great a blessing of getting thy soul in a pardoned estate Do but weigh with me the matchless blessedness of such a condition and me-thinks thy heart should not but be taken with it 1. Consider Pardoned souls become the dear Children of God see Eph. 1.5 c. Having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his Will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins c. The glorious grace of Adoption comes in upon the forgivenesse of sins therefore Chap. 5.1 the Apostle further hints this so blessed a priviledge Be ye followers of God as dear Children and Gal. 4.5 the Apostle gives it out as the great and blessed fruit of Redemption that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Oh! to be translated from being amongst the children of wrath to be numbred among the dear Children of God to come under the protection care tender love of God as a Father What soul would not be restlesse till he attain unto it 2. Pardoned souls have access to God Eph. 2.18.3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need This is the blessedness of pardoned souls they have free accesse to God as a Child to a Father to speak and plead to the Lord As soon as ever they come before the Lord they are admitted into his presence and God's eye and ear is towards them and they must have their errand either in kind or as good or a better thing given to them This is another inestimable good of blessed pardoned souls 3. As they are Gods dear Children and have free access to him so when once he hath freely and fully pardoned them he loves them with an infinite unmixt unchangeable Love Behold what manner of love is this c. 1 John 3.1 The Lord can as freely let out love full love to his pardoned ones as if they had never sinned because he never looks upon them out of Christ when God takes a poor sinner to himself he doth not barely and meerly pardon him and save him from wrath and no more as earthly Princes pardon many whom they love not but God sets his Love upon them and it can never enter into his heart to hate them He that loveth me saith Christ shall be loved of my Father Joh. 14.21 And if God afflict them 't is to make them better more like unto himself to bestow more grace upon them Heb. 12.10 and Gods Love to his blessed children is like himself Infinite unmixt everlasting This is another infinite blessing of pardoned souls to be thus loved by their God 4. Pardoned souls are brought into a justified state from which they shall never fall Thus runs the tenour of the New Covenant the bottome of all this blessedness I will remember their sins no more Heb. 8.12 No more Words of a sweet and blessed sound to whom they are spoken by the Holy Ghost that when poor souls that have come to Jesus Christ in a Gospel way for pardon and have pleaded and taken hold of promises of grace for that end and yet sometimes unbelief is stirring Oh! will not God one time or other call back to remembrance all my former iniquities and charge them upon me No saith the Lord it shall never enter into my heart I will remember them No More Blessed words and blest condition indeed Ah! who would be without it 5. Pardoned souls shall be kept in the hand of the Lord in all their wayes 1 Pet. 1.5 His Love Fear Lawes Power Spirit shall be in their hearts that they shall not fall from him Jer. 32.40 And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me He preserveth the souls of his Saints He keepeth the feet of his Saints Psal 97.10 1 Sam. 2.9 yea he will keep them from evil and nothing shall befall them but for their good Rom. 8.28 And if they fall the Lord humbles them heals them takes them up again puts new strength into them and his kindness must not depart from them 6. Pardoned souls are Gods Heirs Gal. 4.7 Rom. 8.15 c. Heirs of God through Christ and joynt-heirs with Christ Heirs of all his Promises of an incorruptible inheritance that never fadeth away reserved in Heaven for them 1 Pet. 1.9 Though the Lord give them no inheritance of earthly possessions yet they are his special Heirs of the heavenly inheritance Not the poorest believer in the world but may say with a heart full of blessed and humble rejoycing Though I am worthless in my self and am so accounted in the world yet through infinite grace I am one of the richest Heirs in the world a Co-heir with Christ of an exceeding eternal weight of glory Use 1. If such and more then is or can be named be the blessedness of pardoned souls Ah! what poor secure sinner that must also be everlastingly damned without it would miss of it Say sinner instead of being cursed hated damned and that for ever for ever for as is mercy and love to pardoned ones so is wrath to such as miss of it for ever I say instead of that which any heart but what is plagued with hardness would melt and tremble at to become a dear child of God and have free access to God be loved of God for ever justified no sin for ever remembred against thee every thing befall thee for good and be an Heir of God and be even as blessed as God can make thee and that for ever Ah! where 's the sinner that would be without this Who would sleight that word of the Lord that would teach you and lead you to this blessedness Who would despise or neglect the day of grace now while within the reach of it Who would run a dreadful hazzard of being given up of God if you thus trifle with a Gospel of salvation Ah! the good Lord pity you that do thus you are fit to be mourned over had we hearts to do it with tears of blood Yet once more Awake awake you careless ones before bodies drop into the grave and souls into hell Oh! do not do not take pleasure in soul-murder do not put off the one only main necessary work and leave it undone till it may be impossible to have it done Tell me in good earnest Canst thou well be without the pardon of thy sins here and for ever Soul thou mayst well enough be without much Land and much mony and many great friends and yet be well exceeding well contented nay better if thou hast Christ and grace then
can never be able to find or bring about in or by it self which may lead us to the more particular way of the Holy Ghost's working this power in the soul in the saved ones of God 1. In the working of Faith in the soul it is first brought to see an impossibility of coming to God as in its self or by its self concluded under an utter unability to pacifie God or make up a righreousness in it self to get access with God The soul is emptyed from vessell to vessell till all the things that it counted gain before become losse for Jesus Christ This is the first work of the Spirit it emptyes a poor sinfull Creature of all its refuges all its dependencyes all its sufficiencyes and so becomes naked in its guilt before God and therefore is brought to this that its acceptance to God if ever it be accepted must be out of its self what ever become of him he must perish as in himself 2. In the work of saith The soul is brought to see that this was the end of the Revelation of Jesus Christ of Gods setting him forth to be a propitiation that he might work forth Redemption and Righteousnesse for some that this is a way of Gods own ordaining Jesus Christ was set forth for this very end even by God himself and therefore the soul is brought to this conclusion to venture the issue of its life and eternall salvation upon it and so throwes it self as in a sinking condition upon the the grace blood righteousnesse of Jesus Christ sink or swim live or perish saved or damned there the soul casts Anchor there it pitcheth to this it will stand or fall before the righteous God If there be not enough in the blood of Jesus to give it acceptance with God the soul resolves to Hell it must and will There saith a poor self-emptyed soul I cast even away my self if it might be upon it Phil. 3.9 3. The soul is brought on to believe the report that God in his word makes concerning his Son Jesus Christ and of the price value merit and all-sufficiency of his blood to save a poor sinner even to the utmost that comes to God by him Heb. 7.25 to answer all the wants and distresses of a poor soul namely in pacifying the Justice of God fulfilling the Law making atonement removing guilt procuring remission of sins reconciling to God Rom. 5.9 10. Much more being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life In all which things the soul is enabled to believe the report of the Gospell that the blood and death of Jesus Christ can do all this for poor sinners that shall pitch upon it 4. In this working of faith the soul comes to see and fasten upon an absolute unlimited Free promise where any sinner that will may come to Jesus Christ and so have the vertue of his death and blood applyed to it and therefore that he as well as any other sinner in the world may come to him and make claime to his blood and plead it before God whosoever will let him come Rev. 22. Now saith a poor self-emptyed sinner I do not find that I am any where excluded but invited and called upon to come to the Lord Jesus and claime an interest in his blood and that I may plead it even at the throne of his justice and that I may warrantably safely upon good grounds given out from the mouth of God himself take hold of the Lord Jesus in such a promise and there is no sin or unworthinesse can exclude me unlesse I will frowardly and wretchedly exclude my self I do not find saith a poor soul that any sin is too great for the sacrifice of that blood of Jesus so the sinner will come to it yea that 't is the greatest sin and the top of condemnation not to come to it that I more injure God by standing off from Jesus Christ then by all the filthinesse blasphemies ungodlinesses my soul ever wallowed in Heb. 10.29 The blood of Christ is a price sufficient for the sins of the whole world therefore saith a poor soul For mine He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world therefore he can take away mine and I am freely call'd and invited to it and t is my rebellion not to come what can I have more And so sense of peace and reconciliation falls in upon the Soul 5. The soul by its often renewing of such Acts of believing comes at last to see the blood of Jesus Christ appropriated to him now it can stay it self upon the word of promise and can sometimes rejoyce in believing If I rolle my self upon the blood of Jesus I have the word of God for it that I shall be saved we shall be saved from wrath through him not it may be but we shall be saved and all upon the account of being justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 which justification ariseth upon this believing we have mention'd Thus have I opened the nature of faith as it is precisely justifying as it applyes and appropriates the blood and righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus for remission of sins and Justification unto eternall Life I might insist upon the discovery of the effectuall operations of faith in the soul as may distinguish it from a mere belief of the History of the death of Jesus Christ take two or three 1. When the soul by faith doth act upon the blood of Jesus Christ for justification it doth also bring the power and efficacy of it for the purging of the soul Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offer'd himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God So Act. 15.9 Purifying your hearts by faith There is a purifying vertue in the blood of Jesus Christ upon the souls of believers They are for the purging away the filth as well as the guilt of sin There 's no believing soul but cryes out Purge me Oh Lord purge me and thoroughly from my filth 2. The soul hath a secret yet reall fellowship with the death of Jesus Christ to crucifie and destroy the body of sin in a justified believer which ariseth from its union with Christ Rom. 6.5 6. For if we have bin planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likenesse of his Resurrection knowing that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin Every true believer can really say I am or I would be Crucified with Christ Gal. 2.20 Which the Apostle there brings in as an effect of Justification by faith 3. Every justified believer looks upon this as one great end of his Justification
THE GOSPEL Nevv-Creature WHEREIN The Work of the Spirit is opened in awakening the Soul to the getting pardon of Sin and an interest in JESUS CHRIST Without which it is undone to all Eternity DISCOVERING The false refuges and vain hopes for Heaven of ignorant and formal Professors in this Nation tending to rouze them out of their carnal Security before it be too late Whereunto is added By way of Comfort to all Dejected Soules The Tempestuous Soul calmed by JESUS CHRIST By A. PALMER Preacher of the Gospel at Bourton on the Water in Gloucester-shire LONDON Printed for Edward Brewster at the Crane in Pauls Church yard 1658. THE GOSPEL Nevv-Creature WHEREIN The Work of the Spirit is opened in the Soul's saving awakening to the getting pardon of sin Conviction of sin Self-emptying Gospel Justification and creating into JESUS CHRIST Discovering The false refuges and hopes for Heaven of ignorant carnal formal professors in this Nation and the counterfit Legal New-Creature so called Preacht more at large in Publick from several Scriptures and now published for the good of others In much plainness to the capacity of the Countrey People By A. Palmer Preacher of the Gospel at Bourton on the water in Glocester-shire Gal. 6.4 Let every man prove his own work c. London Printed for Edward Brewster at the Crane in Pauls Church yard 1658. To the Reader THat which drew these Papers from me will be Argument enough for me against the censure of what weaknesses are mixt in this Poor piece Which I must needs so call as it comes from my self but dare not undervalue what of the least of the Spirit of God appears in it every drop and tast of which is of an infinite price where ever it appear Some years since the Lord for so through grace I find the issue put upon my heart to send forth a little token of soul-experience to my friends stiled The tempestuous Soul calmed c. Which I found God made a blessing to some poor souls so can the Lord make use of weak things and I have been called upon and sent to by strangers for Books but had none of them The Stationer also sending me word that he desired to reprint it and that I would make some addition to it if I thought meet These importunities were as the voice of the Lord to me and being then preaching upon the subjects I have here added which were but as an enlargement to the other in the former part but carryed further in the opening the New-Creature It came upon my heart that I could not give out as I humbly apprehended what might be more generally useful in these dayes for the Country-people among whom chiefly my poor labours are laid out wherein they may as in a glasse particularly and plainly see if God open their eyes the woful mistakes and heart-delusions in the great business of Heaven the most it may well be feared lye under fit to be mourned over with tears of blood had we Preachers hearts to do it 2. Add to this the infinite obligation that lies upon me I must say above any soul upon the face of the earth from my dear Lord Jesus to do for him with all my might to leave no way unattempted wherein I might witness to his blessed Name and the wayes of his Grace and help-on poor sinners to him who have had my hands so deep in the blood of my Lord over whom I would mourn and in the blood of the souls of sinners when I helpt on to my everlasting abasement be it spoken and the magnifying of grace their hardening in sin and condemnation in the daies of my high rebellion against the long-suffering of my God 3. I have many dear Relations and Kindred with others to whom I am known specially in this County of Glocester where I have found mercy in my labours and an effectual door opened with other my Fellow-labourers in Christ in whose hearts I have room which I would wonder at and something this way from my self would be acceptable happily rather then that which is more worthy from a stranger which considerations do much secure me against censure Upon which account I give it up to the Lord in the simplicity of my soul and beg a gracious blessing upon it to every soul into whose hands it may come Specially My friends after the flesh to whom I have not frequent opportunity to speak otherwise whose souls are upon my heart to mourn for I beseech you and charge you in the bowels of Christ Jesus that you will never rest in your spirits till through infinite mercy and blessing upon your diligence you shall find what is here written to be your own gracious experience upon your souls Oh! do not dare to rest in a general notion of mercy in a blind hope-well a sober and righteous through reformed conversation or in a mere taking up to a better obedience no nor in mere notions of free-grace and of Jesus Christ but get as convinced of sin so emptyed of your selves and all your own righteousness to come as nothing else but sinners to Jesus Christ for all to be justified in his righteousness and rooted into him and so become New Creatures in him and in him have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life Which things are the main scope of this Piece directed chiefly to you The same things I would say to you who were the hearers of these discourses as preach'd unto you Such of you who yet stand off from the fellowship of the Gospel Oh! may this word take you in a serious reading whom it hath not in the preaching of it Baffle not Oh do not with your own Convictions Consciences any longer Oh! may you yet break off from your snares lying-hopes offences self-righteousnesses heartless formalities and wait for the Spirit of the Lord Jesus in the ministration of the Gospel yet the hand of the Lord is stretched forth unto you Oh! be not any longer a disobedient and a gain-saying people God and Angels and your own Consciences will witnesse how oft the Lord Jesus Christ hath called by me and you have not answered To you who have before the Lord and one another professed obedience to the call of Christ and subjection to his Gospel I will say no more but this that I hope you never expect to look the Lord Jesus in the face at the day of his appearing but as you are justified only in his righteousness rooted in him and are new Creatures in him That I may be your rejoycing and you mine in that day Study exactly the evidences of the New-Creature and through grace walk after them which I would also presse upon such of the Professors of godliness who may peruse this plain Piece specially the Churches of Christ I have special Communion with in these parts Let not young Converts rest only in having lively affections but get distinctly bottom'd upon the saving mystery of the Gospel
great Judgment it will not be so No nothing but upbraidings of Devils for neglecting Gospel-grace and refusing the termes of pardon and for grosse security This will be the portion of every unpardoned sinner that neglects the day of his salvation Therefore the pardon of sins requires the deepest thoughts of heart and can never be made too sure to a poor sinfull Creature Use 1. If the pardon of sin be of so great and infinite weight how doth this meet with the wretched deplorable carelesnesse of a world of souls in this day that think of nothing lesse then whether their sins are pardoned that will hear of nothing that may call this great matter into question or way awaken them to it Oh how many poor souls I fear too many of you though so often and earnestly prest to it that were never before the Lord mourning after the pardon of your sins What a leight matter would it be to be pardoned if there should be no more in it not care about it then most sinners that call themselves Christians make about it Ah sinners why do you make no more ado no more matter of it why so sensless of that which is alone worthy all the thoughts of thy heart if thou shouldst live a million of years to dispatch this one thing to get thy sins all pardoned You that are Elderly people have a large reckoning specially upon your account of sinning against Gospell-light and grace make haste what you do do quickly lay hold on eternall life the sun is ready to let upon you and wo with you as ever you were men and women if you fail of a good and sure dispatch of this one corcernable thing your sins being pardoned And you that are younger take heed lest the day of grace set upon you and you be given up to your own hearts lusts and no word that is spoken from God or man shall ever reach you Oh tremble at tryfling with convictions and light but begin to honour the Lord Jesus and bow unto him and wait for the promised effusion of his spirit and the joy of the Lord shall be the joy of your youth and the love of the Lord will be very sweet and precious to you 2d Exhort Oh then let every soul of us be deeply affected with this weighty matter let your souls say within you Oh the dreadfulnesse of an unpardoned condition what tongue can expresse it to have all my store little or much house corn cattle all under a curse and enjoy it as a curse and onely to further my eternall damnation to be hated of the great God and not loved to be under all the condemnation of the Law where ever I read of wrath and wo it belongs to me to have not one of my prayers or any thing else accepted of the Lord to be in a condition of expecting nothing from Jesus Christ at his coming but go ye cursed when I shall see so many blessed souls that took paines for Heaven enter into the Kingdome and my self shut out Wo is me if I speak peace to my soul in such an estate one moment more Awake my soul Awake Away in to the blessed God for mercy pardon grace Christ his blood spirit holinesse eternall life I will go the Lord helping me and cry in the bitternesse of my soul for them all and if 't were possible to weary the Lord with the cryes of my poor soul I will do it till he have mercy upon me and bid me go in peace The gracious God shall as hardly deny me as ever he did any poor sinner that lay bleeding at his feet for mercy and grace from heaven to heale a poor condemned soul Oh what have I been doing in the world all this while get a little something and my sins unpardoned in daily danger of dying in them and so be lost without all remedy for ever Oh! such will be the great thoughts of heart about the pardon of sins when the Lord shall speak to a poor sinner and the Conscience shall be thoroughly awake about it Oh! let me yet in the name of the Lord argue out this matter with thee Be serious for once and ponder it in thy heart what is health or wealth what is it to have something about thee in the world lay up yearly thou go deeper in debt with the just God every day What if all the world be at Peace with thee and God thy enemy and hate thee as thou hast been shewed What if all the world say of thee Blessed if God and his holy Word of truth pronounce thee Cursed because thy sins lye upon thy soul and the Spirit of grace is not upon thee Ah! poor Creature Do not do not let thy sins lye upon thy precious soul any longer do not be contented to be a child of Gods wrath any longer Oh! do not thou poor carelesse soul if there be a spark of pity in thee Do not as the Devil flatters rest in this and say I hope better and I hope 't is better with me and I hope I am or shall be pardoned and so fall asleep till thou drop into hell You that think it an easie common matter to be pardoned know not what it is you have yet no part in this blessednesse Saith a poor convinced soul 1. 'T is a great matter that any sinner in the world is pardoned much more such a one as I if ever I attain to it 2. Souls that get pardon do make it their greatest care to be assured of it they do not leave the matter at sixes and sevens and put it off with bidding the heart hope well but they labour after a Gospel assurance of it 3. Such souls will labour to see that nothing be wanting that must accompany pardon of sin and a state of salvation Heb. 6.9 4. They try all their pretences to pardon and grace over and over and will take nothing upon trust from their hearts or the Devils flatteries or the flatteries of carnal Ministers but search and prove and lay their hearts under the Word and Spirit till it be sealed by the Holy Ghost and that they are wrought of God for this self same thing and that he hath given them the Earnest of the Spirit 2 Cor. 5.5 Well therefore say in thy heart in good earnest Oh! it hath not been so with me I have been carelesse I thought well of my self I nere questioned this weighty matter to purpose Oh! the Lord give me grace to take pains in the use of means to be violent for Heaven Oh! I will not rest Oh! let me not till I am assured indeed that my my sins are done away and Christ is mine Go and say and do it and the God of all grace and might be with thee in it But yet further to presse the weight of this matter upon thy Conscience that thou mayest go off thoroughly convinced and resolved to pursue effectually the compassing of this so
Remember the same Paul that thought himself a blamelesse man Philip. 3.6 afterwards cryes out of exceeding sinfulnesse Rom. 7.13 yea the greatest the chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 But I hope to meet with thee and with thy conscience as to this conviction more hereafter The next inquiry will be when a poor soul may be said to be under such a discovery of the greatnes of sin as may lead him to get pardon through Jesus Christ 1. One discovery I have named already which is such a soul doth not go about to lessen his sin but greaten it to his greater abasement t is his fear he doth not see his sin great enough to lay him low enough before the Lord. 2. When such a sight and discovery of sin it begets trouble upon the spirit In Psal 38. you have David under a great discovery of sin and he cryes out there is no rest in my bones because of my sin I am troubled I am bowed down I go mourning all the day such a trouble that will not admit of peace and healing but from Jesus Christ till it can take hold of Jesus Christ in a promise of grace and pardon and come to him and close with him to be justified and Sanctified by him and in him as I am at large to shew if God will I speak this because there is a trouble for sin that often ends in a more dangerous peace many poor creatures have for a time bin troubled for sin and they have made one shift or other to quiet themselves it may be leave their sins and do a little something more but never come in a Gospel way to Christ which I am also through grace to evidence in the discovery of a false conversion However so it is that every soul that is unbottomed from a false peace a peace in sin or his duties he comes under trouble more or lesse in and for his sin as he gets to pardon 3. God smites a soul for some speciall particular sin Jer. 3.13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God and hast scattered thy wayes under every green tree c. Generall acknowledgment of sins comes to nothing 't is the the note of a Hypocrite but particular sins lying upon the soul speak forth spirituall convictions when joyned I mean with other workings of heart we are now setting forth 4. As God smites so the sinner is in particular confession before the Lord loads his heart with sin till it breaks Object But who will not confesse himself a sinner you will say Answ Truly few in a Scripture saving sense A word or two more to this That confession of sin before the Lord is a duty and such as hath the promise of forgivenesse of sin the issue of all we are driving at such places of Scripture will clear Psal 32. I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sinne Prov. 28.13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins 1 John 1.9 This being a duty to which so blessed promises are annexed 't is of much concernment to souls that are very serious about forgivenesse to have it stated aright according to Scripture and saving Experience There is a confession of sin that doth not entitle to the promise which a hypocrite may reach to so Pharaoh Exod. 9.27 I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked here 's confession but no pardon so Judas Math. 27.3 4. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood so Saul 1 Sam. 15.29 I have sinned for I have transgressed the Commandement of the Lord Here are verball inforced confessions when the hand of God was upon them and yet did not end in mercy The confession of a Hypocrite proceeds only from judgment felt or feared but that which is sincere and ends in mercy pardon goes upon better grounds 1. As first Confession that hath the promise of pardon is accompanied with hatred of sin So in that blessed draught of the new Covenant Ezek. 36. I will save you from your uncleannesses c. verse 29. and verse 31. Then shall you remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Then when God comes in a way of mercy and pardon then God will make them remember their wickednesses that they had even forgotten and had thought that God had forgotten them also they thought they were good ways before but now the Lord shews them they were not good and they loath themselves sin is not onely a terrour but a loathsome thing to them hateful to the soul that is under this conviction 2. Whence secondly Saving confession respects the pollution of sin They shall loath themselves c. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee In that 38. Psal David is in self-loathing this doth arise as presently I shall shew from a glimpse of Gods holiness which I humbly conceive ☞ No reprobate in the world doth reach to to loath sin because it makes him an unholy Creature 3. It followes therefore that such confession drives sin to the root to the fountain there sees it most abominable odious infinite So David Psal 51.5 I was shapen in iniquity c. A Hypocrites confession ends in outward grosse sins from terrour onely and reacheth not to heart-sin pollution of nature and if he can reach to reforme such outward grosse sins he hath done as he thinks the utmost but never comes to loath and so to mortifie through the spirit sin at the root but sincere souls touched by the holy Ghost with a saving sense of sin do drive sin home to its originall to its root in the universall corruption of heart and nature and there the severest edge and indignation against it is let forth 4. Brokeness of heart for sin is an effect of such confession Psal 51 17. Isa 61.1 57 15. And this ariseth upon sense of Gods patience goodness love As hatred of the pollution of sin ariseth from a sight of Gods holines Pharaoh cryes out he had sinned when he smarted with punishment but was still under the plague of his hard heart Exod. 9.27 34. There is indeed a kind of brokennesse that the hammerings of terrour by punishments or by the word may worke which may a little wear and rough-hew the heart and yet go no further but yet leave the heart under its naturall hardnesse but now that which is the spirits saving work kindly melts the heart makes it soft and so it can powre out it self to
soul and so longest for such exercises as the joy and strength of thy heart Nothing lesse Thy own conscience being Judge but hear drowsily and negligently it may be despisingly revile the preacher speak evil of the word out of thy grosse ignorance and hatred to be reformed speak vainly carnally worldly with such as are like thy self Here 's guilt enough to send thee to a thousand Hells if God smite not thy heart for it and thou turn not unto him for pardon and a better heart to be given to thee Adde to all this an unthankfull and unholy use of Gods good Creatures it may be thou hast bin betrayed by the devil thy own ready heart to some secret sins which thou thinkest enough if thou canst hide from man not considering the judgment of God that hangs over thee But if not so yet a heart full of uncleannesse envy wrath malice which our Lord Jesus Christ in his opening the law in its spirituality Mat. 5.21.22 27 28. convinceth to be murder and adultery which it may be thou hast never considered of so thou hast not bin an actuall adulterer or murderer In a word There 's not a vain thought in thy heart the first rising of it but brings thee under the guilt of condemnation of the law and as thou art under the law as if a transgressour in thought word and deed of the whole Law This may seem strange to thee but see it proved James 2.10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point is guilty of all But it hath bin proved that thou art guilty of the breach of every Commandement of God from thy youth up But see further sinner that some word of God or other may hit thee this law could not condemn thee wouldst thou have bin convinced of guilt and made in to grace by Jesus Christ but thou art under the guilt of Gospel Contempt Come sinner saith Jesus Christ and see what I can and will do for thee I le save thee from this condemning Law I le take away the curse I le remove all thy guilt blot out all the charge that is against thee I le put a righteousnesse upon thee I le bestow my spirit upon thee I le give thee a heart to love God and his law and in the inward man to delight to walk in it and then take thee to Heaven and fill thee with glory for ever All this Heaven of mercy and free grace thou hast sleighted and sinned against and brought thy self under greater condemnation than by the law And yet by the way Jesus Christ will do as much for thee still as I have spoken of and more though thou hast thus sinned against law and gospel if thou wilt come a poor undone guilty soul unto him which is that I aime at in thus pressing upon thee And were the sense of guilt indeed upon thy soul thou wouldst seriously hearken to me Therefore yet futher bear with me Take home this guilt to thy conscience And say Oh guilty guilty of all that hath bin this day charged from the righteous God upon me Oh may the Lord find thee out this day and lay-in the fresh sense of the guilt of sins even of such thou hast long since committed Do not justifie nor excuse thy self any longer for that 's the naturall way of thy heart as thou hast bin shewed Never did guilty prisoner at the barre find more shifts more subtle pleas then the proud and shamelesse heart of a sinner will do till God himself pronounce guilt in the conscience and then the guilt of one sin laid-in brings in the guilt of all other and they sometimes come in like waves and billowes upon thy soul oh let the sense of thy lying swearing profaning the Sabbath slighting the word refusing Jesus Christ out of thy secret hatred of holinesse reproaching the people of God because in their practise they condemne thee or thy being guilty of the blood of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 11.27 a crying sin indeed Oh let this any all seize upon thee and fly not from it but go and lye low before the great God in it judging charging condemning thy self and say God and his word hath found me out this day and I go home with an arrow of God in my conscience I am the man or woman that am found the guiltyest soul in the Congregation how to be delivered and saved from it that 's my businesse now Blessed be the advice and counsell now which formerly I despised of any good man that speakes in the name of the Lord unto me and will shew me There is yet hope for so wretched a Creature as I am Particularly these are the effects of the sense of the guilt of sin wrought by the holy Ghost upon the conscience of a poor soul in order to his salvation 1. Fear of wrath to come more or lesse possesseth the heart Can a man be guilty and not fear if truly sensible of it This was upon Adam after he had sinned and heard Gods voice which struck him with sense of guilt Gen. 3.10 I heard thy voice and was afraid so when guilt came upon Belshazzar his thoughts troubled him Dan. 5.6 Felix trembled Acts 24.25 The Jaylour came trembling Acts 16.29 The fear of wrath the fear of a mis-carrying soul the fear of eternity seizeth upon the spirit of a poor creature and then t is an infinite weighty matter with a poor soul to be saved 2. Shame is another effect of guilt brought in upon the conscience so Adam likewise was ashamed and hid himself because he was naked Gen. 3. What fruit had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6.21 So Ezek. 16. last That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done sayth the Lord See also Ezek. 43.10 11. Oh how is a sensibly guilty soul ashamed before God Angels men of such wayes and carriages in which he impudently before delighted himself and lyes down in his shame and confusion of face even covering his face before God and ashamed to look up unto him 3. The soul walkes up and down with a burthened spirit those creature-comforts delights contentments which before would still the spirit now will not sense of guilt eates out the heart of them the soul must now have something else than wind and vanity for so are Creatures become to such a poor soul It may be the deceitfull heart carryes a poor creature to this thing and that but finds no satisfaction there the burthen stills remaines the arrow that God hath shot sticks fast till Jesus Christ pluck it forth and heales all with his blood and spirit 4. Guilty souls make out for deliverance sue to heaven are enquiring how the law may be satisfied how guilt may be removed how atonement may be had how bondage taken off in a
25. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye make clean the out side of the cup and platter but with they are full of extortion and excesse so with the same woe pronounced verse 27. Ye are like unto whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones and of all uncleannesse verse 28. Even so also ye outwardly appear righteous unto men but within ye are full of Hypocrisie and iniquity Mark the Lords words within ye are thus and thus As if the Lord should say God regards not what you are outwardly and your observing the law with the outward man seeing you have abundance of all iniquity within which every unregenerate soul in the world hath so you may see that an outward keeping of the law standes for nothing in the account of God whatever it do with men and your selves which you hear Jesus Christ gives forth as the mark of an Hypocrite Now you have heard the law requires inward as well as outward perfection perfect holinesse within as well as righteousnesse in the outward man I verily believe want of this conviction upon the soul sends more soules to Hell then any other thing in the world besides how confident are poor Creatures if they are a little consciencious in dealing and sober and blamelesse to men this you may be and be no better then devils as in your selves in Gods account and thy best Character from Jesus Christ Mat. 23.26 is a Blind Pharisee Every place I fear abounds with them therefore this inveterate cursed plea of being outwardly blamelesse in keeping the Law will not in the least tender you more accepted with God but t is at the best but painted Hypocrisie And yet wretched souls that you are none so well perswaded of themselves as these This the fourth reason 5. All the best keeping of the Law doth not cannot make satisfaction to God for one sin of thy soul therefore t is worth nothing Gods Justice is wronged and if the sinner be remitted God must be satisfied by the sinner himself or by another Now all the obedience of a sinner cannot make satisfaction to God in the least If he had the whole world to offer up to God it could not satisfie him for the the wrong of one sin see that known place Micah 6.6 7. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the high God shall I come before him with burnt offerings with Calves of a year old will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Rivers of Oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul Implying that there is nothing that a poor sinner of himself can offer up to God to make atonement or satisfaction to God for the least sin of his soul should he offer up thousands of prayers rivers of tears whole ages spent in services to God take up to a severe new obedience if you should so take up to a new course as never to sinne more all your dayes it would not make God satisfaction or atonement for one evil thought of thy soul Now observe this for if thou art not rightly convinced of this thing thou art lost for ever T is naturally upon every man and womans heart that hath sinned to imagine that when they have sinned they can put off God as to his displeasure with something or other they will reckon what good they have done gone to Church as you style it given Almes bin just to men or some such thing and the poor blind Creature imagines and pleaseth himself in it that this good thus done will well enough pacifie God for his sins or at least he will go over some prayers be strickt for a little while and then they doubt not but God because also he presently smites not with judgment is well enough apayed and he need no more trouble himself Is not this the very way of your hearts hath not the word found you out Object But you will say why cannot these duties and this obedience satisfie and pacifie God well enough for sin Answ 1. Because there is sinne mixt in them they come from a profane heart as is shew'd in the last reason though thou ignorantly because thou knowest not thy heart call'st it a good heart now that which is in it self sinfull cannot sure satisfie for sinne 2. Because of the infiniteness of Gods justice as well as purity of it A finite creature cannot offer up a proportionable atonement to an infinite God Suppose a poor man were under the guilt of treason condemn'd to dye and he should go offer up a little coorse broken bread to the Prince would any one think that this would satisfie the Prince for his treason So poor deceived creature thou art guilty of treason and rebellion against the great and most high God and thou comest and offerest up to him thy poor polluted broken obedience and duties and thinkest he will be satified with this whereas God may in the same moment justly send thee to Hell for the iniquity of them A poor sinfull soul thinkes that because such doings and services do satisfie himself his own conscience therefore he thinks they will satisfie God also because they quiet him upon any trouble for guilt he thinks they will also quiet God and take off his anger and justice from punishing him poor creature this thy way is thy folly and the ready way to come under the severe justice of the Almighty who will not thus be dealt with nor be thus bribed with thy cursed sacrifices This is a further convincement of the point All the creature can do cannot pacifie God for one sin and therefore all his best keeping of the law cannot justifie a poor sinner before God nor give him acceptance in the least with him till he sees pacification another way and takes up obedience from another principle and to another end as we are to shew 6. All a mans endeavour in setting himself to keep the law to the utmost cannot give him acceptance with God because it cannot give life to the soul Gal. 3.21 For if there had bin a law which would have given life verily righteousnesse had come by the law Man hath procured death and weaknes upon his soul and the law cannot give life nor strength to obey it All that righteousness which leavs the soul dead comes to nothing while a soul is under the law and upon the fulfilling of it as he hopes in a good measure still the soul is as dead as sin left it and void of the life of God true A poor soul thinkes himself alive by his legall performances as Paul thought Rom. 7.9 but he is dead in sin and under the sentence of death by the Law and all the performances towards the keeping of it can never give a drop of life to such a poor soul they are dead
terms that God proposeth Why should'st thou not be willing to be made holy Why should not the Lord rather rule thee then sin and the Devil What more beautiful and glorious then the Image of God Oh accept of holiness with mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ Come unto him for both be willing to be set apart for God a Vessel purged and sanctified for his use and thou shalt behold the face of God shining upon thee and whatever is laid up in Christ in Promises in Heaven and glory shall be thine You who have thought to make your selves holy and then come to Christ to be justified be convinced of your great errour and now come as sinners to Jesus Christ to be justified and sanctified in him and see all grace laid up in Jesus Christ for such as come unto him Say Oh blessed Lord Jesus I cannot fit my self for thee If thou canst not accept me as a poor undone helpless sinner coming unto thee I never expect a blessing from thee And you who have sleighted this free and rich and glorious grace see what you have done and be abased for it see how you cast back mercy upon the face of God who would freely be reconciled with you pass by all the grievous injuries you have done him enter into a Covenant with you bestow his Christ upon you fit you for communion with himself here and for ever and all this you have sleighted and yet must unavoidably be for ever damned without it Sinner who can plead for thee when thou shalt go on to despise neglect sleight such grace To Hell without pitty of God Angels or Men when freest mercy and grace shall be sleighted I do therefore stand this day in the Name of Jesus Christ to acquaint you that he will save you freely if you will come unto him be your sins what they will so you come not as righteous but as sinners to him so you take his Righteousness to cover you and his Spirit of grace to unite you to him and make you holy and will give up your selves unto him All which he will help if you will come and cry to him yea if you cannot come he will draw you if you are unwilling he will make you willing if you have no heart he will give you heart What more Wretched man or woman that shall stand off one moment longer Is not Hell too good for thee if thou shalt now turn thy back upon such grace Let me have your Answers this day Let me know that sinner that will go home resolved to be as careless as he formerly hath been as well-opinioned of himself as much resolved against Holiness as thoughtless of being damned if he with-stand the Lord in his Free-grace one day more Oh! Will not your hearts stirre dead stupid soules Shall God's Free-grace his Christ go a begging this day and will not a sinner come up to his terms Old sinners that are going into the grave and Hell too will not you accept of Free-grace of Christ the Spirit this day that are upon the brink of the grave and everlasting burnings and have many a thousand sin yet unpardoned Is all this nothing to you but rest in a blind hope of mercy without coming to Jesus Christ without care of being made holy and fit for Heaven Oh you have been fast asleep in sin deceived by your own hearts abused by the Devil fourty fifty sixty years Is' t not time for you to bethink your selves to go and cry to the Blessed God Oh! grace pardon Christ Heaven upon any terms My righteousness I have trusted in are poor Cobwebs my Confidences vain Oh! for a drop of free-mercy and grace from that Ocean that is in God and 't were better then all I have done for Heaven yet Oh Lord Now now I come to thee Is there free-mercy and grace for one that hath sleighted it Yea though thou hast gone on frowardly in thy own heart yet he can heal thee Isa 57.17 18. And you that are younger 't is a desperate thing now in times of Gospel-Light when it glares upon your faces to shut your eyes to go on in the way of your own hearts to sleight Gospel-grace to harden your selves and cry Hereafter hereafter Alas thou knowest not what shall be on the morrow the Thread of thy Life is quickly cut with a stroke from God Beside to go on long from year to year against the loud and frequent Call of Jesus Christ against Convictions that thou shouldest do otherwise is the way to be given up to utter hardness and the Lord to move upon thy heart no more There 's a day of grace to every Soul which if he suffer to set and go down upon him he is irrecoverably lost for ever Look to it you younger men and maidens that have yet no work upon you that are the same you were under the means you have lived that have not the Spirit of grace and mourning upon you when others are praying and wrastling with the Lord and taking the Kingdom of Heaven by violence Oh up and be stirring the day of grace hath shined long upon you Hold out no longer Come come come you careless Sons and Daughters and the way is open to you the door of Free-grace is open Christs Arms are open you may be saved and blessed for ever if you come in now you are invited I can take no excuse Come or say I am resolved for Hell and to venture the utmost in the condition I am in Oh bold and fearless Atheist What shall I say to thee if that be thy Resolution But I cannot be so answered Say you sinners as if I should name you Are you for Heaven or Hell for Free-grace or your own patcht-up Righteousness for Carnal ease or any Pains for Heaven for your Lusts or for Holiness for Jesus Christ or the Devil Let thy Heart answer in good earnest this day Now shall I at last have this Answer Hold I am resolved for the Free-grace of God for the Lord Jesus Christ If all the sinners in the Congregation yea in the World should turn their backs upon him The Word of the Lord hath overcome Oh Lord Jesus may I come such a Wretch as I come Yea saith the Lord Jesus Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him come Grace is as free as ever it was Say then Oh Lord I come draw me and I will come Into the Arms of Free-grace I throw my self my Righteousness is an abominable thing Ah! a Christ upon any tearms Oh let let me creep unto thy Blessed Feet let me have the Lowest-Room in thy Heart Take what way thou wilt to purge me so I may but get well unto thee Now Lord as much Holiness as thou wilt let thy precious bloud wash me all over Well! go thus and acquaint the Lord Jesus with it from day to day Wait he will speak to thee love to hear more from him and of him in his Gospel and
part in this blessed Redemption we have been treating of 6. Now to encourage a poor sinner to this coming to God with the Plea of Christ's bloud in his heart and mouth and to draw forth the Faith of a poor humbled doubting soul Consider the All-sufficiency and worth of the price of the death of Iesus Christ to satisfie the justice of God and procure pardon and sanctification for a poor sinner which may appear from such like Scriptures The Apostle in the 7th of the Hebrews having been opening the excellency of Christ's Priesthood which is chiefly conversant in this Work of Redemption in the offering up of himself a Sacrifice concludes v. 25. of that Chapter Wherefore he is able to save them to the utmost that come unto God by him To the utmost that is with a perfect Salvation that nothing more can be desired to it So in the 9th Chap. v. 11. c. the Apostle reasoning from the Levitical Sacrifices to this of the bloud of Christ argueth the full perfection of it By his own blood he entred in once into the holy place namely into Heaven having obtained eternall Redemption for us and thence concludeth verse 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge the conscience c A much more upon that above all the Sacrifices that were offered up to God Which will appear 1. Because of the eternall God-head of Christs person by which he offer'd up his bloud unto his Father Heb. 9.14 Who through the eternall Spirit offered up himself without spot to God Which put an infinite value and efficacy upon the offering of his bloud Inasmuch as Jesus Christ was God as well as Man though he could onely dye in his humane nature yet the efficacy of his God-head had an influence upon the price of his dying which put an infinite worth upon it and so renders it full and perfect redemption 2. The price of the bloud of Jesus Christ did not onely give a bare satisfaction to the justice of God but it had an infinite merit in it a redundancy of merit whereby it deserved at the hands of God that sinners that are interessed in it should have remission of sins grace the love of God and glory to come spirituall blessings which the death of Christ purchased for the elect which being also by the free purpose and Compact of God there must necessarily arise an infinite merit in it 3. The all-sufficiency of the price of Christs blood is evidenced by his resurrection ascension into glory implying that he wrought forth full and perfect Redemption by his death therefore he is said to rise again for our justification Rom. 4. last and to be justified in the Spirit 1 Tim. 3. last that is God by raising him from the dead justified him in the atonement he had made by his death and that he did chearfully accept of satisfaction by it 4. The blood of Christ procures boldnesse of accesse to God therefore there is an infinite worth in the price of it Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Bretheren boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus which boldnesse doth arise from the full satisfaction that is made to Divine justice in as much as God upon the acceptance of it hath nothing to charge upon the sinner himself no quarrell against him having charged his sins upon Christ and therefore the poor sinner may come with an humble boldnesse into the presence of God and this is that which puts boldnesse into the Conscience of a believer when he appears before God 5. From the experience of it the foulest sinners that have come unto it have bin washed from their sins by it as 1 Cor. 6.11 Idolaters Adulterers Sodomites Drunkards Revilers have bin washed and justified and sanctified by it The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin 1 John 1.7 6. It cleanseth and perfects them for ever therefore call'd eternall redemption once for all and for ever Heb. 10 10 19. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified once justified and for ever Now from this satisfaction merit all-sufficiency of the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus to cleanse a sinner to commend him to God how safely may a sinner venture his soul upon it which is the first act of faith A poor sinner when under conviction and the terrour of the Lord hath taken hold of him lyes trembling before the Lord whether God will let out justice or mercy upon him he is ready to give glory to the Justice of the Lord if he reject him for ever But now if a poor soul get a sight of the blood of Christ how it deales with the justice of God what full and all-sufficient satisfaction it hath made to God for the sins of such as plead it to him how God more delights in it then in the condemning of the sinner what a stay is this to the wavering doubtfull Spirit of a poor sinner when he can come to see justice to have its due and so God can freely let out remission to a poor soul upon the very first Act of a poor sinners closing with it though not presently evidenced in his conscience Oh sinner venture the issue of all upon this price of the blood of Jesus thou mayst see thou hast the greatest reason in the world to do so thou wilt never come to have a safe bottome for thy soul till thou comest thus to deal with the justice of God as fully satisfied by the blood of Jesus Christ thou wilt still be off and on about free mercy till thou come to fix here and be in some good measure establisht in it Be daily in exercising thy soul in such ventures and castings upon it and the spirit will at last witnesse peace and reconciliation to thy conscience In a word sinners you that have had no stay to your spirits for the forgivenesse of your sins but a blind hope of mercy look up look up to the Justice of God and see this way of accesse to God for you by the blood of Jesus Oh! let not any profane sinner trample it under foot cast it back upon the blessed face of God Say not in thy heart let God take the blood of his Son to himself I le not be washed from my sins I le not be sanctified I le rest as I am Desperate sinner Of how much sorer punishment shalt thou be thought worthy then any sinner under Heaven who rejectest the onely worthy price of a sinners salvation Know the great God will let out all his Justice upon thee to the utmost and Oceans of his death shall fall upon thee if thou thus a-abuse the blood of his Son a greater guilt then all thy ungodlinesse thou hast hitherto bin wallowing in from thy youth up Oh! Come thou despiser and cast thy soul under the droppings of this blood and it shall cleanse thee though thy soul were as black as Hell Zach. 13.1 And
thou poor formal out-side Professour who never didst feel the vertue healing life and warmth of the bloud of Christ upon thy heart Oh rest not in good thoughts of it onely but come believingly to it as thou hast been exhorted Say and that with thy heart Now Lord I would know the power and efficacy of this Redemption upon my poor soul Wash me Lord wash me I renounce all but the blood of this Christ as to making way to God for me Oh! let it pacifie my conscience and purge my conscience and I shall be clean If the Spirit of the Lord shall work thy heart to come as a guilty helplesse unholy sinner in thy self to this blood of Jesus and make thy approaches to God daily and argue for grace and remission upon it and purging thy soul these inestimable blessings will be the issue of it which I will but name to thee 1. Thou shall Certainly find forgivenesse of thy sins In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of our sins Ephes 1.7 God will remember them no more against thee and thou shalt have peace with thy God for ever 2. God will let forth an infinite unchangeable love upon thee Rom. 5.5 which love he bore thee from eternity but will now manifest it to thee and estate thee in it for ever 3. Thou shalt have boldnesse of accesse to God Rom. 5.2 even into his intimate presence to speak with God face to face and ask of God what thou wilt according to his will Heb. 10. 4. All the promises of mercy grace and all blessings here and for ever shall be thine made over sealed in the blood of Christ 5. Thou shalt rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 with all Saints and see thy self an heir of heaven 6. Thou shalt be still a washing and purifying and fitting for Heaven till thou shalt be taken up unto God and live in the Ocean of his love to all eternity Now if ease in thy sin and the world can do better for thee than this that I have named then keep in but if not as most certainly it cannot Arise and come to this blessed Redemption and get thy part and portion in it and thou shalt say Blessed be thy counsell and advice for evermore But now upon this Redemption of Iesus Christ how is a sinner said to be justified that is to be put into an actuall possession of the Redemption of Iesus Christ through the free grace of God 1. When the Compact was made between God the Father and Iesus Christ as to the salvation of those that the Father gave to Iesus Christ and Iesus Christ undertook the fulfilling of the Condition of the Covenant ☞ God did purpose in himself to justifie them from eternity and look't upon them as in Christ 2 Tim. 1.9 Ephes 1.4 So they were justified as to the purpose of God from all eternity 2. When Iesus Christ performed the condition of obedience in his dying and paid unto God what he required at his hands for the sinners redemption then did God as in the Court of Heaven discharge the sinner though not in the court of Conscience and when Christ arose and came to Heaven the Father gave him in an absolution of them all from the guilt of sin and obligation to death and so at the death of Christ all the Elect were meritoriously justified inasmuch as the price was paid and accepted of the Father Rom. 5.10 3. When according to the purpose of God through the purchase of Iesus Christ a sinner is called by grace hath faith given him as purchased also for him to embrace Iesus Christ in the Promise to receive him as offer'd in the Gospell and with him all spirituall blessings then is the soul put into the actuall possession of what God in his purpose and love determined to give him and Iesus Christ by the purchase of his blood gave him a right to before and so there is an Act of Gods pardoning mercy passeth upon the sinner he hath an actuall discharge given in unto his Conscience hath the obedience of Iesus Christ imputed to him and so is lookt upon by God not as a sinner under guilt but as righteous in the righteousnesse of Christ which bespeakes him Justified that is made just and righteous before God by the imputation and making over Christs righteousnesse to him as if righteous in his own person upon which Act of God there is a full remission of sinne as in the Text and the believer is put into another state a state of justification unto life through Iesus Christ Rom. 8.18 who before was in a state of death and condemnation Before I speak of that faith which through grace puts a soul in his pardoned and justified state I will breifly apply this to the Capacity of the weak 1. It may informe and instruct you in this great Mystery that any sinner that is saved must be thus justified made righteous by the obedience of Iesus Christ he must come to see the justice of God made up his sin satisfied for a price paid unto God and this to be actually made over to him as we shall presently shew Most of sinners 't is to be feared do not consider this that speak of mercy and pretend they hope in mercy but are never convinc'd of the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ and what it is to passe from a state of guilt to a state of righteousnesse by Iesus Christ from a state of condemnation to a state of justification without which there can be no salvation Oh be convinced sinners of this great matter of the necessity of the righteousness of Christ his obedience in fulfilling the Law to be made over to you to be brought into a justified state or you can never have pardon of sin and be accepted with God you can never stand before God but in the righteousness of Iesus Christ Say If I do not get the righteousness of Christ made mine If I do not get thus justified I must never expect pardon of my sin and acceptance of my poor soul at the great day of the Lord. This is the Work of the Spirit to be savingly convinced of this Ioh. 16.8 Oh look up to the Father for the Spirit thus to convince you not onely of sinne and the damnableness and sinfulness thereof but of your infinite need to get not onely some general hope of mercy and pardon but the righteousness of the Son of God to bring you into a state of pardon reconciliation peace with God 2. It may further clear unto you that your justification before God is not within you but without you wrought forth by Iesus Christ for such as are or shall be called by grace and imputed to them not inherent or wrought in them 'T is not grace in you that doth or can justifie you though renewing grace shall be wrought in all that are so pardoned and justified Therefore though thou must be
changed in thy self pray and be holy and obey God in all things yet canst thou not be hereby justified but still thy justifying righteousness is in Christ and not in thy self as the onely procuring-meritorious cause of pardon and peace with God Ierem. 33.16 Isa 54. last 3. The great question therefore that should come upon thy heart is Whether thou art in a state of condemnation or justification If not justified thou art still as I have shewed under the condemnation of the whole Law nothing thou hast yet done or shalt ever be able to do will stand between Wrath and Hell and thy poor soul till thou comest to be justified in the bloud and righteousness of Iesus Christ Oh sinners ponder of this great thing that is now laid before you Can you say from a Testimony within you Oh! I was thus and thus once under the reign power guilt condemnation of sin but now now blessed be rich and free grace I am washed justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ See that Word 1 Cor. 6.10 11. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of our Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of our God Or at least that I may speak to poor weak willing trembling soules Is this it that your soules are restless after Oh that I were that I were in such a blessed state Oh that I could but believingly say the righteousness of Iesus Christ were mine and that now I am I am justified Oh what peace and sweetness and joy would fill my heart Why Soul If this be indeed the breathing of thy Soul Iesus Christ is thine and thou art justified and pardoned and God will at last give in unto thee if thou continue to follow him the sense and comfort of it in thy poor Soul Onely by the way take a Discovery or two of the reality of thy Heart in this matter 1. If thy Soul from a Spiritual Conviction be under a real making out after justification by Iesus Christ then thou would'st also be as really sanctified be made holy 'T was as much in the purpose of God to call thee out of a state of sinne and to sanctifie thee as to pardon and justifie thee 1 Ep. John 5.6 2. If thou art brought into a justified state thy soul making out after it thou art made alive in the Spirit Rom. 8.1 Thou art in Iesus Christ and wouldst walk no more after the flesh and the lusts thereof but after the Spirit Gal. 5.18 If ye are led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law namely to condemn you but are freed from the curse of it and verse 23. Against such there is no Law that is such as would walk after the Spirit be led by the Spirit and shew forth the fruit of the Spirit And this is that which the Apostle intimateth 1 Ep. Joh. 5.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the Witness in himself namely of the Spirit So that every justified person hath the Spirit of Christ according to the measure of the grace of God dwelling in him is quickned in the Spirit being once dead prays in the Spirit mortifies sin through the Spirit is taught by the Spirit and so in all other saving and sanctifying vertues of it If it be not thus with thee thou as yet hast no part in this blessedness but art under condemnation unto death And therefore sinner come before God in the sense of thy condemned estate and give up thy self to Jesus Christ to be washed justified sanctified and then blessed for ever 3. Let called and sanctified Believers labour to live in the sense of a pardoned-justified state that God is not off and on with them in the matter of justification though it may be sometimes darkned and clouded as to the evidence of it Oh! do you labour to preserve the sense and sweet and blessed peace of it in your souls give glory to the riches of grace for now there is No No condemnation to you you are passed from Death to Life and the Blessed God imputes no sin unto you Let this be the highest and strongest Argument to Holiness and love to the glory that possibly may be and if indeed you walk in the comfort of it it will be so unto you Onely let me give caution here to young Converts whose hearts at the first discovery of the free and glorious grace of the Gospel and of Iesus Christ are wonderfully taken and affected with it but after a time are apt to want on with it unless the first humiliation be the deeper and to wax sleight in Duties and so their Lusts recover strength again and return upon them and either they fall or are near unto it to the fresh wounding of their Soules This hath been the condition of many therefore be well caution'd in it and walk with fear in the midst of your joyous apprehensions of the sweetness of grace and the endearing love of the Lord Iesus to you Having briefly shewed what the nature of justification is what it is to be in a justifyed state before God I now come to open more particularly how a Soul comes to be partaker of this justification through the redemption of Iesus Christ namely Through Faith in his bloud ver 25. of this 3d of Rom. Observ As God through Free-grace hath set forth Iesus Christ to work forth Redemption for sinners so there must be a special believing on and applying the bloud of Iesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins by every one that is saved Therefore justification is attributed to Faith Rom. 5.1 Therefore being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ So Gal. 2.16 3.11 In all which places Faith is put in opposition to the Works of the Law And so the righteousness of Christ is called the righteousness of Faith Rom. 9.30 10.6 in opposition to righteousnesse by Works Not as if Faith were the matter of our justification that it did as an Act or Work in the Soul justifie before God but that God doth thus make over the bloud and righteousness of Iesus Christ to a Soul by inabling the Soul to come unto to take hold of to apply to it self to appropriate the merit of the bloud of Iesus Christ for its own Redemption and Salvation which may afford us a plain Description of justifying Faith precisely considered namely Faith is a work of the Holy Ghost in the Soul inabling it to appropriate or apply to it self the bloud and righteousness of Iesus Christ for the remission of sin and its justification unto eternal life So it is called the work of Faith with power 2 Thes 1.11 and 't is expressed by receiving of Iesus Christ Joh. 1. and believing on his Name coming unto him resting upon him So that plainly Faith is a going out to believing in trusting on another namely the Lord Iesus Christ for what it
that he might live to God Gal. 2.19 That I might live unto God Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto him but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.11 Every justified believer doth thus reckon of himself I am to be dead to sin but alive to God I am to yeild my self to God verse 13. To have my fruit unto holinesse verse 22. 4. Faith that justifies doth through the Spirit work the soul to Gospel-obedience to all the Lawes and Ordinances of Jesus of Christ which shall be revealed to be the will Christ from the Command of Jesus Christ and from a principle of love to Jesus Christ John 15.10 5. A Justified believer will deny himself for Christ take up his crosse and follow Him let any sufferings be proposed to a called believer and let him know it is for Jesus Christ and that soul unlesse under a temporary desertion or temptation will choose and embrace those sufferings and undergo them with some chearfulnesse Luk. 14.26 27. 6. Every justified believer hath a marriage-union with Jesus Christ Ephes 5.25 26 32. The soul hath chosen Jesus Christ having broken off from all other lovers hath betrothed it self unto Christ in an everlasting bond and Covenant hath given it self to Christ As Jesus Christ bestowes himself and all he hath upon the soul so doth the soul bestow it self and all it hath upon Jesus Christ and having so done resolves to be contented with him in every condition whom have I in heaven but thee and none in earth in Comparison of thee saith every gracious Believer 7. Every justified believer lives by his faith Gal. 2.20 lives upon Jesus Christ for all and fetcheth all from him sees him as a treasury of all grace hath recourse unto him this being the most proper Act of Faith to make the soul live out of its self upon another namely Jesus Christ for all 8. Faith that entitles the Soul to Jesus Christ works by love to all Saints Gal. 5.6 When the Soul closeth with Jesus Christ it will also close with his Disciples as distinguisht from carnal unsavoury dead Professors What makes the living among the dead A living Soul alive in Christ highly priseth fellowship with such as are alive I might name many more particulars but these may suffice as the most distinguishing 1. Let what hath been spoken serve to discover to you Whether you have a Faith that doth entitle you to the bloud of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of your sins Can you say your Soules are carryed out after more purging and 't is your daily cry to Heaven Can you say that you are often crucifying with Jesus Christ And oh that I were that I were but crucified with Jesus Christ that I might reckon of my self as dead to sinne And oh that I might live to God and might walk in Gospel-obedience That I might throughly deny my self for Jesus Christ and choose to suffer with him and for him Oh I would more clearly see the Marriage-union between Christ and my poor Soul I would I do bestow my self upon him and all that 's mine I do give my self to him I will be contented with him here and for ever Whom have I whom have I but him Oh have you found in some good degree such Workings of heart towards Jesus Christ And do you live by your Faith upon Christ upon Promises and do you maintain your Souls this way And do you love and delight in the Fellowship of living soules savoury soules or do you at least long that you may have opportunity to do so If you cannot in some measure experience these things your Faith is a dead empty Speculation such a Faith that is so far from uniting you to Christ that indeed it keeps you on this side Jesus Christ And therefore say of it 't is a Faith that is in vain that keeps me dead in my sins Oh therefore say in thy Heart I will now wait on the Word the Ministration of it that is ordained of God to beget Faith I will go and pray the Father to draw me to Jesus Christ and that my soul may be united to him that I may have Fellowship in his Death and Resurrection that I may be made alive unto God that I may feel the pacifying-purging vertue of the bloud of the Lord Jesus upon my poor Soul By what hath been said Believers may try their Faith and if they find their Soules to have experienced these things they may take comfort that they are justifyed by Faith in the bloud of Jesus and therefore shall be saved by his Life To wind up all in a word of Exhortation If God hath set forth Iesus Christ to be a propitiation that through Faith in his bloud a sinner may become justified from his sinne then what encouragement is here for sinners to come to him and believe on his Name to venture the issue of Eternal Salvation upon him since God himself hath set him forth For that end and purpose that sinners might come unto him and be washed justified saved from their sins 'T is not then to be doubted but that God as he hath therein taken care for the Salvation of the sinner so for the glory of his own righteousness so that the sinner hath no reason to doubt that comes to Jesus in the way proposed but that God can take pleasure to accept of him through the bloud of Jesus 'T was the most deliberate Act that ever the Wisdom of God was taken up about the setting forth of Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of sinners through his bloud 'T was the first Foundation that God said from all Eternity and after he had promised Jesus Christ it was some thousands of years before he set him forth to the World and therefore God cannot repent nor change his mind purpose as to accepting pardoning justifying sanctifying poor sinners that cast their souls upon it by the bloud of his Son Jesus Christ Upon which it is that blessed Souls are brought in in the Scriptures magnifying the grace of God for their cleansing by the bloud of Jesus 1 Joh. 1.7 The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sinne So are the Saints brought forth tryumphing Rev. 5.9 Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud And Chap. 7.14 These are they who have washed their Robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lamb. Therefore I say with what boldness may poor sinners come unto it and how certainly are they in Gods way to Salvation in which way blessed souls have been ever found and none did ever miss of this end the Salvation of their Soules I have now dispatcht what I shall speak at this time as to the Doctrine of Justification by the Free-grace of God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ and of Saving-Faith therein and shall commit it to the Lord to work it upon the Conscience I shall a little insist upon the last
c. A blessed Exercise for Saints indeed So we finde the Scripture-Saints sweetly taken up with contemplation and admiration of the Excellencies of God himself Thou art glorious in Holiness Exod. 15.11 saith Moses But Thou art Holy saith David Psal 22. Oh how great is thy Goodness Psal 8.31 as might be abundantly shewed and the exercise of the thoughts this way hath a powerful influence upon the Heart as to its abasement purity sincerity 2. Saints have the riches and freenesse of the grace of God in Jesus Christ towards poor sinners to be taken up withall Oh the free rich distinguishing grace of God to a poor Creature that was posting to Hell that was a Rebellious Wretch a vile Hypocrite the worst of sinners the most unlikely to be converted of any sinner in the World We have David and Paul's heart swallowed up in this above any other as David in many Psalms is in the admiration of grace and Paul in most of his Epistles makes it his great scope as the great Argument to be not onely believing but humble and holy and heavenly all their days specially Col. 1. and Ephes 1st 2d and 3d Chapters 3. Saints have the unsearchable Riches of Jesus Christ to take up their thoughts with the Excellencies and Dignities of his Person the Beauty and glory that is in him the depths of his love the matchless price of his bloud his bowels to sinners his care of his Churches Oh these are things worthy the thoughts of Saints indeed 4. They have to take up their thoughts the glorious blessedness of the forgiveness of their sinnes What a blessed state a state of forgiveness in the bloud of Jesus Christ is Blessed oh blessed for ever are they whose iniquities are forgiven Bless the Lord O my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities c. Psal 103. God hath not appointed me to wrath but to obtain salvation through my Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thess 5. Oh blessed extasie for a poor called pardoned Believer to be in 5. Such as are New Creatures in Christ they have the Mystery of the New Covenant the everlastingness of it to bring their hearts to and to work the Promises thereof upon their hearts to muse on the returns of their Prayers to behold the continual Providences of God towards them and his ways of mercy and kindness to them 6. They have the shortness of their time the vanity of their lives the certainty of Death to muse on Lord make me to know the number of my dayes that I may know how frail I am Yea they have a future and eternal state of blessedness and glory to have their thoughts swallowed up into That they shall one day see Jesus Christ as he is in all his glory and never look off him any more they shall do nothing else but love him enjoy perpetual communion of Saints be praising admiring adoring the blessed Majesty of God for ever and ever Oh! If there are such excellent and blessed things for the thoughts of the holy-ones of God to be exercised in oh what bare Dunghill hearts have such that pore upon nothing but earth and filth Let it not be so with such that have tasted the good and sweetnesse of those things that have a reall substanstiall soul-filling goodnesse in them What matter of Complaint to Gods poor Children whose hearts are too too apt to sink earth-wards poys'd with weights that they cannot keep them up in the vision of God his Christ and what ever is blessed in him Oh! when the thoughts of your hearts must be taken up with your Callings which cannot be done without it keep a watch over them let them not run forth to sinfull distempers but that you may be fit to go to God and converse with him and get the blessed savour of these things upon your hearts and do not let out your thoughts to idlenesse and soul-defiling vanity and feed upon vanity when there are such solid glorious things to feed upon which you expect to be taken up with in an infinite unwearied delight to all eternity And do not suffer the Devil to take up his abode by his subtle and suddain suggestions or more close insinuations upon you If he make his inroads resist check defie with abhorrency his first attempts before he work up corruption in you And remember still your spirits and bodies are the Temples of God and the Temple of God must be Holy 1 Cor. 6.19 20. What know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost that is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore Glorifie God with your spirits and bodies which are Gods And thus much of this speciall evidence of the New-Creature in the newnesse of his thoughts and the acting of them 8. The Eighth discovery of the New Creature is this The New-Creature hath a new lip a new tongue let loose to speak of God and for God And this also I shall a little insist upon Saith our blessed Lord A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things Mat. 12.35 Good and wholsome and savoury words To this we find the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures often pressing Saith the wise man Prov. 20.15 The lips of the knowledge are a precious Jewell The mouth of a righteous man is a well of Life The lips of the righteous feed many Prov. 10.11 12. So the Apostle Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers Ephes 4.29 Let your speech be alwayes with grace seasoned with salt c. Col. 4.6 By which places 't is evident that a special discovery of the New-Creature is herein manifested 1. The New-Creature hath a New-tongue to speak Savourly and Experimentally of the things of Christ and the work of the spirit Because that which the heart is exercised with it will be bringing forth Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh An evil man out of the abundance of evil in his heart bringeth forth evil things As a good man doth good things Math. 12.25 8. If the heart and affections be spiritually exercised the Tongue will be speaking forth 2. Because thereby A New Created Soul doth give glory to God they speak of the Testimonies works goodnesse grace and the wonders of the Love of God to poor sinfull Creatures And hereby God is much glorified Come and hear all he that fear God and I will tell what he hath done for my soul Psal 66.16 3. Gracious hearts do hereby stirr up the grace of Christ in them t is like the blowing of a spark and makes the heart to glow ere it is aware gracious Conference is the very breath of the Spirit which kindles all our graces afresh as it was with the Disciples going to Emaus Luke 24.32 Did not our hearts burn within while he
through Jesus Christ grounded rooted establish'd upon and in a Scripture-Christ as the truth is in Iesus and abandon any other spirit but a Scripture-Spirit which blessed be rich grace hath hitherto kept you and led you in the way of life and peace Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace alwayes by all means The Lord be with you all 1 Thes 5.16 Reader who ever thou art if thou art by grace helpt-on to Jesus Christ by what is here presented to thee or in the walk of the New Creature in Christ Give the Lord the glory and pray that he may do so also even in every thing who would gladly approve himself The servant of Christ and of all his A. P. Bourton on the Water 23 of the first Month 1657. THE GOSPEL New-Creature THE FIRST TREATISE Discovering The weight of the Pardon of Sin the Spirits Conviction of Sin and the Souls emptying and reducing into nothing in its self PSAL. 25.11 For thy Names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great IN this Psalm you have David's sins laid-in with weight upon his Conscience and in the deep sense of their guilt pleading with God about mercy and pardon The sense of that one great sin in the matter of Uriah meant specially in the Text brought-in the sense of other sins of his youth upon him as is usually Gods way in humbling a sinner and at ver 7. you have him at the feet of God begging as for his life as to the remission of them all Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions According to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness O Lord And here at the Text for thy Names sake O Lord c. That which I design to lay before you from the words is to open to you and presse upon you the weight and blessedness of a pardoned condition that you may be awakened to it while the day of mercy lasts and may indeed be in very good earnest about it till through infinite grace you may obtain it and live and dye in the sweet and blessed peace comfort of it through our Lord Jesus Christ That which I intend to give out from hence through the Spirit of grace assisting is but as praevious and preparatory to the opening of a justified estate and the New Creature in Christ That if God will your consciences may be brought to a thorough awakening a spiritual sight and conviction of sin and a self-emptyness which is the good and safe way of a Soul to Jesus Christ which from this Scripture take in these plain Observations Obs 1. That great and weighty concernment that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of poor sinners is that their sins may be pardoned 2. Such who come to God by Jesus Christ to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins for it is Great 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the Plea that a poor sinner hath with God is that God will pardon for his own Names sake 1. To begin with the first proposition viz. That great and weighty thing that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of all the Children of men is that their sins may be pardoned This may be evinced from the frame of blessed David's spirit and other the pardoned ones of the Lord up and down the holy Scriptures exercised with such a violence and importunity with the Lord in this matter of the Pardon of their sins as if they had no other thing besides what conduced thereunto to beg of God in the world and all that God gave them in the world as indeed it is not were nothing without it therefore you have them thus wrastling with God about it According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 51.1 If there be any mercy in heaven let a poor guilty soul have a drop of it yea David layeth a kind of violence upon God Psal 65.2 As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away thou shalt do it I cannot must not will not be denyed this thou shalt do it for me So Moses interceding for the people Exod. 39.9 If I have found grace in thy sight Oh Lord let my Lord I pray thee go amongst us for it is a stifnecked people and pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us for thine inheritance with what vehemency of heart doth Moses cry if I have any favour with thee let it be layd out this way Oh Lord let my Lord c. Otherwhiles when the blessed sense of a pardoned condition is upon their hearts Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven Blessed man or woman as ever he was born Blessed He and onely blessed and fully blessed and for ever Blessed whose sins are pardoned And then admiring the blessed God in such riches of grace as to pardon sinners Who is like to thee a God pardoning iniquity Micah 7.18 Thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful c. Neh. 9.17 Psal 103.1.2 3 10. Blesse the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name why what had the Lord done see verse 3. Oh who forgiveth all thine iniquities who forgiveth and forgiveth All great sins as well as lesse sins of nature as well as life sins before conversion and sins since conversion sins of knowledge as well as of ignorance for David was under all these yet All All All forgiven and that freely too onely because the Lord is gracious verse 8. and so forgiven them as never to come before him any more As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our transgressions from us verse 12. I shall hint some Reasons of the Truth why it is that the pardon of sins doth or should so greatly take up the hearts of sinfull creatures Reasons 1. The pardon of sin should thus greatly take up the hearts of all that indeed expect pardon because t was the greatest thing if I may so speak that ever took up Gods heart how a sinner might be pardoned He laid forth more of his wisdome and goodnesse about it then in the making of the Heavens and the Earth The framing of the New Covenant the giving out of his eternall Son Jesus Christ God manifested in his flesh such a glorious way of reconciling justice and mercy through the death of Christ the choicest piece of divine wisdom that ever was brought forth they were all conversant about and their proper tendency was about this great and weighty concernment how and that a sinner might be pardoned when Moses had that blessed enterview and parley with the Lord Exod. 33. 34. and Moses getting nearer and nearer to God who was glimpsing out a ray of glory upon him breakes out Shew me thy glory I will saith God I will shew thee what way of glory I most design to my self among the Sons of men I
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy And as if this had not been enough the heart of the blessed God was so infinitely taken with it Chap. 34 5 6. The Lord comes nearer to him descended in a Cloud and stood with him there and as if meerly to have spoken what he had before said to Moses namely That he should have mercy had not been enough at verse 6 He proclaimes it and makes it as his proper Name and most glorious Title The Lord The Lord God Mercifull and Gracious c. verse 7. forgiving iniquity c. As if forgiving iniquity were the great design of glory he had upon the world his heart most affected and taken up with it This is the first reason poor sinners should have their hearts most taken up about the pardon of sins because the heart of the infinite wise and blessed God is most taken up about it 2. The pardon of sin should so greatly take up the heart of a poor guilty sinner because Nothing is a a Blessing to a man till his sins are pardoned but All a curse The Scripture is well known that proves it among many Deut. 28.15 16. If thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all his Commandments and his Statutes which I command thee this day that all those curses shall come upon thee overtake thee Cursed shall thou be in the City cursed shalt thou be in the field Cursed shall be thy basket thy Store Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body the fruit of thy Land the encrease of thy kin the flocks of thy sheep Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in cursed shall thou be when thou goest out the Lord shall send upon thee cursing vexation and rebuke in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do c. Now that soul that doth not hearken to the voice of God according to the tenour of the New-Covenant to come unto Jesus Christ to have his sins pardoned to have the spirit given him to walk before God in all his wayes is in an unpardoned condition and so liable to all these curses now under the old Testament God did more usually come forth in visible stroakes of punishment upon outward mercies but under the New Testament his judgements specially upon such as are under the Gospell are more spirituall as blessings to his people run in a more spirituall way as in cursing them with hardnesse and blindnesse of heart having resisted the truth but yet though such outward curses are not so visibly and frequently executed though sometime they are yet unpardoned unconverted sinners enjoy not their outward good things as a blessing but they serve but to further their damnation if their hearts are not through infinite grace made soft and turn unto the Lord that they may be pardoned Now to have outward mercyes and be hardned in an impenitent estate under them is a farr greater curse then to have them smitten or imbittered from the Lord though with the heaviest hand This is the 2d Reason of the point Every thing is a curse while such to an unpardoned sinner therefore t is of the greatest weight to have his heart taken up about it 3. The person of an unpardoned sinner is hated of the Lord therefore the weight of it is very great Psal 5.5 Thou hatest all workers of iniquity All be they what they will high or low rich or poor God hates them and while they are workers of iniquity they are certainly unpardoned what they may be in the decree of God is nothing to that sinner in this condition while he is a worker of iniquity he hath no ground for any other apprehension of God unles he turn in unto him Now what a dreadfull thing is it to be hated of that great and righteous God a drop of whose wrath is able to scortch the soul with unspeakable torment yet such is the condition of a wretched unpardoned sinner therefore t is his great concernment to look to it c. 4. While a sinner is unpardoned he is under the law What that is I shall if God will further discover He stands bound over to the most exact fullfilling of it under the penalty of Hell bound to make God satisfaction to the utmost upon the least breach and being under transgression of it is under wrath and condemnation if he abide so without remedy There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus but All condemnation to those that are out of Christ Jesus as all unpardoned sinners are therefore t is a condition above all others to be weighed and considered and not to be rested in one moment 5. Neither the Prayers nor Alms nor any other duty of an unpardoned sinner are at all accepted with the Lord. This wretched sinners will not admit of but think if they perform any duty to God he accepts of it and that indeed it makes an atonement for their sins Take that one eminent place in Esa 1.15 Though you make many prayers yet I will not hear you mark it you that think because you make or say as you style it many good prayers sure God hears you No saith God I will not hear why see verse 16. they were not washed from their sins therefore the Prophet calls them to come to the Lord that they might be pardoned verse 38. T is true when a poor sinner hath his heart smitten for sin and comes to the Lord upon the account of promises of grace and pardon through Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart to cleave unto the Lord and so begs for pardon and all things that do accompany pardon and salvation then God hears his cryes at the very first breathing of his soul Lam. 3.56 but not till then doth God regard the multitude of his Prayers Alms Worship Keeping conscience to men therefore certainly if nothing be accepted with God till in a pardoned condition such an estate requires great and deep thoughts of heart of it 6. Upon all this it will follow That an unpardoned sinner will have no other word from the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming but Go you cursed Everlasting darknesse and wrath and woes and all misery must be his portion for ever If he dye in his sins Joh. 8.29 his soul must be eternally damned without all Remedy Live and dye unpardoned and be damned unpardoned When Jesus Christ shall be come neither he himself nor Saint nor Angel will or can speak one word for a soul that dyes unpardoned though the soul screek out for a drop of mercy it will be answered with nothing but the Ecchoes of the screekings of other desperate souls ready to be hurled with it into the same everlasting burnings no eye to pitty there though Ministers and Saints did warn invite weep mourn pity when on this side the grave yet at the
with them But say canst thou canst thou well be without the pardon of thy sins Canst thou well live and dye hated by the great and righteous God Canst thou well be where the fire is never quenched and the worm never dyes Say canst thou well miss the presence of the ever blessed God to all eternity Are damned screeking Spirits good company for ever and ever Away away sinner to the blessed God betake thy self put it not off an hour longer to crying repenting mourning to God for free pardon for Christ for the Spirit and look up to the Lord to give thee a heart to do it wait humbly and carefully on the Gospel of grace preached and yet though thou hast hitherto been idle thou mayest attain to this blessedness as well as the blessedst Saint in the world if thou wilt be serious diligent earnest as so weighty a matter requires about it The good Lord give thee a heart to do it 2 Do not rest in false evidences false hopes of pardon Many sinners might seem to have got pardon and gone well to Heaven if they had not vainly and foolishly hoped so Oh rest in nothing and never rest without it as I have pressed thee in love till thou canst say from a well grounded Gospel-evidence wrought forth with fear and trembling Now I have the blessedness that accompanies pardoned souls Now oh now rejoyce with me blessed souls I am I am a child of God I have access to the blessed God and my soul pleads with him every day Ah now God my God doth love me Now I am justified in a state of justification from which my God will never let me fall Ah my sins though great shall be remembred no more no more I shall be kept safely kept in all my waies If I fall the Lord will take me up and I shall not utterly fall however it is or may be with me as to the world and the things of it I am rich though poor worthless nothing in my self with all the riches unsearchable riches of my Christ I am an Heir of God I need nothing Oh the sweetness peace joy contentment Heaven of such a blest for ever blest condition Now tell me sinner and let it stick with thee till thou art got well to Heaven is not is not the pardon of thy sins the work of the greatest weight before thee on this side the grave which is that I first promised thee to prove to thy Conscience from the first Observation 3. I might from hence insist to stir up poor souls who have been awake for Heaven and have been and are crying and waiting for the pardon of your sins to be in this matter with all your might because you see 't is wonderfully weighty and concernable to you beyond all imaginations get your doubts and fears and misgivings of heart well removed see from whence your doubts do arise and follow them home to your hearts and then be with the Lord much and in his Word and Ordinances till the Lord make it clear day in thy soul and thou walk in a sweet spirit of Adoption before him 4. Let pardoned ones whom it hath cost much as to means to get it made good to you make much of your comfort and do not Triflle it nor sin it away and keep the sense of a pardoned condition warm and lively upon your spirits and then you will love the Lord much Luke 7.47 Lord thou hast forgiven much as much as to any Oh let me let me love love much very much Conviction of sin and self-emptiness THe second Consideration we observed from the words and proposed to be opened was this Obs 2. Such who come to God to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins Pardon my iniquity for it is great c. The Original word as well signifies Many as Great my sins are great and many Many great sins lye upon me pardon Oh pardon them oh Lord c. Thus you have this blessed man David in several Psalms aggravating his sin Psa 38.4 Mine iniquities are gone over my head and are a burden too heavy for me to bear against thee only have I sinned Psa 51. So blessed Paul Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners whereof I am chief That sin by the Commandement might become exceeding sinful Rom. 7.13 So Peter at the first glimpse of Christ and a word from him falls upon his knees cryes out Depart from me for I am a sinful man c. Luke 5.8 So the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner a great vile sinner nothing else but a sinner So the Prodigal Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight c. Luke 18.13 ct 15.21 In the opening of this Point first I would shew Why such as come in a right way for pardon do look upon their sins as great sins 2. How they come to see them so 3. When a sinner may be said to have seen his sins so great as a pardoned soul should do First Sinners that come to God for pardon and find it do look upon their sins as great sins because against a great God great in power great in justice great in holiness I am a worm and yet sin and that boldly against a God so great for a worm to lift up himself against a great and infinite God Oh this makes every little sin great and calls for great vengeance from so great a God 2. Because they have sinned against great patience despising the goodness forbearance and long-suffering of God which is call'd treasuring up of wrath Rom. 2.4 5. Oh saith a poor abased sinner at Gods feet How have I wearied the patience of God I have not wearied thee saith God but thou hast been weary of me and hast made me to serve with thy sins and wearied me with thine iniquities Esay 43.23 24. Oh this is an humbling and heart-breaking word to a poor soul before the Lord this makes his sin appear great indeed I have wearied the blessed God with my sin and yet he calls upon me that he may pardon me ver 25. of the same Chapter This greatens sin to purpose to a poor soul that hath abused much patience 3. Sins do appear great because against great mercies Oh against how many mercies and kindnesses do sinners sin against and turn all the mercies of God into sin Oh saith a poor soul drawing near to God I turned all the mercies of the Lord against him took his mercies and fought against him with them and served the Devil and my lusts with them If God will come and account with me for them how shall I answer him 4. That which greatens sin in the eyes of poor sinners that cry for pardon is that they have sinned against great light light in the Conscience this heightens sin exceedingly specially to such as are under Gospel-means and is indeed the sin of all in this Nation there 's nothing more abaseth
a soul then this nothing makes it more difficult to believe pardon when humbled for it therefore 't is that many poor souls fear they have sin'd the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost because they have sinned against knowledge and light which though while they are humbled before the Lord it cannot be that they have so sinned unpardonably yet in as much as 't is the sin that borders next upon the sin against the Holy Ghost it much greatens sin to a poor soul under the sense of it Such a sinner is said to reproach the Lord Numb 15.30 31. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin James 4. last To him it is sin that is great sin of which God will take the severest account Therefore such as have the profession of Christianity and the knowledge of the Word in some measure and yet go on unpenitently in sin they are the greatest sinners in the world will have the greatest damnation And this circumstance in sin makes or should do so such souls that never lived in notorious sins be under deep abasement because though their sins were not so gross as many others yet they were against great light and knowledge which makes every little sin continued in great in the account of God and great in the account of the sinner when he comes before the Lord in the sense of it Oh I pleased my self in sins that I knew to be sins and was convinced by the word of God of them yet I went on and loved them 5. Continuance in sin much greatens sin to a poor soul that is after pardon specially such as are not very early converted God will wound the hairy scalp of such a one that goeth on still in his trespasses Psal 68.21 Oh I added sin unto sin saith a poor soul spending the choise time of my youth in sin when I might have been getting the knowledge of Jesus Christ and honouring of God This lay close upon David's spirit as appears in this 25th Psa 7. Oh remember not the sins of my youth c. Yet we do not find that Davids youth was notoriously sinful but in as much as he spent not his youth to get knowledge and to serve the Lord fully 't was his burden and complaint before the Lord much more such whose youth was spent in nothing but vanity prophaness lying swearing prophaning of the Sabbath sports pastimes excess of riot and the like when God layes it in upon their consciences must be grievous and abominable to their souls 6. Multitudes of sins do make sin appear great this made David cry out for multitude of mercies Psa 51. and Psa 40.12 Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more then the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me One sin but a sinfull thought is worthy of a thousand hells much more multiplyed numberless infinite sins in thought words walkings calling worship in all I have done I did nothing else but sin therefore the least sinner in the world is a great sinner when God lays his account before him 7. Another thing that greatens sin is that it was against purposes and resolutions of forsaking such and such sins and yet all broken sometimes against solemn vowes against prayers this consideration upon many a poor soul sticks hard and layes low and makes his sin grievous indeed that against purposes vowes prayers he should return to his sin this makes him cry out Oh my sin is great great indeed Doth will the Lord pardon such a wretch c. 8. Sin appears great when seen by a poor soul because it was reigning sin Rom. 5. 6. Sin reigned to death c. Oh saith a poor humbled sinner I did not only commit sin but I was the servant and slave of sin I obey'd sin as a lord and that willingly I obey'd it in the lusts thereof where God Christ his Spirit Word Law should have dwelt and reigned there sin and lusts bore sway and had the command of my soul A little sin when a reigning sin is a great sin All that sin can do is but to rule the sinner and so it doth the least sinner that is under it though it break not forth into grosse notorious actings against the Lord and this doth much greaten it 9. Sin in the fountain makes it great As it may be said there is more water in the fountain then in the pools and streams it makes because there is a continual issuing and flowing out of it which is able to make far greater streams so sin in the nature in the heart is there as in the fountain and therefore 't is more there than in the breakings forth of it in the outward man so that though a sinner in his youth hath been restrained from many great sins yet in as much as sin in the fountain was as full as in any sinner in the world though restrained pent in which the sinner was not beholding to his own heart for it renders him a great sinner before the Lord when savingly enlightned The want of this consideration makes outwardly righteous persons not look upon themselves as great sinners they see and feel not sin infinite in the fountain of it which mostly greatens it above all the actings of it in life 10. A sinner drawing nigh to God for pardon sees his sin as great because thereby he was led captive by the Devil at his will He that committeth sin is of the Devil 1 John 3.8 comitteth sin so as in a state of sin under the power of sin and not born of God why such a one is of the Devil under the power of the Devil of the Devil and not of God and this because of sin which gives this dominion to the Devil Oh saith a poor Creature I that was the creature of God and should have lived to him lived to the Devil and the service of him and took part with him against Christ his Word his Saints and was an enemy to them this greatens my sin before the Lord. 11. Sin appears great because great is the wrath of God against sin sinners are said to heap up wrath Rom. 2. and they are called the Children of wrath God to manifest his displeasure against sin is fain to powre out everlasting wrath upon an unpardoned sinner to leave the sinner under endless torment of soul and body God hates nothing but sin and for sin and so hates it that infinite endless wrath must be the vengeance of it Oh when God gives a sinner a glimpse of this Oh the greatness of every little sin to deserve such wrath How shall I flee from and escape the wrath to come who can stand before such wrath who can bear it 12. The way of any sinner's deliverance from such wrath shews sin to be exceeding great in the price and ransome
that is paid for the salvation of him from his sins the price of the blood of the eternal son of God How great was sin how sinful and damnable the nature of it in the eye of the righteous God when justice could not be satisfied but by such a way Oh saith a poor soul that comes for pardon what a damnable thing is sin which was once nothing to me that redemption from it is at such a rate God had no greater a price to give then what he layd down to save a wretched sinner from his sin Oh 't was great sin that must crucifie the Lord of life and glory therefore doth my soul hate it 13. Lastly This consideration also greatens sin in as much as a poor creature hath drawn and tempted others to sin with him specially such as have lived more vainly loosly it lies hard upon many a poor soul after thorough conviction Oh how many have I drawn to sin not only by my example but encouragement and perswasion that may be now in hell for such sins or are under a state of impenitency and hardned by me Oh this is an abasing consideration to a poor convinced humbled sinner when God smites his heart with it Use 1. Before we go further let us labour to apply this to the consciences of all I have shewed you the matter we are upon is the weightiest that ever took up Gods heart the pardoning of a sinner and therefore how should it swallow up the hearts of poor undone souls that are so infinitely concern'd in it I beseech you therefore lay to your hearts what hath been spoken as to the greatness of sin And consider If souls that come to God by Christ for pardon see their sins as great sins and 't is their great trouble that they cannot see them greater First then This may serve to take off that woful deceit of heart and delusion of the Devil of poor careless souls that dream of pardon and yet never in any measure thus saw their sins as great This shews the heart was never touched of God never smitten for sin as yet This is the way indeed of unpardoned sinners they are lessening their sins to God and themselves finding out circumstances to lessen them of others tempting them and the Devil and the like and many or most of men or women allow themselves in the same or they were overtaken or the like they think they can easily pacifie God again and that God makes not so great a matter of it thus a deceitful heart and a cheating Devil juggle together and sooth Conscience in a damnable peace And such souls call their great reigning sins their infirmity and God will not be so exact as some of the Preachers make him here 's a sinner riverted in a cursed estate But now take a soul whom God as I shall shew hath made sensible of sin and the weight of pardon and comes to the feet of the Lord for it 't is quite otherwise Oh my sins wretch that I was and am were little sins to me before but now they are great sins I called it my infirmity to lye swear profane the Sabboth allow my self in any excess but now I see 't was reigning sin soul-damning sin great oh great sin Oh that I am out of hell Oh the patience of God! Is there mercy for such a wretch What a wonder will it be if I get to Heaven How great will that mercy be that pardons me 2. Therefore in the second place examine how it is with you and whether you have had some such workings of heart Have you been before the Lord in David's posture Oh mine iniquity is great Oh I have sinned against a great God wearied great patience turned great mercies into sin Oh I have sinned against great light How shall I be pardoned Sins continued in and multiplyed from my youth up and these against serious purposes under the reign of it there 's an infinite fountain of all evil within me If I have been any way restrained no thanks to my own heart for it Oh saith a poor soul I was led by the Devil befool'd by the Devil served the Devil against God And now what can I challenge at the hands of God What belongs to me but wrath great wrath everlasting wrath infinite wrath If one sin deserves a thousand hells what do innumerable transgressions do If mercy be not infinite how shall I look up to God or how shall God look down upon me Oh I say let your Conscience answer hath it been thus in some good and real measure though not so deep as your soul desires I know there are degrees and I also know till God come to let out Himself in such a way as this that sin is ☞ great and greater in mine eye then ever we make but slight work of it in out spirits want of this makes many in these dayes run away with pleasant notions of Grace Christ Light though blessed be the Lord for ever for the more glorious Revelation of all these but I speak of abuses but sin was never great by the appearance of God and so they wanton with such notions which at last weare off and so they come to nothing but a reproach to the Gospel 3. In the third place therefore let it serve to exhort sinners to look back upon your lives even from your youth up you may find one more of the discoveries mentioned of the greatnesse of sin that you will fall under specially such as have bin given to the profanesse and vanities of the age you live in lying swearing profaning of the Sabbath to riot ungodly pastimes and sports reviling the godly or other more secret wickednesses and pollutions any of which may be speak thee in a state of sin and wrath joyned with thy living in the neglect of known duties upon which neglect God hath pronounced a curse as the neglect of secret or Family-prayer Jer. 10. ult Or if thou hast not been engaged in grosse sins but hast bin sober and well carriaged from thy youth up yet thou mayst be still in a state of sin but go a little more soberly to hell and in more danger of being damned in thy civill sober carriage then great sinners with which thou art apt to compare thy self and seeing thy self not so bad as them thinkest all is well But remember well what hath bin proved that sin is greater in the Fountain then the streames though it make a greater noise or shew to others in the streame of ones life thou hast a Hell in thy nature an infinite fountaine of any wickednesse that ever any of the Sons or Daughters of men did commit An Idolater An Adulterer A Murderer A Sodomite A devil in thy heart and whole frame thy nature In a word one sin which thou callst little reigning but in thy heart and cherished there is enough to send thee to hell as if thou wert the veryest reprobate living
God as a thing melted in heart-melting confessions at least the poor soul mourns over the hardnesse of its heart oh that I have thus sinned and yet my heart will not break blessed be every stroak and every word of God and every Ordinance that though grace breaks my heart more A sincere soul sets a high price upon brokennesse and yet rests not in it c. 5. Such confession that hath the promise is accompanied with soul-abasement He that humbleth himself shall be exalted Luke 18.14 spoken upon the Publicans acceptance with God in his confession under brokenesse smiting upon his breast and deep abasement not lifting up his eyes to heaven So that great promise 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes then will I hear from Heaven will forgive their sins This a work of the narrowest search of any other I intend if the Lord will to speak to this more distinctly and fully in another discourse Only now a word of such a humiliation as is joyned with such confession that hath the promise of pardon which is the scope we drive at 1. When the soul is in confession and under the Lords humblings in order to pardon The poor Creature acknowledgeth himself infinitely unworthy that ever the Lord should cast a look upon him or give out mercy and pardon to him This conclusion is fixed upon the soul and the soul falls down abased in the sence of it what ever the Lord do with me I will lay my mouth in the dust I am worthy of nothing from the Lord but a thousand Hells this quiets the heart in some measure what ever the pleasure of the Lord be towards him 2. As the poor sinfull Creature is worthy of nothing so he will give glory to God if God never pardon God is never the lesse righteous or holy wise or good if he never let out one drop of mercy upon so vile a Creature yet he is a God blessed for ever Thou art holy saith David Psal 22.3 But I am a worme and no man verse 6. A worm sit for God and man to tread upon and yet must not rise up against God nor say to him what dost thou no Man I have un-man'd my self with sin I am dust and vanity it self vile dust that 's my make my frame oh I must give glory to his justice though I perish for ever 3. The poor Creature hath no good no not the least to procure pardon or to move God to pardon Psal 14.3 Saith a poor humbled soul treating for pardon if mercy and pardon must come forth upon termes of my good having or doing any thing but what hath infinitely sin enough in it to damn me for ever assuredly to Hell I must No sin enough to send a world of souls to Hell but not a drop of good to move the Lord to mercy If God give our mercy upon a sight of good I exspect not a drop from him 4. It followes from hence when a sinner comes humbled he comes as nothing else but a sinner Luke 18.13 God be mercifull to me a sinner one that 's nothing else but a wretched sinner for so the Publican means it as in a contrary frame to the Pharisee who thanks God that he was not so bad as many were though the Pharisee no doubt would acknowledge some sin but now the Publican is All a sinner in as bad a condition as any sinner in the world ☞ Here 's a touchstone poor souls in these dayes they hope they have not so much need of Christ as many great sinners they be not nothing else but sinners they have or do some good The discussion of this will be the next discourse only now a word more Know sinner that one sin strikes off all thy pretended good as shall at large through mercy be proved to thee stick to one drop of good in thee or from thee when thou comest for mercy and pardon and thou losest all oh to be wholly condemned wholly unrighteous wholly a sinner is a great work t is the most distinguishing conviction of any other While a man hath any thing to live upon he is not fit to beg so while a soul hath a drop of any thing that in his own sense may the more admit him to pardon he cannot have it Take it thus If one came to your doors and beg and he hath good Cloaths on his back and he should say I have good Cloaths on my back I have something of my own therefore I pray Give me would you not answer if you have something of your own are pretty well cloathed why should you beg t is not for you to come and ask almes But if a poor naked wretch come and say cry oh I am a poor creature a poor naked destitute creature I have nothing all 's gone I have lost all pray cover me pray feed me out of great pity you will look upon such a poor wretch and do something for him if you have any bowels So if a sinner as that Pharisee did come and say Lord I have done this and this I have not been so wicked as many I do some good therefore pardon that therefore will make the Lord send thee away without mercy no saith God live upon what thou hast if thou hast any thing Oh sinner thou art not fit to beg to beg mercy and pardon till thou hast just nothing of thy own which the naturall pride of thy heart will very hardly come off to 5. In the way of mens tribunalls of Justice and Courts of life and death If a Malefactor be condemned by the Law and he yet plead Though I am proved a thief or a murderer yet I have kept the rest of the Law I have broken no Law of the Nation that deserves death beside shall not this rather justify me then this crime condemn me No saith the Judge That 's nothing to us though thou hast kept the Law in other things thou must dye by the Law as a trangressour of it for this thou hast done why then saith the condemned person I must plead all mercy Just so it is at the tribunal of God comes a poor soul that is convinced he hath sinn'd oh but saith he in his heart I have kept the Law in many or most things will not that commend me to God will not God look upon my good more then my evil No saith God in his word thou hast broken the Law and thou art cursed therefore the Law can shew thee no mercy I can take no notice of any of thy pretended keeping of it in any other thing oh then must a poor sinner say then it must be all all of mercy if I am ever pardoned this may be enough to discover such a humiliation that follows confession that hath the promise of pardon and doth also further evidence the main point which is to set forth
when a Sinner so sees his sin as great sin in order to pardon 6. One thing more which I shall but mention such a confession of sin as hath the promise of mercy is accompanied with a firm resolution through grace to forsake sin every sin in heart and life He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Prov. 28. as before Mark well that famous promise Esay 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon here 's forsaking wayes and thoughts sins of heart and life and not a forsaking or leaving of some great sins but forsaking and warring against a sinfull disposition sinfull thoughts and not onely a mere leaving of sin but a returning to the Lord which he cannot do if held under the love of but one sin and a turning to God only upon the account of free mercy and then God abundantly pardons A good word suited to a poor soul under the sense of sinning abundantly therefore need of abundance of mercy and pardon Use 4. Therefore the next Use will be of Examination Have you bin under such a trouble as before opened about sin and the pardon of it such a trouble that would not be quieted but by clasping about Jesus Christ hath the Lord smitten you with the deep sense of a particular sin your bosome sin and thereby bin brought to a deep sense of the evil of all sin Have you been upon your knees your faces in as particular a confession as your could hating loathing sin and your selves in it Oh have you driven sin to the root the fountain oh there 's a Hell of it within Say do you know what it is to have broken hearts under the weight of sin and the sense of the patience grace and love of God held forth to you in Jesus Christ Do you know what soul-abasement is acknowledging in confusion of face that you are worthy of nothing from the Lord for ever not so much as a glimpse of mercy a good look from him because you have so sinned against him Have you glorified God though he never pardon you and is he holy and blessed though you are banished from him for ever Have you been so reduced to see that there 's not the least atome of good to commend you to the Lord and so layn down as nothing else but a sinnerr before him Thousands of sins to damne thee but not a drop of righteousnesse to cover thee and so creep to the seat of mercy infinite free mercy yea hast thou seen and felt the difficulty of such a self-emptines that thou wouldst rather part with all thy sinne then thy righteounesse yea rather be righteous and holy than be humble and empty ☞ A poor soul would take up from sin upon conviction of the damnablenesse of it and be more righteous and holy but to be reduced first to Nothing nothing else but a poor vile unrighteous weak empty creature and so to Christ here the pride of heart sticks Now soul be narrow and close in the search of this for faile here and fail in all But I intend a larger discourse to further this Conviction Use 5. Let it exhort you that have never bin under any trouble about your sin and the pardon of it that you do dot ward off and get from under such convincing searching words that may trouble you many poor sinfull Creatures resolve they will never hearken to such a word as shall trouble them and cannot bear such preaching as would trouble their consciences One word with you Why soul Hast thou bin dishonouring God abusing his patience and mercy transgressing his holy Commands slighting his grace and yet thou must not be troubled for it wilt thou have thousands of sins upon thy soul unpardoned and tread upon the brink of Hell every step thou goest and not be troubled about it It seems then thou resolvest not to trouble thy self much about that petty businesse as thou makest it of being damned for ever or saved for ever No nothing about sin guilt pardon heaven and hell must trouble thee Alas poor deluded creature what a care is there to get to hell peaceably for never any one got to heaven so that was never troubled about getting his sins pardoned Away away with such a cursed peace and let it now trouble thee that thou hast put off this work so long that sin and thy soul have bin at such a peace so long Be now at a professed war against it and take part with the Lord and his word that is teaching thee how yet to arive at the blessed haven of peace not with sin but with the blessed God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned Oh look unto him to smite a hard secure heart to strike at a bosome hellish lust for whose peace thou hast so long and so foolishly contended yea go in secret and fall down before the great God particularly confessing and shaming thy self haring loathing humbling till thou cry out as David here Oh pardon what a great matter t is for any poor soul to be pardoned Now great mercy for a great sinner or I am lost for ever Out-sinned pardon thou hast not if thou comest in this posture to God for it But you may further enquire how doth God bring a poor soul to this passe to such a deep sense of sin such a sight of himself so as to be thus before the the Lord in self-loathing and abasement I intend also if God will a fuller and set-discourse as to this matter Only now a word 1. When a soul is brought to this passe God lets out an appearance of himself in measure upon a poor creature such a glimpse of light and purity that makes the creature fall down and cry out oh I am vile vile as the dust I tread on 2. God gives out his spirit in the word which convinceth and searcheth the soul shewes it its condition state sin the damnablenesse and pollution of it the greatnesse of it as was shewed The spirit opens the holiness and spirituality of the Law Rom. 7.9 and shewes the sinner as in glasse what he is The spirit gives a sight of Jesus Christ peirced with the sins of such as will come unto him Zach. 12.10 These do cause loathing and bitternesse upon the soul of a poor sinner drawing near to the Lord for pardon Therefore 't is great wisdome to be where God speakes where God appeares where God gives out his spirit which is usually in the word preacht powerfully among the Saints meetings or setting thy self in secret to muse and ponder about an eternall condition or when the afflicting hand of God is upon thee do not say I am not so great a sinner as to make so much a do about pardon or heaven if that be thy temper thou art the most likely to be
in the road-way of hell in a peace that will end in woes and sorrows of any soul in the world Oh wait for Gods appearance and every little sin will be great a hell of sin within thee though outwardly civil and sober wait for the Spirit in the Word and go and pray for it 'T is one thing to know sin by the Letter of the Law which commands this and forbids that and another thing to know see feel sin and the infinite evil of it the exceeding sinfulness and pollution of it by the conviction of the Spirit so as to see it most in the fountain in thy nature and there loath and bewail it because it makes thee unclean and unholy and unlike God and unfit for God and holy communion with him which is the way and most certain evidence of the Spirits saving conviction of sin as distinguishing from that which a hypocrite may have and carries a soul to the fountain opened Zach. 13.1 that its iniquity may be thoroughly cleansed Use 6. If sinners that come to God for mercy pardon see their sin as great then it will also follow that great sinners may be pardoned saved You that are great sinners old sinners Oh hearken to this you are yet within the reach of grace and mercy and pardon if you will come to Jesus Christ for it the greatness of your sin is no barr to you but if you fail of pardon 't is because you will not come to Christ for it and accept it upon Gospel-terms you will not have pardon with a new heart and new life or you make a slight matter of pardon or you think 't will come of course or you are afraid to enter into a serious review and debate with your selves because your sins are so great they will terrifie you or take you off your pleasure and peace of your minds and joy in the world Away away with any of these pleas though thou hast sinned much greatly long with all thy might come to Jesus Christ those great sins are no more before his blood to wash them away then the least sin if any be little that ever was committed and pardoned Esay 1.18 Do not hence say securely Oh 't is well that great sinners may be pardoned I ever thought so what need so much ado Do not thus harden thy self and make such a cursed use of so blessed a truth but therefore come in lay down thy weapons with which thou hast been fighting against God Wilt thou hold up rebellion and yet cry pardon Is it equitable thou shouldst expect it No fall down at the feet of that God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned in the posture hath been shewed thee and then though sin hath abounded yet grace doth much more abound Rom. 5. last Great sinners have become great Saints 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you who were they Idolaters Adulterers Revilers Sodomites c. and such like You that have been such like God may have as much glory in your pardon as he hath had dishonour by your sin only be not such a Devil to thy self as to turn thy back upon it and when thou hast thus long rebelled to tell God he must stay thy leasure for thy acceptance of his pardon thy sins are too sweet to leave as yet I tell thee soul and I have shew'd it that Gods pardons cost him dear and are precious and if thou deal thus they may be lockt up in Heaven from thy wretched soul to all eternity Who but a desperate wretch but would take mercy and grace from Heaven that may make him blessed for ever when God offers it by his dear Son let thy sins be never so great why wretched man or woman Hast thou not done God wrong enough already but must thou stay yet longer in thy cursed sin and wrong him yet more Hast not done enough already to damn a thousand souls but wouldst do more and make as sure of hell as thou canst I beseech thee sinner great sinner young or old do not put me off nay do not put the Lord off with a pardon in his hand a promise of grace ready to be sealed by the Holy-ghost if thou wilt now from thy soul readily say why then be it so Lord Jesus I come to thee If the tearms be leaving all this deceitful sin and to be made like unto thee be it so I accept of it tear my lusts from my heart I have served them long enough too long Oh now if there be any mercy in Heaven let me have it save me not in but from my sins Oh Lord for they are great great indeed I will saith the Lord and he speaks it in Ezek. 36.29 I will save you from all your uncleanesses 't is as much as if the Lord should have now spoken it from Heaven mark every tittle in such a promise Now thou cryest Oh will will the Lord save I will saith the Lord Oh but will he save me from such uncleannesses yea from uncleannesses what from All yea from All thy uncleannesses fall down and Adore and cry out Oh grace free rich infinite glorious grace admire Angels Saints sinners Behold one of Gods wonders A great sinner saved Use 7. And so seventhly it may serve to exhort blessed souls brought into a state of peace and pardon still to keep an eye upon the greatness of mercy If mercy were not great how could any sin be forgiven Thus this blessed man David is breathing forth Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven Oh bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities Oh how great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell So should pardoned called redeemed souls see themselves call'd and taken out of hell it self out of a hell of abominations pollutions wrath under which they were fast held by the powers of darkness Say did ever such a soul get to Heaven shall I not be the wonder of Heaven and hell how I got to Heaven and escaped that wrath in which thousands that were better then I are now plunged there 's no other reason but because mercy is great greater then the greatness of sin with which I shall conclude the second Point namely When sinners come on to find pardon they see their sins great Obs 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the plea that a poor convinced sinner hath with God is that he will pardon for his own Names sake For thy Names sake Oh Lord pardon c. That is not for any worth that is in a poor creature not for my sake but for thy own glories sake thy mercies sake grace and mercy will be hereby glorified God gets himself a Name by the pardoning of a poor sinner that Name which he proclaims to Moses Exod. 34.6 The Lord merciful and gracious c. Now God hath given forth the ground of this plea in the New Covenant where his Name is
thus made most glorious And when He had given forth a brief and blessed draught of the tenour of the New Covenant Ezek. 36.21 c. The Lord gives out this as the great reason often mentioned why he would take such a way of making another Covenant where in he wills all undertakes all does all works all as resolved it should be a Covenant and a way of grace that should surely hold he gives out this I say as the ground of all I had pity for mine own holy Name ver 21. Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes but for mine holy Names sake ver 22. I will sanctifie my great Name ver 23. And when the Lord had shewed what he would do for the poor Jewes in special and so for all sinners taken into Covenant with him that he would sprinkle clean water upon them cleanse them from their sins give them a new heart put his Spirit upon them write his Laws in their hearts and so take them to be his people he again concludes with the same ground as before that all this was still for his own Name ver 32. Not for your sakes do I do this be it known unto you c. And yet that he would as certainly and fully do it as if all the engagements from man in the world had been upon him as undoubtedly make good every part and article of the Covenant he adds ver 36. I the Lord have spoken it and I will do it you may safely abide by it Neither should his grace and power come hardly from him as poor doubting souls surmise as if 't were as much as ever the Lord could do to give out mercy and grace to poor sinners but saith the blessed God in another place upon the same account having given out the promises of grace in the New Covenant Jer. 32.37 and so on He subjoyns I will do it with my whole heart and my whole soul mark it poor souls with my whole soul will I pardon you love you never turn away from you to do you good and never suffer you to turn away from me If poor weak souls for whose sake I put it should here ask What is this Covenant what do you mean by it I have at large opened this to you only a word here God at first when he made man agreed with man to be his God to give him life for ever upon these tearms that man would keep the Law that God gave him which God also writ in his heart and 't was a Law that would have given all glory to the Creator preserved the creature in a holy and blessed order and been a blessing to the whole Creation but man transgressing here the blessed God from his own good pleasure for his Names sake gives out another Agreement or Covenant provides in it tearms of reconciliation for the first breach of the first Covenant sends his eternal blessed Son Jesus Christ to be a Mediatour of this new agreement gives him Commission to offer it to all and that freely and to let the World know that if any sinner in the world never so great come and put up his plea make his claim enter his claim accept of this Covenant and new agreement with God accept of the tearms of it give up himself mutually to God back again then will God be his God and that upon better tearms then before with Adam pardon own love blesse unite to himself never suffer him to fall mercy built upon an unmoveable foundation The foundation of God standeth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 This briefly is the meaning of the New Covenant upon which all our mercy is built now from first to last from the first to the top stone of it from Election to Glory all is done and made good for the Lords own glorious Names sake Souls elected the Covenant transacted between God and Christ Jesus Christ sent the sinner called forgiven justified sanctified adopted kept glorified All for his Names sake See the promises running thus in most places Esay 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions Why for my own sake Purge away our sins for thy Names sake Psa 79.9 This is the bottome of all Now because the further clearing of this blessed truth is my design through grace in the next discourse I shall speak but a word more by way of use only Use 1. If it be thus that what ever God gives out to poor souls is for his own Names sake that this is the plea a poor sinner hath let it then be for your information and instruction that you have no other plea to be heard in Heaven but this the plea of Jesus Christ being upon the same bottom Dont make a sorry pile of carnal duties and works and say for the sake of these Lord do me good and pardon where I have failed the Lord may send fire from Heaven to consume thee and them because of their pollution and that 't is a cursed offering but never hear thee and blesse thee upon such a plea No no say in thy soul and that from full conviction If ever I have any thing from God on this side hell it must be for his own Names sake I expect I plead I wait upon no other ground Use 2. If the Lord's Names sake be the only plea for grace then let poor sinners drawing near to God by Jesus Christ be perswaded that 't is a good plea and most acceptable before the Lord. Now this is the way of the heart of poor creatures from rooted self-love pride we think if God could give out good unto us for our sakes it were something if there were any thing to be beheld in us that were commendable to the Lord I could go with some confidence but seeing 't is thus that I am nothing else but vile before him how can I go to him with what face or how can he give out unto me Sinner be as low as thou wilt or canst but reason not so with thy self If God can as freely as fully do thee good all good for his own Names sake and hath thereby the more glory by it Why shouldst thou so stand upon thy tearms with God and not be as willing as contented to accept of mercy all mercy for Gods own Names sake as well as for thy sake 'T is thy pride be it known unto thee sinner as humble as thou thinkest thou art and not thy lowliness know for thy comfort God can more readily easily do thy soul good upon the tearms he now is for his own sake and so the thing be done thy soul pardoned blessed saved and all shall end in everlasting love upon thee let the Lord have all the glory though thou hast nothing to boast of for thy own sake And yet also know that when the Lord saith he doth it for his own sake he doth not exclude that he hath no respect and love unto thee but that the great
and highest motive with God was and is his own Name his own glorious grace why he ever had a thought of good to an undone creature that there was no motive in the creature unless misery which is no glory but all is done given estated upon souls undone poor sinners freely for his own sake 3. Let it exhort souls to make use of this plea therefore and that with great though humble confidence It never failed poor souls since the world was that made use of it when they were low and helpless and eyed and pleaded mercy for mercies sake they had it and never went away but blessed Gospel-Justification The Second TREATISE WHEREIN The Souls emptying of all its own righteousness is further evinced and Gospel-justification stated how a poor sinner is made partaker of it and the evidences thereof laid down ROM 3.19 20. Now we know that what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight c. HAving spoken as the Lord hath helped me as to the weight of the pardon of sin and the praevious way to it I now come to open the compleating this mercy in a poor souls cōpleat justification before God So it hath pleased the Wisdom of God to order the way of his glorious mercy to poor sinners that shall be saved that he doth not only let forth free grace for the remission of their sins merely pardon them but hath so blessedly ordered the matter to bring them in a state of Righteousness a compleat perfect righteousness as Adam in his perfect estate was in not by making the sinner perfectly holy righteous in himself in his own nature but by giving out his eternal Son Jesus Christ to fulfil all righteousness in their stead by satisfying keeping the perfect Law of righteousness which is imputed to the Believer as if he had fulfilled it were wholly righteous in his own person In which lies the great mystery of the Gospel I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ saith Paul c. for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith c. Rom. 1.16 namely that righteousness of Jesus Christ whereby God will justifie put in a state of righteousness made over to them by faith that shall be pardoned and saved To endeavour to evince and discover the necessity of such a justification and the nature of it and how a poor soul comes to be invested in it to have a right unto it is my design as the Lord shall graciously assist in this ensuing discourse Oh that I might do it in the simplicity of the Gospel plainly convincingly spiritually as I ought to speak In the prosecuting hereof I shall first shew that righteousness is not to be attained any other way not by the exactest keeping of the Law so as to commend us to God not by setting our selves to keep the Law of God as well as we can and so we hope God will accept of it which being naturally rooted in the hearts of all I find it the hardest piece of conviction and most hardly received of any other souls are a thousand times more easily beaten off grosse sins then beaten off the confidence of the good they think they do and so come as ☞ Nothing else but sinners to Jesus Christ want of this conviction makes all the Hypocrites in the world This is that part therefore I shall first begin with according to the Apostles method in this Epistle The Apostle layes down his doctrine which he was to prove in the 17. verse of the 1 Chapter The just shall live by faith to make way for which he first proves in the remaining part of the first Chap. that the Gentiles knowledge of God which they had by the things that are made The Creation of and Providence of God over the world left them in unrighteousnesse because they held the truth of the being of a God in unrighteousnesse even the wisest and learnedst of them such as professed themselves to be wise verse 22. and brake forth into Idolatry and all abominations for which cause God gave them up c. verse 26.28 At the 17th verse of the 2d Chap. The Apostle undertakes the Jew strikes off all his priviledges and at the 9th verse of the 3d. Chapter concludes both Jew and Gentile in the same condition as to the obteyning of such a righteousnesse by the Law that might commend either to God What then Are we who are Jews better then they who are Gentiles No in no wise for we have proved that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin As it is written there is none righteous no not one Which he further proves by severall Scriptures to the words of the text In which the Apostle prevents an objection namely that some might urge The Scriptures urged may concerne some few and grosly wicked persons and not all mankind in generall No such matter whatever the law saith it saith to them that are under the law which are all the Sons and daughters of Adam as in their naturall corrupt estate All under the law from whence the Apostle inserrs 1. That therefore every mouth is stopped 2. All the world is guilty before God 3. That no flesh within or without the Church can be justified by the Law From whence I draw these 4 plain observations to prove what is my main design viz. That no man can attain to such a measure of righteousnesse by all that ever he can do in his best keeping the Law as may commend him to God which 4 are these 1. Every son and daughter of Adam in their naturall estate are under the Law 2. That a transgressour of the Law hath nothing to boast in nor to excuse himself from his sin or the righteous judgment of God due unto him That every mouth may be stopped 3. Every soul in the world is under guilt and condemnation that all the world may be guilty before God 4. Every soul lies under an impossibility of reaching to such a Justification by the best keeping of the Law as for God thereby to accept of him I intend briefnesse in the opening of these and what plainesse also the Lord shall help me with This is a principle rooted in the hearts of all the Children of men That still there is a sufficiency in them to keep the law of God in such a measure as God will accept them for it This being heightned by the ignorance of times and darknesse of Gospell-light and of the New-Covenant of grace upon the spirits of this Generation they are most hardly beaten off it say poor souls If I keep Gods law as well as I can and worship God and do not harme my Neighbour God will accept me and pardon where I fail but to be convinced that all that
transgression of the law and shew what the sense of guilt is which few there are that have in a saving way Observ 3. Every soul in the world is guilty before God of the transgression of the Law And all the world may become guilty before God This hath been proved where we have shew'd that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God This guilt is threefold which is set home upon every sinners heart when convinc'd of sin by the spirit 1. The guilt of Adams sin which stands charg'd upon every sinner in the world while under the law Rom. 5.18 2. The guilt of the corruption of our natures sinne in the fountain as I have shewed which is likewise upon every Son or Daughter of Adam they are all corrupt Psal 14.1 wherein lies the exceeding sinfulfulnesse of sin 3. The guilt of actuall rebellion against God sinne brought forth and acted in the outward man against God Now under this threefold guilt is every sinner in the world while under the law the effect of which if not reconciled is punishment sutable to the guilt which is Thou shall surely dye And The wages of sinne is death eternall death Rom. 6. last Use 1. This may therefore inform and convince that every sin brings guilt upon the soul and so deserves death and everlasting wrath from God you that make light of sin to lye to profane the name of the Lord be in worldly discourses on the Lords day in any way of sin whatsoever weigh this in thy conscience There 's not the least sin but makes thee guilty before the tribunall of God God the law Angels Conscience are all witnesses against thee where 's the soul that will think to avoid this charge shall I prove every soul of you guilty and that before God If this were proved by the power of the word in the conscience I know what and I shall shew it you will be the effect of it lay your consciences to the Word and if thou art found guilty before the Lord this day go home with the sense of it upon thy soul and do as a guilty sinner should do 1. Consider first as to what concerns God immediately The Law requires Thou shouldst have no other Gods but him Exod. 20. Which Jesus Christ interprets is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul now Hath God had thy whole heart and soul darest thou say so Hath not the world had more of thy heart then God Dost not thou love the world and the things of it Do not thy affections thoughts desires of thy heart even day and night go after it yea you cannot but grant that 't is so Then God and Angels are witnesse that thou art guilty of the damnable sin of Idolatry And such a one shall not as such enter into the kingdome of God Eph. 5.5 Know by that Scripture A covetous heart may send thee to Hell as well as any sin in the world No Covetous man who is an Idolater shall enter into the kingdome of God read over the place every day and tremble at it Here 's guilt already enough to damn thee 2. Thou hast worshipped God superstitiously and idolatrously after the traditions and commandments of men you that are elderly people are all guilty here in a grievous manner in the time of your ignorance when superstitious Ceremonies were practised and the Common-prayer-Book worship was upheld when you polluted the Ordinances of Jesus Christ coming to Sacraments with sins upon your souls from which sins you are not converted and changed to this day which the Apostle calls eating and drinking damnation or judgment under which guilt you still lye and would heap up more of this guilt were not some more tender of your souls then your selves Here 's guilt to purpose who is free from it and how many unhumbled under it to this day Art thou not now ready to cry out Oh hold hold you need go no further my conscience is smitten oh guilt great guilt lyes upon me Oh that 't were the cry of many souls before the Lord how might it end in mercy that shall be for ever 3. But yet further to pursue thy conscience for that 's the nature of guilt doth not the Lord require in his law that thou shouldst not take his Name in vain Exod. 20.7 Now sinner stave off this guilt if thou canst How oft hast thou abused and profaned this great and dreadfull Name the Lord thy God by swearing or in thy by-words crying oh Lord oh God for Gods sake for Christs sake upon every foolish vain occasion with no more reverence of his Name then the most Common name in the world And some of you have as many dayes as you have lived since your childhood bin frequently guilty of this great evil which thou hast made a small matter of which if ever God pardon it it will appear to be odious guilt from the height of thy heart-Atheism How oft hast thou heard the word and thy heart bin after the world and thine eyes gazing up and down that t is easie to discern thou regardest not what is spoken from God to thee and the same in prayer how oft hast thou babled ore the Lords prayer like a charme with no reverence of Gods Majesty upon thy soul in thy bed it may be in a drowsie manner or if otherwise not understanding the words thou speakest much lesse thy heart affected with them or it may be saying over the Creed and the Commandements or some Service-book prayers as abundance do grievously profaning Gods Name and offering lip labour which his soul abhorreth yea know what hath bin often proved that thy prayers and all thy worship and good deeds as thou callest them are an abomination to the Lord while thou art in thy sin an unconverted and unholy person yea the way of thy worship in which thou placest thy greatest confidence hath bin the highest aggravation of thy sin in offering up to God that which his soul hateth Esay 1.11 12 13 14 15. When you make many prayers saith the Lord I will not hear you c. And as to the sanctifying the Sabbath which thou shouldest make a holy rest unto God thou hast made it a meer fleshly rest consuming the day upon thy lusts in vanity idlenesse carnall and worldly discourses in families in the streets to the high dishonour of the Name of God and hardening of thy heart against the truths of God rendring thereby the preaching of the Gospel wholly unprofitable to thy soul A carriage farr unlike a man that hath the grace of God upon him and a most invincible argument to thy conscience that thou makest not God his word ordinances sabbaths a holy delight and knowest not the excellency and sweetnesse of Communion with him Say sinner and lay thy conscience to this conviction is hearing and that with love praying praising meditating conferring of holy things the very heaven of thy
word how he may come to see the face of a blessed God reconciled in Jesus Christ and so love him and blesse him to eternity Why now carelesse sinner Is' t not better be thus then be hardening for Hell and have the guilt of sinne as nothing to thee till the books shall be opened all thy sins written in Letters of blood against thee Conscience accused charged and witnessing against thee and so away screeking to Hell without all remedy and canst not be heard a word for thy self nor any one Saint or Angel for thee Now thou mayest be heard if thou wilt speedily acknowledge thy guilt not cover thy transgression nor hide thy iniquity in thy bosome Job 31.33 but come with fear and shame burthen'd with thy guilt to him whose armes are yet open to receive thee and is ready to take away thy iniquity off thee and take off thy burthens put his hand under thy soul and if thou wouldst know who it is t is that blessed Jesus who loves to save such a sinner as he loves his life therefore away to him But the heart of a guilty sinner will now urge Well if it be so that some guilt is upon me yet I have done many things well or as well as I could will not that take off my guilt and will not God impute the good to me and passe by the evil Or will not God accept of the will for the deed Or if I set my self for the time to come to keep the law as well as I can will not that make God amends Alas poor soul these refuges will undo thee if thou get not out of them No No Thy good shall not be imputed nor thy will accepted nor thy obedience for time to come satisfie I mean still as thou art under the law As well as thou canst will not he heard here If thou indeed gets justified in Christ and rooted in him and so from a new principle of life in thy soul thou bring forth new and holy obedience then thy will is accepted and thy new obedience but not upon this account as to justifie thee before God or as to expiate and take off guilt from the soul This therefore is the next thing I am to prove to thy Conscience if God will Namely Observ 4. No man or woman under heaven can ever arrive at such a keeping of the law as to be accepted with God for and by such a keeping of it I would presse this as plainly as I may for till this conviction be thoroughly and practically received into the conscience a soul cannot make a saving cloze with Jesus Christ What I mean by these deeds of the Law is I presume understood I mean The professed owning the true God and frequenting his ordained worship and ordinances observing the Sabbath making good prayers doing some good as to helping thy neighbour and giving of Almes making conscience of wronging or defrauding any man and refrayning many grosse sins I mention these things because most men that go thus farre as your more civill sort of people think that is it impossible but God must accept them in and for all this that 't is for great sinners to be damned they thank God they are not so By the way soul I shall not doubt to prove that there 's more hope of the vilest drunkard in the Country then of such a one and that this thy good keeping of the law and that as well as thou canst will stand thee in no steed at all and God looks upon thee no more for it then if thou wert the greatest sinner in the world How sayst thou soul to this 1. From clear Scriptures I shall demonstrate it and Scripturall reasons and examples of such kind of persons rejected of God and so labour to drive this nail home upon thy conscience What need we go further then the words of my Text By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight The Apostle speakes of such who professed to own and make Conscience of keeping the law as well as they could such as were within as you call it the pale of the Church and frequented the worship of God and were sober people see Act. 13.39 From which meaning their sins they could not be justified by the law of Moses They could not an utter impossibility of it though they kept the law of God as well as they were able and hoped for pardon thereby yet sayth Paul which exceedingly troubled them they could not be justified thereby Rom. 9.31 But Israel which followed after the law of righteousnesse hath not attained to the law of righteousnesse Though they followed after it and laboured to keep the Law of God to their utmost yet they faild of their purpose Gal. 3.10 11. c. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse that is such as insist upon works of the law they are so far from being the more accepted for all the good they did all the evil they refrained that they were under the curse as well as any sinners in the world besides Briefly Paul who well knew the experience of this it having bin his own case as I shall shew spends two Epistles of the Romans and Galathians to convince chiefly what I am now upon therefore peruse them over and over Now the Reasons of it are these namely why any sinner's keeping of the Law to his best power cannot justifie him or make him the better or at all accepted with God for it This doctrine goes to the quick and I know naturally you do not love it and 't is irksome and disquieting the Lord make it disquieting and unsettling to purpose Reason 1. The best keeping of the law cannot make a soul more accepted with God while under the law not in Christ because of the holiness of Gods Justice which being violated by sin it being also proved that All do sin cannot again be made up by any act of the Creature the severity of his justice cannot admit of it therefore if the Law be transgressed the sinner must dye as he is under the law and stands to the law or God is not righteous which to assert were exercrable blasphemy And if your thoughts should prevent me with a generall notion of mercy know and consider it well that the law shewes no mercy but calls for justice and justice it shall have upon every trangressour whosoever if he stand to his endeavour to keep the Law The soul that sinneth it shall dye From whence by the law I say by the law there 's no appeal what you may do when you renounce the Law for righteousnesse and fly wholly to a mercy-seat is another case This the first reason 2. The best keeping of the law will not be accepted because of the exactnesse of the Law it requires full entire perfect fulfilling and obedience or all stands for nothing If this were throughly weighed and layd to
heart we should come to an issue in the point Mark that word Gal. 3.12 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the law to do them I think I opened this place lately but mark it well The law requires of every one and therefore of thee who ever thou art a continuance without intermission of doing not only purposing and endeavouring All things not keeping nine and breaking one Commandement not keeping it outwardly and breaking it in thy thoughts of sin but in All things or Cursed without remedy by the law The law can give you no remedy see Rom. 10.5 For Moses describeth the righteousnesse of the law The man that doth these things shall live by them If he doth all the things of the law not purposeth them onely but doth them he shall live by them but not otherwise but shall dye and that for ever by the law now mark you The same law can't at once justifie and condemn blesse and curse quit and judge save and condemn if it therefore condemn in the least it cannot quit by all that ever a soul hath done or may do towards fulfilling it I instanced before If a man that lives under the law of England all the laws of it and he be found a transgressour of one law that is to be punished with death it will not be a good plea for him that he never brake any other law that deserves death no saith the Judge you must dye for this so as I have shew'd the law pronounceth death to the breach of any one Commandement any part of one as well as to the breach of the whole Therefore he that pleads as the Pharisee did and was never the more accepted that he is no murderer no blasphemer no thief no adulterer t is all one if thou hast ever had an unholy thought in thy heart as thou hast had thousands as thou art under the law thou art condemned If this indeed had bin the tenour of the law as it was a Covenant between God and the first Adam that if thou and thy posterity shall endeavour to keep the law as well as you can though you fail in some part yet you shall be accepted then this had bin a good plea before God that you have so endeavour'd to keep it but t is not so the Covenant doth not run so but as hath bin shewd it runs thus Here 's a holy and righteous law saith God the matter of the Covenant between us If you break it in any one least part of it and but once you are condemn'd and all your other righteousnesse shall not be imputed to you This saith bin proved from severall Scriptures and I think t is the hardest thing in the world to be spiritually and practically convinced of it such is the exactnesse of the Law that it admits of no bartering of no termes whatsoever it still cryes fullfill me to the utmost or dye 3. The third Reason which strikes off all hope of acceptance with God by keeping the Law as well as you can is taken from the sinfulnesse of those very duties and workes which you place such acceptance in There is an infinite sinfulnesse in every such duty though the matter of the duty be good yet the manner of performing it by any naturall man is wholly sinfull yea there 's a mixture of sin in the most holy performances of any regenerate soul in the world which he is sensible of but I am dealing with the naturall man as to his opinion of his good keeping the law I say there 's nothing but sin in their performances the principle they proceed from is wholly sinfull viz. a corrupted polluted heart and nature Can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Mat. 7.18 Can a corrupt fountain send forth sweet waters Jam. 3.11 No more can a corrupt defiled heart bring forth any duty or work but what is loathsome to God full of all impurity This a naturall man is not able to see nor consider of till convinc'd by the holy Ghost and therefore 't is that he rests onely in performing the matter and bulk of duties to God and his neighbour but with what heart and the unholinesse of it he weights not Upon this account it is that the Scriptures speak at such a rate of naturall men that they are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 15.8 that his soul hates them he cannot away with them they are iniquity they are a trouble to him Isay 1. And that he casts them back as dung upon their faces Mal. 2.3 Therefore if there be more then sin enough in that best keeping of the Law towards God or man to damn a soul for ever Certainly a soul shall be never the better nor at all accepted for such a keeping of it That which in it self hath sin nothing but sin in the manner of it cannot be a means to quit a soul from other sin by which he hath brought guilt upon himself Let this be well considered and Nothing but a Christ would be your cry to purpose indeed 4. The fourth reason or convincement of this truth that the best endeavour to keep the law will not give you more acceptance with God nor take away any guilt from off the soul is because such duties and keeping the Law are but of the outward man which is farre from reaching the Compasse of the law the law is spirituall Rom. 7.14 that is it reacheth to the inward parts to the motions of the heart as hath bin before hinted and not onely to the outward man therefore our blessed Lord seeing the Jews insisting so much that they were outwardly blamelesse spends a large discourse Mat. 5.6 7. to beat them off their confidence in being outwardly righteous and proves a man a murderer by the Law for one wrathfull thought in his heart Mat. 5.21 22. Upon this conviction you have him as oft as he spake to the Jews that we may see the weight of this doctrine see Luke 16.19 15. And the Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him And he said unto them ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God Jesus Christ was convincing the wickednesse of a covetous heart the Jews who were carnall and formall made a sleight matter of this seeing they were outwardly blamelesse and wronged no body Aye but saith Christ God knoweth your hearts and his eye is most upon them and though you are outwardly righteous before men and this is a matter highly esteemed of among men that you are righteous and blamelesse yet t is an abomination to God see how severe the Lord is in pressing of this it being the great let of his Ministery and of the Jews stumbling at the Gospel as it is with us Mat. 23. his last Sermon I conceive he preacht to them verse
could be a disciple and part with nothing lose or venture nothing he would rest as he was and hope his being an honest sober man and well thought of would bring him to Heaven and so for ought appears cheated his soul to Hell The case of Paul hath bin often shew'd you he was as many of you think your selves blamelesse Phil. 3.6 lived in no known sin outwardly against the law frequented the publick worship made conscience of his dealings was zealous of the traditions and customes of his Fathers in the matters of God and yet do you not hear him crying out of it all as losse verse 7. 8. He thought it was his gain before that it would have gained him Heaven but now t is all losse his keeping the Church his outward blamelessenesse stands him not in the least stead but cryes out t is All All losse for Jesus Christ the same Paul that before boasted and thought very well of himself and was in much peace and persecuted all beyond his formall profession now cryes out Away with this fig-leave righteousnesse of mine own 't is as dung I tread it under my feet for Iesus Christ he that thought himself so blamelesse before now cryes out I am the Cheif of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And I am carnall sold under sinne Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death A marvellous Change indeed and such that is made upon every soul that is really brought off from the righteousness of the law to that which is of Iesus Christ Now to bring what hath bin spoken to this point to a more particular Application Use 1. If it be so that the best endeavour of any mortall creature to keep the law of God as well as they can will not give them acceptance with God Then you that have so imagin'd and thereby spoken peace to your selves namely that you hope if you keep the Church as you use to speak and harme no body and do any body any good you can live not in grosse sins be well thought of by your neighbours you shall do well enough for Heaven and you must hope well Ah poor creature thou errest not knowing the way of the Lord nor of thy own heart how art thou befooling thy self and deceiving thy own soul No sinner in so ready a way to Hell as thou if thou continue thus and let not go thy hold and get a new bottome for thy naked soul which I am to shew thee Consider man or woman young or old whoever thou art thou hast bin proved guilty of the breach of the whole law of God thou hast bin shewed of the exactnesse of the justice of God and the spirituality of the law how it reacheth the inmost motions of thy heart thou hast been shewed the tenour of it as it was given forth as a Covenant that the law will not admit of the least breach though but in thought but it condemns as if the whole law were transgressed even every soul that is under it here is the rigour of it And thou hast bin shewd that the law admits not of endeavours nor of the will for the deed if thou wert once in Christ indeed it would be so but not as now thou art thou hast bin shew'd that there 's sin enough in every one of thy best performances to damn thee for ever that thy righteousnesse reacheth but the outward man within didst thou see it thou art full of iniquity that what ever thou hast done cannot make God the least satisfaction as thou flatterest thy self for the least sin All thy obedience and duties cannot give life to thy soul but still leave thee as a dead tree dead in thy sin that by this vain confidence thou doest utterly make void the death of Jesus Christ as to any vertue or effect to thy own soul soul here is thy very case plainly set forth A thousand thousand sins to damn thee and that righteousnesse obedience good thou hopest thou hast done towards God and man not in the least able to rescue thee cover thee deliver thee from the guilt of one of the least of these sins nor save thee from wrath to come but leave thy soul as sinfull guilty naked wretched condemned as if thou hadst bin nothing else but sinning all thy dayes Oh wretched condition that the devill and thy own heart have flattered thee in Oh let this serve to convince unbottome legall professours who have spoken peace to themselves in being as good as they can and obeying the law as well as they can so hope God pardons where they fail Oh you are ignorant of the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.3 Either what righteousnesse God requires in the law as to be justified by it or what is the righteousnesse of the Gospel which is of Jesus Christ by faith Oh you who like that young man have bin righteous from your youth up brought up religiously look to this whether you make not this your confidence but though under some kind of sorrowings for sin and walking exactly yet never emptyed of your selves and renouncing your selves and all that was of you and come poor and nothing to Jesus Christ to be found in Him who have not trembled as much at being found in your own righteousnesse which is of the Law as at living in the greatest sinne whatsoever You who have taken up from grosser sins of your life your youth and now think you are safe and bottome your hope upon your new outward obedience but have not the experience of your closing with Jesus Christ for righteousnesse in which alone you could stand before God nor rooted into Jesus Christ in the carrying on of your new obedience which I am also further to open Alas poor soul thou art yet to seek for a bottome for thy peace and for heaven as much as the greatest sinner in the world and if you go no further you will certainly perish for ever I beseech you souls Admit of this conviction into your consciences Saith the first Covenant of the law A whole law kept or nothing Saith the Gospel-Covenant which you are now to look after A whole Christ closed with or nothing Mind it most seriously you that stand upon your termes and will not endure any thing that may shake you and disturb your peace There 's more danger of your righteousness then your sin your sin it maybe you would sin leave because it may damn you if continued in but your righteousnesse your confidence in it you would not leave because you hope that shall save you and pacifie God for you and this will be your ruine if you stick here But first to strike off some Objections that the heart of such a legall professour doth put forth Object 1. But you will object Why do I speak thus would I beat people off a good conversation Is not a blameblesse conversation and honest walking a good signe and ground for ones hope
for heaven Answ I answer Not such a conversation as you mean The formall Jews which Christ preacht to were outwardly righteous and yet 't was not a safe ground of hope unto them as you have bin shew'd A good conversation that witnesseth a hope for heaven must be first of a soul that doth utterly renounce it as to commend him to God that when he lookes up to God for his acceptance his justification he lookes upon himself as nothing else but a sinner in that respect which poor soul thou doest not 2. A good conversation that witnesseth a hope of Heaven is also a holy conversation 1 Pet. 1.15 To be inwardly holy as well as outwardly righteous Now thy care lyeth mostly about thy outward blamelesness and not thy inward holinesse therefore thy conversation which thou callest good is not a ground of hope to thee 3. Or if thou doest pretend to a little outward holinesse and thinkest thou hast a good heart yet thou doest not walk in Christ because thou hast not as a poor self-emptyed sinner received him Col. 2.6 Now thou must first be rooted in Christ verse 7. before thou canst walk in Christ that is fetch all thy life and power for any spirituall duty or thy walking before God from Iesus Christ by vertue of union with him John 15.5 the experience of which thou art ignorant of 4. T is to walke in the spirit Gal. 5.16 And thou hast not the spirit of God dwelling in thee quickening renewing mortifying c. which every gracious pardoned soul hath In a word A good conversation is a Gospel-conversation grounded upon Gospel-principles and for Gospel-ends now thou goest no further but lookest upon the law as to be obeyed as well as thou canst and in thy own endeavours and thy own strength from some conviction of the law thou setst about it and so hopest God and Christ will save thee Is it not so with thee Object 2. But would you then have me do nothing leave off to do well If you say my good keeping of the law as well as I can doth neither justifie me before God nor is so much as an evidence of Gods accepting me to what purpose then is it how ought I then to do it or may I not leave it off Answ I answer Truly soul I must needs deal plainly with thee T is to no purpose as yet if this be thy condition that thou hast done any thing as to the saving of thy own soul And yet thou must not leave off as if thou mightest live as thou list No Thou must begin a new as thou wilt be further more at large directed first see all thy former doings either towards God or man to be losse because thou hast done them by meer naturall or legall principles and wrong ends and so it stands for nothing And then fall down before Iesus Christ Oh t is thy righteousnesse now Lord I come for t is thy spirit I must have to quicken and strengthen me in the way of my obedience And so pray and hear upon other grounds to be taught of God to receive the Spirit to have Communion with God but not thereby in the least to be accepted But this I shall open further when I shew why and how a soul must obey God though he be not thereby justifyed So this Objection is removed Object 3. But you will say I hope I do not rest upon my own doings no more then others I think no body doth so will you shew me whether the heart is apt to do so Answ I will and shall discover to you that the heart of man is most naturally apt to rest upon an outward keeping of the law and to build a hope and confidence for heaven upon it this I must a little insist on as much conducing to help on the conviction I am pressing if the Lord by his power strike in with it If it were not naturall nothing more for a soul to bottome upon its keeping the Law though fallen and unable to do it the Apostle would never have spent time in the Conviction of it which he so industriously doth in this and the former Chap. It hath bin the great evil upon the hearts of the Sons of men in all ages of the Church One of the first Sons of Adam was under it Cain when he rested upon the bare sacrifice T is that the Prophets of God are reproving convincing the Church of the Jews of more then of any one thing whatsoever See Isay 1. thoroughout Esay 66. Jer. 7. Ezek. 33.31 The Prophecy of Hosea in the main bent of it is to convince the formality of the Jews and their false confidence in resting in their heartlesse doings and performances In this case Iesus Christ findes the Jewish Church in at his first coming in resting in some heartless performances in Gods worship and outward righteousness towards men which he sharply rebuketh and convineth them of the vanity of it Mat. 5.6 7 9 13 15 18 21 23 25. Chapters of Mathew with which you may compare the other Evangelists and see how much ado the Lord Jesus had to beat them off from this confidence and how few of them were beaten off it and Paul witnesseth that upon this very ground they were rejected of Iesus Christ Rom. 9.32 Not upon the account of grosse outward sin but for their being conceited of their good condition for heaven because of their frequenting publique worship and being blamelesse in the sight of men yea from this naturall principle joyned with the delusion of the tempter did the Church of God degenerate into the Synagogue of Satan as Antichrist rose in the world first trusting in the performance of their worship and workes which brought in pennances and such kind of Sacriledge against Iesus Christ and all other tromperies to build fallen man upon his own bottome and to devise a way of satisfaction to God wherein they failed to which the hearts of men are most naturally carryed which made that doctrine so easily and generally overrunne the world Against which accursed doctrine that famous witnesse of Iesus Christ Luther began his main battery And though the doctrine of justification by Iesus Christ be known to the protestant world yet practically to be brought over to it by an union with Iesus Christ is but we may fear thinly known or understood yea not onely by the common spirits of England that rest in a notion of being Protestants but even amongst many who have profest something beyond it as I before have hinted yea the Lord Iesus Christ professeth to expect to find multitudes of professours at his coming under this soul-damning snare of being found in themselves and in their own righteousnesse and not in Iesus Christ Mat. 7. Mat. 25. c. By all which it may amply appear how easie how naturall a thing it is for the hearts of the Children of men to bottome their confidence in what they do towards God and
and that if thou hadst bin let alone in peace in thy former state thou hadst bin certainly damned sure thou art then as yet void of any interest in the Gospel saving righteousnesse thy pretended faith and hope and duties and workes and conscience all 's in vain Now the soul that hath the blessed experience of all these and can say I have through infinite mercy bin brought off my own foundation I have found the difficulty of it I find my heart apt to settle upon my own performances and t is that I would watch against And I can experience the sin of my Nature the greatest burthen and cry out of it daily before the Lord The Hypocrisie of my heart is an abhorring to men I do find believing the hardest work of my soul I do mourn under the sinfull mixture of my duties I do give up my self to the spirits leadings I am troubled about my inward growth and humbled for the shortnesse of it I would learn more and more to live out of my self for my justification and be kept a poor empty nothing for ever before the Lord If this I say be thy experienc then thou shalt have peace and joy in the holy Ghost Thou mayst rejoyce in a justified estate Christ his righteousnesse grace spirit heaven are thine Having now laid open the sinner as under the law excuseless guilty and under condemnation under an impossibility of obtaining righteousnesse and acceptance with God by the best endeavours to keep the Law I would now set upon the opening the Gospel-righteousnesse by Jesus Christ through which onely a poor condemned sinner can find acceptance but that I conceive it first needfull to speak a word to those words in the close of the 22. verse viz. for there is no difference which may further help on the conviction we have been upon The Iew might object to the Apostle thus you by your doctrine seem to conclude all under the Law equally and under guilt you make no difference between us Iews who have the Law and endeavour to keep it and the open profane Gentiles and sinners In this you do us wrong No sayth the Apostle There 's no difference you who in part keep the Law are under the same condemnation as others That which I shall lay down will be this Observ There is no difference between the most profane person and the righteous and sober as to justification or condemnation by the law I mean this The just sober man as to his keeping of the Law outwardly or in part is in as damnable estate as the profanest wretch in the world This will hardly go down but t is most clear from the Apostle's words readd unto you and hath been in part proved by shewing all the Sons and Daughters of Adam Jews and Gentiles sober and ungodly all under the Law But a little further to prosecute this doctrine for were a man or woman who hath lived honestly and soberly in the eye of the world but yet out of Christ convinced that he or she were in as bad and damnable a condition as any great sinner in the world it might be a startling to them and a means through the Spirit 's working to bring them off their vain confidence and to lead them to Christ Now that I may clear this let us first consider what it was that might difference the sober Jew from the profane Idolatrous Gentile it being the same which such as conceive themselves sober harmelesse people in this day do put confidence in 1. The Jew was Circumcised which was the first Ordinance of the old Testament-Church as Baptism is of the New and to be administred to the seed of the Church and it doth appear this was much insisted on by the Jew by what the Apostle speakes Rom. 2. verse 18.19 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God 2. They had the Scriptures of God Rom. 3.2 Unto them were committed the Oracles of God which indeed the Apostle calls an advantage in the same place as it might be a meanes to lead them to the knowledge of God and to the promise of Iesus Christ but no advantage at all as to the mere having them read and opened and in a generall faith believing them as the more to justifie them in the sight of God 3. The Iews were under the publique service of God such as was ordained by God himself Rom. 9.4 5. 4. They were for the most part righteous to men and sober and blamelesse in the outward man Ye indeed are they which are righteous before men as the Lord often speaks of them Now 't is most clear that these things did not difference the Iew as to acceptation with God and Iesus Christ from the most profane sinner for the Lord Iesus Christ rejected these and call'd to himself Publicans and Harlots and tells the Iews that such should enter into the Kingdome of God before them Math. 21.31 As might be further instanced in the case of the Pharisee and Publican Luke 18.9 Now the Reasons of this point have bin before hinted namely that a mere sober man under Christian priviledges is no more accepted with Christ nor in any nearer capacity to come to Christ then the greatest sinner because one sin puts a man under the condemnation of the law as well as a million of sins against it one felony condemns a man as well as a thousand and the malefactor must dye by the law for it All the good a man doth will not be imputed to him if he be found a transgressour in one part of the Law Ezek. 18.24 All men come short of the glory of God in the fulfilling of the Law and he that falls short but in one mile is in as bad a case as he that falls short twenty miles Jesus Christ accepts of no man for his righteousnesse but as a sinner nothing else but a sinner so that still the case of a just man in reference to the Law is as dangerous as the greatest sinner's in the world Use A little further to presse this you who are baptised have a generall belief of the Scriptures are under part of the publique service of God are just and harmlesse as to men but yet are under the power of unbelief and see it not are not born again of the Spirit are not in Christ Jesus you who rest satisfied in such a condition and think your hope for Heaven well-grounded and will not be beaten off it I must tell you and 't is proved unto your Consciences from the Word of the Lord that there 's no difference between you and the vilest sinners in the Countrey as to your acceptance with God Though it be thus with you yet as you have been
shewed you may be under the Law condemned for one transgression and what can you be more then be condemned Neither doth all this as in it self any more prepare you for Jesus Christ And therefore let all the Convictions Arguments Demonstrations we have produced from the clear Light of the Word of the Lord at last prevail with you that you who thus satisfie your selves because you are baptized believe the Scriptures frequent the service of God are just and sober therefore it is well with you and you will trouble your selves no further in the matter of your salvation that the estate of your soules is as unsafe and desperate how secure soever as the profoundest Drunkard in the Countrey Therefore let this Conviction have force upon your Conscience that you must come anew to Jesus Christ as a mere sinner having nothing to commend you to him Say from the Light of the Word Though I have thus satisfied my self pleas'd my self in these Duties and outward Priviledges yet there 's no difference between me and the vilest sinner in order to my acceptance with Jesus Christ Nay if this Conviction take upon thee thou wilt say to the glory of God and thy own confusion If there be any difference 't is that thou art the greatest sinner having mocked the Lord rested in out-side service dealt hypocritically with the jealous God offered him abominable sacrifice and therefore fit to be abhorred of the Lord for ever Oh! that this might be the posture of thy Soul and so thou mayest come and lye prostrate at the feet of Jesus Christ crying Oh! no more no more a righteous person but a sinner a guilty sinner a condemned sinner a poor blind naked sinner nothing else but a sinner Away with all my former confidences tear them from my heart Lord. Now Lord Jesus I cast my self upon thee Oh! let me creep unto thy blessed feet Oh! I come to thee not because I am righteous for I would abhor my self for ever in the thought of it but as a poor perishing sinner the worst of sinners an hypocritical sinner Oh! that I could take hold of thy righteousness to cover my naked Soul I expect it onely upon the account of thy Free-Grace Oh Lord I come unto thee do not do not reject me And thus have I been endeavouring to lay the sinner before Jesus Christ in such a posture having proved him under the Law excuseless in his transgressing of it guilty before God under an impossibility of reaching to an acceptance with God by the best keeping of the Law laboured to beat him off such props and confidences that the Heart naturally cleaves to and stript him of all naked as Adam when he had sinned before the Lord as nothing else but a sinner which is that I have driven at I now come to speak of the way of a poor Souls justification and acceptance with God by Jesus Christ as the Lord shall assist to the capacity of the weakest ROM 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ I Am now come to open the Gospel-righteousness wherein a poor sinner finds acceptance with God which in ver 21. of this 3d of the Romans is said to be now manifested that is more fully manifested by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Gospel being witnessed before by the Law and the Prophets Even the righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe ver 22. called the righteousness of God namely that whereby God doth onely justifie and accept of a sinner wrought forth by the obedience of Jesus Christ and made over and imputed to a poor Soul that doth embrace it by Faith whether Jew or Gentile outwardly righteous or profane all that ever come to God must come this way and stand before him in this righteousness or perish for ever which I shall begin to open from ver 24 25. 1. Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ 2. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his bloud c. We have endeavoured in the former Discourse to go along with the Apostle in proving that by all the Deeds of the Law all the best Obedience that a sinner can reach unto he cannot be justified before God neither in part nor in whole that your good deeds will not procure pardon nor poise down your sins but all by the Law equally under condemnation Of what importance then is it for poor condemned soules to be well acquainted with and really and practically invested in that way of justification that God in infinite wisdome mercy and love hath set forth in the Gospel which is that I now design The Apostles arguing is thus If all fall short of righteousness and acceptance with God by their own obedience If all have sinned and come short of the glory of God then are all and that equally condemned If so condemned then acceptance with God and justification and remission of sinnes must come in another way The Rise and Fountain of which must necessarily be Gods free mercy and grace If made righteous it must be in the righteousness of another wrought forth by another Justice must be satisfied by another a price paid to God for a sinners redemption by another which is Jesus Christ blessed for ever From the words then I shall first lay down this plain Observation viz. Observ Gods free mercy and grace is the first Fountain of any sinners salvation or 'T is upon the account of ' Gods free grace that any sinner is saved Thus runs the current of the whole Gospel the main design of the Gospel being to glorifie the riches of Gods free grace by Jesus Christ Among many other Scriptures the Apostle doth most convincingly discourse in Rom. 5. from the 15th to the end letting the free grace of God unto justification in opposition to a sinners condemnation But not as the offence so also is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many To the same import run the rest of the verses The free gift of many unto justification much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ All of grace and of free-gift abundance of grace from first to last That as sin reigned unto death so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord vers last So the Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians wherein the Doctrine of grace is blessedly given forth drives all the spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ mentioned Chap. 1.3 c. to this blessed Fountain Chap. 2.4 c. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were
dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ for by grace ye are saved so ver 7. That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace and ver 8. For by grace ye are saved it is the gift of God Therefore the invitation of the Gospel to sinners runs upon this score Ho Every one that thirsteth come to the Waters of Life Isa 55.1 And Whosoever will let him come to the Water of Life freely Revel 22.17 I might illustrate this in all the particulars of a sinners salvation God's fore-ordaining and choosing any to salvation 't was to the praise of the glory of his grace Eph. 1.5 6. The gift of his Eternal Son Jesus Christ from free love and grace John 3.16 The New Covenant and all the Promises of it freely given out for his own Names sake Ezek. 36. Effectuall Calling from free grace 2 Tim. 1.9 The gift of Faith actual Justification Tit. 3.7 Sanctification Perseverance Eternal Life and Glory all flowing from the same Fountain of Free-grace Some Reasons of the Design of the Blessed God in this may be gathered from the Scriptures The Free-grace of God is the Fountain of all in any sinners salvation 1. Because There is nothing in the Creature that may move God to save him Nothing at all All we know or do could not move God to mercy Deut. 7.7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you because you were more in number then any people but because he freely loved you c. Not for your sake do I do this c. Ezek. 36.32 2. As God saw nothing in him so the sinner is able to bring nothing to God to draw out mercy of his own Therefore saith the Lord Isa 55.1 let him come without his price As the sinner lost all his good so he can procure none a new to bring to God that may in the least move the heart of God to give out more to him 3. If it were not all of grace then the Creature would have occasion of boasting but the Lord in infinite wisdome so laid the Project of a sinners Salvation that no Creature should have the least ground of boasting So the Apostle having given out the Doctrine of grace in this Scripture we are upon draws this conclusion ver 27. Where is boasting then It is excluded c. So in the 1 of Cor. 1.29 the Holy Ghost lays down this as the main scope of God in the Gospel That No Flesh should glory in his presence Therefore Salvation is all of grace of Free-grace 4. If it were not so The glory of God would not be so great in the Salvation of a sinner 'T is now so laid that all might be to the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1.6 It being the highest piece of glory that the Wise and Blessed God did ever design unto himself that his free rich abundant infinite grace might be made known in the Salvation of a Sinner That he might make known the riches of his glory on the Vessels of Mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 Vse 1. If Gods Free-grace be the Fountain of all in a poor sinners Salvation then let it establish our judgments in this Doctrine Therefore God had no respect to any fore-sight of Faith or Works in the Creature God had no respect to the freenesse of his Will for he knew he had none God had no respect to any conditions to be wrought in us but all he did and doth was from absolute Independing-grace Nothing moved him but his own Free-grace The same Free-grace that pardons gives and workes all in us All from the same Fountain 2. If all be of Free-grace then there is no meritorious-procuring Cause in us that moves the Lord to mercy Now the contrary is naturally rooted in our hearts poor Soules are most apt to conceive that if they can grieve for their sins repent and reform this will sure move God to mercy and pardon A most dangerous snare from which a Soul after much conviction is hardly wrought off Now though God in the way of a Sinners Salvation hath promised to give Repentance Act. 5.31 and a Spirit of mourning for sinne yet a poor Soul must take heed that he make not this a procuring cause of Pardon Many a Soul sticks here before emptyed of himself even of his very repenting and so come for grace and mercy upon the account of the Free-promise onely How many a Sinner might have been saved if he would have been saved freely 3. If God hath so laid the Design to save a Sinner freely then how great how just is the Condemnation of guilty sinners that will not hasten in unto it how could the Lord have laid it more freely then he hath Oh that any sinner for ever condemned to Hell without it should withstand it Why sinner Shall the Blessed God that might have much glory in condemning thee to all Eternity be willing to save thee freely and wilt thou not come and bow unto him accept of it All the contempt of God in all his Holy Commands is not like this to turn the back upon Free-Mercy Free-Salvation This will be the Worm that never dyes to any of your Soules that shall not come into and rightly accept of Gospel-salvation that you might have been saved freely have had grace remission of sins Jesus Christ the Spirit Eternal Life freely and yet turned your backs upon it But you may demand How is it that any sinner doth so What is it that causeth any Soul to forego Free-grace and mercy when held out unto him that we may beware of such hinderances I will therefore shew you such Hinderances that keep Soules from accepting of Gods free grace in Jesus Christ when held out unto them 1. Wilful Obstinacy Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come unto me that you might have life Ye will not such is the stubbornness rebellion of the heart of a sinner that he will not as we speak because he will not to such a height hath sinne raised the heart of the rebellious children of men for every natural man till made sensible of unbelief thinks he hath Power of himself though he hath not but his Rebellion lyes in his Will I would have gathered you and ye would not Mat. 23. last 2. A sinner doth not accept of Free-grace because he stands upon his self-justification as we use to speak he will not be perswaded he hath so much need of all Free-grace as the Gospel discovers as hath been shewed at large though he hath sinned yet also he hath obeyed and so he puts one against the other his obedience against his sin and so hopes to get that mercy he hath need of And upon this ground more sinners even that profess the Name of God do miss of Heaven then any other in the World 'T is not so easie a matter to submit to Gods Free-grace alone as many do imagine Upon
this Snare many of the Jewish Professours of Christ fell short as 't is clear from the Epistle to the Galathians and did frustrate the grace of God 3. A sinner hath a secret thought of making God satisfaction by his sorrow and amendment and so makes void the Free-grace of God 'T is the easiest thing in the World to put up legal sorrow and amendment of life to God as that which may make God amends yea to make an atonement of every Duty which is the closest and most desperate evil of the heart so did the Jew by his sacrifices and obedience which caused the Lord to pronounce of them That his soul loathed them Isa 1. 4. A sinner doth not savingly close with free grace from a secret pride of heart he would not be found so poor and helpless so unrighteous ungracious as to be beholden to free mercy for all Many persons will rather starve then beg then live upon another mans mercy 't is so between a sinner and the Lord till God humble him hee 'd rather venture Hell then come and acknowledge utter condemnation nothing but sin upon him and so stoop to free mercy 5. The sinner stands off from free-grace because he will make his own termes he will condition for his carnall ease his self-interest his bosome lust the love of the world and hopes God will allow him his termes which he proposeth to himself and herein he is ruined Now God hath drawn up the tenour of his free grace in the way of a Covenant and though there are no conditions left to the creature to make good on his part by his own power for that will easily imply a self-sufficiency in him and is absolutely derogatory from the grace of God in the Gospel-Covenant yet God hath drawn up as I may so speak what other good things he will bestow on the subjects of his free grace Namely The Law to be new written in their hearts the gift of the Spirit Newnesse of heart with the making good of all those promises in a degree that hold forth holinesse and new obedience which must accompany the free pardon of sins and make indeed the free grace of God more glorious Inasmuch as when he pardons them he will save them from the service of sin work his Image upon them bring them to a blessed conformity to himself which considered aright sweetens and heightens the free grace of God and makes the termes of it more blessed In a word Mercy and holinesse must go together A Saviour and Sanctifier which a sinner from the cursed love of ease and satisfaction to his lusts sticks at and so comes not up to Gods termes which are blessed and holy and so misseth of grace and mercy for ever because he chooseth sinne rather then holinesse 6. Yea a sinner and I speak all this while of such as pretend to an interest in free mercy misseth of this grace because he takes up the termes of God in his Covenant of grace in his own strength will repent and come up to new obedience before he comes to the promise to the free grace of God for it which is also a dangerous snare A sinner's first work being convinced as we have opened is to throw himself upon the free grace of God for all to give all to work all and so to follow God by vertue of promises of such good and grace as the tenour of the Covenant holds forth T is an usuall thing for poor souls first to think to convert themselves make themselves holy and then come to God and Jesus Christ this is an indirect course Oh! a poor soul must begin at the fountain of Gods free grace for Christ for pardon for the Spirit for conversion for holinesse for all as held out in promises and then the worke will be sure and prosper and nought shall hinder it 7. Sinners fail of this free grace of God from a neglect and sleighting of it Heb. 2.3 How shall you escape if you neglect so great a salvation Sinners do hear that though they are sinners and condemned in a damnable estate yet Jesus Christ will save them if they will come unto him fit them for heaven and do it himself for them and in them yet through a desperate folly security and careless temper the heart being in a dead sleep they wretchedly neglect it 8. From the power of unbelief which they are under and see it not Thus have I shew'd those speciall hinderances that cause poor souls that hear of Gospel-grace to withstand it and for ever to misse of it Oh that this word of the Lord might find you out and might be as a glasse to shew you your own hearts you who by a willfull obstinacy have withstood the Gospell-calls hitherto Oh! now fall down before the Lord and cry I yeeld I yeeld thou blessed God thy patience thy freest grace hath overcome me Lord take away a rebellious obstinate heart from me Ah Lord Thou hast waited to be gracious and Christ and Mercy and Heaven have been offered to so vile a Wretch freely Now Lord I throw my self at thy feet a thousand Hells are too good for me but if grace infinite grace be free there 's yet hope for me If there be not grace enough in Heaven for me let me go to the depth of Hell but Lord I take hold of thee I desire to do it Oh do thou take hold of me and I shall not perish You who have stood upon your terms and hoped you had Righteousness enough to cover you and God would look upon that and not upon your sin you are the most abominable in God's sight you who secretly in your hearts think your sorrowing and reforming makes God amends you who have wrapt your selves in these Cobwebs and through pride of heart will not lay them down Oh! if thou wilt have mercy thou must have all in a way of mercy and grace all freely or nothing at all see all thy righteousness made void by one sin against the Law and therefore cursed and condemned by it therefore thou hast no Plea but free mercy and grace Oh lay down all thy other Pleas they will never be heard in Heaven and now cry out Oh 't is of grace proud selfish Wretch that I have been 't is all of free grace if ever I am saved If God cannot pardon freely bestow Jesus Christ freely I am undone for ever Oh the wicked castings of my heart this way and that way Oh there 's nothing nothing but infinite mis ry to move mercy All my goodness is an accursed thing as from my self there 's an infinite Fountain of sin and self-righteousness in men Oh could I come to an infinite Fountain of grace Thus thou wilt come to God when he shall smite thy heart Which now look up unto him to do You who have been making your own terms of ease and lusts and world Oh render up your hearts to the gracious blessed holy
thou biddest fair for Heaven yea there will presently be joy in Heaven for thee In a word I protest against you in the Name and Authority of God and the Lord Iesus Christ who hath sent me if you shall withstand the grace of God in Jesus Christ freely most freely offered you I shall be a Witness against you and if any sinners in the World shall be certainly damned you are they who neglect this great Salvation 'T is come to this I would saith Jesus Christ and ye will not What a do to have a sinner that 's sinking to Hell to come to the Lord Jesus Christ to be freely saved What should a guilty sinner do but come to a free Saviour to be saved and accept of his tearms which are so blessed with a thousand hearts if he had them Now say how am I straitned till I get to him I would go and weep my heart out to him had I a heart to do it Now I leave what hath been spoken to the good pleasure of God and the work of his Power who is able to send away every Soul trembling and resigning up themselvs to him Onely a word to any poor humbled doubting soul that thinks infinitely well of all this but saith in his heart All this grace is too good for me I have sinned against it and sleighted it I fear whether ever I may be accepted Oh remember and consider that Grace were not Grace if 't were no free God can save a sinner freely that 's enough to stay thee yea though thou hast sleighted grace as where is the Saint but did so before effectually called yea God will save a sinner freely that will come by Jesus Christ unto him He will What would'st have more Do not stand reasoning thus but If thou art a sinner undone without him cast off from thy own Confidences go to him in the Name of God and believe him upon his own word say I take thee Blessed Lord upon thy own word Thou sayest Whosoever will let him come and Lord therefore I come I durst not come were I not invited freely and if I must be saved freely if ever then thou art to bestow all work all begin and perfect all Oh blessed Lord I come unto thee for it go and do thus and thou shalt be comforted and rejoyce in his Salvation I might also here press blessed Souls who have been drawn to Jesus Christ and overcome by Free-grace to do it to live in the admiration of that grace and to be low and poor and empty in your selves in the abundant sense of it all your days Let your enjoyments and attainments be what they will be it known unto you that by grace ye are saved and you had and have as much need of it as any sinner in the World God's Design in saving you was to glorifie Grace and it must be your Design also here and for ever Having thus opened in some measure the grace of God to be the Fountain of a sinner's Salvation I shall now proceed to discover the way of the conveyance of this grace which is by Jesus Christ being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ though God resolved to bestow grace upon such as shall be saved freely yet in a way of his own most wise and blessed Designing by his Eternal Son Jesus Christ to whom this Dispensation of Grace was committed which I shall further open in this Doctrine Namely Doct. All that Grace and Mercy which GOD gives out freely to sinners is conveyed to them by his Eternal Son Jesus Christ I might be abundant in the proof of this See in that 5th of the Rom. v. 17.21 Much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ And vers 21. That as sinne hath reigned unto death even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord All the grace that should reign unto Life is given out by one Jesus Christ. The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Joh. 1.17 All the Treasures of Grace were laid up in him and therefore he saith of himself Matth. 11.27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father and none can come unto the Father but by me which he makes as the great Argument why sinners should come unto him vers 28. Now so far as the Lord hath revealed the wise and holy Counsels of his heart in his Word unto us let us inquire into the Reasons why he took such a way to give all his grace to the children of men Reason 1. The first is this That as mankind lost all in the Fall of the first Adam as he was a publique person representing all that came of him so it was the wisdome of God in the recovery of lost-man to bring forth another person that should be fully stockt with grace and righteousness as a publique person to represent all the Elect unto the Father upon which account Jesus Christ is called the Second Adam 1 Cor. 15. And the Apostle sets the first Adam in his offence unto Death and the grace and Righteousness of Iesus Christ as the second Adam one against the other Rom. 5.15 16 c. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous And so the Apostle sets the Life Grace Righteousnesse of Iesus Christ as the Second Adam against the Death Condemnation Disobedience of the first man that sinned in the 7 last Verses of that Chapter And herein the Wisdome of the Father is most excellently set forth and the ground of Consolation to Believers laid upon a most sure Foundation That whatsoever they lost in the First Adam they recover with much more abundance in Iesus Christ for so the Apostle hath that much more in the Scripture mentioned three or four times that Saints may see how abundantly compleat they are in Christ Reas 2. All grace is conveyed by Iesus Christ because there needed a person to stand between GOD and Sinners as a Mediatour to work forth Reconciliation between them Now who was meet but the Lord Iesus Christ to undertake this He being the Eternal Son of God equal with God was near unto God A mere Creature was infinitely unfit for such an undertaking And he being also the Son of man cloathed in the nature of man he thus partaking of the nature of God who was to be appeased and of the Nature of Man who was to be reconciled he became a most meet Undertaker of so glorious a Work Whence he hath that blessed Title given him of Mediatour Jesus the Mediatour of a New Covenant Heb. 12.24 There is one God and one Mediatour between God and Man the Man Christ Iesus 1 Tim. 2.5 3. God resolved that his blessed Son Iesus Christ should have the honour in this blessed Transaction to
convey his grace to lost Sinners Iam. 5.22 23. That all men should honour the Son So the Apostle fully Col. 1.16 17 18 19 20. All things were for him And that in all things he might have the preheminence c. For by him and to him and for him are all things This honour the Father committed to the Son to bring about this great Contrivance of bringing Man back again unto God 4. God letting out his Grace by Iesus Christ renders his love more abundant and acceptable to poor sinners Ioh. 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son c. So loved it that he could not give forth a greater manifestation of his love Now the Father purposed to render his love to sinners by the gift of his Son most full and glorious and therefore gave him out of his Bosome and all the Riches of his Love and Grace by him 5. This way of the Father's dispensation of grace by his Son Iesus Christ hath rendered the grace of God most sure and unchangeable to his own The Covenant of Grace being now establisht between the Father and Iesus Christ Iesus Christ being the Undertaker in it for all the Father gave him it is certainly founded upon a sure Bottome This was the Father's Promise Isa 42.6 I will give him for a Covenant to the People Iesus Christ as a common person did represent all the Elect in the Covenant as the first Adam in the first Covenant did represent all his and Iesus Christ did undertake to bring them to God to bring them into the Covenant and so to estate them in all the grace and mercy and blessing of it Therefore the mercies of the Covenant are stiled The sure mercies of David Isa 55.3 As a Type of Iesus Christ coming of the Seed of David wherein is set forth the excellency of the New Covenant the whole Transaction of it intrusted in the hands of Jesus Christ and therefore not one drop of the mercy of it can ever fail those that are taken into it 6. By the giving forth of Jesus Christ the whole of Gospel-Salvation is rendered more glorious The Wisdome Justice Holiness of God as well as mercy and love do shine forth in Jesus Christ And therefore the Gospel-mystery is styled The manifold Wisdome of God Ephes 3.10 Every Attribute of God is glorified in the giving out of Jesus Christ 7. Yea had not God taken this way of making out himself by Jesus Christ the World had dwelt in gross darkness of him Therefore Jesus Christ is styled The Image of the Invisible God Col. 1.15 The express Image of the Father The brightness of his glory Heb. 1. And in 2 Cor. 2.6 The light of the knowledge of the glory of God is said to shine in the face of Jesus Christ. The Creation is but a dark shadow of the glory of God as to what is revealed of God in the manifestation of Jesus Christ There are the Footsteps of God in the Creatures but his Character and Image in his Blessed Son Jesus Christ 8. There could not have been access to God but by Jesus Christ for through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father Eph. 1 18. How could polluted Dust draw nigh to the absolute majesty and glory of God had not he let forth himself in Jesus Christ as in our own Nature and so makes way for a poor sinner to come before him 9. Had God let forth mercy to sinners and not given out his Son Jesus Christ His justice must have been violated which is the main of all The word of the Lord was absolute In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye Gen. 2.17 which was meant of the Eternal Death of the Soul in its separation from the life of God as is clear in Rom. 5. last where grace unto eternal life by Jesus Christ is put in opposition to that death which was by sin which must therefore needs be meant of Eternal Death So Rom. 6. ver last Now this Death must be executed upon all the Posterity of Adam or else God must take some other way to satisfie his justice he will save the sinner which was upon his own son Jesus Christ as will further be evidenced in the following Discourse 10. The Blessed God took this way of letting out himself his grace by Jesus Christ that thereby Saints might have union with him which was a holy design of rhe Father in saving them That they may be one in us Ioh. 17.21 The deepest and most unconceiveable mystery in our Salvation Now Iesus Christ as the Eternal Son of God taking upon him our natures we became capable of being united to him through the Spirit and made one with the humane nature of Christ whereby we are also united to the God-head and so become one with the Father and the Son which is the top of the Saints perfection Use 1. Now what hath bin said as to the grounds and reasons of God in given out his eternall Son and letting forth all grace by him may serve to acquaint us with this rich and glorious Mystery as it is styled Col. 1.27 Namely God reconciling the word by Jesus Christ letting forth the knowledge of himself glorifying all his Attributes making such discoveries of his glory providing such a way of Mediation such a glorious Mediator laying the blessed project of a sinner's glorious salvation so sure rendring his love so acceptable and glorious making way for free accesse unto himself and how we might become one with him Oh! the depths of the wisdome and love of God which of them may we admire most well may Angels pry into this holy Mystery well may it be the astonishment of Heaven and Earth of the whole Creation How much more of a sinner for whose sake it was thus ordered Oh that we might fall upon our faces and adore the wisdom and grace of God in such a contrivance as this Oh! unmeasurable goodnesse unfathomed wisdom Eternity is but enough to admire it To behold God in Christ will be the vision which the souls of blessed Saints will be wrapt up into to all eternity 2. Oh! therefore what infinite mercy is it to be brought forth in new Testament-times when the Mystery hid in God hid from ages kept secret since the word began 1 Cor. 16.25 is brought to light and sparkling upon the darknesse of the world when the glory of God is risen upon the world Now If this Gospel be hid t is hid to them that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 Woe unto them that close their eyes when the light shines round about them Oh! you that yet sit in darknesse and the shaddow of death Arise Awake look up that Gospel-light may shine into you Oh cry wait that your eyes may be opened to behold God coming forth in the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the glorious Gospel waite for the spirit and thar the Gospel in the preaching of it
perform their Duties as returnes to God Every called Believer saith in his heart as David Psal 116.12 Oh! What shall I render to thee How gracious hath God been and now how holy should I be Who shall love the Lord and fear before him and praise him if I shall not To whom shall his Name Laws Ordinances be precious if not unto me Who is more bound to love the blessed God then I and how shall I love him but by obeying him Thus doth a Believer perform his obedience as a testimony of a thankful return to God though I do not say that this is all his motive 10. By the Obedience and Holiness of Believers God is much glorifyed in the World 't is the greatest glory that God designs to himself in the World even by the holiness and willing-gracious obedience of his people to him When the World lyes in wickedness and makes War against the great and holy God this is that which Honours God that he hath a people called by his grace that set forth the glory of holiness in the world that are witnesses to the holiness of God the holiness of his Worship and all his Ways and profess and endeavour to walk in them and by this others are brought on to glorifie God on their behalf 1 Pet. 2.12 Vse 1. It may serve for instruction and information of your judgments and Consciences that there are other blessed and necessary and holy Ends in the Sanctification and Obedience of a Believer though they do not pacifie God nor justifie the Believer nor procure mercy by way of worthiness to a poor Soul called thereunto which may therefore serve to discover the damnableness of such kind of Doctrines that teach and cry in this day Grace is free Christ hath done all what need you pray and have Ordinances and be holy This is of the wicked one and comes from his Instruments and Factors who are sent abroad to damn Soules You may see that not one of those Ends mentioned but is of weight enough to convince a soul of the necessity of Holiness Duties and Obedience and such mens pretences are not a Scripture-way of Free-grace 2. If there are blessed and holy Ends of a Believers Duties and Obedience though he is not thereby justifyed It may serve to take off that prejudice of heart through misunderstanding and ignorance that is apt to be upon the hearts of such as are Carnal when they hear that all their Duties Sobriety and Righteousness is to be accounted as loss for Christ You see there are good and necessary Ends of all Duties of Obedience onely still take this with you and to your Consciences that till you come as poor and naked to Iesus Christ for your justifying Righteousness and so get life in and from him and so are carryed on in a way of Duty Your Duties serve you for no end and purpose unless for a lesser degree of Torment in Hell onely be encouraged to wait upon the means for the receiving of the Spirit for the Knowledge of Jesus Christ And these things I have spoken may be your Experience 3. It may further direct Believers what ends they are to propose to themselves in the way of their Duties and Obedience to be carryed on in them through the grace of GOD and the daily supply of the Spirit as one great end of your Redemption that you should serve the Lord in Holiness to eye the Soveraign and Absolute Command of God over you that thereby you are made conformable to God and shew forth his Image and to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that there is an equity and goodness in all the Holy and Righteous Ways of God And see that the love of God be shed abroad in your hearts to draw out your love to him and so be acted in your obedience Get your hearts taken with the beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus and so long after likeness to him See that you look after Communion with God in your Duties and that you do not neglect your Evidence for the Pardon of your sinnes by the sight of your Sanctification and your Universal Obedience And perform them not as to procure mercy by any proportion thereunto in your Duties but as Returns to God and consider how much God is glorifyed in the World by the Obedience of his people And thus may you carry on your progress in Holiness and a sweet and consciencious performance of Duties and walking with God and yet live by your Faith for your justification by the rich and Free-grace of God through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ as if you had never obeyed at all In a word If thou hast felt the power and vertue of the bloud of Jesus Christ upon thy Soul coming as a poor naked polluted guilty Soul unto it as thou hast been shewed and hast received life from Jesus Christ by a believing closing with him and art waiting for a sight and sense of thy justification but doest yet want it Remember still that in the performance of thy Duties thy heart which it is very apt to do lay no stress upon them as in them to appear before God and to procure the favour of God but still go forth to the grace bloud righteousness promises of Christ and there fix for thy acceptance with God and be much in renewing of Acts of Faith that is casting thy Soul upon them and Evidence will come in yet go on in humbling praying waiting reforming sanctifying obeying as to the ends mentioned And the peace of God fill thy heart 2. Believers that have some sense of their Justification do you remember that you obey God not that thereby you were are or ever may be justified but because you are justified therefore you obey the Lord and delight in his wayes keep this in your eye and 't will keep the heart from going to bottome upon your selves as gracious and partly righteous which mixtures render Duties uncomfortable and keep souls from assurance No Believer performs his Duties so spiritually sweetly and comfortably as that soul that labours to keep the sight of his justification still upon the account of Free-grace and out of himself that soul enjoys sweetest Communion with God in the way of his Duties and gets to Heaven with most comfort and assurance AMEN The End of the Second Treatise of the Gospel New-Creature The Third Treatise THE Gospel-New-Creature In Christ positively opened The false appearances thereof in the Legal-new-Creature so called plainly refuted And the true Evidences thereof particularly held forth to the Experience of the weak Believers 2 COR. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a New Creature I Have been opening the difference between the Righteousness of the Law and the Gospel shewing the Necessity Nature and Way of obtaining Gospel-justification by the bloud of Jesus Christ and have discovered a soul estated therein I shall now endeavour to open the Gospel-New Creature peculiarly as distinguisht
from that which is called in appearance a Legal-New-Creature c. Now let a soul fail in either of these and lost for ever fail of a saving-cloze with Jesus Christ for righteousness or being a New Creature in Christ and you perish in your sins and the wrath of God will overtake you I shall not now take up time in opening the coherence of the words nor will it much be desired as to our Design I shall therefore draw this plain conclusion from them namely Observ There 's an absolute necessity in order to the Salvation of every soul to become a New Creature in Christ Having proved it we shall open the way of being a New-Creature and how in Christ Then how distinguisht from an appearing New-Creature but not so indeed and so give forth the Evidences of it Those Scriptures that speak of the necessity of being born again of the Spirit Ioh. 3.3 5. and of being converted Mal. 18.3 do evince the same truth Gal. 6.15 Neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision avail any thing but a New Creature For we are his Work-manship created unto Christ Jesus c. Eph. 2.10 He that hath wrought us for this self-same thing is God and hath given us the Earnest of his Spirit 2 Cor. 5.5 The necessity of this New-Creature doth arise 1. From the tenour of the New-Covenant in which way God hath obliged himself to give out mercy and in no other Now thus runs the New-Covenant this is the great Article of it Make you a new heart and a new Spirit Ezek. 18.31 Which God promiseth to give to all he takes into a Covenant of mercy and peace with himself I will put a new Spirit within you and a new Heart will I give unto you Ezek. 11.19 And to the same purpose Ezek. 36.26 Wherein as we shall shew lyes the special part of the New Creature 2. Because the Old-man all that is of the First Adam the whole frame thereof is corrupted and polluted therefore it must be repaired renewed be made new if ever it enter into glory Ephes 4.22 That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed in the Spirit of your Mind And that ye put on the New-man that after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness 3. Whosoever shall be saved shall be a new Creature from the great Design of God in giving out his Son Jesus Christ which was that all the Elect should be made conformable to the Image of his Son Rom. 8.29 For whom he did fore-know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first-born among many Brethren Jesus Christ is called the express Image of the Father Hebr. 1. And to that Image all Believers shall be conformed Jesus Christ the first-born and all his Brethren to be made conformable unto him God was infinitely pleased with such a Pattern and resolved all that he gave to him and designed for glory should be conformed to his likeness 4. All the services that a sinner offers to God are not accepted till a New-Creature till a Soul shall act from a new-living holy-principle towards God Pray and hear and give Alms God regards it not till a New-Creature So the Word of the Lord often casts back the services of unregenerate men upon their faces as loathsome to the Lord because they proceed from the old corrupt Adam from unchanged Natures Isa 1.15 When you cry I will not hear you Why You are in your uncleanness therefore Wash you make you clean Vse Oh let this make for your instruction and conviction that if ever you come to God in glory you must first be New-Creatures If you will have mercy you must have it in the way of the New-Covenant and if so you must be made new While you have nothing but the Old-Adam you are corrupt and polluted and abominable If you shall become the Brethren of the first-born Jesus Christ you must bear his Image and have it renewed upon you Oh you that are yet in your old sins and walk after your Old-Lusts you are not New-Creatures You will not think so therefore sit down with this Conviction That as yet you have no part in this blessedness Oh! All of you who are the same that ever you were whether living in gross sins or sober and civil from your Youth up you are yet of the Old Adam nothing but corrupt Nature upon you your hope is vain and you are blinded in your sins and the grace of God is not in you 2. Oh! Let me before I go further put this to tryall and suffer the word of the Lord which shall one day judge you Can you say in good earnest Old things are past away and all things are become new in me Now I am a vessell in the hand of God wrought by his Spirit and there is through infinite grace a new work manship upon my soul I shall lay down rules for the particular discovery of this only at present yeild up your conscience to the power of the world do not slink from under it If it find you out in your sin in nature the same that ever you were give glory to God and say The word of the Lord is quick and powerfull and go off with this conviction in power upon thy soul I never expect to go to heaven and glory if I become not through grace a new Creature But before I go further I would open that every soul that is a new Creature must be in Christ and why So saith the Apostle to these Corinths in this Epistle 13. Chap. 5. Examine your selves prove your own selves know you not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates ye are created into Christ Jesus Eph. 2.10 If a man abide not in me he is cast out as a branch and is withered Joh. 15.6 Now herein lyes the great Mystery of Godlinesse into which all our evidences for Heaven are resolved and therefore this is a weighty enquiry I am to speak of it specially as it relates to the making and forming by the new Creature This being in Christ is expressed by being rooted into Christ Col. 2.7 Planted into him Rom. 6. Built up in him Col. 2. All which bespeak a reall union with him that this is not a mere imaginary thing but as true and reall as the union between the root and the branches Ioh. 15. and the foundation and the building Eph. 2. which is wrought by the Spirit of the Lord Iesus drawing and uniting true believers unto him The same Spirit dwelling in them Rom. 8.9 10 11. By his Sprit that dwelleth in you Now to consider Why all that are new Creatures according to the Gospell must be so in Christ 1. Such as are Gospell New-Creatures must be in Christ because if they be New-Creatures they must be Living Creatures Now God hath laid up all life that shall be
to such I shall if God will apply a further word before we have done Onely now of the semblance of the New-Creature falsely so called but not really so 1. A soul being convinc'd of the damnablenesse of such and such a sin from the Law and the power of the word upon the Conscience that a soul living continuing in it shall never enter into the Kingdom of God as from such a place as 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not enter into the Kingdome of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor Theeves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God And such were some of you c. I say from this or the like Scripture a soul may be convinced that if he continued in any of these grosse wickednesses he shall never see the face of God and so may take up from the grosse outward Acts of them or at least from a frequent committing them Now this person may go no further and because he hath left some speciall grosse sin he thinks himself a true Convert and a New-man and may flatter himself with the conceit of being the New-Creature we are to set forth but no New inward man no coming to Christ nor being in Christ And it may be feared many souls are under this dreadfull snare 2. Such a kind of outward Reformation may arise from special judgment and affliction upon a sinner trembling that God hath smitten him for such a sin and so may take up from it and this also often passeth for conversion not but that sometimes God begins the first stroke by laying his hand upon a sinner but I speak of a mere taking up from a profane course and never getting into Jesus Christ which many rest themselves in 3. A sinner may leave some sins of youth as inconsistent with riper years and upon that may take himself to be a Convert or a kind of New-Creature to be changed and turned from what he was but no forsaking this sin with loathing of it as against God no unbrokennesse of heart for it and the root of it still unsubdued in his heart 4. A sinner may take up from some grosse sins as inconsistent with reputation credit in the world or his profit and worldly advantage so many debaucht persons turn to be great worldlings and yet take themselves to be good Converts when they have turned from a sin that would wast their estates to be wretched worldlings yet these go away with a good opinion of themselves 5. Sinners may take up and reforme to get the favour of some Religious Friend or great person that doth countenance Religion in hope of some special preferment or honour by them and so get a forme of profession an ability to speak of good things own the best people hear good men and yet all this proceed from a rotten heart as was with Simon Magus Acts 8. hoping after great gain by the gift of the Holy Ghost the gift of Miracles and yet was in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity 6. Souls may have a kind of reall conviction and taking up to some new dutyes in the sinfull neglect of which they have long lived as to a kind of secret prayer in observing the Sabbath more strictly read more hear more things good in themselves when used as meanes to find Jesus Christ in and yet may continue long in these and not a Gospell New-Creature in Christ Never humbled so as to be emptyed of themselves and come to Jesus Christ as for righteousnesse so for life and strength for the performance of all dutyes and subduing of all sin and herein chiefly the Legall New-Creature so called doth consist in taking up to most known outward dutyes something strictly yea sometimes more then a soul that is in Christ and make conscience of them as of grosse outward sins and yet no Gospel New-Creature I wish there are not too many such 7. A soul may take himself to be a new-Creature from some good liking that he hath of such as are better then himself and some purposes and resolutions to be better which purposes for a time carry a man forth till new temptations and then they will not bear a man forth Thus you shall find many sinners purposing and strongly resolving to take up to avoid such courses they have found to end in trouble and yet fall back again because purposing in themselves and not getting into Christ for strength and these think themselves to be a kind of New-Creatures 8. Yea further a soul may be under some terrours of conscience for a time and yet heal and relieve himself by a leaving the sin outwardly that occasioned such terrour and taking up to a greater bulk and formall course and round of set duties under which such souls ensafe themselves and settle in a kind of peace and take themselves to be New-Creatures because they were under terrours and forsake some sins and performe more duties and yet never healed by the blood of Iesus Christ nor have taken root in him Before I go any further let me bring home if the Lord will these things to your Consciences and let it be a word to find out such whose conditions have bin opened Such then of you who haply have left some grosse sins some open profane courses because the word of God hath glar'd upon your consciences and you could not commit such sins in peace that upon some speciall affliction have taken up to a little stricter course that have left the sins of your youth onely because they were youthful sins not sutable to riper age or have ceas'd from Lewd courses because of your credit among men or your worldly profits sins in which you could not thrive in your estates If this be all know it that your are not the New-Creatures we are speaking of you are far from the kingdom of God and if you come no further even to see your selves wholly at a losse and so get to Iesus Christ you are damned for ever Yea if any for the favour of men or some outward advantage have taken up a seeming profession of Religion above the ordinary rate and this be your main principle know thou art seven times the Child of the Devil more then thou wast to deal thus Atheistically and Hypocritically with the great God who will one day lay thee open to all the world and thou shall be confounded in thy self because of this thy abominable iniquity And such as have come a little further that from some conviction of your shortnesse of what you should be have betaken your selves to a greater bulk of duties make conscience of many sins and many duties and so you have setled your selves in your course know you also this you may do and be far from Gospel New-Creatures Such also as rest in purposes and resolutions wishings and some wouldings
to be better this will not do if it be no more or such as have heald your selves and have not bin healed by coming to the Lord Iesus Christ by a more exact way of some outward duties know it and be convinc'd that the core will break out again and you are yet to seek for a well grounded peace and are none of the Gospel New-Creatures Now another degree of mistakes of the New-Creature doth arise from the taking of Common grace which a Hypocrite may reach to for truth of renewing sanctifying grace And know that every Hypocrite doth not know himself to be such but a Hypocrite is one that appeares to himself and others to be what he is not He takes himself to be a good Christian a believer a new Creature and is not so The ground of some of these great mistakes I shall mention As first A poor Creature thinks himself safe because what he doth he thinks he doth it all with a good heart No one so confident of the goodnesse of his heart as a Hypocrite because he knowes not his own heart in that great Reformation in Iosiahs time Ieremiah speakes of Chap. 3.10 that Iudah turned to the Lord but feignedly not with the whole heart yet the people thought otherwise of themselves as t is likely when they entred into a Covenant with God with good Iosiah This is it that most poor sinfull Creatures do bolster up themselves with in their ignorance and security that they do all to God and men with good hearts whereas a renewed soul doubts of the goodnesse of his heart and hath matter of humbling for it in every duty 2. Another mistake of poor souls is as to the Gospel New-Creature from a misprision of sins of infirmities for such as are indeed reigning damning sins As to instance to lye for advantage to swear petty Oaths sometimes by faith and troth by the masse to mention Gods name frequently as a by-word crying Oh Lord Oh God slightly vainly or sometimes to drink to excesse or the like evils 'T is common to hear wretched souls when convinc'd of them to excuse the matter Why 't is their infirmity whereas it proceeds from a heart wholly unregenerate and under the power and reign of sin Infirmities of the Children of God are not allowed by them but humbled for mourned for every day watch'd against the root of them they endeavour to mortifie through the Spirit which the common professour that calls all his sins his infirmities doth not Oh! Souls there 's a vast difference between the infirmities of such as are indeed New-Creatures and between the reigning sins of naturall men sin reigns in its peace power habit in the heart no subduing crucifying purging which a New-Creature doth and hath 3. This mistake of the New-Creature doth arise from a misconceiving of the reluctancy of a naturall conscience before or in the committing of sin taking it for the conflict that is in a truely regenerate Soul between the Regenerate and the carnall part which mistake usually is bottomed upon a misunderstanding of that place of Paul Rom. 7.15 For that which I do I allow not c. Hence say many unregenerate gracelesse persons Why though they do break out into such and such hings and omit such and such duties yet they do not allow themselves in it that is their conscience is not wholly seared and so make some resistance and this they take to be saving grace A grosse and most dangerous mistake Now take such a person and he hath not a delight in the Law of God in the inward man as Paul had vers 22. doth not cry out as inwardly burthen'd wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death No such daily complaints and groanings under the weight of it No tying God through Jesus Christ for deliverance from it No serving the Law of God with a renewed inward man No walking after the Spirit as Paul professeth to do so that unlesse it be so with you that no-allowance in the conscience and yet do it it comes to nothing and an Hypocrite may and doth as much till given up to a seared conscience past feeling 4. From a mistake of faith taking that for sound and saving which is common to a Reprobate such as James describes in his Epistle speaking of men who say they have faith and have not really A faith that believes that God is the Scriptures the dying and rising of Jesus Christ and all other Gospell truths as it pretends yea that he believes on Jesus Christ and hopes to be saved by him as well as the holiest and upon this they have a kind of peace I have spoken before of Justifying faith only a word as to the New-Creature know therefore That faith which hath convinc'd the soul of its own weaknesse and so brought it to Jesus Christ for life that doth not teach a soul to deny it self that doth not purifie the heart that doth not live upon Jesus Christ and so created into him is not the faith of the New-Creature but a common dead putrifying faith that suffers the soul to putrifie in sin and works not to the cleansing of it 5. To instance in some other graces as namely repentance which souls do take to be onely a wishing the sin had not bin committed with a little fear and sorrow after it and this they think to be true repentance which when true is accompanyed with loathing of the sin and our selves and our corrupt natures brokennesse of heart for it and from it and turning to God by Jesus Christ and eyes the honour patience holinesse love of God in its sorrowing more then his wrath and hath for its effects carefulnesse indignation against it self vehement desire after more holinesse by Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 7.11 6. A false and carnall hope of Heaven mistaken for a gracious saving hope deceives the soul in this matter many poor souls yea it may be feared the most think they shall go to Heaven because they hope so and think they ought to hope Now a saving hope of pardon and Heaven is rightly bottom'd namely upon the riches of Gods grace Titus 3.7 Upon the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Gal. 5.5 Upon some speciall promise of God Upon experience of God Rom. 5. And purifies the soul 1 John 3.3 as I may have occasion more at large to speak Oh! this false and carnall cursed hope that is not thus bottom'd serves onely to shut up the heart against the power of the word and a saving closing with Jesus Christ till a soul is dasht in this hope it will never get a better 7. A form of knowledge specially if encreas'd under the Ministery of the word may much deceive a soul in this great and weighty concernment so Paul speaks of the Jews Rom. 2.20 having a form of knowledge and of the truth of the Law Many have a Catechisticall form of knowledge they can describe what faith and
repentance and regeneration is and then think they have it themselvs because they can tell what it is and do believe it to be such There may be much knowledge in the head and yet no renewing grace in the heart That knowledge that is saving brings with it a power upon the soul to love delight in to experience the goodnesse vertue sweetnesse of what it knows It transforms the soul into the image of what is known 2 Cor. 3. last It is spirituall and it makes the heart the affections spirituall 8. A misconceit of the grace of love is also a false ground in this matter As that a poor soul will think that he loves God when he hath no knowledge of him nor delight in him nor Communion with him nor doth love his Image which is holinesse And that he loves All every one whereas much envy and malice reigns in the hearts if but a little provoked And for the people of God truly so called they hate them for Hypocrites Schismaticks and what not or if a little better thoughts of them t is not love to Christ and his Image in them that acts them which is the nature of the grace of love 9. So is patience humility meeknesse mistaken some natural dispositions are more patient and meek and these poor Creatures are apt to mistake for grace when 't is nothing but mere nature and more candid disposition And such Souls from naturall temper can bear much and it hath an appearance of grace But yet here may be no work of the Spirit all this while humbling meekning the soul in its own vilenesse no mortification of contrary lusts No humbling for pride of heart without which no true gracious humility No meekning by the Gospell and the power of Christs love upon their Spirits And yet upon this account you shall have poor carnall souls pretend much as I have often heard it urged by them to the fruits of Spirit mention'd Gal. 5.22 of love joy peace goodnesse patience temperance when t is nothing but disposition ingenuity or from civil education 10. As great a deceit there is about the fear of God many poor souls do fear the punishment and wrath of God which is all they do and then they think this is the fear of his servants The fear of the Lord which God promiseth to put in the hearts of his own people Jer. 32.40 is a fear of God because he is holy because he is gracious because he hath pardoned iniquity They shall fear the Lord and his goodnesse Hos 3. last which fear is mixt with a sweet and blessed love to God and consolation of the Spirit 11. A misapprehension of good workes causeth a mistake of the New-Creature many are convinc'd that workes of mercy and charity and Justice are to be done and so from a pittifull nature or from vain-glory or from a secrer thought to appease God or from Legall conviction at least they will be ready to do Charitable works things good in themselves and this they think discovers their Faith And herein lyes a common deceit in the vulgar professours of the people of England Now all the good works falsly so call'd done out of Christ are fleshly and not accepted with God A papist and many a carnall protestant even also for the sin of his soul doth much this way But good works properly so called do flow from a living faith from love to Jesus Christ and designe not a self-justification but the glory of God And gracious souls do find it very hard to performe them with holy ends 12. Mistake of a good conversation which may onely be a morall conversation civill sober righteous as to men but mindes not holinesse to God which is the speciall part of a Gospel-Conversation And yet the most of people go away with this that they are believers and in a good estate for heaven because they have a good conversation which they greatly mistake That which the word of God calls a good conversation as an evidence of faith is not onely a mere outward blamelesnesse which the Pharisees had but to walk with God from a Gospel-principle from Gospel-Grace and the love of God in the heart chiefly respecting holinesse to the Lord and the fear of the Lord upon the heart now a soul that hath nothing of this may be outwardly blamelesse a Jew and heathen may be so and nothing of the grace of God upon them Vse Now the Lord make this to be a convincing searching word to you you that have left some grosse sins from the word upon your consciences from afflictions from worldly advantages from age be it known unto you this you may do and more and be still the Children of wrath in an unpardoned condition and not the New-Creatures we are speaking of yea though thou hast taken up to new duties and makest conscience of many sins and many duties thou mayst still be out of Jesus Christ And you that call your daily sins which have dominion over you your infirmities when not humbled nor mourn for them nor cry for strength against them this your way is your folly and the Devil and your own hearts greatly deceive you yea you call such sins your infirmities meaning as if they were the infirmities of the Children of God that cannot consist with truth of grace such as common lying and common profaning the Lords name in your mouths and neglecting to sanctifie his Sabbaths and living in the neglect of secret spirituall prayer And such of you that have some striving in your consciences before and after the sin know it it may be so and yet not a drop of saving grace in you no regenerate part wrought forth in you And yet how many bear up themselves upon this score and think thence they allow not themselves in the sins they commit in Paul's sense look to this or you may for ever perish in this snare I have given some markes how you may know it Take you heed also that you take not that which is called Common-Grace which is Common to Reprobates for true grace There 's is a false faith a false Repentance a false Hope and so of the rest in which you may assuredly go to Hell you may have a harmelesse conversation and do some good works of Charity and yet perish for ever you may have nothing of the New-Creature in you and yet give all your goods to the poor In a word you may leave outward grosse sins have convictions of wrath to come have purposes such as they are to be better take up to New-Duties have common grace think you have faith repentance hope that you are humble patient have a good conversation and do good works and yet not be New-Creatures in Jesus Christ as we shall further evince I have yet one more deceit to discover and that is the mistake of a Scripture good conscience It is true that the Apostle in 1 Tim. 1.5 19. puts faith and a good conscience as
of Carnal Worldlings are said to pant after the dust of the Earth Amos 2.7 that is it the carnal mans heart thirsts after but a Soul in Christ breathes upward the Treasures of Heaven it pants after and will never be at rest till satisfied with them 2. This may serve to distinguish formal praying from that which is of the Spirit in the Children of God There 's no such thing as the breathing panting crying longing of the Soul after God and Holiness and Communion with him in formal saying of prayers the thing done quiets the Conscience but for God himself the Soul thirsts not for Therefore you that pray in forms in secret and content your selves in saying and repeating such a form of words sure you have little or no breathing for Jesus Christ in such Duties the Heart is not exercised in longings and pantings for God ye Souls that pray out of forms upon terrors and no more upon the Conscience but you thirst not breathe nor after God himself you may be short of the life of God in you 3. This may also encourage weak Souls that have but broken words to express themselves to God yet your very Souls do breathe and pant after the Lord verily the life of Christ is in you if it be indeed so with you and God will hear those breathings in you Lam. 3.56 Hide not thine Ear at my breathings The blessed God will not hide his Ear from the breathings of his poor Children Onely let crying-panting Souls take heed that this breath be not stopt nor intermitted 't is a most dangerous thing to intermit the breath of Prayer that it grows weaker and fainter it will be a sign unto you and a sad one too that the New-Creature is rather decaying then increasing in you Be not contented with no more praying then will just as we say hold Life and Soul together that 's to live at a very low rate but just to live if that As breathing takes in the Air revives enlargeth the Natural Spirits renders the whole man lively and lightsome and vigorous so doth this constant Spiritual breathing with God and after God it enlargeth the Heart revives the Soul keeps freshness and vigour of Spirit in the way of God when God comes in with a full gale upon the soul how sweetly is it refreshed how doth faintness weariness indisposition go off and the Spirit of a poor Creature is chearful with God and blessedly delights it self in him Oh delight to be every where in every way where God breathes upon the hearts of his people and where they breathe after him And let new living Souls take heed by the way how their Hearts do pant after the Earth and World and the Contentments of it this will as much damp Spiritual Life and breath in the Soul as any evil whatsoever Lay your hearts to the fulness and sweetnesses of the Lord Iesus Christ and breathe strongly for them and those things will be but wind and vanity 4. But I must proceed I come now to speak of the next Discovery of the New-Creature and that is it hath new senses That you may see how fully it answers the frame of man as a Living-Creature and what a New Creation this is As the New-Creature hath a new Nature a new inward life and hath a new breathing so it hath new Spiritual Senses So the Apostle Heb. 5.14 speaks of the Exercise of Spiritual Senses And as the Natural Life is exercised and preserved by Senses so is also this new Spirituall Life of the New Creature which I shall mention particularly First There is a New Ear given to this New Creature This Jesus Christ hath frequently promised that he would open the Deaf Ear So Job 36.10 He openeth also their Ear to Discipline and commandeth that they return from iniquity The hearing Ear and the seeing Eye the Lord hath made even both of them Prov. 20.12 By this opening the Ear is meant the opening of the Heart as 't is said of Lydia Act. 16. Whose heart the Lord opened The heart is shut up naturally and naturally cannot hear the voice of the Spirit till the Lord himself open it A natural man hears no more then the voice of a man and the Letter of the Word but when this New Creature is formed he is enabled to hear the voice of Jesus Christ himself the voice of the Spirit Joh. 10.27 My sheep hear my voice A Soul can then say This the Lord speaks to me in special This is the voice of Christ that calls me to come to him and that Soul comes Jesus Christ speaks with a convincing particular powerful Word and the Heart being opened to receive it obeys it as his voice And so in every Ordinance 't is the Voice of the Spirit of Christ the New-Creature waits for He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 3. last Secondly The New Creature hath a new seeing eye The eyes of the Understanding opened to see into the blessed and hidden mysteries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ saith the Apostle of the Natural man Eye hath not seen 1 Cor. 2.9 And seeing they see not Math. 13.13 But Christ speaking of called Disciples saith Blessed are your eyes for they see c. They have a new sight of God in Jesus Christ which sight doth abase them and also draw them to Jesus Christ The Vail being in part taken away they can look into the things of God which they saw not before the Scriptures begin to be unveiled and they see beyond the Letter of them into the Life and Spirituality of them And thus the Lord Jesus promised of old specially as to new Testament-days I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not I will lead them in paths that they have not known I will make darknesse light before them and crooked things straight c. Isa 42.16 Thirdly There is a new power of Tasting given to the Soul as another Spiritual Sense which before the Soul had not to purpose A new and blessed tasting of the good Word of Life Thy Word is sweeter then the Honey-Combe Psal 19. How sweet are thy words unto my mouth Psal 119.103 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious 1 Pet. 2.2 there 's a new taste of the bitterness of sin The heart knows its own bitterness saith the Wise-man A tasting of the special free and precious love of Christ A tasting of the goodness of God in mercies And thus there is a savoury spirit given to the New Creature whereby he doth delightfully savour the things of Jesus Christ and can speak savourily of them to others Fourthly Adde to this a new Smelling to which the Spouse of Christ often alludes in Solomon's Song Because of the savour of thy good Cintments Chap. 1.3 speaking of Jesus Christ who is as a new and precious Perfume to the Soul Who is this that cometh out of the
Wilderness perfumed with Myrrhe and Frankincense Chap. 3.6 So saith that Word of Promise Chap. 4.6 His smell shall be as Lebanon And when Jesus Christ breathes in his Ordinances upon blessed Souls it is as a sweet and delightsome Perfume to them Fifthly There is a new feeling wrought as an effect of this new life which the Soul hath in Christ when a new Creature is in him The natural man is without feeling as a dead man is let never so great a weight lye on a dead man and he feels not but now take a Soul created into Christ and he feels a new Weight within him Heb. 12.1 Sin is not onely a burden as to the weight of guilt but every corruption even when the sense of guilt is removed by Jesus Christ is a Weight to the Soul under which the Soul cryes out mourns groans to be delivered Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Sin hangs like a dead body about him Vse If the Gospel-new-creature is a living new creature and doth exercise Spiritual Life and hath new spiritual senses Let this then be a word of Tryal to discover the state of your Souls Can you say I that was dead am alive I was once spiritually dead without feeling did neither see nor hear nor taste in a Spiritual way but now the Lord in rich grace hath opened my deaf Ear and my blind Eyes now I have heard the Lord himself speak to my soul now I have seen the Lord and my Heart is taken with him Now I savour the Word of Grace and the Ministration of the Gospel is a sweet savour in Christ to me the Name of Jesus Christ is as good Ointment to me Now I feel a body of sin and groan under it and press after the destroying and crucifying of it Souls If this be not your Experience you are dead you are without the Life of God and Christ in you Oh! go to God sinners as you have been exhorted and cry to him to open your ear to hear and your eye to see Be convinced that as yet your Ear hath been stopt as to hearing the Lord himself speak to you Oh say Woe is me that I am where the Lord useth to speak under the Ministration of his Gospel and yet he never spake to my Soul Doth the Lord love me and never speak to me Pity Lord Pity a poor deaf blind stupid unsavoury Wretch and breathe life into me And then wait for the Lord's Voice in his Word Now let the Spirit himself speak unto me and unveil my heart that I may see into the Mysteries of Jesus Christ and may savour them upon my poor Soul 2. Let living Souls in Christ exercise their Spiritual Senses keep the Ear open to and waiting for the Spirits Voice be prying into the mystery of God in Christ and all Gospel-Truths get a clearer sight of Jesus Christ till you shall be infinitely taken with him and love him for himself And keep the heart savoury and the precious scent of Gospel-grace upon your Spirits and labour so to feel the weight of the body of sin how it poyseth polluteth cloudeth the Soul that you may come to that frame to cry out to be delivered from it And let it be abundant matter of praise to the riches of grace that God hath given life and senses to your souls which he might have left under the death of sin to all Eternity 5. The next Discovery of our Gospel New-Creature is this namely He hath a new heart So Ezek. chap. 18.31 Make you a new heart and a new spirit which the Lord hath in Free-grace promised in the New-covenant Chap. 36.26 A new heart will I give you which I shall precisely consider and shew particularly wherein the heart is made new 1. The heart naturally in its old corrupt frame is a rebellious heart Jer. 5.23 This people have a rebellious heart the usual complaint of the Prophets Now when the Lord makes the heart new he begins to take away the rebellion of heart as it naturally opposeth the Word Power and Spirit of God and the heart is made obedient and plyable to the power of the Word the Spirit 's Teachings Isa 1.19 If ye be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the Land but if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured c. My people shall be willing in the day of my power Psal 110. The heart of it self is stubborn obstinate unwilling to stoop to the power of Truth to yield to Jesus Christ but when it is made new it becomes of an yieldable frame to the practical Obedience of Gospel-Truths 2. The heart as an effect of the former is naturally hard and impenitent Rom. 2.5 cannot mourn for sinne But When 't is made new God makes it soft Ezek. 36.27 I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh which is a soft and tender heart whereby a Soul can pour out its complaints to God yea the heart will pour out it self like water to the Lord Lam. 2.19 The Heart receives impressions of truth as by its softness 't is more and more wrought to a new frame as in the hand of the Lord. 3. The Heart is naturally proud and makes the sinner self-conceited and well-opinioned of his own condition and will not suffer the sinner to abase himself to God and to take shame to himself But when a new Work of God's upon it the sinner humbles himself under the mighty hand of God bears his reproach before him and cryes out Oh! What shall I do for an humble heart Lord take away subdue Pride in a wretched creature Jam. 4.10 Now he becomes a poor self-emptyed creature undone helpless and to a full Christ he at last goes 4. The Heart is naturally hypocritical The hypocrite in heart heaps up wrath Job 36.13 Now when God makes the heart new then it begins to be sincere in some good measure for God before the poor deceived sinner thought he did all with a good heart that he did bear much upon that he did all with a good heart but when God shews him his heart by the Candle of his Word and Spirit then the poor Creature sees what a Hell of Hypocrisie was and is within him that he acted in all Duties as from himself so to himself and not uprightly unto God But when the Lord new frames the heart then the Soul is after new sincere holy aims for God in all it does is most abased for selfish and hypocritical mixtures and would account nothing well done but as God is designed in it and labours to walk in simplicity of heart and godly sincerity as of God and in the sight of God c. 2 Cor. 1.12 5. The old Heart is full of all uncleanness and impurity and cares not to be cleansed So saith Christ to the Jews Mat. 23.27 Within you are
full of dead mens bones rottenness and of all uncleanness But now when the new creature is forming up then the Heart is after purifying Purifie your hearts ye double-minded Jam. 4.8 Then what a blessedness would a pure heart be saith a poor Creature Oh! that my heart were cleansed Wash thine heart saith God Jer. 4.14 Oh! that it were washed saith the new creature And this is one of the most special Works a new Creature will be after as he is more formed up in Holiness to keep the Heart pure as a Temple for God 6. The Heart naturally is dead as already hinted and feels not its own deadness but when renewed then the heart doth live that seeks God Psal 22.26 It feels and mourns over its own deadness and cries out Quicken Oh quicken me oh God! No Duty is well performed then but as the Heart lives in some measure in that Duty Now it feels its own burdens pollutions lusts corruptions carnality earthiness and bewails it before the Lord. 7. The Heart is naturally divided between Christ and the World Christ and Lusts Hos 10.2 Their heart is divided But under its renewings the heart as to the main bent of it makes a whole close with Christ the great business of a soul then is to give the whole heart up to Christ and fears he can never do it fully and singly enough and when the heart lusteth after other things so far as it is renewed it is fetcht in again to Jesus Christ 8. The Heart of it self is unbelieving Take heed least there be in you a heart of unbelief Hebr. 3. Now when the heart is made new there is a Work of Faith with power 2 Thess 1.11 And then the soul is made sensible of that bitter Root of Unbelief that is naturally in their hearts and they finde it the hardest work in the world to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to fix on Promises And that a believing heart is a special gift of God and a work of the Spirit which while a poor sinner was shut up under Unbelief he felt not Use 1. To unchanged persons who are the same in heart as ever they were Oh learn by what hath been opened what is the natural make and frame of them There is in you a Rebellious Heart against the Lord and wilfull obstinacy against his Word and Spirit and therefore 't is that you cast the Word of the Lord from you and in your hearts despise it and say This is not the Word of the Lord and we will not obey it You have hard and impenitent hearts and therefore you do not mourn for sin you have proud hearts and are well conceited of your condition though damnable and therefore you do not humble your selves to God you have hypocritiall hearts and see it not full of a Hell of Uncleanness dead in sin and without feeling the heart divided between Christ and the World unbelieving and yet say you have Faith If thou canst not make out a newness upon thy heart as we have shew'd thou hast still thine old heart with its Lusts and thy estate is as yet damnable let thy knowledge profession outward blamelessness be what it will 2. Oh therefore let this Word be yet for further tryal of your estate Can you say to the praise of free and rich grace that God hath in some measure taken away your Rebellious Heart from you and you can stoop and yield to the power of Truth and rejoyce in it that God hath made your heart soft in some measure and the pride of your hearts in the false conceit you had of your selves hath a stroak from God upon it that God hath shewed you your deep and cursed hypocrisie and how your heart was divided and was wholly unbelieving And that the Remnants of these wickednesses in you of heart-rebellion hardness pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief are your greatest burden and you mourn over them daily If this be not your Experience let that man or woman know he or she is a hypocrite and unbeliever and sees it not c. 3. Therefore let it convince you and exhort you to go and fall down before the Lord and beg him to open your hearts which naturally are shut up in darkness and to abase you in the sense of your Rebellion and that he would even do this for you in much mercy to take away a rebellious hard proud heart from you and would make your hearts pliable to the Word make them soft and humble before him and to close with the whole heart with Jesus Christ through a work of Faith upon you Do this in the fear of the Lord and through his grace coming upon you and see what God will do for you and you will be your own Wonders that ever such abominations should lye hid in your hearts yet you not be confounded in your selves in the sense of them 4. Let Souls that are through infinite grace under some heart-renewings know that they have never done with this Work till they come to glory yea Soul thou hast depths of rebellion price hypocrisie pollution unbelief which yet thou hast not reacht to and therefore as thou must ascribe all to Grace for what the Lord hath done upon thee and remembers to thy greater humbling how much a do the Lord had with thee to bring thy heart under so much as it is so to consider that the Candle of the Lord must more and more search thy dark and deep heart and 't is to be thy daily work or else all these evils will again much prevail upon thee Love therefore a searching Word from the Servants of Christ that are over you 6. The next Discovery of the Gospel New-Creature is this namely The Gospel New-Creature hath new affections Briefly to instance in some of the chief 1. The New-Creature hath new fear The fear of an Eternal Condition that first usually seizeth upon a convinced sinner the fear of a just and angry God against sin and at last upon its renewing a holy awful fear of God as great and holy and good a fear of sinning against him and that because he is gracious Naturally this affection of fear in a Carnal heart is conversant about the loss of outward things about shame in the World and the like and so far as it respects God his Soul 't is a slavish fear of breaking out of some grosser sins onely least God should damn him but not fearing the Lord with a gracious Son-like fear a fear that purifies the Heart a fear that is mixt with a blessed love of God and delight in his ways 2. The Heart is exercised with new sorrow A godly sorrowing for sin such sins which were once the delight of the Heart such a sorrowing that works an indignation against the Darling-sins a taking of a kind of Revenge of our selves for it a vehement desire after pleasing of God and Holiness 2 Cor. 7.11 There is a
sorrowing over a crucified Christ and a sorrowing after him And well is a poor Soul when it can go in secret and have this affection most exercised with sighs and groans and tears and sad complaints against it self 3. There is a new joy by degrees instilled in the Soul of which though there are various measures to the Children of God yet every New-Creature can go thus far though not in that vigour of Spirit he would do that when the Spirit is free from great distemper it can say he hath some joy that he is deliver'd from the dominion and thraldome of lusts that 't is its joy to go before God I will go unto God my exceeding joy Psal 43.4 Even when under some disquietness of spirit as verse 2. why doest thou cast me off Yea will a poor soul say God and Communion with him could I see his face would be my greatest joy And the carnall joy of the heart when it breaks forth leaves the soul but more in heavinesse and the New-Creature would have his joy run spirituall 4. Upon this the New-Creature hath New delights The word of God becomes his delight seeking the face of God and the people of God Delight thy self in God Psal 37. And his chief delight is in the Saints Psal 16.3 The heart cannot as it could formerly delight it self in folly and in vanity and in vain carnall wayes and people but is rather burthened with them 5. The Soul is raised and engaged in a new Love The heart is taken with Jesus Christ above all things and Loves Him most and Loves God because he is Holy Loves his word and Loves those that Love him most Every New-Creature can say as David I Love the Lord Psal 18.1 116.1 Yea the soul is brought to Love Jesus Christ for himself He is the Beloved of the Soul and not onely the grace and peace and blessing and heaven that he gives And to Love Jesus Christ and to expresse it to the utmost is the frame of soul that a convert presseth most after and he would get the heart more purged mortified spiritualized that it might go forth in Love to Christ more strongly and sweetly and enjoy the precious perfumes of his Love more constantly 6. The Soul is raised to a new hope A new hope of Heaven and Glory which before was feigned and deceitful Now the soul is after a well bottom'd reall lively hope of Heaven Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope c. Oh! the new and blessed hopes that a soul doth more and more reach to when distemper and darknesse is not upon it of seeing Jesus Christ as he is Living with Him for ever of being perfectly sinlesse and holy of joyes that shall be endlesse of being swallowed up with divine glory when the spirit of the Father doth breathe most sweetly and mostly raises the heart to glimpses of Heaven Use As we go along we would put things to tryall therefore say in good earnest Soul Hast thou had new fears upon thy Soul as to an eternall condition and is the fear of sin and of the living God upon thy heart and doth this fear keep thy heart owfull and watchfull say Hast thou had new sorrows for sin and 't is thy trouble they are no more abundant Canst thou joy in going to God and in the word of his grace and are spirituall things thy delight Doest thou find a heart-closing Love to Jesus Christ above all and canst thou Love God because he is holly and thou wouldst be like unto him and hast thou new experienc'd of hopes Heaven Say soul Do all thy affections run in a new channell and the stream of them in the main turned from world and vanity to the Ocean of God in Christ his fulnesse goodnesse love grace and glory and that when thy affections or any one of them are diverted and turned aside thou canst and doest go to God to have them fetcht in again and thou wouldst have all the affections of thy Soul run freely clearly spiritually fully strongly upon Jesus Christ and thou art humbled that they are carnall and worldly in any measure If this be not thy case but the affections of thy heart are wholly fleshly worldly thy fears thy sorrows are about worldly things thy joyes thy delights about carnall pleasures and worldly encrease thy Love goeth after the world in an interrupted unmortified course thy hopes going forth about great things for thy self and thy hopes for Heaven lye at all uncertainly and thou doest suffer it to be so verily thou art unchanged and hast no part as yet in New-Creature blessednesse Onely let me add this Caution that in this matter of the New-Creature you take the whole frame together And therefore do not rest onely in this that you have had your affections something stirred in hearing the Gospel some fears and sometimes the heart a little melted and some joy for a time in the world which affections may sometime stirr in a soul whose heart is not subdued and changed and so it weares off again but carry your selves back to what I have said that you mainly look to the Rebellion Pollution Hypocrisie Unbelief of the heart that these be in good earnest still a subduing in you 3. And so also for reall Converts though you should labour to preserve your affections lively savoury yet look mostly to the sincerity and spirituality of them or else when they wax faint again as that may be you be at a great losse of your consolation neither do you alwayes measure your selves by the stirring and overflow of affections but rather by the abasement of your spirits hearts purity and sincerity and the holinesse of your affections and your acting faith in all your duties which will procure a more lasting way of peace and Comfort though when thus rectified the going out of strong and tender affections is exceeding sweet and precious and most desireable by all Saints 7. The next discovery of the New-Creature is this which I may consider with some distinction from the former The Gospel New-Creature hath new thoughts By the thoughts I understand the pondering musing part of the mind that I may speak plainly to all The imaginations fancies purposes meditatings musings of the mind of man which are very much alter'd where there is a new and divine work and power in the Soul To this the Prophet speakes as to saving conversion Esay 55.7 Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord c. So that a Soul returning to the Lord forsakes his vile thoughts and doth not give way to them and feed them as before So Jer. 4.14 How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee And Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love To shew a little why the thoughts of
the heart shall be changed and then more particularly how In a naturall heart All the imaginations of it are evil continually Gen. 5.6 They became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Rom. 1.21 Where the thoughts as issues of the lusts do rove to and fro at full liberty without any effectuall controle 1. As first Atheisticall thoughts secretly denying God his Justice Holinesse Word or that God will not Judge sinners according to the rigour of his word Thou thoughtest saith God I was altogether such a one as thy self and Psal 50.21 The fool hath said in his heart there is no God Psal 14.1 For when he sins against him presumptuously he doth strike at his very Being Justice and Holinesse and either saith in his heart There is no God to Judge him or secretly wisheth there were none 2. Profane thoughts according to the most predominant lustings of the heart do act a naturall heart As vain unclean proud worldly thoughts which are in contrivance to make provision for the lusts of it the heart even continually exercis'd with unclean proud wrathfull revengefull or covetous practises therefore saith the wisdom of God Prov. 15.26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts Adulteries Murderers Thefts c. Mat. 15.19 The evil thoughts get up and act over wickednesse and then they purpose and contrive for the acting of it and set the whole man on work to make provision and to effect it which thoughts being drawn forth by sinfull objects or the working of the fancy and the devil working by both do break forth into abominable practises unlesse restrained by the Lord for indeed the fancy the imaginative faculty is the very forge of the devil where he frames all the wickednesses that is brought forth Now these being the naturall actings of the thoughts of the heart as unchanged there must necessarily ensue a New working of thoughts upon the change of it Onely observe by the way by this any sinner may know how it stands with his soul If Atheisticall profane unclean worldly thoughts carry the heart an end and rove up and down at liberty and the heart even delightfully feeds them without going to God and mourning over them for their purging and mortifying and no or but an unwilling resistance of them how dwelleth then the grace of God in thee verily not at all And therefore reflect upon thy self for by this thou mayst know the state of thy heart and thy lusts are yet in their strength and rule in thee and will post thee to Hell if the Lord meet not with thee A gracious heart hath bubling up of such thoughts and the devil casts in suggestions to set them a work but they lodge not there long but they are resisted nd purged Take therefore these notes of a carnall unchanged heart 1. Such a soul maks little or no conscience of thoughts Thoughts are free say wretched souls but that 's a proverb suggested by the Devil 2. Such a soul is not humbled doth not mourn for wicked thoughts but only looks to the outward man a little 3. Such a soul doth not bring them to the blood of Jesus Christ to be purged 4. He doth not conflict with them resist check hate them 5. He doth not watch the thoughts of the heart nor labour to set them upon holy objects If it be thus with thee sinner thy heart works wickednesse and thou art loathsome in the sight of the holy God who knoweth and observeth all thy thoughts afarre off Psal 139. I will one day reckon with thee for them what doest thou but even deny God to be the great searcher of hearts the All-seeing God who carest not how vain vile wicked unclean profane loathsome devilish the thoughts of thy heart are But wherein doth this news of thoughts shew it self 1. The New-Creatures thoughts are changed as to himself who thought well of himself as to Heaven and happinesse before but now seeth himself vile and hath worse thoughts of himself then any one in the world can have of him 2. He hath new thoughts of God New thoughts of his Holinsse and Justice and Greatness Glory Oh! how great is God how Holy how Just so is greatly abased before him He hath new thoughts of his goodnesse grace and love to poor Sinners upon which the thoughts do much work thoughts of admiration and praise and the soul delights in holy and gracious musings of it 3. He hath New Thoughts of Jesus Christ of his Person Grace Bloud Righteousness Spirit Word People Before he had poor low empty carnal unsavoury Thoughts of Christ but the heart being changed and the Mind enlightned by the Holy Ghost the Thoughts work towards Jesus Christ the Soul hath deep and serious thoughts of his grace and love precious thoughts of him 4. He hath new thoughts of Eternity of an Eternal condition which must possess the Heart what may become of his Soul What will it profit to gain the World and lose his Soul How he may treasure up for Heaven make sure work for Heaven what ever be his condition in this world and the serious and frequent thoughts of this do much poiz the Spirit of a Believer 5. He hath new thoughts of the ways of God and Holiness before he thought basely or notionally of them now he hath real thoughts of Holiness and of the ways of Jesus Christ he doth believe and finds a reality in them and hath good thoughts of them as to engage his Soul to them 6. He hath New Thoughts of Holy People whom before he esteemed Hypocrites and Pharisees Factious and the like That their strictness was their Pride and Hypocrisie but now he honoureth them most is humbled greatly for such thoughts of them and prizeth them as the Excellent of the Earth and their company will be most desirable and most delightful to him Psal 16. Vse 1. To sinners that you do go to God and get your hearts possessed with such thoughts of God as these are How great how just how holy he is and this will make you tremble at going on in your pollutions any more Bethink your selves of the state of your souls and of an eternal condition saith David I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Psal 119.59 Bethink your selves how short a time it is e're an eternal condition shall pass upon you and how long the blessed God hath waited to be gracious to you and get new thoughts of Jesus Christ and get to his feet and make a resignment of your selves to him and then your thoughts will go after more excellent and soul-quieting and soul delighting Objects then hitherto you have bin exercised with 2. To such as are new Creatures in Christ and have New Thoughts of themselves of God his Justice Holiness greatness graciousness of Christ of Eternity of the ways and people of the Lord let this be
a word of Exhortation to you to look to your Thoughts saith the Wisdome of God Prov. 23.7 As he thinketh in his heart so is he A Soul is before the Lord according to the thoughts of his heart Oh take heed of giving way to and feeding vain unclean unholy Thoughts of any kind and let me press it upon you with these Motives 1. Consider that such thoughts are your sins lay that to heart God may justly damn a Soul for unholy Thoughts Know thou mayst commit Adultery or Murder in thy Heart though it break not forth actually If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thy self or if thou hast thought evil lay thine hand upon thy mouth Prov. 30.32 This will help to keep thy Heart in awe 2. That God's Eye is strictly and continually upon the Thoughts of thine Heart Psal 139.2 and therefore David cryes out to God to search his Heart for them Oh did a gracious Soul still consider this that the jealous Eye of God is upon every Thought and Motion of his Heart to sinne it would make him look closely to the Thoughts of his Heart 3. Consider that evil Thoughts and Musings of sin are the beginning of all open wickedness Jam. 1.15 Then when Lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sinne and such Thoughts are usually set on fire by the Devil 4. They do defile the soul Mat. 15.20 Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts c. These are the things which defile a man Which defilement unfits the soul for communion with God they make a filthy puddle in the soul and what a case is a poor Creature in to come to God in Duty in such a pickle 5. Evil Thoughts do pervert the Heart from God which should be fixed upon him they draw away the strength of the Heart from God they suck up the juice and marrow of the Heart which should be spent in Spiritual things in Jesus Christ 6. Such Thoughts do grieve the Spirit Nothing more the Spirit cannot delight to teach and comfort when the Heart is mostly acted by foolish and unholy Thoughts 7. When such Thoughts are acted in the Soul God may leave you to the power of them to break out to some grievous fall and so may shipwrack your peace and comforts for a great while and go with broken bones and it may cost you much bitterness before you are healed 8. If vain carnal Thoughts are not resisted at first but given way to they are hardly checkt and subdued and turned upon other Objects and therefore to watch the first Risings of them Now not one of these Considerations but may make a Child of God to tremble how he lets forth his heart into vain carnal idle defiling-thoughts and musings which do so much waste a gracious spirit and lay him open to such woful dangers as these are To help a Child of God in this Spiritual Work of looking to and a holy ordering the Thoughts of his Heart 1. Be deeply humbled to God with abhorring and loathing for Atheistical unclean proud vain foolish worldly thoughts that croud in upon you when you make them your burden you will be the sooner eased 2. Delight thy self much in the Word of God not onely in Publique Hearing but Daily Reading and not onely Reading but getting some good word upon thy heart that may season thy Thoughts and Affections saith David I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love Psal 119.113 The love of the Word of God made him be so far from cherishing vain Thoughts that he did hate them It doth appear this was a special part of David's exercise of Spirit to get some blessed Word upon his heart and be thinking of it and so it did tu n into the sweet and wholesome nourishment of the New-Creature Oh how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Blessed and holy practise worthy a gracious Saint indeed you have one word specially that David had much on his heart out of the Books of Moses for we know not whether any other Scriptures were then extant 't is that of Exod. 34.6 where the Lord saith he will proclaim his Name and Glory The Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering abundant in goodness and truth which you have in Psal 103.8 Psal 86.15 145.8 Happily one of those sweet words which he often magnifies how hath a single word dwelt upon the heart of a Child of God and hath kept the heart savoury for Christ 3. The next Remedy against such Thoughts is Much Prayer diligence fervency powring out the heart to God till the heart melts and runs forth sweetly spiritually and is engaged with God and hath a sight of him and a divine impression of God's Majesty left upon the Soul 4. Get more and more brokenness of heart for sin when the Heart hath been broken 't will not so easily get into Vanity again At least a Child of God should take care that it should not when the Heart is broken and mourning the Spirit doth wonderfully in that work refine the Heart All the sleightness vanity defilement distraction that comes upon the New-Creature is mostly for want of this 5. Mortification of that Corruption that is most apt to stirre doth much cure our thoughts Inordinate Affections are the Saints greatest Evils and do bespeak an unmortified heart as to what a Child of God should still be pressing after even to be dead and crucified with Christ Those that are Christs have crucified their Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.22 6. Contending for a Spiritual Heart So far as the Heart is spiritual it acts spiritually 'T is the carnality of Heart that works-up all those frothy distempers that defile us Paul's corruption was much let out upon him when he cryes out of the carnality of his Heart Rom. 7. which should be the daily complaint of God's poor children 7. A great help to the preserving the Thoughts of the Heart according to the New-Creature will be to consider How precious the thoughts of God are to his People Psal 139.17 How precious also are thy thoughts O God unto me How great is the sum of them If I should count them they are more in number then the sand c. David in v. 2. was considering how God's Eye was upon his Thoughts and 't was a means to rectifie them and then David's thoughts run forth in the sweet and blessed apprehension of the preciousness of God's thoughts to him from all Eternity and in the ways of his Covenant towards him If God's thoughts to us be holy and precious and ever towards us the thoughts of his servants should be so also and as little common and unsavoury as may be More particularly let us yet consider what blessed and excellent and glorious things such as are New-Creatures in Christ have to exercise their thoughts about 1. Gracious Soules have the Attributes of God to exercise the thoughts of their Hearts in the Infiniteness of God his Greatness Holiness Glory
talked with us by the way 4. Good Souls do not onely profit themselves in receiving good but they profit others one of the best wayes that we do good in profiting weak Saints or sinners how hath a word spoken from a savory person humbly and wisely dropt in upon the soul of a sinner which hath bin its first awakning And so upon a poor weak tempted Child of God how seasonably hath God ordered a word for a poor soul from conference with another Vse If a New-Creature in Christ hath a new tongue as well as a new heart Then let it be for conviction of sinners whose tongues as well as hearts are exercised in vanity altogether in profane or vain or carnall or worldly discourses This shewes there is no good treasure in the heart The Apostle James followes this conviction very closely and makes it the Character of a carnall pretending Believer of false and dead faith Jam. 1.26 If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans religion is vain T is but a seeming to be religious a vain Religion where the tongue hath a carnall Liberty And he calleth the Tongue A world of iniquity set on fire of Hell James 3.6 an unruly evil full of deadly poyson verse 8. The evils of the tongue that be-speake a sinner unregenerate are these and they are frequent among this generation 1. Speaking evil of the spirit of God and wayes of God and people of God Oh! such say they have the Spirit that they be Holy and they are so strict that they will not do such and such things as others do This is a degree of Blasphemy and borders upon the brink of the unpardonable sin These are styled by the Apostle Revilers 1 Cor. 5.11 6 11. and they as such shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven The giving out of the Spirit upon plain meaning-people in the measure it now is is a new thing but not therefore to be despised and reviled Every Town ad Family almost doth abound with this wickednesse and dreadfull provocation and 't is the saddest signe upon the generality of people whatsoever onely 't is to be hoped they do it through Ignorance as Paul did 1 Tim. 1.13 and God as he hath done may humble and convert many of them to the praise of his grace onely let sinners that have bin frequently shew'd the desperate wickednesse of such speeches of scoffing at the spirit and holinesse and call it Hypocrisie tremble least God give them up when they sin against conviction and the clear light of the word in this matter Had I time to reason a little in the power of the Lord with such souls why Consider seriously and in good earnest Can you be so sottish and so wilfully blinded that have heard or read the Scriptures to imagine that you are God's and Christ's and have not the Spirit and are not made Holy nor crying to God that you may be Holy He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his And without holinesse you shall not see the Lord How dare you then in the Atheism and devilish wickednesse of your hearts scoffe at the very Name of the Spirit and Holinesse The lowest place in Hell will be yours that have bin so often admonished of this unlesse God smite you to the Earth for it True Converts have the saddest humiliation for this sin as they have bin more or lesse guilty of it 2. Or you that are not so desperately carryed forth in this open ungodlinesse of speaking evil of what you know not But yet make little Conscience of lying for your profit or in excusing a matter so you may do it covertly and count it a veniall small sin or you that when provoked swear profanely and desperately tearing the Name of the great and dreadfull God wreaking your anger and wrath upon the Name of God and the blood of Christ your Tongues are set on fire on Hell and the Spirit of disobedience the devil worketh in you not a drop of the grace of God in you 3. Or you who have your petty Oathes by your Faith by your Lady and by Creatures Or make mention of the Name of God and Lord in your Ordinary discourse vainly and as a by-word crying Oh Lord upon every slight occasion and for Gods-sake and Christs sake do this and this in poor triviall matters verily there is noting of New-Creature upon you And yet these great profanesses you call your infirmities and 't is your infirmity to swear when angry and provoked and you say you forget your selves when you mention the Name of the Lord God sleightly or through ignorance plead for it that you may do so I tell you souls they are your reigning damning sins who are frequent in them And in carnal prayerless families as most are how oft in a day may these ungodly speeches be heard by men women and children If the fear of God were upon you or any work of grace you durst not do it nor indeed could do Therefore do but observe your selves a day and see how often you are here guilty and tremble before God and go and humble your selves at his feet that you may find mercy and have another heart and mouth given to you Pray and cry and waite for the good treasure of the word of grace in your hearts and 't will be otherwise with you 4. Yea you who are engaged in worldly discourses on the Sabbath day in your families at your doores in the Streets in idle and vain jesting you are not of God born again by his spirit you take no delight in the word of God the meditation of your heart is not in it you speak little of it because you savour it not Tremble you worldlings who shew it this way at that word 1 John 4.5 They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them If ye are of the world you are not as yet of Jesus Christ the power love of this present World ruleth in you and that may damn you for ever Know sinners you that make little conscience of vain profane words though you pretend to make some conscience of your word of promise to men for your credits sake and so think you have grace all which a Turk will do that by your words you shall be judged And of idle words you shall give an account at the day of judgment and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Math. 12.36 37. Such words as we have opened to be damning sins And therefore do not put off this guilt far from you in saying 't is your infirmity and so make light of it but know 't is guilt which will send you to Hell if the Lord humble you not and change you 'T is a certain Rule a profane heart and a profane mouth a carnal heart a carnal tongue a worldly heart a worldly yea Sabbath-days tongue
Therefore you are not New Creatures in the least and therefore begin with the heart that the heart may be smitten of God for this sin and changed and seasoned with the word and grace of Christ upon you and it will be better with you and you will have a tongue to speak well of the Spirit and the things of God and his People and to speak for God and reverently of his Name and delight your selves in it 2. Let this be a word to such as through grace are become New Creatures in Christ that you would shew it in this Discovery in a new tongue that you give not your selves that liberty of vain carnal much less profane Discourse as formerly as indeed you will not if you be New Creatures Men's Converse doth either lye among such as are wholly carnal and worldly or such as savour that which is good As to the former as in all our carriage so specially in our words there is great caution to be had 1. Not to mix our selves with them unnecessarily unless we find we have strength enough through a dependency on the Lord to avoid their snares and do it with a purpose of heart to do them good by reproving or counselling them Many a good soul hath been sadly worsted by mixing unnecessarily with vain profane or frothy company 2. If Providence cast thee amongst them sometimes it may be the wisdome of a Child of God to keep silence as David Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a bridle when the Wicked is before me I say it may be sometimes best for a Child of God to do so there 's a secret conviction goes forth by the silence of a servant of God oftentimes and to leave them as soon as we can so it be not done scornfully but humbly and civilly I do not mean a total silence but a wariness When you are cast among carnal persons as to your Callings necessarily Take heed of giving your selves a full liberty multiplying of words unnecessarily but be reserved and watchful That by any thing you say or indeed any other carriage the person you converse with be more hardned in his carnal course or be offended more against the wayes of godliness which indeed a Child of God should most heedfully consider in all his ways Oh 't is a blessed and gracious design rather to better then worst all we converse with 3. If you have a heart as you are to look up to God for a heart to reprove what may be reprovable as often it may be your duty or to commend the ways of God unto them to render them acceptable and precious and comfortable or any good word of the Lord to mention to them or of an eternal condition let this be done 1. Seasonably 't is a great matter for a servant of God to speak fitly to wind off another from a carnal Discourse into good things to insinuate them discreetly here is much wisdome and 't is to be askt of God 2. With Meekness Not sharply nor rashly nor proudly nor censoriously but with a meek and gentle spirit shewing all meekness to all men 2 Titus 2. That they may perceive you do it not to censure them nor with vain ostentation but that it proceeds from an honest heart and unfeigned love to them This is to be done when we find mens spirits in the most serious capacity and we having endeavoured to sweeten them and to get some room and respect in their Affections 3. That it be done savourily and feelingly not sleightly that it may appear what we give out to them is upon our own hearts and what we do really feel and enjoy which carries much convincement with it 2. If Providence cast you among God's people as this indeed should be our choice 't is not well to part from each other without something of God his Word Grace Goodness Providence People their own Hearts Temptations Comforts according to what is upon their Hearts or what they conceive may be of best use to those we speak to considering their condition or temptations or fallings short or in what if stronger Christians we may our selves be helped and encouraged And not to give way to indisposition or temptation or fear we shall speak as Hypocrites which is sometimes a snare but to have a ready mind chearful delight to do it Not but the people of God may in due season speak of their Callings and of Affairs and Occurrences in the World yea and sometimes that which may beget chearfulness so we watch our hearts in it and take heed of an uncomely inordinateness in it But do you tremble at obscene words wrathful words to be suddainly provokt to speak passionately at taunting jeering words reproaching others or censorious of others vain-glorious words of which much might be spoken to every particular 3. As this may humble the people or God for the sins of the Tongue their vanity and unprofitableness so let it stir them up to look up for grace suitable in this so weighty a matter That our Lips may be as a Well of Life and may savour of what is holy and good in God's sight Some Directions yet as to this Duty 1. Get in much good Treasure in the Heart As our Saviour speaks Mat. 12. The more good Treasure of the Word of Grace of Experiences of sweetness of comfort the more ready we shall be to give forth and also receive in from others 2. Do not follow your fancy in speaking what it still dictates but your judgment Many good men too too much follow a working fancy though there may be a sober chearful Exercise of it in season but we are too apt to run forth to excess The Devill will kindle Squibs upon the Fancy which we must rather quench then feed and bring forth 3. Keep some good thing upon the Heart Some good word you daily take in as was directed as to your Thoughts some comfortable Experience of God the sense of what you received in an Ordinance that you may discourse of the Word last heard Psal 45.1 My heart is enditing of a good matter my Tongue is the Pen of a ready Writer Oh blessed when 't is so with gracious Soules I muse on the works of thy hands Psal 143.5 My meditation of God shall be sweet Psal 104. 4. Pray a good frame of heart and keep it so Pray till the heart be made tender savoury quickned enlarged with the sense of God's Majesty Holiness and Goodness upon your Spirits and then watch to keep them so a savoury Heart and a savoury Mouth 5. Be not provoked by the vain and frothy Language of others though they may be good men to comply with it We are too apt to take encouragement to that which may be evil because 't is the liberty another good man takes which is often a snare 6. Keep the fear of the Lord upon
thy Heart a holy awe of God and his Prefence one of the choisest Duties of a Saint specially in this matter The fear of God makes the Spirit serious and yet mixt with comfort and a comely chearfulness Psal 4.4 Stand in awe of God and sin not I might also lay down Motives to this choise Duty It doth much please and delight the Spirit of God it brings in much good to the soul Gracious conference is an Ordinance of God and blest to the quickning establishing succouring and refreshing the hearts of Saints Accustome your selves to it and you will find indispositions wear off and you will do it out of a ready mind and gracious delight Onely be not onely a Talker from Notions in the Head nor affect a disputing wrangling Knowledge usually the effect of Pride but do it from Heart-experience in some measure or what you would fain get more upon your Hearts And let it not be onely a talking-knowledge but an humble walking-knowledge Remember to thy continual abasement how many sinners thou hast helped Hell-ward by thy leud vain profane speeches by thy reviling at the Lords ways and people and how thou hast encouraged and hardned them this way in sin Oh now let thy work be through infinite grace to tell sinners that there is more good infinitely in Jesus Christ then in the way of folly Now draw as many as thou mayest according to thy measure of grace to Jesus Christ and Heaven-ward And thus much be spoken of this Discovery of the New-Creature in its shewing it self in a new Lip 9. The 9th Discovery of the New-Creature Such as are New-Creatures in Christ they will have New-Company As soon as a soul is new forming up in Christ he saith as David Depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandements of my God Psa 119.115 Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping Psal 6.8 I am a Companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts Psal 119.63 So the primitive Saints as soon as converted they become Companions of the reproached Ones of the Lord and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods with them Heb. 10.34 And so Moses chose affliction with the people of God before Riches and Honour with the profane Heb. 11.26 Now this real Converts do 1. Because wicked and carnal men will act and speak wickedly against God and his ways and people which a heart broken and made tender cannot endure to hear and observe David said it was like a sword in his bones Psal 42.10 when wicked men reproached the Lord and his servants 2. Converts are in great danger to be tempted to sin as Joseph in Pharaohs house by the company of wicked and carnal persons the Devil will lay snares specially for weak souls it will be hard for weak souls to pass without guilt by mixing with them 3. Saints will contract deadness and indisposition by their company it causeth old Lusts to stir and other sins of heart to be working The carnal part will be too ready for complyance with them how hard to come off from them not worsted 5. Such as are New-Creatures in Christ have quite different spirits from wicked and carnal men different principles different ends and therefore they must needs avoid them and cannot take satisfaction and contentment with them unless under great temptation Use 1. To sinners unconverted who take pleasure in your carnal merry company but are burthened with the company of godly and you secretly disdain them and the Devil suggests to you that they are Hypocrites know this and be assured of it and your Consciences must acknowledge it that ye are yet in your sins and haters of holiness and you love not the appearance of it Certainly you are none of these New-Creatures and you cannot know your selves by a better Character then by the company you most delight in You do not make choice of your most intimate company by their godliness but from worldly ends or mirth or good-fellowship as you style it or generosity or some such carnal end verily the grace of God is not in you and your condition is damnable 2. As ever you would find mercy look up to the Lord to turn your hearts to himself and then to those that fear him Break off from your vain-company who engage your hearts to vanity What saith the Wisdome of God A Companion of Fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13. No such fooles how witty or prudent or civill soever otherwise as carnall souls that delight in vanity Oh! hearken to the instruction of the wise and your soul shall live I confesse this is the hardest pluck in conversion but yet it must be done with a vigorous resolution through grace when once the bands are broken and you come to find as you will abundant more sweetnesse in the Lords wayes verily you shall never repent your so doing And such as have some desires towards goodnesse and have some better thoughts then you have had formerly of good people you will make little progresse in grace and peace and comfort to your own souls till you do this till you can abhor your selves for your vanity and profaness among carnall men and can with full purpose of heart cleave to the Lord and overcome fear or shame or what ever such cursed evils that are in your way and all your rocks of offence you will make little of it as to evidence any sound work in your hearts and peace with God by Jesus Christ one day's accompanying with carnall men will set you more backward in the matter of godlinesse than many dayes after will help on 3. Let such as would evidence the New-Creature be very watchfull in this matter and not to touch pitch lest they be defiled mixe not your selves unnecessarily as hath bin exhorted in the last head among carnall men unlesse you have a good and holy end in it so as Jesus Christ did going among great sinners to do them good which indeed bespeakes a great strength of grace and a Christ-like spirit and Saints should be much with God for it And among your selves that Saints do still better and not worst one anothers Spirits when they come together the more you are with Saints the more you love them and delight in them Have a compassionate healing spirit to one anothers infirmities and be not offended but look upon and love the appearance of God in each other And remember that receiving and doing of good is your great businesse till you come to Heaven Yea let all that have a new work upon them diligently find out the Company of Saints such as are visibly joyned to the Lord and to each other to enjoy ordinances holily and to help one another heaven-ward Woe to him that is alone saith the wisdome of God Let not gracious souls content themselves in pollutions of worship and without the company of the godly such
do decay wither make a poor shift to hold out in their profession grow worldly or are overtaken with the errours of the times as for the most part they are the solitary professours who are drawn aside from Gospel-truth and not such as it hath bin unduly charg'd who are in the fellowship of the Gospel for that end and purpose to help strengthen pray for watch over each other 10. Such as are New-Creatures in Christ they have if I may so speak new feet namely to walk with God in a new conversation The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way Psal 37.23 I have saith David refrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep thy word This New walk of a Saint of a New-Creature is a large field that I may hint the most materiall things of it 1. A New-Creature doth more and more set himself to walk with God 1. As under the eye of God considering that the jealous eye of the Lord is still upon him Thou compassest my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my wayes Psal 133.3 2. To keep Communion with God to be conversing with God speaking with God and unto God and waiting to hear God speak unto him 3. To walk in Jesus Christ As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Col. 2.6 which is to walk in the Life of Christ in the Light of Christ in the Strength of Christ in the Love of Christ in the wisdome and patience of Christ and so in all This t is to have fellowship with Jesus Christ and to walk in him to do all in Christ and through Christ is the main work of the New-Creature as 't was hinted in discovering the necessity of the New-Creature's being in Christ 4. The Walk of the New-Creature is to walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit There 's no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.11 To walk in the Spirit is 1. Not to fulfill the Lusts of the flesh Gal 5.16 Not to be under the power of them or to make provision for them not to feed them but to crucifie them They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 which is put as an evidence of walking after the Spirit 2. T is to be led by the Spirit Gal. 5.18 to give up our selves to the leadings and teachings of the Spirit Psal 143.10 Teach me to do thy will for thou art my God thy spirit is good lead me into the Land of uprightnesse is the cry of every true Convert in Christ who would not be led by his own spirit in any thing nor by other mens spirits but waites for the Leading of the spirit in every work and way wherein he would walk before God 5. The New-Creature walks after the revealed will of God And as many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them Gal. 5.16 speaking of the New-Creature who walkes after a rule Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord Psal 119.1 He sets himself to walk in all the precepts of God and esteemeth them all holy and righteous 6. The New-Creature walks in his integrity let integrity and uprightnesse preserve me Psal 25.21 As for me I will walk in mine integrity Psal 26.11 And as for me thou upholdest me in mine integrity and settest me before thy face for ever Psal 41.12 This is the gracious resolution of every Convert to walk in his inregrity through which God will preserve and uphold him in all his wayes and when the world reproacheth him God will set him before his face and that for ever 6. The New-Creature so far as he is a New-Creature walkes humbly This is that the Lord doth require of thee to walk humbly with thy God Micah 6.8 To walk humbly before the Lord towards sinners and towards Saints The soul that walkes most with God walkes most humbly towards men 7. The New-Creature walks in love And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us Ephes 5.2 In love to all Saints as Saints a special part of the Gospel-walk Not in love to such or such a party of Saints which is but self-love but in love to all that walk with God 8. More Particulars might I mention as walking honestly towards all men not oppressing defrauding but righteously charitably compassionately so far I say as he is a New-Creature he walks thus Onely let me adde this That the New-Creature walks by Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 and not by sight He is ever learning a life of dependency lives upon the All-sufficiency of God the Righteousness of Christ the fulness of his Grace the Word of his Promise and so lives out of himself upon the fulness of God in Christ and his truth in his Promise even when he feels not his presence And herein briefly consists the Life of Faith to live out of our selves upon Another even the Fullness of an infinite God manifested in Jesus Christ In a word The New-Creature in Christ as he is called of God through infinite Free-grace so is he to walk in all things Worthy of his Vocation Ephes 4.1 To walk worthy of the Lord even to walk as Jesus Christ himself walked 1 Joh. 2.6 To walk in this present world how he might express the vertues of Christ the grace and love of Jesus Christ so freely revealed to him to walk self-denyingly holily patiently harmlesly profitably heavenly as one that is called from Darkness to Light from the power of Satan to God called out of the World to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thess 2.14 Use 1. If his be the Walk of the New-Creature then such who walk not as in the Eye of God but after the Atheisme of their Hearts consider not that God sees them in their most hidden ways that walk after their Lusts to fulfill them that walk not in the Spirit that mind not Holiness so they keep a kind of Conscience to men Verily the Spirit of God dwelleth not in you you have no Evidence for Heaven as yet you are of the World and you walk after the course of the World Ephes 2.2 You walk Hell-ward and are held by the Cords of your Lusts and your Paths lead unto destruction And therefore turn in to Jesus Christ whose Paths are Wisedome and Safety and lead in the Way of Life and Peace and Blessedness even all that choose them and delight in them 2. Let such as have the New-Creature formed in them approve themselves to God to Saints and to the World in this their New-Walk Oh see you are called to walk with God and therefore be as in his Eyes continually make Communion with him your chiefest joy Walk in Jesus Christ in his Life Light Power Love Wisdome