should now raign in his Saints and both these are true yea without controversie Christ doth now raign in his Saints and its desired to be more and more but yet his raigning in his Saints now is neither his raigning over the VVorld nor making his Saints to rule over the Men of the VVorld and the mistake is easily discernable to such as believe and minde the Scripture-Testimony of Christs coming to raign 1. For Christ his now raigning in his Saints is not his raigning by his Saints or with his Saints and they with him over Men but as the expression is in his Saints and that is by his gracious Word and Spirit subduing every thought to the obedience of Christ and them to accept the cross of Christ 2 Cor 10.3 4. Phil. 1 7-9 2 Cor. 4.11 12 13 14. 2 Cor. 1.7 Gal. 2.20 2 Pet. 2 13-16 1 Cor. 9 19-23 and conformity to him in it and so by the Spirit of Faith Love and a sound Minde he dwells and lives in them and they live to him and yet in this VVorld are for his sake as he was subject to humane Powers and servants to all for their good and though they overcome the VVorld yet their Victory is by Faith and not by carnal weapons and striving for worldly honour and power over Men but by the Word of their Testimony 1 Joh. 5.4 5. Rev. 12.11 2 Tim. 1.12 Act. 9.4 5. Col. 1.24 not loving their Lives unto Death so as while he raigns in them they are sufferers for him and so with him and he with them and they shall after raign with him when he raigns 2. The Saints raigning with Christ Col. 3.4 2 Thes 1.7 10. Rev. 11.15 18. and so his raigning in his own Person and with and by his Saints begins at once together he comes to take to him his great Power and Raign and then and not till then his Saints raign with him he that believeth makes not haste nor desires to raign before his Master and when God by his Providence putteth any Saint into a place of worldly Power and Government to rule among Men yet in that also they will be found sufferers for and with their Master and strangers in this World and though Protectors of their Brethren the Saints in their outward peace Psa 75.2 72.4 Psa 39.12 2 Sam. 23.5 Heb. 4.7 8 9 10. Heb. 11.9 10 16. 1 Thes 1.9 10. yet Rulers of them as men also in their outward affairs not able to carry all as they would by their several Officers under-Governours in this World the Saints must wait for that till their Masters coming even thus it was with David and so it is not yet their rest with Christ and raigning with him over the Men of the World It is better to look and wait for our raigning as Abraham and our Fathers did for the same inheritance and Kingdom that we are to look for 3. Jesus Christ is not to receive his Kingdom Joh. 18.36 Psa 2.6 9. Dan. 2.44 7.13 14. Ezek. 24.13 Luk. 1.32 Dan. 7.27 2 Tim 4.8 Rev. 2.26 and be set on his Throne after a worldly manner or by any worldly power or weapons no it is not the Saints that set him upon his Throne but it is the Father only from whom he receives it and he it is that gives the Kingdom to his Saints and sets them on Thrones True it is before his personal coming will be many Earth-quakes and shakings of worldly Powers Nation against Nation and the hating of the Whore and eating her Flesh and burning her with Fire by the Kingdoms of the Earth who shall enrich themselves with her spoyls in which Battels the Saints as Men and as called by Authority for defence of a People and Execution of Justice on wicked Doers may have their hand and work in these Battels yet as they are Saints so they use no violence commit no rapes seek not the ruine or destruction of Men but even in their overthrow and confusion desire the shame upon them to be blessed to them as a means of their conversion Psal 83.15 16 17 18. Prov. 24.17 whence also they rejoyce not simply in their ruine and harms but rather when they are subdued are very merciful to them though when in their perversness overthrown they rejoyce in the righteous Judgements of God and for his Mercies in their own deliverance their main design being the same with their Masters according to the Gospel-way The Salvation of Men Prov. 16.4 1 Sam. 24.13 they know for revengeful unnatural and filthy actings the Lord hath in this World another Generation of Men therefore though these be valiant in War yet Blood is neither imputed to them nor the Victory ascribed to them as Partners with Christ but this is his own Isa 63.1 2 3 4. and alone work by his Power in his Providence what Instruments soever he useth to overthrow the Enemies in which his Garments are sprinkled with the Blood of his enemies some of his Saints also dying in these Battels his coming also approaching nigh but being come that Battel in which the Saints and none but Saints shall be in which also the Lord is visibly with them and before them shall not be with carnal weapons nor confused noise nor Garments rolled in Blood Isa 9.5 6 7. Rev. 19 11.12-21 20 1-4 nor any Saint dying in that Battel but only the wicked and all the wicked overthrown as hath been foreshewn and yet this also done before he sit on his Throne and raign and the Saints reign with him Oh that our Brethren would consider this 4. As the Saints must not raign before their Master and Lord Christ and that he receives from the Father and they receive from him the Kingdom so likewise must they not raign one before another If Abraham Isaac and Jacob c. must not have it before us Heb. 1.40 1 Thes 4.14 18.2 Thes 2.1 2. much more should not we look for it before them nay not the surviving on Earth see or enjoy before them that sleep in the Lord when we are all gathered together unto him then and not till then shall our raigning be Oh that our Brethren would consider this 3. Such as though they confess this raigning of the Saints not to be till the personal and visible appearance of Christ yet they look for some glorious manifestation of the Sons of God whereby they shall be known from other Men of what different Opinions soever they be and in what different Forms of Church-Government soever they live and so they shall be eyed and may be advanced to some honourable places in this World before the personal coming of Christ surely the Belief and minding of the Testimony of Christ concerning his personal coming as set forth in the Scripture would help our Brethren to keep from the thoughts or desire of such honor to themselves before their Masters coming Dan.
this should be framed out of its dregs after plain Gospel-Testimony is believed there being no one Saying in the Gospel declaring any such thing or that giveth ground for any such consequence and why should any of us that have received so much good in the Gospel-Testimony strain for a consequence to maintain that which the Gospel declareth not yea which stands cross to many Declarations yea Heb. 4.6 and to the scope of that very place alledged some must enter which appears to be spoken to encourage the weakest Believers to abide and go on in their Faith that they may enter the Rest or Canaan Compare ch 3. 4. with ch 6 12-20 11. See Part 3. ch 2. God hath sworn to give Abraham Isaac and Jacob and their Seed and they looked to receive it in a heavenly manner a new Earth c. which they never yet did nor shall till we all to the last that shall be called by the Gospel-Ministration come to enter together with them True God by Moses called them out of Egypt to that very promised Canaan but not at that time to receive it in that manner promised to Abraham but yet to receive it for which he gave them his promise which they not firmly believing especially after the receit of the first-Fruits all the antient Men except Caleb and Joshua that followed him fully in the faith of his Promise fell in the Wilderness and entred not not but that Moses Aaron Miriam Zelophehad and all like them even all but the rebellious shall in the Resurrection of the Just rise again and enter this promised Rest with Abraham c. So that in this they were but Types and Examples to us Those that Joshua led into the Land the Lord by Joshua gave them rest and in continuing in the Law of the Lord they might have retained it in that manner till the coming of Christ but yet the Rest as promised to Abraham was not then given no nor yet so long after as in David's time who when a King there and had both his people and his enemies subdued to him yet confest himself a stranger as his Fathers were and affirmed the promised Rest to be yet to come yet sure all that lived and died in the Faith must rise and enter when Abraham enters after God sent forth Christ for a Witness and Covenant that resting on him by Faith they might be so entring and in due time fully enter And the Gospel hereof was first preached to the Jews who for the most part refused and so entred not by by Faith and deprived themselves of a personal entrance when the time cometh yet God in his faithfulness to Abraham will preserve a Seed of Men of his Generation through all troubles that there should be found of them surviving at the coming of Christ and be brought in by him and shall enter when Abraham and all that sleep in Jesus shall be raised and enter together with them and till then none so enter for were it already so entred our hope would be cut off but it is not the rest yet remaineth for the people of God that we believing and abiding in Christ may have him for our rest and so be entring by Faith now and personally at Christ his next coming to encourage all Believers to firmness and constancy in this faith is the drift scope of the Apostle Rom. 9.19 who hath thus opened the same Methinks none should be so void of fear to affirm that as the Saying of the Holy Ghost which is given as the suggestion of an evil spirit Saying of a vain Man and so reproved Who hath resisted his Will as if none had or could which with grief I suppose true Believers will confess they have too often What other evils of dissention among Brethren c. the affirming of this devised Purpose to be both the Purpose of God and the Foundation and what other inconveniencies follow the maintaining of the last mentioned figment I will forbear to speak onely I confess for the reverence I bare to some I was a long time snared with this old fable till I experimented the evils mentioned and was brought to confess God in his Sayings true whoever be a lyar nor do I now blame any but my self who might have received good onely and not harm by what I read if I had not made Mens holiness and learning but the Scripture onely the umpire of my Faith and yet I have learned this That a Wolf in a Sheep's-Skin may for a time be imbraced and pleaded for by them that are no Wolves and so to be sober in judging yea this I farther confess That when I thought my self freed this last mentioned figment did a long time remain with me yea I was not freed of it when that my first published Tract called by the Printer The Vniversality of God's Free-Grace to Mankinde was put forth some Expressions there of it I wish were amended So that in this whole Chapter I own the blame of all the folly shewn to my self desiring of God as for forgiveness of all my Transgressions so of those in maintenance and favour of this old Fable or the last mentioned figment in Word or any Manuscript of mine desiring him that hath freed me to free others And yet I believe the eternal Purpose of God and the Foundation he hath laid according to his Purpose and his Election of that Foundation and of all in believing united to him to be verily true precious unmoveable unalterable as they are revealed in the Scripture as I have fore-declared CHAP. 12. The Conclusion about the Purposes of God to be known and believed THe Gospel as now come forth the Testimony of Christ in that which he hath suffered and done and what he is to and for them and what he doth to them that they might believe and what he will farther do to and for them believing his Father's and his own end in all this it is the Word and Minde of God yea the very opening and Declaration of the Heart Bosome Counsels and Purposes of God there is no Purpose of God cross to any part of this Testimony nor is there any Purpose that is God's but what is according to this Testimony which is the Word and Declaration of the Minde of the living God Rom. 6.25 26. Eph. 3.3 9. and called his Decree not to be doubted or waved from by any Suggestion of other secret Purposes or by feigned pretences of other meanings as if it were the Word of a Man that spake by guess or probabilities or according to appearances but to be believed and received as the word of the Almighty all-knowing God of Truth wherein the very mystery of his Will is opened to us Wherefore it becomes us neither to imagine our selves nor receive of others nor pry into any Purposes as if Purposes of God that are not declared in and according to the Testimony of Christ
ascended to Heaven and offered the acceptable Sacrifice and obtained eternal Redemption and so is the Propitiation for our sins and Grace is onely by him And Truth that is fulfilling of the Promises he being immeasurably filled with the Holy Ghost in our Nature and the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily he is The Temple of God the High-Priest The Laver of Regeneration the Altar the Sacrifice The Propitiatory The Oracle c. the Truth of all figured by those is in him and so by him and had in having him and this vertuous from the beginning and so even then though in a more hidden way Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. But now he hath come and done his first Work this mystery is manifested and the Spirit hath testified of him and this Testimony is Spirit and Life by which such as are led to believe in Christ do meet with Truth and so are said to worship him in Spirit this gracious Law opposed to that of Works and Types and in Truth acknowledging the Truth in Christ and meeting with him in believing on him as having done his first work for them Job 4.21 22 24. 1 Joh. 5.19 20. and now about the other in them and so they worship God in and through him and that they might thus do God hath done and provided all this in his Son and so made him known And so upon this account of Christ his being so full of Grace and Truth and having been so manifested also in the Nature of Man John Baptist in respect of himself and the first witnesses renders it in these words Joh. 1.14 16 17 vers 17. as the ground of that he affirmed vers 16. For of his fulness have we all received Grace for Grace other profitable senses of this noted before I onely now note this That as Moses received a Law of works and shadows to nurture the people Par. 3. ch 4. that in judging themselves for their sins by one part of the Law and looking to Christ that was to come in their use of the Types the other part of the Law they might through Christ receive Grace as all that so looked did but he having come hath abounded farther to us and we have of him received Grace a Gospel of Grace with a Law of Grace and a Spirit of Grace discovering the Atonement made and forgiveness in the Blood of Christ and Truth fulfilled in him so by the Grace of God in that Cross of Christ he suffered to shew Men the vileness of their sins the vanity of their Righteousness and yet through the same Cross to shew them the great Love Righteousness and Propitiousness of God the pardon of their sins in the Blood of Christ and the fulness of Love and Spirit in Christ to draw them in to believe assuring them in believing they shall receive forgiveness c. and so we have Grace that we may receive and declare Grace and God hath engaged himself that he will so witness of Christ Isa 42.1 8. 55.5 Joh. 3.15 16. Rom. 10.9 10 13 15. Act. 15.9 10 11. Gal. 5.6 1 Joh. 3.23 1 Pet. 1.3 4 5. 1 Ioh 1.7 9. and he shall so far proceed with Men where the Gospel comes that they shall have their eyes opened that they may see and believe and hath also engaged himself to all that where the Gospel comes do according to the Light and Power he giveth believe on him he will save pardon and enlive them and write his Law in their Hearts And this Faith working Love he putteth no farther burden or yoke on any but to believe him and love one another and he will preserve them through Faith to the Inheritance and if they fail confess their failing and through the Mediator they shall be forgiven and cleansed And thus far the New Testament is and is to be held forth to all that live under the Gospel and all the baptized in the Name of the Lord have set their Hands to this Engagement and may live in hope of having it personally made with them but yet the personal making of this New Testament with Believers is yet a farther business see how that is exprest in Scripture also 2 Cor. 3.3 Tea are manifestly declared the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of Stone but in the fleshly tables of the heart It is express throughout this Chapter That the Apostle speaks here of the New Testament opposed to the Old Testament and so likewise it is evident here That in preaching the Gospel as now come forth they did also therein minister the New Testament 1 Cor. 1.6 7. and so it is here also evident That when Men in believing the Testimony of Christ in the Gospel come to believe on Christ then they receive the New Testament and how they receive it and what it is see here 1. Phil. 3.3 7 8 9 In believing on Christ the Grace believed breaketh the stoniness of the Heart and taketh down the pride and stoutness of it and humbleth and melteth it and enamoreth it with Christ and so makes the Heart fleshy tender flexible fit to receive his Sayings Teachings and Impressions And then 2. His making the New Covenant with them is begun by writing his Minde Heb. 8.10 2 Cor. 4.13 2 Tim. 1.7 his Design his Epistle by his own Spirit in their so prepared Heart giving into their Heart the Spirit of Faith of Love of Power and of a sound Minde so that they have in them a new Heart a new Spirit a new Man an inward living Principle derived from the Fountain in which they believe inclining them to love God and their Brother and to live by Faith and walk in Love and so to seek the farthering of his design in seeking the Honour of God in the Salvation of Men and the Prosperity of his Church so looking and waiting for the coming of the Lord the Spirit herein springing up Love Rom. 8.28 Joy Peace c. And this is a Dispensation of a spiritual first Fruits of the everlasting Covenant made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and no otherwise made with any since excepting David about the Kingdom but in such a begun-performance But then minding the words and the Apostles scope in this place with other places speaking of the same business and we shall see That 3. In this Dispensation of Grace by his Spirit there is made a double Engagement on the part of Christ and on the part of the Believers in which respect it is rightly called a New Testament in opposition to the Old Testament given by Moses which also in this Dispensation is written not with Ink as the Old Testament was nor in Tables of Stone as one part of that was nor in Leaves of Parchment or any such thing as another part of that was but even in their Heart that is That Jesus Christ will
them and extending to some Revelation Demonstration and making known his minde and goodness to them and also dealing with Men from and for God in opening their Eyes and moving their Hearts to turn to God and look to him and be saved and again still dealing with God for Men for patience pardon and means still to be extended to them that so they might come to Repentance and Faith and that he in his Father's way may freely give it to them By which means and in which patience he is striving with Men in opening their Eyes and moving at their Hearts that they might believe and so from the prevalency of his Mediation by vertue of his Oblation he is giving them Faith and Repentance and such a Mediator he is for all Men yea so set to be of his Father and hath himself accepted to perform this Office also and is furnished for it with the vertue of his Oblation and Immeasurable fulness of the Holy Ghost being faithful able and constant in performance and so in respect of his receiving from the Father and so from God dealing with the people calling and making known God's minde being full of Spirit Love and Faithfulness he calls enlightens moves and so strives with all 2 Isa 42 1-7 45.22 49.6 8. 55.5 61.1 2 3. Joh. 1.4 5 7 8 9 10 11. Rom. 2.4 5. as hath been foreshewn a. And whereas men closing their Eyes which he hath opened c. not owning and receiving his reachings and motions which is the sin of the world he yet by vertue of his Blood and Oblation once offered so intercedes with God as to procure such forgiveness that they are not cut off presently for these transgressions but that longer time and patience and more mercies and means be extended towards them and farther strife with his Spirit that they might yet repent believe and be saved A gracious Mediator intimated to us in the Parable of the Vine-dresser Luk. 13.8 9. Lord let it alone this yeer also till I dig about it and dress it and if it bear fruit well if not then after c. If any say This is meant of the Church the Vineyard of the Iews I answer However meant it is spoken of particular Trees therein of some of which our Saviour saith Ye are of this World Joh. 8.23 Joh. 1.29 but it is plain express by Iohn Baptist Behold the Lamb of God which taketh or beareth away the sins of the world In which it appeareth evidently he speaketh of more than the Atonement and Purgation made and so of the sins taken away from before the Face of God at once by that one Oblation of his once offered yea he speaketh of a continued act by vertue of his Oblation in Mediation he taketh that is spoken of a present and continued business he taketh or beareth away the sin of the world that is his Office and his continued work That he is faithful in doing and how he doth it was long before prophesied Isa 53.12 He poured out his soul unto death and he was numbred with transgressors and he bare the sins of many And then speaking of another and farther business done by vertue of the former he faith also And made intercession for the transgressors A little of which we may see fulfilled in Christ's praying for them that crucified him Father forgive them they know not what they do Luk. 23.34 And this Prayer of his was answered yea in as full a sense and farther degree than that of Amos and they so forgiven this great Transgression that they were not presently cut off Amos 7.2 3 4 5 6. Luk. 24.47 Act. 2.38 3.26 5.31 32. but patience and forbearance and more and greater means extended and used towards them yea the Gospel after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ first preached to them and Remission of sins c. according to Christ his Order so rendered and given to them And many of them did believe and receive the same And in like manner he procured patience and long-suffering for other great Transgressors even for the same gracious end That they might repent 2 Pet. 3.9 Rev. 2.21 2 Pet. 3â—â—5 whence we are willed to account That the long-suffering of the Lord is salvation Yea we are instructed into the knowledge of this Mediation of Christ by the Types of old the Truth of all being fulfilled and found in Christ Heb. 9.28 For Christ was once offered to bear the sins of man and unto them that look for him he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation It is evident in this place That more is here spoken of and meant than bearing of sins in his Oblation-offering 2 Pet. 2 24. Col. 2.14 Rom. 4.25 Heb. 9.14 1 Ioh. 2.1 Rom. 6.9 for those he bare in his Sufferings and Death and nailed them to his Cross so as he did them all away in his Resurrection and then by the eternal Spirit offered himself a spotless Sacrifice to God in the Heavens nor can there be any more sin so imputed to him or so born by him he is just and can die no more but his bearing sins now is his taking them away and keeping the punishment of them off from us And this was also figured to us in the two Goats one slain for a sin-offering figuring out the Atonement made by the Death of Christ the other a living Goat Levit. 16.9 10 20 21 22. 1 Cor. 15.17 Rom. 4.25 over whom was confess'd all the iniquity of the Children of Israel and he bare them away into a Land of separation where no man dwelt to be charged with them So figuring out the Resurrection of Christ for our Justification and bearing away our sins the forgiveness whereof men perceive and receive in confessing and believing on him and yet a farther bearing away of sins was here typed 1 Joh. 1.7 9. in that it was of sins confessed after the Atonement was made over the live Goat that carried them away c. But I will not urge that but come to that which is more full and plain for this purpose Aaron the High-Priest did bear the names and the Judgement of the Children of Israel Exod. 28.29 30. when he went into the holy place continually and he with his Sons the Priests were to bear the iniquity of the Congregation to make Atonement for them before the Lord Levit. 10.17 and this was besides the Atonement made in the holy of holies once in the yeer And what bearing of iniquity this was may be cleer to us not that the iniquity of the people was imputed to the Priests and confess'd over their heads and they to suffer the judgement and punishment due to the peoples sins and to be offered in Sacrifice for them not so But as skilfull Hebricians say The word signifies and the Greeks translates so to bear and take away yea Numb 18.1 2
And exhortation to them vers 6. And admonition to them that none beguile them vers 4.8 either with inticing words or Philosophy and vain deceit or by shews of humility and great knowledge intruding themselves into things they have not seen c. and so happily either pressing them to Law-observances for their perfection or to some humane and self-mortifications or to look for some particular words or some degree and condition in attainments or some secret decree of election that was of their persons before their calling or any thing what ever besides that which is discovered to them in Christ As if there were not enough in him to be received in beleeving on him And so hee warns to beware that we be not removed from him and that hope of the Gospel given us in beleeving on him Col. 1.22 23 24. For he will present us blameless if we continue in the faith c. This is the Apostles doctrine and scope as appears in this and former and following Chapters cleerly so as in all the proofs not a syllable to maintain any true faith of a second kinde nor the cause contended for but much rather that he contendeth against and more need not bee said but only to view his terms about their priviledges in the works of God passed on them which also are needful to be considered CHAP. XXII Of the terms of Gods works passed on beleevers in this Concernment OF these terms understood as is fore-shewn and some so molified as hath been shewn before in Pages 414 435 436. they may be all received As for the term Regenerated it is not used here and hath been considered where it is onely here let that place Mat. 19.28 Ye which have followed me in the Regeneration c. be considered he saith not Ye which are regenerated as speaking of a work done but a doing and it may be taken both for Regeneration and the Ministry of Regeneration in both which they were then following him Now what was the Regeneration of Christ surely he needed none of heart spirit or disposition he was holy in and from conception and knew no sin but he had a weak frail and mortal body of the seed of David Abraham Adam and how was that regenerated but through many sufferings and death in the resurrection from the dead Luke 24.26.45 46 47. Isa 53 8 10 11 Psal 2. Act. 13.33 And so he passâ—â—on through sufferings till he was truly dead and in the resurrection he was begotten there was his regeneration and such as are so raised are his generation or regenerated people whence such promises to be performing in the spirit and soul as through dying with Rom. 6 4 5. 2 Tim. 2 11. Phil. 3.9.10 11 12 13. Joh. 15 16-25 Mat. 10. 24 9-13 and for him we are conformed to his death for we need it in that and in soul and body after we are truly dead in the resurrection of the just and those that follow him so to the death shall then enjoy that promised Mat. 19.28 and such desires of conformity to him in sufferings And as for the ministration of Christ for regeneration of others it was a ministration carried an end through sufferings in which he persevered to the end and so must that ministration of his servants be also and he that perseveres in following him in that to the end shall enjoy also that promised And that regeneration is thus to be understood here for a work not compleatly yet done but in doing both in regeneration and ministration of it is evident by the Spirit in Luke mentioning the same thing so far as they had proceeded in it saith Luke 22.28 29 30. Yee are they which have continued with me in my temptations expressing that as the medium through which regeneration is here attained which minded will help to understand all the terms that are here used The term Accepted I suppose he means it to be the same with Justified because there is no other quotation for it and they may well be alike taken and they are both alike true of all that are indeed beleevers without difference in respect of their persons as such and so sons by faith yet is not this acceptation and Justification answerable in degree to that which shall be in the resurrection of the just when their persons as Sons and all their wayes as becoming Sons will be alike accepted and justified but not altogether so yet yea in this life even beleevers in whom the faith is may be in that respect accepted and justified as Sons and yet some words or act and so a way of theirs rejected and condemned and they in that not accepted or justified but both reproved and corrected No doubt but Moses and Aaron aboad in the faith Numb 20.12 and were accepted as the Saints of the Lord yet their failing in an act of faith and not honouring the power and freeness of Gods mercy before the people was reproved and they corrected for it No doubt but Peter aboad in the faith and love of his Master Maâ— 16.22.23 and was accepted as a true disciple yet not acting rightly in his faith his carnal counsel is rejected as proceeding from some suggestion of Satan to whom Christ as in Mat. 4. saith Depart and Peter sharply reproved 1 Cor. 11.30 32. No question but those corrected with weakness sickness and some with death for so gracious an end were true beleevers and so accepted but their demeanor not suitable to their faith was deeply reproved and chastened And the same I conceive of David Psal 32. though at one time foulely faln yet not utterly departed from the faith and his beleef in God and adoration of him for then what caused that great grief and disquietness of heart nor yet wholly out of favour of God in respect of his person as the Lords servant but in respect of his evil way disallowed 1 King 15.5 reproved and sorely afflicted And this I conceive because David is affirmed not to have turned aside c. all the dayes of his life it is not said save onely in that time in which sure were many other matters but save onely in the matter of Vriah Rom. 3.22 25. 5.8 3.25 4 5. 10 9 10. c. And the word Accepted thus understood is safe and good for all beleevers and so the word Justified also But for the rest there are quotations to be viewed Rom. 5.1 The Apostle had before discovered what true faith is in respect of the object Christ as having dyed rose c. And the true beleeving begot by the discovery of this object which is therefore called faith first in the beginning bringing to and closing with him namely an hearty beleeving That this Jesus is the Christ and that he dyed for our sins and rose for our justification and is the Lord of all and the propitiation for our sins this is the