act. 26. 18. Thirdly it is taken for the sentence of absolution judicially applyed and adjudged to the actual believer Eph. 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace 4. For the actual remission of all sins past before his conversion Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God 5. For a constant right to daily remission of sin and accesse to the fountain opened up in the house of David that is to all the children of the houshold of faith in Christ Zech. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness 4. So then the convert hath first the actual remission of all sins preceeding his conversion and withall his state changed from being a child of Sathan to be a child of God Secondly he hath right unto daily remission of sins as they fall out after conversion for Christ speaking of the remission had in the time of conversion calleth it a washing of the whole man Joh. 13. 10 He that is washen needeth not to wash save his feet but is wholly clean to wit for the state of his person accepted in Christ and for the application of his right unto daily remission Christ teacheth all his disciples daily to pray for it which Christ calleth the washing of the believers feet Joh. 13. 10. 5. For answer to the objections made against the necessity of daily renewed remission of sin let it be remembred that the article of our Creed is so far from making daily remission of sin not necessar that of necessity it must be extended not only to the remission of sins past before conversion but also to the right made unto us for daily remission of the sins which run daily from the relicts of corrupt nature not fully mortified for otherwayes the believer could not have quiet consolation in the daily exercise of renewed repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. 2. As to the second objection concerning the perfect purchase made by Christ of remission by-past and to come It doth prove indeed that there is no other sacrifice for sin nor price of redemption from sin save that which was compleated on the crosse but it doth not prove that we must only once make application of this purchase for Christ keepeth the full purchase in his own hand and doth let forth the application thereof as we stand in need in his own order and by degrees till he perfect us in sanctification and glorification also 6. As for the third objection we must not think that when we are loosed from the Law as a covenant of Works we are loosed also from the commands of the Law for the covenant of Works prescribed in the Law is posterior both in order of nature and time to the natural writing of the Law in mans heart Rom. 2. 15. And therefore when the covenant of the law of Works is taken off the authority of the Law to direct and command all moral duties doth remain and can no more be dissolved then the obligation of the reasonable creature to be obedient to the Creator can be abolished and therefore when the believer falleth in a transgression he meriteth death and destruction as the wages of sin But Christ our Advocat who liveth for ever to make intercession for us holds off the execution of deserved wrath and giveth to the believer the grace of renewed repentance
satisfying for their sin by the external sacrifice of some clean beast offered to God or by the washing of their body and their cloaths Such also is the covenant which now adayes many make with God cutting short with the old Pharisees the sense of the precepts of the Law by extending it no further then they may keep the same that so they may make their own inherent righteousness the longer conform unto their own clipped rule of righteousness and this they do by denying themselves to be guilty of original sin after baptism and by extenuating and diminishing many faults as but light and venial as they call them and by devising satisfactions for expiating the sins of the living by penances and pilgrimages and of the dead by their sufferings in their imaginary purgatory that so they may be justified by their works and sufferings Such also is their covenant who seek justification by deceased Saints merits hoping they may so have absolution from sin and obtain life eternal And all these sorts of covenants of mens framing we call bastard-covenants of works because God will not admit any other Covenant of works then that which requireth perfect personal obedience And therefore so many as seek to be justified by works do stand under the obligation of perfect personal obedience under pain of death and will be found not only utterly unable to do any good work but also to be without Christ and to be fallen from grace as the Apostle Gal. 5. 3 4. doth teach us Obj. Seing God doth abhor these bastard-covenants of works and doth well know that men are so far from performance of the due obedience of the Law that they are utterly unable before they be reconciled through faith in Christ to do so much as one acceptable work as the Psalmist teacheth Psal. 14. 1 2 3. Why doth the Lord exact perfect obedience unto the Law from sinners why doth he press so instantly the slaves of sin to perform the duties required in the true Covenant of works Ans. The Lord justly doth abhor and reject these bastard-covenants because they evacuat and make void both the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace which is by faith in Christ and he doth press all men to perform perfect obedience to all the commands whereunto they are naturally obliged to the end that proud men conceity of their own natural abilities may find by experience that they are unable to perform the condition of the Covenant of works and may acknowledge the same and so dispair of righteousness by their works and be forced to flye to Christ and to the Covenant of grace through him that they may be fred from that covenant and being justified by faith in Christ may be enablâ—d to begin new obedience to the Law in the strength of Christs furniture For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4 And the Law entered that men might by the Law see and acknowledge that the offence did abound and then might perceive that the 〈…〉 â—â—grâ—ce by Christ did super-abound Rom. 〈…〉 and 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the command is 〈…〉 of a purâ— heart and a good conscience and faith unfamed This was the end of the promulgation of the Law in mount Sinai that a stiff-necked people trusting in their own abilities might be made sensible of their imperfection by the repetition of the Law And to this also God super-added the external yoke of the ceremonial Law which neither they nor their posterity were able to bear Acts 15. 10. that the people perceiving their manifold pollutions and guiltiness wherein they were daily involved by breaking of God's Law might in the sense of the burden lying on them and of their damnable estate under it flye to Christ the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world as he was represented and offered to their sight in the sacrifices and burnt offerings Of this end of pressing the Law upon proud men we have an example Math. 19. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22. In the conference of Christ with the young conceity rich man who in the opinion of his own inherent righteousness and of his abilities was hudgly swelled as if he had already for time by-gone satisfied the the whole Law and that he was able and ready to do any good work which could be prescribed unto him for obtaining of eternal life whose proud conceit that Christ might humble and bring down he craveth nothing but that he would keep the commands And when the young man denyed that he had broken the Law he proveth him guilty of gross and vile Idolatry from this that he put a higher estimation on his riches than on remission of sin and did love them more then heaven and fellowship with God in eternal life In all this let it be considered that albeit mens confidence in their works doth displease God yet good works do not displease him but they are so far pleasant unto him that there is no morall motive which may serve to stir up in his people an endeavour to follow after good works which the Lord doth not make use of partly by setting before them the reward if they obey partly by setting punishments before theiâ— eyes if they obey not yea and the very observation of externall morall duties and obedience such as may be discharged by the unregenerat man albeit God in relation to Justification do esteem it polluted and vile yet he doth sometimes reward their externall works by giving them externall and temporall benefits for their encouragement for even Ahabs temporary humiliation the Lord so far accepted that there-upon He took occasion to delay to take vengeance upon him 1 Kings 21. 27 28 29. Likewise the Lord useth to recompence the civil justice of Pagans with a temporal reward yea and to reward the outward diligence of every man in every lawfull occupation with some answerable outward reward The very Pharisees who for the raising to themselves a fame and higher estimation for holinesse did take a great deal of pains in prayers in the streets and Mercat-places and other exercises of Religion wanted not an answerable reward veâ—ily saith Christ they have their reward Matth. 6. 2. And this course the Lord doth keep that he may encertain and foster the civil society of men among themselves and that His people looking on this bounty of God may be stirred up the more to bring forth the fruits of faith in hope of a mercifull promised better reward of grace in the life to come beside what they may have in this life CHAP. VI. Of the Covenant of Grace THe third and last covenant concerning mans eternall salvation is the covenant of Grace made between God and man through Christ the Mediatour Grace someâ—imes simply and absolutely taken is opposed to merit and in this sense every good thing which of Gods good pleasure is ordained or promised or actually bestowed on the
of the Israelits who were ignorant of the deceitfulness of their own heart and of their inability to perform what they promised he saith ver 28 29. They have well said all that they have spoken Therefore unto the tying a man in this bond of the covenant this morall honesty is sufficient albeit to salvation it is not sufficient but in order thereto a mean of God's appointment Now that there is such a thing as we call morall integrity or honesty which differeth from the true Christians spiritual honesty or sincerity it is plain from these places of Scripture which speak of this integrity of heart in such persons as were not renewed because they intended no other thing then they pretended Thus Abimelech excuseth himself to God when he took away Sarah Abrahams wife from him thinking Sarah had been his sister and not his wife Gen 20. 6. In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my â—â—ads have I done this And this the Lord doth acknowledge to be true ver 17. So also the captains that came with their companies to David in Ziklag are said to have a perfect heart because they were morally honest and resolved as they professed uprightly to make David King and to help him in the war and not betray him 1 Chron. 12. 33. 38. Of the sundry wayes of mens framing of the covenant of Grace AS we told there was a covenant of works one truly so called of Gods institution and another false sort of covenant of works of mans framing So it is also in the mater of the covenant of Grace there is one truly so called and another sort false and counterfeit of mans framing That which is of Gods framing is the covenant that God makes with the Church for giving righteousness and life by faith in Jesus Christ that which we call a counterfeit covenant is the covenant which men frame unto themselves upon any other condition then faith Such was the counterfeit covenant of the false apostles who corrupted the Gospel-covenant among the Galatians whereof the Apostle Paul complaineth Gal. 1. 6 7. challenging them that they had forsaken God who called them to the grace of Christ and were turned over to another Gospel that is to another covenant of grace then the true one which is only one and not various but by the troublers of the Church was changed into another frame for the true covenant was perverted and corrupted by these who went about to joyn together Justification by works and Justification by grace through faith in Christ which two sorts of covenant are inconsistent and do mutually overthrow one another So also did the Pharisee Luke 18. 11 12. corrupt and pervert both the covenant of works and the covenant of grace he corrupted and perverted the covenant of works because he put up to God some external good works for the perfect obedience of the law and he perverted the covenant of grace because albeit he did acknowledge the grace of God and gave him thanks for giving him ability and power to do good works and for infusing habits of piety and justice in him yet he exalted himself and took the thanks and praise to himself who had made good use of these verâ—uous habits God I thank thee saith he that I am not like other men c. 2. Like unto this fault is the errour of many of whom some makes the act of faith brought forth by the power of natural free-will to be the condition of the covenant contrary to the doctrine of the Gospel which makes saith infused to be the gift of God renouncing its own righteousness and the merit of all works also and resting on Christ to be the condition For the sentence of the Apostle standeth firm and unmovable Rom. 11. 16. If it be by grace it is no more of works c. Other some make this the condition of the covenant that Christ should pay for mortal sins by his own temporal sufferings and so take away everlasting punishment but will have the sinner himself to pay for veniall sins by temporal sufferings partly in this life and partly in purgatory Other some dream of framing the covenant of grace thus if a man do all the good he is able and hath a will to serve God better then before they conceive that God must take the will for the perfect dead and so for good payment Which counterfeit conditions and other such like inventions of self-pleasing conceits are all of them nothing else but the adulterating both of the covenant of works and of the covenant of grace appointed of God by which inventions men deceive themselves to their own perdition Now that such perverting of the covenant of works and of grace are rife frequent among men experience may prove For before Christs coming this was the way of carnal Israelits Rom. 10. 3. and Rom. 9. 30. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God went about to establish their own inherent righteousness and would not subject themselves to the righteousness of God And of the Galatians it is said chap. 5. 4. Christ is become of none effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from grace that is ye who seek righteousness or justification by worke have renounced so far as in you lyeth grace to be had by Christ and experience daily sheweth the same disposition in many professed Christians Quest. Are not then such corrupters of the covenant of grace loosed from their obligation wherein by their baptism they were tyed to seek righteousness by faith only Ans. No for albeit by so doing they prove themselves to be corrupters and falsifiers of their covenant to their own perdition if they repent not yet they stand obliged still before God to their covenant sealed in baptism For the covenant of God with man cannot be dissolved by mens treachery and without Gods consent not only because the covenant of God with men in regard of the perpetual equity thereof hath in it a perpetual obligation but also because the soveraign dominion of God hath the force of a law to oblige them whom God hath taken in among his people that being once his confederat subjects they should remain still his subjects For as circumcision was a seal of covenanted righteousness by faith So baptism is a seal of the same covenanted righteousness by faith whether the covenanters remain constant unto their covenant or not as we see in the Israelits who albeit they were polluted with idolatry in Egypt and albeit they proved rebellious in the wilderness and in the land of promise were found often guilty of breach of covenant yet still in the Scripture they are called God's people and the Lords interest and right in them stood fast and their right also unto the external priviledges of the citizens of God's kingdom remained fast also untill the time that for their open and obstinat rejecting of Christ the children of the kingdom were
seek of God the gift of faith or else be destitute of all excuse if they shall not do what they conceive and professe themselves able to do Thirdly it is equitable to crave faith from them who are able to promise morally the obedience of faith and are able to use the externall means leading unto true faith for the Lord Himself followed this way in his covenanting with the Israelites Exod. 19. where the Lord propounds the condition of the covenant and promiseth to be their God if they should hearken to His voice vers 5. 6. the people did accept the condition and undertook to perform it vers 7. 8. and upon these tearms the covenant was made with them morally in an externall way which did bind the obligation fast upon them Fourthly by preaching of the covenant of grace God doth ordinarly bestow grace and grace for grace on the redeemed in a time acceptable and in craving the condition the Lord giveth grace to accept the condition and to perform it and this course is very sutable to Gods soveraignty or supremacy sutable to His wisdom and his justice and sutable to the freedom of his grace for it becometh the absolute supremacy of God and the liberty of His most holy will to send the Gospel only to whom He will it becometh his wisdom where ever He doth send the Gospel to make offer of grace indifferently to all the hearers whether elect or reprobat that all may be tryed whether they please to receive the offer or not It becometh his justice to withhold grace from such as refuse the offer of it and it becometh his wisdom mercy grace truth and justice both to exact from the elect for whom Christ did satisfie the performance of the condition of the covenant and in the mean time by the offer of grace to make them sayingly to believe using the command of believing in Christ for a fit mean to beget faith hence it is that saving faith is given only to the elect which faith therefore is called the faith of the elect Tit. 1. 1. Hence it is that the elect are called heirs of the promises Gal. 3. 29. and children of the pâ—omise Heb. 6. 17. partly because they are the children promised to be broughin to Christ Isa. 53. 10. partly because by the promiâ—ses they are regenerat to a new life and by believing in Christ they obtain righteousnesse and eternall life for 1. Pet. 1. 23. they are called begotten again not of corruptible seed but of the incorruptible seed of the word of God Quest. If it be asked since faith is so necessary what is the object of faith Ans. We answer the truth of God revealed in Scripture or God speaking in Scripture and promising eternall life upon conditions holden forth in these promises among these promises some pertain to the covenant of works such as Gal. 3. 12. do this and live and Matth. 19. 17. If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments and sundry other particular promises of blessings both spirituall and temporall annexed unto the promulgation of the Law which promises do serve to encourage them to make good their undertaking if they be able as they conceive they are and to humble them when they shall find by experience that neither threatning nor promises can make them to fulfill that law Beside the promises annexed to the covenant of works there are other promises which pertain to the covenant of reconciliation and tend to the making men embrace the covenant of grace and to continue therein such as these which are propounded in the Gospel for giving unto the believer all the sure mercies of David and the benefits purchased by Christ. And of this sort some are more generall some more speciall some of them belong to this life some of them to the life to come for true godlynesse comprehending faith and the fruits of it hath the promises both of this life and of the life to come of all these promises the foundation and fountain is the covenant of Redemption whereof we have spoken Chap. 4. wherein Christ promiseth to the Father to do his will and the Father promiseth to Christ as Mediatour and head of the Church in favours of the redeemed that he shall see his seed and be satisfied and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand upon this covenant of Redemption all the promises made to the Church do depend whether they be absolute promises whether conditional promises whether qualified promises which are like unto conditionall Absolute promises we call for example such as do promise absolutely the taking away the heart of stone and the conversion of the Elect and their perseverance and salvation Ier. 31. 31 32. c. and 32. ver 40. Such are the promises of gathering edifying propagating and perpetuating of the Christian Church to the worlds end as Math. 16. 18. Upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Which sort of promises do serve to move men to come and embrace Christ and after men have fled to Christ in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen the believer may make application and comfortable use of all the precious promises of righteousness and eternal life set forth in the Gospel Conditionall promises are such as make offer of Christ and reconciliation to the hearers of the Gospel upon this condition that in the sense of sin and fear of wrath they â—lye to Christ as the only and sufficient remedy of sin and misery Qualified promises like unto conditionall are these that have in them some qualification of the person who is already a believer and do seem to make that qualification or designation of the believer to be a condition of the blessing promised therein which promises if they be well considered do pre-suppone the qualified person to whom the promise is made to be both a believer and also to be evidently endued with the named quality as for example Math. 5. Blessed are the mercifull the peace-maker the meek the mourners the poor the sufferer of persecution for the Gospel or for Christ c. which vertues if the person be not a believer in Christ do as yet signifie nothing in him nor do not intitle the man to this Gospel-blessedness and being the designations of believers they give the persons endued therewith encouragment to go on and encrease in that grace and all other graces that they may thereby more and more give evidence of their being reall believers Such also are the promises which are made to the confident waiters on God rejoycers in God lovers and fearers of God c. In which promises grace for grace to be derived out of the fulness of Christ is promised to the believer Some promises design fit persons to enter in covenant and do invite them to come to Christ Such as are come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy loaden Math. 11. 28. And Ho!
altogether Ans. We answer with the Apostle vers 20. Nay but O man who art thou that replyeth against God whether dost thou compear procuratour for the reprobat and for Satan the enemy of God to quarrell and dispute with God anent his righteous decrees If thou wilt avow this we leave thee and all such proud and presumptuous misbelievers of plain doctrine to reckon with your Judge But if thou speak only for thy self we shall let thee see that this doctrine shall not hinder thee from repentance If then thou shalt say I will not dispute against God but do desire earnestly to be satisfied about my self for I believe that many are reprobat and few are chosen and my fear is that I be found of the worst sort and do not know how to rid my self of my doubts and fears For answer we shall deal with thee in a friendly maner and first we put thee in remembrance that God hath served an inhibition on all men not to medle with the secret counsell of God Deut. 29. 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God but these things that are revealed belong unto us and our children for ever Therefore do not hearken to this suggestion but go about thy duty We ask then first art thou convinced of thy sin and ill deserving If thou say I am a sinner and cannot answer for one of a thousand of my by gone sins for which God may justly and I fear he shall in effect reject me we answer unto thee it is to good purpose that thou are so far convinced of sin as to judge thy self worthy of death and utter exterminion from his mercy mean time be comforted thus far that thou art not of the number of those who confide in their own righteousnesse nor of the number of them who trust in their own strength or power of their free-will We ask again doth thy by gone life displease thee and wouldst thou have thy sins forgiven and thy self reconciled with God doth Christ offering himself in the Gospel please thy soul when thou hearest from his word that he craveth nothing of thee save that thou welcome his offer and consecrat thy self to him that so in him thou mayest have righteousnesse and sanctification and salvation If thou answer that the searcher of hearts knoweth thy hearty desire to be reconciled to God in Christ to live before him hereafter as a reconciled child there is good hope of salvation for such a one as thou art Thirdly we say seing thou hast heard the law convincing thee of sin and hast believed Gods word so far why dost thou not believe him also when in the Gospel thou hearest his offer and call unto all self-condemned sinners to come unto Christ and rest their weary souls upon him who hath excepted thee from the embracing of mercy offered in Jesus Christ look therefore what his word saith to all sinners flying for refuge unto Christ who is the hope set before sinners and leave him not whatsoever be thy fears for he that hungereth and thirsteth for righteousnesse through Christ shall be satisfied CHAP. VII For a further clearing and confirmation of the doctrine about the three Covenants from Jer. 31. and Heb. 8. THe prophet Ieremiah giveth us a short compend of the former doctrine anent these three covenants chap. 31. vers 31. c. whereof the Apostle giveth a clear commentary Heb. 8. vers 6 7. c. As to the covenant of Redemption it is here presupponed to be past as the Apostle expounding this place of Ieremiah giveth us to understand while he sheweth us that the covenant of grace was no other wayes purchased then by the Mediation of our Lord Jesus transacting about the covenant of Redemption with the Father And that he may give us to understand this 1. Christ is called the Mediatour of a better covenant Heb. 8. to wit of the covenant of Grace 2. The covenant of Grace is designed by the name of a Testament which giveth us to understand that Christ the Mediatour did not obtain the making of this covenant on a lesse price then the laying down of his life that all the benefits contained in these better promises might first be his goods to dispone upon as he pleased and that he being resolved to die did make his Testament and leave them all in legacy to the redeemed his heirs and assigneys designed from eternity 3. The Mediatour making his Testament is called Iehovah not a meer man but God to be incarnat making an unchangeable Latter-will or Testament which of necessity required the death of the Testatour that it might be ratified Heb. 9. 15 16. and the death of a Testatour not a meer man but the Son of God to be incarnat and to die who had life in himself that he might lay down his life and take it up again 4. The goods which he purchased according to the covenant of Redemption and left in legacy to his heirs are all and every blessing which do belong to godlinesse and life eternall as remission of sin and writting of the law in their hearts c. 5. The redeemed and designed heirs are not all and every man but the elect only these that were to be saved only and who were to be effectually called and indued with the saving knowledge of God who from the least to the greatest were all of them to know the Lord not such as were the reprobat fathers nor their unbelieving children but the chosen society of the Israel of God and of Christs family the house of Iudah which is the tribe of Christ for the Apostle doth extend these promises unto the covenant between God and the elect to be gathered under the Evangel unto Christ out of Jews and Gentiles As to the covenant of works it is certain first that God made a covenant of grace in substance and upon the mater with the fathers that were brought out of Egypt as we may gather from the consideration of the parties and articles of that covenant for albeit God repeated the covenant of works and declared the force of the law for binding the curse upon all transgressours thereof yet he did presse the law on them in order unto their reconciliation by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to be in due time offered up and did teach them that Christ was the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believed 2. It is certain that in the framing of this covenant of grace between God and the visible Church of the fathers God did make the promises of righteousnesse and eternall life and spirituall blessings under the vail of temporall types upon conditions more hard and difficile in appearance then the new covenant doth require for this the Apostle sheweth to us plainly Heb. 8. 6. 3. It is certain that the un-believing Fathers did not take up nor understand the covenant of Grace but turned it over in a covenant of Works which is manifest by
faith in Christ bestowed on himself now in experience hath flowed from that fountain of Gods love and free grace through Christ. Except this order be keeped a man cannot warrantably and with confidence and comfort make application of these covenants Hence it followeth that it is a preposterous and perilous course which some do follow and presse others to follow that presently upon the hearing of the Gospel every man should believe that Christ hath died for him for Christ calleth no man warrandeth no man to come to him except he first do acknowledge his sins and himself to be worthy of wrath condemnation and hell for his sins and to be utterly unable to save himself by any mean save by Christ for Luke 5. 32. Christ saith I came not to call the righteous but sinners unto repentance Neither doth Christ require of any man to believe himself to be of the number of Christs sheep for whom he laid down his life except he come by faith as a lost sinner to him and submit himself to his doctrine and discipline and pastorall care over him for Ioh. 17. 9. Christ saith I pray not for the world but for these thou hast given me out of the world and no man shall know that himself is given of the Father to Christ till first he come in the order foresaid unto Christ and when he is come to Christ resolveth to abide with him then may he say the Father hath given me to Christ and drawn me to Christ for this is the mark which Christ giveth Ioh. 6. 37. All that the Father hath given unto me shall come to me And again vers 44. No man cometh unto me except the Father draw him 3. There is an order alâ—o to be observed in the application of the graces offered in the Gospel for in the Evangel first Christ himself is offered as the only and sufficient remedy against sin and misery and next unto the person that receiveth Christ heartily all Christs benefits are promised to come to him by Christ and are to be found in and through Christ such as are Justification Adoption the indwelling of the holy Ghost love joy peace gentlenesse bounty fidelity meekness temperance and other Christian graces Gal 5. 22. for no man hath right unto Christs benefits before he be a believer in Christ. But so soon as a man in the foresaid order is fled unto Christ and hath laid hold on him by faith straight way a door and entresse is opened unto him unto the rich treasure of grace and right is given to him unto all the benefits of Christ for all the promises are yea and amen not before a man come to Christ not to a man without Christ but they are all yea and a men in Christ. 4. Therefore they wrong both God and their own selves who when they come unto the throne of grace do prescribe unto God another order of working then he hath set down in his word craving in the first place consolation and sensible peace in their conscience felt in their hearts and that God would work some such saving graces in their heart which the reprobat cannot counterfit which directions if God will take off their hand and bestow his graces on them sensibly as they prescribe unto him then they will stand oblieged to continue in the faith of Christ but if they find not their directions obeyed and their petitions in their order granted then with grief of heart they begin to complain and to pretend that they dare not approach unto God or Christ so long as these petitions are not first granted and felt to be granted This temptation doth invert and overturn the order of Goâ—s calling for Christ doth not call unto him well-doers or these that do found their faith upon their own good behaviour and lean to their own works which they desire to find in themselves before they fasten faith on Christ but Christ doth call sinners in their own sense and acknowledgment who renounce all confidence in their own works past present or to come He calleth such as are lost in their own sense and do feel themselves utterly unable so much as to think a good thought of themselves that they may be cloathed with the imputed righteousnesse of Christ and indued with the spirit of sanctification by him and Christs will is that they who believe in him abide in him and suck by faith out of him as the branches do suck sap out of the tree grace to bring forth fruits more and more abundantly for this is the order which Christ doth prescribe unto his disciples Ioh. 15. 5. He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing Whosoever therefore will not believe in Christ or do think it is not lawfull to approach unto him till first they find in themselves amendment of life and evident fruits of saving faith they do in effect change the condition of the covenant of grace and do suspend their faith in Christ till they find works to build upon when it were their duty the more they feel their barrennesse so much the more straitly to lay hold on Christ and hold him fast and ply him with earnest supplications to make good his promise to them who do abide in him Ioh. 15. 5. 5. It is necessary to presse every man who doth believe his justification by faith that he be carefull to observe the morall law or ten commands as the perpetuall and unchangeable rule of good works prescribed of God for Christ came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it Matth. 5. 17. He hath indeed unto believers in him dissolved the covenant of the law not only by his doctrine teaching them that by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified in the sight of God because by the law is the knowledge of sin gotten but no absolution from sin Rom. 3. 20. But also by absolving every believer in him that walketh not after the flesh but after the spirit from all condemnation Rom. 8. 1â— Mean while he hath not broken the yoke of obedience of the law from off the believer as he hath broken off the yoke of the covenant of works but by the contrair he prescribes to them who come unto him for remission of sin that they take on his yoke upon them and bring forth works of new obedience Matth. 11. 29. and this is the order which the Apostle doth prescribe Tit. 3. 8. This is a faithfull saying and these things I will thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men 6. The moral precepts of the law are so to be pressed that the hearers whether un-converted or converted may by them whether in some measure obeyed or disobeyed be driven to Christ that the law may ever in some sort be a pedagogue unto Christ for before conversion
sin must be made manifest by the law and the merit of sin committed must be shown forth that the man to be converted may see himself in a lost condition and that he must certainly perish except he flee for refuge to Christ the Redeemer that by him he may have remission of sin And after a mans conversion the believer must by the precepts of the law be convinced of his duty and inability to perform obedience except by grace power be communicated unto him from Christ both to will and to do And when he hath gotten grace to give obedience in some measure yet must he examine his best works by the rule of the commands and acknowledge the imperfection of his service that he may be more and more humbled in himself and glory only in the imputed righteousness of Christ and withall give unto Christ the glory of any good thing which he hath in any measure done well 7. The threatnings also all of them must so be applyed in general as both converted and un-converted may be forced to run to Christ who only can deliver the un-converted from guiltiness and wrath and death eternal deserved by sin and who only can deliver those who are converted from the deserved punishment of their sins and from the execution of the sentence which the law pronounceth and who only can make them eshew and hold off the way which God hath cursed And it is easie to judge how much cause of humiliation the godly shall have by daily comparing their actings with the law and how dear and precious Christ must be to them who giveth unto them as many deliverances from death as they commit sins and do fail of their oblieged obedience to God 8. A sinner already convicted of sin and impenitency and hardness of his own heart and who is grieved for the same must not be skarred nor deterred from going unto Christ till first he attain such a prescribed measure of contrition as he conceiveth his sins do call for which measure un-skilfull Physicians do rigidly exact of sinners who are desirous of repentance pretending for their rigidity their fear lest if such sinners should be so easily admitted unto Christ the work of repentance should be marred in them and presumption should have way and be fostered in them this fear is needless because it belongs to Christ alone to give repentance and he came to call sinners convicted of sin and destitute of repentance in their own estimation and sense unto repentance that he may give them repentance We grant that there is a danger lest a sinner lightly touched with the sting of the conscience do not well weigh the weight of his sin and the merit of it and that he go to Christ with his lips only when his heart is far from him but on the other hand there is no less hazard left he who is destitute of repentance in his own sense and not permitted to go to Christ to have it may either be driven to dispair or conceive that by his own pains on his own heart repentance must be wrought before he go to Christ whom God hath exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and remission of sins Act. 5. 31. We must be wary therefore lest a burdened conscience in any measure being excluded from going to Christ till he be in such and such a measure humbled set himself so upon bodily exercise of ordinances without daring to go to Christ as that he put some merit in effect upon his bodily exercise which he useth to bring himself unto contrition or else turn desperatly careless and leave off all using of means We need not fear that instantly upon a sinners coming to Christ he shall find too soon consolation and so not be humbled as need were for Christ is only wise and can prudently deal with the sinner coming unto him he hath eye-salve to give his proud merchant to let him see his blindness poverty and misery as well as gold and garments to the poor and naked but if any be proud and rich in their own conceit and approach toward him without sense of sin he can suspend them from comfort till first he rebuke and chasten them and keep them off from felt access a while till they be truly humbled and thirst in earnest after pardon and imputed righteousness 9. As the narrow way to the kingdom of heaven must not be made straiter then God hath made it So neither must the way be made broader then God hath made it and reignies loosed to mens lusts as if believers sins were either none or but light ones for God is not a favourer of sin and whosoever do turn the grace of God into wantonness undoubtedly they are ignorant both of the Law and of the Gospel Wherefore the Law and the Gospel must be so tempered that on the one hand none who would be at Christ and through him at mortification of their sinfull nature be discouraged and on the other hand that no man boasting of his profession of faith be strengthened in his iniquity for this is the true sense and intent of God both in his threatnings and promises that none despair hearing threatnings but repent and live and that none presume to sin upon hearing his gracious promises but walk in fear before him Ezek. 33. 10 11 12. to v. 20. and Christ doth blot out from the number of the saved all them who break off and make void any of the precepts and do teach men so to do Matth. 5. 19. 10. Because God doth make use of the same arguments in his Word both for moral swasion and for effectual operation of saving faith and bringing forth fruits of new obedience therefore the force of God's arguments and inducements as occasion is offered must so be opened up and sharpned and pressed that the hearers being soundly convinced of the holiness equity verity and necessity of the Lords commands may at least be morally perswaded to yield unto them And to this end that hearers must be exhorted that they call to mind and weigh such and such arguments unto duties that by reasoning with themselves they may prevail by Gods blâ—ssing to believe the Word of God So did Paul directing his speech to the governour Felix brash the castle of his conscience with this engine that he near by took it in Act. 24. 25. and so did he deal with Agrippa whom he near-by perswaded to become a Christian Act. 26. 28. and this was his endeavour to perswade all his hearers to believe the truth he taught 2 Cor. 5. 11. Knowing therefore saith he the terror of the Lord we perswade men And the same Apostle hath taught all Christs disciples to exercise the faculty of reasoning in the mater of strengthening their faith and purpose of obedience that having set before them the arguments which the Word of God doth furnish they may sum up the truth in
and covenant of works for it is true indeed when God is dealing with those that are already justified by faith in Jesus and have renounced all confidence in their own works and fled unto Christ and have taken on his yoke the Lord doth take in good part the first fruits of the new creature and doth much esteem the tender fruits of the spirit as the places cited Isa. 1. and 2 Cor. 8. do shew But when the Lord hath to do with the proud natural man the unrenewed man the man that is not humbled for violation of the covenant of works he dealeth with him according to the rigour of the law according to the condition of the covenant of works pronouncing his curse against that man for every sin till the sinner be humbled and slye to Christ. 5. With the former we may joyn all these who believe they may wash away their sins partly by bearing such afflictions as are laid on them by God in this life partly by their tears prayers fastings pilgrimages penances and scourging of themselves and partly by their almes-deeds and other good works do believe they shall make amends for all their misdeeds and what they cannot perfect in this life for the mater of good works they will take assignation to the supererogation and superfluity of the merits of Saints made over unto them by the Pope And what for the mater of suffering is not endured in this life they will take upon them to endure in an imaginary purgatory and place of hell after this life and so poor souls they think they may absolve themselves at least from the sentence of everlasting condemnation by such poor shifts as those But the truth is so long as they rely upon their own sufferings and satisfactions they deny both the necessity and the worth of Christs sufferings and so long as they have confidence in their own works or works of other men they reject and disclaim the covenant of grace and yet behold how proud they prove themselves to be Isa. 58. 3. when they plead with God saying wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge 6. Last of all unto the former sort we joyn these who please themselves in the composition of righteousness by works and righteousnesse by faith thinking to save themselves under the shelter of the one righteousnesse or of the other however God shall deal with them Such were the Seducers and seduced amongst the Galatians for refuting of whole errour the Apostle as it were travelled in birth till he brought them to take up the right frame of Christs way of salvation 7. The cause of all such mens deceiving of themselves in a false absolution of their conscience is their ignorance both of the righteousnesse of the law and of the righteousness by faith for such as think their sins are so few and light or their lives so innocent or their good works they have done so weighty and their purpose to do yet moe good works to be so holy or their pains taken in religion so considerable or their sufferings resolved upon so great and thereupon do absolve themselves consider not that the law or covenant of works doth require perfect personal obedience to all Gods law under the pain of Gods curse growing in Items as the law is oftener transgressed till they flye in to the perfect ransom of Christs obedience And as for the righteousnesse of faith in Jesus they consider not that his righteousnesse will not be bestowed upon any who do not renounce all confidence in their own or others works and betake themselves altogether to the only grace of Christ they consider not that if the worth of any work be relyed upon the bargain of free grace is spoiled and clear marred for if it he by works it is no more of grace and if it be of grace it is no more of works for these two are so opposit one to another in the mater of mans election and justification that they can no more consist together as causes pâ—ocuring or moving God then contradictory sentences can be both true as Paul teacheth Rom. 11. 6. 3 A third sort of self-deceivers and unwarranted self-â—bâ—olvers we reckon all persons poysoned with deadly herefies who being drawn away from the doctrine of Christ set down in the holy Scriptures turn after some false christ and false religion of mens or their own devising giving unto their Idol what worship what service what employment what power they please and making their own conditions of peace with God as they think good some denying the eternity of the Godhead of the true Christ some the reality of his assumed humane nature some evacuating so far as they can his three offices and the fruit of his execution thereof all of them promising to themselves salvation in another then in the true Christ described to us in Scripture who is Creator up-holder and Governour of all things very coeternal God with the Father and holy Spirit in the fulness of time made man ever-living Prophet Priest and King to his Church both before his incarnation and constantly since the way the truth and the life made of God unto true believers in him wisdom righteousnesse sanctification and redemption who walk among the golden candle-sticks and searches the wayes and hearts of every man as he holdeth forth himself in these Epistles unto the seven Churches of Asia Revel chap. 2. and 3. Of this danger of mistaking the true Christ and embracing a false in his room he himself doth carefully fore-warn his Disciples Math. 24. 4 5 24 25 26 Take heed that no man deceive you for many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many The proper remedy of this evil is this let every one that hath an ear hear what the spirit speaketh to the Churches not only in these seven Epistles but also in all the rest of the holy Scriptures which are the expressions of the holy Spirit but if any man receive not the truth in love set down by the Lords Spirit in the Scripture his punishment is set down by the Apostle 2 Thess 2. 11. and for this cause to wit because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse 1. The fourth sort of absolvers of themselves without Gods warrand are these who pretend unto true religion and deny the power of it of whom some are couvinced of their duty to repent their sins and to forsake their lusts and to endeavour a reformation of their life and this they do promise to themselves and purpose seriously to do as they think only they cannot presently and at once break off the course they are upon but do hope by little and little to come forward
and at length that they shall wholly give themselves to religious exercises and a holy life mean time they conceive they may come in among the true converts and young beginners albeit they come not up the length which they intend but are unde the power of some beloved lusts which they cannot rid themselves of but do hope they shall betime overcome them Such men do miserably mistake the mater first in that they think their purpose of repentance and a new life bred in them by conviction of their duty to be the very grace of regeneration and begun sanctification Secondly they conceive that the lusts which do reign in themselves are common to them and all other regenerat persons of whom few or none think they want their own grosse faults Thirdly they conceive they can repent more seriously when they please and will repent after a whiles following of their beloved lusts as if repentance were not a saving grace of the holy Spirit whom they do daily provoke by their vilenesse but a work in the power of every mans free-will being once convinced of his sin Fourthly they do not consider that by the delay of repenting and turning from all sin unto God their heart is daily more and more in Gods Judgment hardened and God provoked to punish their voluntary impenitence with judicial hardness of heart that they shall never repent Such men our Lord compareth to the disobedient Son who promised to his Father he would go work in his vineyard and went not Math. 21. 30. Such men are they who know the well of the Lord but do it not and therefore worthy of double punishment Math 12. 47. The â—â—medy of this evil Christ giveth Luk. 13. 24 25 26. Strive to enter at the strait gate for many â— say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Mâ—n know not how soon God may shut the door therefore men had need while it is to day not to harden their hearts psal 95. 8. 2. Other some are who being of a civil life professe and do perswade themselves that they indeed do repent and believe in Christ and by faith in him do certainly expect salvation freely of his grace If you pose any such men whether they do indeed believe in Christ they shall presently answer that they firmly do believe in him and that they never doubted but he is their sweet Saviour who died for them If you press them to speak in earnest from their heart they shall presently be ill pleased with the question and ask what cause of suspecting the sincerity of their faith and repentance can be justly alledged or what cause hath any man to suspect them or doubt of Gods favour toward them in Christ In whom should we believe say they if not in Christ Is there any other Saviour of sinners beside him If a man please to try the truth of their faith by their repentance they shall forthwith affirm that they repent day and night and have just cause so to do for in many things we sin all and why then should we not alwayes repent If they be asked of their love to God and their neighbour they shall answer after the same maner Such men are these of whom Christ speaketh that they will confidently come to him and call him Lord Lord and yet be found no wayes carefull to do the Lords will but servants to their own lusts 3. Such men do deceive themselves first by framing to themselves such carnal notions of faith and repentance and of the love of God and of saving hope and other spiritual graces as in their phantasie they conceive they do practise which conceptions are not grounded upon the Word of God Secondly they esteem the assent of their mind unto the truth commending these duties unto men as good as the performance of them and they do take the sentence of their conscience concerning the equity of such duties for the sentence of their conscience bearing witnesse of their practice and obedience of these duties and while their conscience saith why should not I do so they take that for as good as if it had said I do so but saving graces go deeper then civil carriage and to commend the duties of repentance and faith in Christ is not enough except they be put in practice also in daily sorrow for sin and hatred of it and flying to Christ daily to be washen and more and more sanctified 4. Some there are who when they have heard that a man is justified by faith in Christ only without the works of the law do imagine a faith which needeth not to bring forth any good works at all and so they take off the justified man from all necessity of following good works as far as they take off good works from being the cause of justification and do open a door to themselves to live after their own will in the lusts of their flesh conceiving that they who believe in Christ are fred not only from the covenant of the law but also from the command of the law against whom our Lord doth speak and doth cut off such libertines and turners of the grace of God into wantonnesse from the kingdom of heaven Math. 5. 17 18 19. And the Apostle to guard against this self-deceit Heb. 12. 14. commandeth to follow holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 5. Some there are who pretending to esteem well of the offer of the Gospel and of the duty of following the means of making them partaker of the marriage-supper do yet think themselves excusable when they have much ado in their worldly callings albeit they prefer the care of their family and provision for their things out-ward unto the main work of their entertaining communion with God yea they conceive that God will allow them in so doing as Christ doth insinuat in the parable of the ghuests invited to the feast answering the invitation with I pray have me excused Luke 14. 18 19. This is a rise evil in great personages rich persons and such as are much imploved in earthly affairs such men deceive themselves first in laying down this ground with themselves that their earthly affairs the necessity whereof doth first and most sensibly appear must in the first room be cared-for and that the one thing necessar may be followed after as their civil and earthly affairs may permit Secondly they reckon gain to be godliness 1 Tim. 6. 5. for they cannot be perswaded when gain may be had that God requireth of any man to slip the occasion or to put his worldly goods in hazard by defending or following maters of religion Thirdly they think themselves so wise as they can well enough serve two Masters God and covetousnesse albeit when it cometh to the proof they will be found to serve not God but their own lusts This error our Lord refuteth and giveth warning to beware of it Matth. 6. 24. And Luke 21. 34. Take heed
they read very Fables and fained Romances which they know to be such and yet they cannot command their affections in reading of them May not then an unrenewed man give as much credit to holy Scripture and be affected with the holy history thereof without any change made of his perverse nature the wisdom whereof is enmity against God and cannot subject it self either to his law or Gospel Secondly if we consider what the power of a natural conscience can work upon the affections by just accusations or excusations for raising grief and joy therein whereof not only Scripture but also heathen writers do bear witnesse we need not doubt but the natural conscience may have the same power in a temporary believer Thirdly if we consider what the precepts of morall Philosophy hath wrought upon the Schollers of Socrates and Aristotle and other heathen Masters for the outward framing of them unto seeming vertues we need not doubt what the precepts of the morall law may work upon a temporary believer for putting a luster on his life as was to be found in sundry Pharisees without conversion and renovation of the inner man toward God Fourthly if we consider what delight is found by Schollers in the contemplation of these things which Philosophy doth treat of we may easily perswade our selves that more delight may be had in contemplation of what holy Scripture doth hold forth without making the man a new creature But when unto the natural mans foresaid seeming perfections knowledge of the mysteries of religion and the gifts of preaching and prophecying are superadded which are but movable gifts common to renewed and unrenewed men and far from being saving graces what wonder the natural man and temporary believer be puffed up with a high estimation of his own worth and hope of being received by Christ the Judge and yet be found at last to have deceived himself and unwarrantably absolved himself by his own deluded conscience as Christ giveth warning Math. 7. 21. Quest. But what can a temporary believer want coming up all the length that is now spoken of and supposed to be indued with so many seeming good things whereunto many saved Saints do not attain Ans. Every saved Saint is beaten out of self-estimation for any thing in himself beaten out of confidence in any thing he doth or can do and is humbled in his heart by the law the spiritual perfection whereof being understood killeth his natural pride Rom. 7. 9. 2. Every saved Saint is chased for refuge to flye to Christ to his righteousnesse and the riches of grace holden forth in him and every saved Saint is a new creature aiming more and more to follow the course of new obedience and drawing vertue from Christ by faith to please God and worship him in spirit Phil. 3. 3. So that his purpose and endeavour in some measure is like unto that of David Psal. 71. 10 15 16. saying I will hope continually and I will praise thee more and more my mouth shall shew forth thy righteousnesse and thy salvation all the day for I know not the numbers thereof I will walk in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousnesse even of thine only But the temporary believer reckoneth not for his debt and deservings with the law he is not humbled in the sense of his sins and sinfulnesse and inability to satisfie the law by himself he hath not the root of repentance in him for immediatly upon the hearing of the Gospel he receiveth the Word with joy without godly sorrow for his sins Luk. 8. 13. The temporary believer is ignorant of the righteousnesse of God by faith in Jesus Christ and goeth about to establish his own righteousnesse upon the bottom of his own blamelesse conversation priviledges of the visible Church common gifts of the Spirit and successe with prosperity all which because he is not justified by faith in Christ do not advance him above the state of the workers of iniquity Math. 7. 21 22 23. The symptoms and ordinary signs of this malady of unwarrantable self-absolution are these 1. all of this sort are well pleased with their own wayes they are not daily humbled in the sense of short-coming in duties and chased to Christs righteousnesse which may hide their nakednesse 2. They are all secure and fear no wrath but put the evil day far from them 3. They cannot be induced to any accurat examination of their own life wayes condition or estate If any man insinuate any suspicion of hypocrisie in them or if their own conscience begin to question their sincerity they cannot endure it 4. Albeit they say unto Christ Lord Lord yet they make little use of his office of mediation of his power and vertue for illumination humiliation healing and helping on to salvation 5. They look more to the seeming good things in themselves for strengthening their carnal confidence then they take notice of the evil of a body of death in themselves to drive them to Christ the only deliverer from it 6. Yea they all serve some Idol lurking in their heart they yield obedience to some reigning lust which they will not forsake for which cause Christ foretells that he will declare them to be but workers of iniquity Math. 7. 23. The causes of this evil are 1. the ignorance of the law and the utter inability yea aversenesse of nature to be subject to it the knowledge whereof might make men live all their dayes in a loathing of themselves and cut off all hope of obtaining righteousnesse by the law 2. The ignorance of that dear-bought righteousnesse of Christ and of the riches of his grace offering to impute his satisfaction to every self-condemned sinner who shall flye to him and accept his offer 3 The ignorance of the necessity of the bringing forth the fruits of faith in love and study of new obedience and sanctification by the furniture of Christ without which no man shall see God 4. The taking of a presumptuous dead faith in stead of that true justifying faith which layeth hold on Christ and worketh by love The taking of a vain groundlesse hope for that lively hope which purifieth both the heart and external conversation also 5. The comparing of themselves either with the worst sort of vile sinners or with such as are like to themselves or with the Saints in their grosse failings not judging themselves according to the law The use to be made of this doctrine is first to stir us up to take notice of that power of the soul called conscience which God hath put in every man to observe all the mans words deeds and intentions and to compare them with the law and will of God so far as it is informed and to accuse or excuse condemn or absolve smite or comfort the man as it findeth cause that we suffer not our own conscience to sleep but set it on work whilst it is time that we may know how
the Son of God but his holy heart could not admit such a temptation And the Apostle Eph. 6. 11 12. c. doth warn the Saints that our adversary Sathan useth to throw firy darts at all the children of God which firy and poysonable darts the regenerat man should not meddle with nor finger them but by the shield of faith with all speed quench and extinguish them But when a probable reason is joyned with the temptation and the temptation doth appear to be very reasonable and when there is a fear that the tentation shall be yielded unto except the scruple be removed then let the temptation be examined and brought to the form of a reason or sylogism that the strength of it being tryed to be null it may be rejected or let the temptation be communicated to a prudent friend or Pastor who may discover the sophistry of the temptation for if the temptation shall be slighted and not discussed albeit it lye quiet for a time yet it will return again and raise more trouble and vexation to the conscience then it did before 11. In answering of doubts and temptations tending to weaken faith it is needfull to observe and â—shew an usual stratagem of Sathan whereby he doth multiply and heap together a number of doubts and after he hath suggested one doubt presently doth suggest on the back of that another and after that another whereby he marreth the answering of the first doubt which from the Word of God either immediatly or by some faithfull Friend or Minister is offered for solution thereof by this mean Sathan endeavours that the mind of the afflicted person may at one time both be turned off from taking notice of the answer offered and be taken up wholly with the consideration of the new suggested doubt So that the answer to the new doubt hath no place because the afflicted party doth not take heed thereto In this case both the party afflicted and the party offering consolation must hold to the first doubt and not suffer any other new doubt to have place till a satisfactory answer be given to the first doubt and after that let every objection moved by the party afflicted be answered one after another in order 12. Seing every doubt whereby the regenerat person is troubled doth tend either to weaken faith in Christ or to hinder the bringing forth of the fruits of faith let no answer to any doubt of this kind be esteemed sufficient except it lead the afflicted person unto Christ teaching him to humble himself before God and being brought low in his own eyes to lay hold by faith on Jesus Christ the only Redeemer and relief from sin and misery and after laying hold on the Physician to request for the remedy of that evil which hath moved and given strength to the doubt for Christ is the end both of the Law and of every spiritual exercise for the enjoining of such and such moral duties whereby un-skillfull Physicians use to over-charge diseased consciences commanding the afflicted party in the first place to go about such and such duties and the exercise of such and such vertues as may remove the evil which gave ground to the doubt can never avail the diseased person except he be led first unto Christ for remission of sin and acceptation of his person that in him power to do these duties may be obtained and by his Spirit moral precepts may be quickened for if these precepts be pressed upon the diseased without Christ they can do no more but detain the afflicted in self confidence and make him hope in vain that he may or can by his own work over-come the evil felt in him or that he can by himself attain to that good which he conceiveth necessar for loosing of his doubt but let him go to Christ for remission of sin and then for strength to go about the duty 13. Because almost in all cases of conscience which pertain to the state of the regenerat man some grace or Christian vertue is pitched upon and called in question whether it be in him or not heed must be taken that evangelick graces vertues or actions be not weighed in the ballance of the moral Law and covenant of Works wherein nothing hath weight which cometh short of absolute perfection of personal obedience for in the strict judgment of God and the conscience according to the law of Works no meer man nor any action of man can stand Ps. 130. 3. for there are so many imperfections and blemishes in the Saints and their best works being compared with the perfect rule of righteousnesse by the Law that whatsoever lustre or appearance of good may be in a work it is blecked and made to hide it's face before the Law but let the tender buds of new obedience and fruits of faith be examined by the grace of the Gospel which judgeth of the begun obedience of the believer in Christ according to the sincerity and uprightnesse of the man aiming at conformity to the Law how short soever he come of his aim and of the spiritual perfection of the Law and it will be taken for new obedience It is true the Evangel requireth that a man fled to Christ for justification and reconciled to God by faith in Christ should set himself to work the works prescribed in the moral Law for the glory of God and should aim at the exact obedience of all the Commands yet the Gospel doth not reject a good work for the defects imperfections and blemishes thereof but accepteth and taketh in good part the first fruits and buds of new obedience and doth foster the tender and small beginnings that they may grow and encrease And the reason is because the Gospel doth not teach us to seek the justification of our persons before God by works but by faith in Christ and then teacheth us to seek the justification of our faith before men in our own and others conscience by the sincere endeavour of new obedience And therefore 14. While we are about the cure of the wounds of the conscience and strengthening of faith we must on the one hand take heed left we foster presumption and hinder either the exercise of repentance or doing diligence in following duties for Christian graces do not impede but help and strengthen one another if they be real and kindly because they must flow from the same fountain of the spirit of sanctification and do run toward the same end which is the glory of God and on the other hand we must take heed lest we presse the exercise of repentance as it were out of our own strength or the practice of duties so as we hinder the exercise of faith in Christ who is that exalted Prince to give repentance and is the author and finisher of faith Let us so cry up the imputed righteousnesse of Christ that we neglect not to presse the regenerat man freely justified by grace to bring forth the fruits of