Prop. 2. That true Christian sanctification which is a work of faith is many times darke to a sincere Christian It is generally granted to be so in the first conversion and in time of temptation and desertion as also when a man looketh at his justification and at the glory of God Woe is me for I am uncleane saith the Prophet Isaiah at such a time there is so much power of flesh even in spirituall Christians specially in young Christians so much power in their lusts and in their passions as will put their best friends to a stand what to thinke of them and much more themselves when as they come to be pressed with the power of their corruptions specially when they compare with such hypocrites as run away with more freedome of spirit than themselves for sometimes their corruptions doe lesse appeare and they are more free from temptations and not exposed to such sinfull courses which sometimes true hearted Christians are subject unto So a poore Christian is discouraged an hypocrite emboldened seeing himselfe more sanctified than the other in view Prop. 3. That true sanctification of a sincere Christian is not discerned by him nor is indeed discernable untill he first discerne his justifying faith A double ground of it so leave it to your christian disquisition and search they are both taken from the necessity of faith both to the acceptance of a mans person and worke there is a necessity of the activenes of faith in a mans sanctification The Lord had respect to Abel and to his offering Gen. 4.4 A mans person must first be accepted otherwise all his worke will not goe beyond the worke of a legall Christian and without faith it is impossible to please God no acceptance therefore without faith It is also necessary to the performance of all spirituall duties for all sanctification is from that faith which Christ doth convey into the soule Now if the just man live by his faith whether it be the life of sanctification or consolation then no Christian can discerne his sanctification to be lively but he must discerne his faith living in it he must see his faith deriving strength and grace and life from Christ or else he cannot approve his sanctification to be the sanctification of the Gospell for as there can be no true sanctification unlesse there be faith whereby the person is accepted and whereby life is received to act in all sanctification so there can be no knowledge of sanctification but there must be knowledg of faith whereby a mans person is accepted whereby strength is conveyed to sanctification for if a poore soule be doubtfull of his acceptance with the Lord he is where hee was notwithstanding his sanctification and wanteth comfort for this doubt remaineth whether he be accepted or no which untill the Lord doe manifest a mans faith unto him by the revelation of the holy Ghost he is still at a losse in it for though true sanctification be an evidence of a mans justification yet it selfe must be first evident Thus we see by this third exposition that a further light is required to the light of sanctification Prop. 4. Notwithstanding this neere resemblance between legall and evangelicall holines yet there is a reall difference between them and such a difference as is discernable to Christians whose wite are exercised in the wayes of the Spirit and in the word of God and is discerned by the revelation or manifestation of the Spirit of God both of the state and worke of good Christians and that ordinarily also for I would not count it extraordinary being that which the Lord by his Spirit doth usually reveale unto his people A reall difference there is both in the Roote and in the Rule and in the Scope which they ayme at and so it will appeare to be at the last day Math. 25.23 Depart from me saith Christ you workers of iniquity I never knew you though they came and told him that they wrought by faith in him indeed they stood in some relation to him but not as members to the head onely as branches to the vine which may be cut off and yet the vine not maimed but if the members should be cut off any one from another then is the body maimed but Christ will not suffer his body to be maimed but take you never so many branches from the vine and it is not maimed but will bring forth more if therefore there be no more fellowship between Christ a Christian than between the branches and the vine you may take them away and yet not hurt the vine But wherein should this relation stand It is very hard to conceive insomuch that those who have been most exact and diligent to enquire into it have professed that it is Angels worke very hard it is so to distinguish them from Gods owne children so as not to discomfort poor christians nor to imbolden hypocrites Wee must be tender therefore that the least of Gods children may not want their bread better leave 99 sheepe than that one poore stray sheepe should not be sought after and better an 100 hypocrites perish than that one poor Christian should want his portion and yet it is not meet that hypocrites should allow themselves in the estate and fellowship of the Saints and yet alwayes blesse themselves in their carnall condition If you shall ask a difference in the Root both of them are partakers of the Holy Ghost Hypocrites may have a tast and a poor Christian will feare that his best fellowship with Christ is but a tast and that manifold experience maketh good Wherein then lyeth the difference Doth the Spirit of God leave the heart of an Hypocrite stony and unmelted It is so indeed with the stony but not with the thorny soile for the hearts of some Hypocrites are melted as iron stones they may come to melt about their owne estates through fear and so all those melt that want not depth of earth as the thorny soile did not but mind you they will grow hard again as iron or lead will doe after it is melted Now look at the Spirit of God when he cometh to work effectually and he doth not onely melt the heart but taketh away the heart of stone and giveth an heart of flesh for it is not enough to breake a stone it will be a stone though it be broken but when the Lord changeth it into flesh then it will be hard no more But though a man may have many temptations yet the Lord will keep his heart soft for ever And this is that which I do believe touching the witnesse of Sanctification unto Justification You see what workes of God are found in Hypocrites and therefore what dangerous deceits we are subject unto if God be not more mercifull Againe you see what state Christians are brought unto when their Conversion and Faith is wrought in them and how it is not grounded upon the sight of their
to life and glory but given his Sonne to redeeme us and holy Spirit to sanctifie us Ezek. 36.27 What need is there then of Sanctification for if the holy Ghost will dwell in us he can take our wits and understandings and understand all our meditations for us without any such actuall concurrence of ours as might be requisite for that end if the Lord give himselfe to be my righteousnes and holines what need I then these gifts of holines so that this in summe is the Question If the Lord will give unto us himselfe what need we these gifts to worke any thing which God is much more able to performe than we can be this springeth naturally from the doctrine Though the Lord give us himselfe and his holy Spirit to dwell in us yet is it needfull that we should be endued with all the gifts of the Spirit of grace that do accompany salvation You will say what need is there then that the holy Ghost should dwell in us or will not these carry an end our soules unto immortality Truly we have need that the Lord should give us his holy Spirit to dwell in us notwithstanding all the gifts of his grace though they indeed are necessary conditions to be found in the soules of all Gods servants Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with holines without which no man shall see the Lord as if he made it not onely of absolute necessity unto salvation in another world but for a comfortable condition in this world follow peace and holines as if they were ready to fly away from a man and indeed the Originall word doth imply no lesse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie the pursuit of something that fleeth from a man as peace will many times fly from one a man shall have much adoe to attaine unto it Psal 120.6,7 it is not easily attained unto therefore should not be suffered to depart but held fast when it is enjoyed And so for holines the Apostle would have us make an holy kinde of pursuite after it as if it were still withdrawing it selfe from us which cometh through the corruptions of our hearts for wee are soone weary of holy duties as prayer or conference or the like if holines be in any thing it soone groweth wearisome to flesh and bloud but though our weake and feeble nature will be withdrawing us from holines yet the Lord would have us to follow it and pursue it and so shall a man be withdrawn from the world and from the temptations and bad examples thereof doe not say what shall we be wiser than our fathers is not moderation best in all things but consider what the Apostle saith follow still after it even unto perfection and his words doe intimate the Reason of it Without which no man shall see the Lord for what is holines in its owne nature it is that which giveth God his due as righteousnesse giveth man his due this is a maine ground why we are so slow in works of holines for were they of another nature and did they serve our turnes more as we thinke we should not then account them tedious if a man were to sit and tell money all day long this is for my selfe saith a man and for my profit and if it were for another we should not thinke the time long it may be about that work neither but mind you when it cometh to any thing which doth concerne the Lord then it s so sarre above a mans reach whatsoever we have to doe in the things of God that we should soone be weary of reaching forth our hands all the day long unto the Lord and to be constantly for God from God and with God in all our actions our base spirits are soone ready to be withdrawing from the Lord therefore the Apostle biddeth us Follow after peace and holines without which c. so that great is the necessity of holines and worthy to be followed after for though a mans owne heart and the world and men and Satan withdraw us from it yet follow after it for without it no man shall see God there is a kinde of holines which some men have attained unto many a faire day agoe but t is a thousand to one whether it be the holines that doth accompany salvation for that holines is not easily attained unto but the other will easily cleave close unto a man Now if you shall aske me Quest Wherefore the Lord will have us pursue after holines and what needeth it if the Spirit of holines dwell in me by an Everlasting Covenant if it did withdraw from us as it did from Adam it was another matter but though it may be quenched in us yet it abideth for ever what need then of gifts of holinesse Answ That one word may be sufficient which we finde 2 Tim. 2. If any man purge himselfe from these evills he shall be c. This sheweth us why gifts of holines are requifite to be in Gods people namely that they might become meet instruments in the hand of God and fitted unto every good word and worke therefore it is that the Lord will have us to be filled with all the gifts of righteousnes and fruits of his Spirit that we might be the more fit Temples for the holy Ghost to dwell in and this is the principall Reason of the point Quest If then there be such gifts of holines what need the holy Ghost dwell in us is it not enough that he should shed abroad these things into our hearts cannot the Lord carry an end the worke of our salvation by these gifts Answ There is need that the holy Ghost should dwell in us notwithstanding 1. To keepe these gifts in us 2. To Act them in us 3. To witnesse unto our soules by these for our comfort and the good one of another Some Scriptures for all these 1. That there is need of the holy Ghost that he should keepe these in us 2 Tim. 1.14 there is a worthy thing committed unto us how shall wee keepe it not by our owne wit or wisdome carefull watchfullnes and faithfullnes though such things ought not to be wanting but the charge is Keepe those things by the holy Ghost which dwelleth in us we stand in need of gifts to be fit instruments in the hand of God we stand in need of the Spirit of God to maintaine that which God giveth us though Adams gifts were in perfection yet not having the holy Ghost to keepe them for him they all fly from him as soone as ever he had tasted of the forbidden fruit and left him naked and desperate therefore in the Covenant of grace the Lord giveth the holy Ghost to keepe strong possession in his servants against the strong man armed 2. It s the holy Ghost that Acteth the gifts given to us and enableth them in us for the holy Ghost who keepeth possession doth derive continued strength into our faith which putteth life into all
of God John 15.5 And the Apostle Paul cannot onely not doe any great matter by his owne strength and grace but nothing at all without Jesus Christ and therefore he giveth us to understand that it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do Phil. 2.13 If therefore we have any new work to doe look to the Lord Jesus Christ afresh by Faith that he may carry an end all our works in us and for us otherwise it is not any strength or grace in us that can produce any good work word or thought and therefore mind you the Apostle maketh it a principle of Christian Religion that the just man liveth by faith and he often mentioneth it Gal. 2.20 The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Sonne of God where he putteth it into his owne experience Why did not he live by love and patience and zeale c. Yes truly they were lively in him if ever in any man besides our blessed Saviour and yet notwithstanding he never attributeth life to any of these gifts of his but if he speak of life he maketh this his universall life I live by the faith of the Son of God and I am able to doe all things through Christ which strengtheneth me Phi. 4.13 This is the true savour of a Christian spirit that when gifts are at the highest the heart is then at the lowest 1 Cor. 15.9,10 the Apostle Paul there acknowledgeth himselfe to be as one born out of due time for saith he I am lesse than the least of the Apostles not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God yea but by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed on me was not in vaine but I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God in me This is truly spirituall sanctification that when the soule is full of the Holy Ghost and gifts of the Holy Ghost yet he is like a man in great penury as having nothing of himselfe this is a marvelous spirituall poverty and you shall ever find and I desire the Lord would open the hearts of his people to know what I speak that if Christians have fallen their greatest falls have been in their most eminent and exemplary gifts If you shall mark the sins of all the servants of God they have been chiefly found in the very exercise of their best gifts let us take a little tast of them that we may learn to use our gifts in the strength of Jesus Christ Abraham a man full of Faith none went beyond him in the old nor new Testament yet if you read of any failing in him it is in regard of the acting of Faith what made him afraid not once but the 2d time that his wife would be taken from him by Pharaoh Gen. 12. by Abimelech Chap. 20. had not the Lord promised to blesse him wheresoever he came Gen. 12.2 He had so much of the knowledge and grace of God shining in him that Sarah needed not to have dissembled and Abimelech a poor Heathen could say as much Chap. 20.16 Behold thy Husband is to thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee and with all other thus she was reproved As if he should say thou needest no shifts and lyes for thy protection and to be a vayle unto thee This a poor Heathen can discern that a man that hath God with him needeth no other shifts nor covering to defend and shelter him Thus we see that these great failings of Abraham were proper acts of unbeliefe Moses a meek man none like him for meeknesse on the face of the earth there is but one sin storied of him after he came to the Government of that state and this was his failing Heare now you Rebells must we fetch you water out of this rock so he lift up his hand with his rod he smote the rock twice Numb 20.10,11 They provoked Moses as meek as he was sometimes when Aaron and Miriam dealt as peremptorily with him he was not moved from the meeknesse of his spirit But now he falleth into passion and this was the very sin for which the Lord excluded him out of Canaan Numb 27.12,13,14 it was the breach of this royall grace Chap. 20.12 Because ye believed me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the Children of Israel therefore you shall not bring this Congregation into the Land which I have given them Which words shew us the reason of his failing in the grace wherein he so much abounded Because yee believed me not The Lord will have him know that he must live by his Faith in his meeknesse if any man think himselfe to be a meek man and nothing shall over-wrastle him there if you believe not in God but in your meeknesse your confidence will soon faile you Peter a man full of courage and you read of two of his principall failings and both in point of courage he failed in the high Priests hall at the voyce of a damsell and in the porch at the speech of another maid and the third time at the voyce of one that stood by Math. 26.69 c. Whereas afterwards when he lived by faith he became undaunted before the whole Councell Act. 4.13 Another failing of his in point of courage we read of Gal. 2.12 He feared those of the Circumcision whereas before he did eat with the Gentiles c. Thus the Apostle Peters eminent gifts did not bring forth their fruits Know therefore that the best of all your gifts faith courage meeknes wisdome love to your brethren will faile if you trust in them and you will be most apt to faile there wherein you do most excell If a man be wise he shall faile in that point and it may be in nothing so much as in that even in those things wherein he thinketh he walketh most wisely and such an one will find most tryalls in point of his wisedome and the like will be found in all other graces and all to this end to teach the Israel of God to know that no man liveth by his wisdome nor by any thing in himselfe but by Faith in Jesus Christ whom God hath given unto his people and who is onely able to give new supplyes of his spirit unto his servants to act every gift which he hath given them I might have mentioned the example of Sarah a meek and a quiet godly spirited woman subject and obedient to her Husband and called him Lord whose daughters you are while you doe well 1 Pet. 3.6 and yet you know one of her greatest failings was in point of reverence to her Husband Gen. 16.5 When she saw that she was despised she said to her Husband Thou dost me wrong c. Where is the reverence of Sarah now Will you have the daughters of Sarah to imitate her herein What had her Husband done There was no
There are two things in the root 1. The first is the Roote of Abrahams Covenant which this people much trusted upon and that is it of which John Baptist speaketh Now the axe is layd to the roote of the Tree c. and this he spake Mat. 3.9 after he had said Thinke not to say within your your selves Wee have Abraham to our father vers 8. So that all the confidence that they had in Abrahams Covenant and Temple and Tabernacle and such things is burnt up and so they have no roote left them to stand upon And this is one thing intended by the Roote But 2. Secondly there is something more in it for with this Spirit of burning the Lord by the power of this Spirit doth cut us off from any power of our owne naturall gifts and parts and spirituall gifts also whereby we thought to lay hold on Jesus Christ and we are cut off hereby from all the confidences that we have in our owne sufficiency when once the Lord intendeth to bring a soule unto himselfe for there is an usuall preâ—idence that we have in our owne state though the Lord have cut us off from hope in the righteousnesse of our parents and from boasting of his Ordinances yet we thinke there is some power still left us and therefore we hope and will seeke in our owne strength that the Lord may reveale himselfe to us in mercy and peace but when the Lord cometh neerer unto us he will shew us how unable we are to take up the least good resolution we shall finde our selves like bruised reeds unable to hold up our heads for Christ came to seeke and to save that which was lost so that Christ will not declare himselfe to seeke us untill we be lost and therefore he saith Math. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and follow me And according hereunto it is that those converts Acts 2.37 doe cry out when they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall wee doe Hence it is also that the poore soules that came unto Christ Math. 12.20 were like bruised reeds that could not hold up their heads for the Lord in this case bruiseth them layeth them low that they see no more hope of mercy nor likelihood that God should shew them any hope Thus doth the Lord burne up the Root of Abrahams Covenant wherein men trust and the Roote of all our selfe-sufficiency that now wee find our selves dryed up our strength consumed that now we are not able to thinke as of our selves a good thought And againe the Lord by this spirit of burning doth burne up all our branches also how faire and greene soever they have been All our fastings and humiliations and almsdeeds and prayers such things as the Pharisees much boasted in Math. 6.1,2,3 c. but these things are all burnt up The fruit of bondage worketh unto feare and now all the hope is that a man setteth upon reformation but if the Lord love a mans soule he will not let him stay there but goeth further with him and sheweth him that his prayers and fastings are all empty and fall short of the life and power of Jesus Christ but yet the soule is not quite out of hope though the Law cannot save me if it cannot I must get me unto Jesus Christ and lay hold upon him for salvation as if all were to be had by faith in Jesus Christ if once we can lay hold upon him and nothing else were required but faith in Christ and thereby my laying hold upon him I see plainly saith a man in this case that there is no hope in me as hath been rightly observed and therefore I le trust upon Jesus Christ and give up my selfe to him but now if the Lord love thy soule he will not suffer thee there to rest he will not leave thee so He will presse thee further How comest thou by faith in Christ Why thou tookest it up of thine owne accord thou thoughtest all thy gifts aâ—d duties were in vaine and therefore now thou wilt believe in Jesus Christ Is it so easie a matter Can any man come unto Christ except the Father draw him And is thy faith any more than a resolution of thine owne when thou wast convinced of the emptinesse of thine owne gifts and abilities When this spirit of burning hath blasted this thy faith also and that by the cleere evidence of the Gospel put upon it Now saith the soule I see that I am not in Christ though I said that I would trust in Christ yet I see it is not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heaven Now I see it is not my faith such a Faith as mine is that will reach Jesus Christ it is not a faith of my own undertaking that will serve the turne I see now Christ alone must worke this great worke in me and Christ in the way of his owne Ordinances therefore I must looke for it in his word and in the fellowship of the Sacraments therefore I will look up unto the Lord in all these and waite for him and seek him therein And I hope I can seeke and waite in that way though I can do nothing else and so the poore soule maketh account that in time he shall finde Christ in the Ordinances and so hammereth out a faith from thence and therein blesseth himselfe Now minde you the Spirit of God when the Lord God the Father will draw home the soule throughly to Jesus Christ will burne up all thy confidence for if thy soule be not utterly lost so long as it hath any roote or power in it selfe it is not come to an utter selfe-deniall though I cannot worke I will believe and if I cannot believe I can waite that I may believe and so here is still the old roote of Adam left alive in us whereby men seeke to establish their owne righteousnesse This old roote putteth forth it selfe and will not suffer the soule to be wholly from Christ and for Christ alone and all because there is a sprigge of Adam left in the soule whence it is that the soule is marvellously apt to have hope and confidence more or lesse from some vertue or power in himselfe therefore it s no small matter to be cut off from Adam that 's contrary to nature As saith the Apostle Rom. 11.24 this is a marvellous strong work when the Spirit of God comes to act things contrary to nature for nature is fully possessed that what God commandeth I am able to doe it nature will not be perswaded to the contrary If I heare God command any thing I will doe it saith a carnall heart and if I cannot do it I will believe and if I cannot believe I will waite and I can waite that I may believe this is still but nature Now when the Lord cometh indeed
duty as Prayer or Conference or the like for I will not limit the Holy One of Israel yet usually it is done in the Ministry of the Gospel and though the Lord doth not limit himselfe yet he doth limit us to attend upon the means which he usually worketh by but whatsoever the way be this is the manner of Gods working he doth universally come into the soul in some word or other of his grace as for instance that in 2 Cor. 5.19 or that in 1 Tim. 1.15 In some such word of his grace he cometh and putteth life into the soule and maketh it somwhat quies and causeth it to see that there is hope in Israel and the Lord is able and there is riches enough in Christ to save me By such kind of work it is that the Lord bringeth the soules of his servants effectually to Christ and now hath God the Father given us unto him and untill now thou never camest unto him savingly This is the second Act whereby God the Father giveth himselfe unto the soule The third act or work followeth both these as soone as ever the Lord hath given this selfe-denying spirit unto the soule and hath made it like unto a bruised Reed or like a Traveller that is out of his way and willing to take any man by the hand that will lead him into his way againe when the soule is in such a frame the Lord cometh with a third act of Reconcilement The first work was of Conviction the second of Prostration the third of Reconciliation This is the third work of the Father though there is in all these works a concurrence of the whole Trinity yet some are more proper unto each Person as our Catechismes teach us and we are not wont to scruple such expressions in them God the Father created us and we cannot expound it but as God the Father created us at the first so he doth again create you or else if we acknowledg it in the one and not in the other we do wrong unto God even to the Father Well he is then reconciled unto us having given unto us the Spirit of his Son now he doth pronounce us reconciled unto him this is the work which is spoken of Rom. 5.10 and this is the work of God the Father according to that was before alledged 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world c. Now there are two acts of God as fruits that follow hereupon and both of them done at once upon the soule 1 The first is Adoption whereby he maketh us his Children as Gal. 4.4,5,6 John 1.12 So that now we are the Brethren of Christ and the Sons of the Eternall God Adoption is properly the work of the Father but Christ being the naturall Son of God we must be knit unto him before we can be accounted Sons 2 The second is Justification Rom. 8.33,34 This is the Fathers work and it is principally attributed unto him to forgive our iniquities and to make reconciliation in Christ Jesus And look as it is in our naturall Being so soon as ever we have received naturall life from Adam we become the Sons of Adam and his sin is imputed unto us so it is in the new birth as soon as ever the life of Christ is shed abroad into our hearts so soon are we Heires of Christ and the righteousness of the second Adam is imputed unto us now to our Justification as the sin of Adam before was to our Condemnation Vse 1. The Doctrine it selfe is but an Use but I desire that we may all of us apply it unto our selves It will be a help to us for our Instruction to Teach us how we came to saving fellowship with God in Jesus Christ and wherein lieth our spirituall union with Christ and how it is wrought and obtained and this is necessary for as it hath been observed by others so we may now gather it from what we have heard that there be 4 sorts of men that fall short of this union with Christ 1 You have some that blesse themselves in their naturall estate it may be they are rich and honourable among men well they blesse themselves in that estate and will never goe any further 2 There is another sort that are convinced of the danger of their naturall estate they dare not rest there and hereupon they fall upon Reformations and so to duties of Humiliation and such like wherein they find as they conceive such a blessed change and so much comfort as doth satisfie them And indeed God doth comfort men in their Reformations for God will have no man lose by him Mat. 6.2,5 Hypocrices have their reward for their Aime and for their Prayers Herod when he heard John reformed many things and heard him gladly Mark 6.20 Here was a great change and doubtlesse much comfort in that gladnesse yet these men never had the work of God the Father to burn up all that they had received by any strength of their owne 3. A third sort goe a step beyond these they have been convinced that they went forth â—o Reformation in their owne strength they plainly see it and discerne it and therefore they know that it is impossible to be saved by the righteousnesse of the Law and that it is not of works neither of one kind nor of another they are convinced that Faith onely must doe the deed and upon this ground they will take up Faith to believe in Christ for salvation and that Faith which formerly they have pitched upon their good duties they will now pitch upon Christ but still it is the same Faith for the root is not yet burnt up the old corruption still remaineth in them and so here is your old faith still translated from one object to another it was fastned before upon your duties and reformations and now upon Christ though by creature-strength and now a man is ready to plead and say If God had not loved me he would never have set me upon such reformations nor have enlarged me with such comforts if he had not been well pleased with me in Jesus Christ And though I have been sometimes burnt up touching my hope in reformation yet I have translated my Faith to Jesus Christ but how came you to doe that Why I saw my hopes in my owne reformation would not serve my turne and therefore I believed in Jesus Christ and now shall nothing draw me from him nor pull me from my confidence for I have built upon some word of God and some Promise of his made unto such reformation as I have set upon and is not this true Faith in Jesus Christ This is far from true Faith it is no other but a strong fallacy whereby the Devil doth cheat men and in truth this Faith is but a Faith of a mans owne making that I may so speak it is no more than a spirit of Burning at the best that hath burnt up his confidence in
expresse Restipulation pre-required on Abrahams part We see this likewise held forth Deut. 29.1.13 where the Lord entreth into another Covenant with them in the Land of Moab besides the Covenant which he made with them in Horeb and in this Covenant he doth establish them to be a people unto himselfe as well as give himself to them to be thrir God vers 13. and as God required it of them to circumcise the outward man even the foreskin of their Children so he will also circumcise them taking possession of them and circumcising their hearts and taking away the stonynesse of them and so fit them to be a Temple for himselfe to dwell in 3 The Lord in this Covenant taketh the chiefest of Abrahams seed even the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Mediator and surety of the Covenant and unto him doe all the Promises belong so the Apostle doth expound it Gal. 3.16 and so by him are all the Promises and blessings of the Covenant conveyed unto Abraham and to his seed his faithfull seed all the world over and therefore he is called the Mediator of a better Covenant Heb. 7.22 meaning of the Covenant of Grace Heb. 8.6 These three things doe containe the sum of the Covenant of Grace and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and would therefore be plainly discovered unto Christians as 1 What is the meaning of this that God gave himselfe unto Abraham 2 How doth he take Abraham and his seed and make them his people 3 How doth he take Jesus Christ and make him the Surety of the Covenant between them both for the Covenant is established and so is a sure firm and everlasting Covenant Now in this gift that God gave himself unto Abraham observe three things 1 The Blessing given 2 The Order in which it was given 3 The Manner of giving it In the Blessing given When God doth by Covenant give himself to be a God it doth imply two things 1 That God doth give Himselfe the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost the whole Nature of God and all the Persons the God-head with all the Attributes of that Nature and all the Offices of those persons for it is not a confused God that vanisheth away in a generall imagination but God distinctly considered in his Persons Attributes Properties c. Thus the Lord giveth himselfe to Abraham and to his seed I will be a father unto you 2 Cor. 6.18 and that is not spoken unto the Jewes onely but unto all the Israel of God He giveth the Son also Isa 9.6 Joh. 3.16 And for the Holy Spirit Jo. 16.7.13 Isa 59.21 This is my Covenant with them saith the Lord My Spirit that is upon thee and my words that I have put into thy mouth shall not depart c. And this is it which the Apostle also saith Gal. 4.6 Thus the Lord giveth himselfe unto his Servants from one Generation to another If therefore the Lord God the Father give himselfe he will not be wanting to draw his people unto the Son Jo. 6.44 and what is the chief businesse and work that the Son hath to doe about us No man can have fellowship with the Father but he must have fellowship with Jesus Christ so our Saviour himselfe saith John 14.6 No man can come unto the Father but by me This therefore the Lord Jesus Christ will doe for all the elect seed of Abraham he will open their eyes to see that the Father did not draw them to damnation or utter desolation though at first that be their greatest fear but unto salvation by him This hath he promised to doe and if it be the work of the Spirit of God to establish us both in the Father and the Son then will he convince the world of sin of righteousnesse and of judgement John 16.8 to 11. and so will establish our hearts in the comforts of the Lord our God and this is that which the Apostle prayeth for the Ephesians Chap. 3.16 Hence it cometh to passe that what the Lord would have us to doe he is present by his Spirit to teach us and to strengthen us and so to doe it for us All these things doth the Lord work for Abraham and for his Elect seed So that look what is meet for a Father to do or for a Brother to doe or for the Spirit of God to doe that will the Lord doe unto his elect ones and so he giveth all his attributes and they are even God himselfe and therefore when Moses desired to see his glory and he desired it from the grace that God had shewed him Exod. 34.6 the Lord proclaimed his Name before him Jehovah Jehovah strong mercifull and gracious c. Thus doth the Lord give himselfe and all the Persons in the God-head as they are truly called and Attributes they are no more nor no other then God himselfe 2 And as God himself is implyed so when God is given by Covenant all the Ordinances and Creatures and works of God are given also for so it was in all Covenants of old time when Jehosaphat maketh a Covenant with Ahab King of Israel 2 Kings 22.4 then I am as thou art and my people as thy people and my Horses as thy Horses and all that he hath is for Ahabs service as the King goeth so goeth his strength so thus it comes to passe that if the Lord of Hoasts be for us and give himself unto us then also he gives unto us his Eternall Election and Redemption and whatsoever he hath wrought for the salvation of his Elect He hath not so dealt with any Nation Psal 147.20 but only with the Israel of God unto them hath he given his Laws and shewed them his judgements And for his Creatures they are all given to be for his People to whom he hath given himself If God be a God unto Abraham then shall all Gods people be for him Melchisedeck shall blesse him Aner Eshcot and Mamre shall be Confederates with him the Sun Moon and Stars shall fight in their courses for the people of God the Sea shall give way to passe through it on dry ground What ailed you ye streams of Jordan to goe back Why all the Creatures of God must stoop unto the people of God wâ—… he is in Covenant with them This is that which the Lord promiseth unto his people Hos 2.18 to 22. when the Lord shall marry them to him in faithfullnesse and 1 Cor. 3.22 This is the large gift of Gods Covenant Nay and which is wonderfull and beyond all comprehension when I say all the Creatures and Ordinances of God are ours the very expression of the phrase doth imply that the Lord giveth himselfe to be the staffe and strength of them so that you shall see the presence of God in them he will not only give a man wife and children and Ordinances and providences but he will be in all these and blesse his people in the enjoyment of them all so as that
they shall enjoy God in all Psal 16.5,6 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance He saw the Lord in what he did enjoy and when he had any thing it was in God when he wanted any thing it was supplyed in him The like did Jacob find when his brother Esau came against him with 400 men and the Lord turned him from the fiercenesse of his wrath here was the Covenant of Abraham the Lord gave him the mouth and arms and tears of his brother Esau what saith Jacob to all this Gen. 33.10 I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God He saw the power and mercy of God in changing the countenance of his elder brother and that is it which sweetneth all that a man doth enjoy the loving-kindnes of God in all is the blessing of all and this likewise doth Jacob acknowledge Gen. 33.5 These are the Children which God hath gratiously given thy Servant and so he looked at them as Gods wives and children and servants and Cattell and this is the very life of the Covenant of Grace when as the Lord is wrapped up in all his blessings when as he giveth himselfe and in himselfe his Christ in Christ Peter and Paul and all things unto his Church 1 Cor. 3.22,23 Rom. 8 32. This is the maine thing given God himselfe the God of the Covenant his Persons Nature Ordinances Providences and now Abraham is made the Lord of the world and so the Apostle doth interpret it Rom. 4.13 the Promise that he should be Heire of the world c. and this is that which Abraham did receive in receiving the Lord to be his God 2 In the Order of giving the Covenant there is something to be observed 1 God giveth first and not the Creature it was not Abraham that gave unto God first for which of all the Creatures shall offer a Covenant unto the Mighty God Rom. 11.35 the Lord hath the preheminence in giving for what should Abraham give unto God if God give not something unto him first He is the first giver 2 He is also the first thing in order that is given for doth he give the world first or Ordinances first or any other spirituall or temporall blessings first No doubtlesse the Lord is the first thing that he giveth by his Covenant and with himselfe all things else also Rom. 8.32 And there is the precedency of Jesus Christ he is given and in him all spirituall blessings as the Apostle saith Ephes 1.3 and this for the order of Nature in giving the Covenant not Obedience first nor Faith first nor any thing else first but himselfe is Donum primum primarium and in him all his goodnesse Exod. 33.19 3 For the Manner of giving in that he giveth himselfe there is implyed both the freedome and eternity of the gift firmnesse therefore and that unto eternity In that he giveth himselfe it must of necessity be done freely for what can any Creature give to purchase God If a man could give thousands of worlds they were not enough to purchase or redeem one soule and if he had millions of worlds to give what were they all to purchase so great a gift as God himselfe is Therefore it must needs be of free gift for the Creature can doe nothing to prevent God God indeed may give with a purpose to receive back againe as God doth require this of Abraham that he should have no other Gods before him c. Gen. 17.1 But though Abraham shall performe this and all the Commandements in an Evangelicall manner yet God himselfe doth undertake in this Covenant to be the Author and finisher of this his faith and obedience Heb. 12.2 And this doth argue the marvelous freedome of the Covenant of Grace for the Lord offereth it out of his grace without the foresight of faith or works for he undertaketh to give both will and deed of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 Object But it may be said Did not the Lord exact it that he should give himselfe back againe or else God would not give himselfe Answ Truly then the Covenant had not been of free Grace but as you see sometimes great Princes will take in a Neighbour Nation into League with them and not tell them of it so doth the Lord deale with his Elect ones otherwise he should not at all intend it nor ever give himselfe unto us for we are not able to give our selves unto him for if Abraham did give himselfe it was because God did take him first and therefore it is that the Apostle telleth us that the Lord took hold of Paul that he might take hold of the Loâ—d Phil. 3.12 I follow after if that I may c Deut. 32.6 If we give up our selves unto the Lord it is because the Lord hath taken hold upon our hearts first Object But doth not the Lord require of him to Circumcise his seed the eighth day Answ So he doth indeed but the Lord giveth him that also God the Father seeth it needfull for the confirmation of their Faith and their everlasting salvation therefore he giveth him Circumcision and giveth him the grace to circumcise his Children I think indeed the Lord doth call for many things under a Covenant of Grace but so as that the Lord 1 Worketh those things in them out of Grace not give Grace out of works 2 He will have them know that those things which they work are nothing without the working of his grace It is true Abraham may circumcise Isaac but who shall circumcise the heart of Isaac It is a small matter to circumcise the flesh so it is a small matter for us to baptize with water but who must wash us from our sins save only the Lord our God So that he doth secretly intimate that what his poor servants doe outwardly he would doe it in effect The Children of Israel shall at the Lords Commandment march about the City of Jericho seaven dayes together and not speak a word and hereby the walls of the City shall faâ—l down flat of what use were these weapons to such an end what would the Lord shew his people hereby hereby he teacheth them to know by what ability and power to bring mighty things to passe they shall doe duties as the Lord commandeth them but he himself shall breath in them to make them effectuall for though we doe never so much yet we cannot reach unto the accomplishment of any good thing Not by might nor by strength but by my Spirit The Lord therefore by his Spirit must work all our works for us Here is the freeness of Gods Covenant in that the Lord giveth himself first Jer. 32 40. You may speak of Conditions in this kind but the Lord doth undertake both for his own part and for our parts also for as the Covenant is free so the Lord will freely maintaine and preserve all his Elect and all from the immutable nature of God it
to be a Covenant so he giveth him also to worke all things needfull for our Redemption partly by his Passion and obedience unto the death of the Cross and partly by fulfilling the whole Law all righteousnesse for us The Lord Jesus Christ did fully accomplish whatsoever was requisite for him to accomplish in his owne Person 2 He doth perform all things needfull for the Application of this redemption unto our soules and to this end he it is that sheddeth abroad his Spirit into our hearts John 15.26 16.7 and when this blessed Spirit cometh he applyeth unto the soule all the gratious redemption of Jesus Christ by giving him and all the fruits of his redemption and by working all those blessed works that the souls of his people come to be partakers of and so performeth all those Conditions that are required on our parts If it be needfull for us to have faith he will work it in us If it be needfull for us to live a life of Faith he will help us so to live for it is not of our selves it is the gift of God Ephes 2.9 Thus hath the Lord made him a compleat Mediatour of this holy Covenant and whatsoever we receive we receive it from him for unto him first as the head of the Church are all blessings given and unto us all Promises in him are Yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 for though Christ be not a sinner in his owne persons yet in respect of his Members he is many times lost in them though not in himselfe and poor in them though not in himselfe for us therefore he receiveth the Promises of God and that is the great security of them that they are laid up safe in him and belong unto us if we have Union with the head and in him we perform whatsoever God requireth whether we Pray or Preach or hear we doe all in the Name of Christ going forth in his strength and power Col. 3.17 Thus is the Lord Jesus Christ a firm Surety of the better Covenant Stablished upon better Promises Heb. 8.6 Vse 1. In the first place This may teach us a broad difference between the Covenant of works and the Covenant of Grace In the Covenant of works the Lord offereth himselfe as a Father his Son as a Redeemer his Spirit as a Sanctifier but this upon a condition of works Thou shalt have no other Gods but me and If they shall keep his Lawes and obey his voyce then they shall be a peculiar treasure unto him above all people Exod. 19.5,6 This also they undertake to doe Deut. 5.27 All that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee we will heare it and doe it But O that there were such an heart in them vers 29. When they rebelled he did not pardon them gratiously but the Angel whom he sendeth with them he biddeth them beware of him and obey his voyce and provoke him not For he will not pardon your Transgressions for my Name is in him In the Covenant of Grace he will but not in this here is indeed a Conditionall Redeemer and Saviour and so it is expressed Isa 63.8,9,10 with many of them God was not well pleased almost with none of them but overthrew them in the wilderness Thus in the Covenant of works all is given upon condition of obedience 2 The Lord giving Himself his Son his Spirit upon condition though it be but to works yet he is pleased to receive them into some kind of relative Union expressed Jer. 32.32 Which my Covenant they brake although I was an husband unto them He was marryed unto them in Church-Covenant this was some kind of Union he was their God and they were his peculiar people and yet the Lord cast them off a Generation of his wrath from this Marriage Covenant between them and him from this Union there springeth a kind of Faith by which the soule cleaveth unto the Lord in some measure else there could not be this marriage union and this faith is that which you read Psal 106.12,13 They beleeved his words they sang his praise c. So also Exod. 14.31 it is said They beleeved the Lord and his servant Moses This is that faith which men may receive and yet may Apostate from it spoken of Heb. 6.3 to 6. and Luk. 8.13 but all that faith was never grounded upon any free promise of grace but all was built upon Ordinances and Duties and upon no higher ground In the 2 Chron. 13.8 to 12. marvelously strong are the expressions of Abijah when Jeroboam came against him You think to withstand the Kingdome of the Lord in the hand of David c. Where we see what faith he did expresse and hereupon vers 18. The Children of Israel were brought under and the Children of Judah prevailed and yet this Kings heart was not perfect with the Lord his God 2 Kings 15.3 and yet mind you a strong confidence he had that the Lord was with him and that he would be present with his owne Ordinances there was faith built upon fellowship with Ordinances like unto that Faith in the Scripture before alleadged Luke 8.13 Men are affected with the word and beleeve and find comfort and all this springeth from that Relative Communion which they have with the Lord they find refreshing in their way and work and many times take it for the very Seale of the Spirit of God All which may and oftentimes is found in Hypocrites but here 's the difference in a Covenant of workes God giveth himselfe Conditionally in that of grace Absolutely in both he maketh a Covenant in the one of Grace the other of works in which the Voyce of the Lord is If you be true and faithfull to me then I will not remove you and in this Covenant is Faith found whereby they lay hold upon the head of the Sacrifice but not on Christ it is onely built upon such changes as they finde in themselves and will in the end vanish utterly away 3 There is a difference also that springeth from the fruits of these two Covenants iâ—… their continuance for tho in the Covenant of works there be a semblance of Justification and Adoption and a kind of Sanctification yet they endure but for a season and therefore he calleth them Lo-ammi for ye are not my people and Lo-ruhamah for I will no more have mercy though sometimes they were his people and he then had mercy on them They may also have pardon of sin that is forbearance of punishment for a season Psal 78.37,38 Being full of compassion he forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yet they were such whose heart was not upright with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant This is plainly held forth in the Parable Matth. 18.23 to the end When the Servant had not wherewith to pay his Lord he fell down and worshipped him saying Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all his Lord was moved with compassion
therefore I spake so the Israelites also Psal 106.12 beleeved and sang the praises of the Lord upon the red sea shore and yet were they but an Hypocriticall Generation and if Hypocrites may work Miracles in the name of Christ as they did and expostulate with Christ about it Mat. 7.22 then may a temporary Faith work ordinary works in Christianity also and therefore you shall read Mat. 13.22 that there is no fault found with the thorny soile for their want of root or depth of earth for the want of both which the stony soile was taxed but look as it is with the branches of a Vine what depth of earth the roote hath they have it being grafted into the Vine though they be but branches of the wild Olive and will bring forth but wild fruit for though the branch of the wild Olive be grafted into the fat Olive and may flourish there yet will it bring forth his owne fruit but in the roote you will finde no difference And yet there is a difference but it is very hard to be discerned Object Yes you will say there is a plaine difference for an hypocrite is ever full of himselfe but a true Christian doth all in faith he seeketh God daily and waiteth upon God daily and these are not the wayes of hypocrites Answ Consider I pray you what the Word of the Lord holdeth forth as the Roote of this sanctification and I will go no further than expresse Scriptures Isa 58.2 They seeke me daily and this is spoken of hypocriticall Israelites and for waiting we often heare it spoken of the five foolish Virgins that they all went out to meet the bridegroome Mat. 25.1 though while they tarryed long they all slumbred and slept and so did the wise Virgins also and for more particular application of God unto themselves we finde that also Hos 8.2 Israel shall cry unto me My God we know thee and yet this Israel in the same Scripture had transgressed the Covenant and cast off the thing that is good And for a further Act of faith which is a staying a mans selfe upon God what saith the Text Isa 48.2 They stay themselves upon the God of Israel and these were obstinate sinners and their neck as an iron sinew and their brow as brasse there was not truth and uprightnesse True it was not but how shall we know the difference Truly it is hard to perceive when men differ and therefore it is not an easie matter to make such use of Sanctification as by it to beare witnesse unto Justification and it will be a very hard case and much more difficult when men cannot feele the presence of spirituall gifts but want spirituall light and when they doe finde faith in themselves they doe finde it in hypocrites also even in hypocrites also even faith to seeke the Lord faith to waite upon him and faith to apply him saying My God and faith to stay upon the God of Israel and yet these men doe vanish away in hypocrisie this hypocrites may doe seeing therefore what easines of errour may befall Christians whether this or that grace be of the right stampe or no it will behove Christians to be wary for even Eagle-eyed Christians will have much adoe so to discerne of sanctification in themselves before they see their justification as to cut off all hypocrites from having the like in them for the sanctified frame of Gods children and that which seemeth to be like it in hypocrites both of them spring from the holy Ghost and both from faith but now the Spirit of God hath further worke in his own people beyond what he worketh upon others though he melteth both yet hypocrites are melted as iron which will returne againe to his former hardnes but his owne people are melted into flesh which will never returne to his hardnes more neither can they rest in any measure of softnes unto which they have attained but still are carryed toward Jesus Christ so that the one is a temporary faith and the other persevereth though both worke in the name of Christ yet this difference will be found between them not only when hypocrites come to be blasted but even in the midden of their profession As for the faith of the Gospell of Jesus Christ it is never president of its own power but his strength lyeth out of himselfe in Christ whereas hypocrites and legall Christians are confident of their faith that they can make use of it unto such and such ends they think they need no more but look up to Christ and their worke is at an end and such strength they finde in themselves as that they doe not feare but that they shall carry an end all their worke to Gods glory and their own whereas the strongest faith even of the Thessalonians whose faith was such as none of all the Churches went before them if it be not supplyed and strengthened they know the Apostle Paul knoweth that it will warpe shrinke This may we see by comparing 1 Thes 1.3 with Chap. 3.2,10 And the faithfull people of God Isa 26.12 acknowledge Him to worke all their works for them And therefore as there is a reall difference in the presence of the Spirit so also in the worke of faith in hypocrites and the children of God for the one putteth confidences in himselfe in the gift received and the other in Jehovah This is the first difference of Sanctification 2. There is Difference also in the Rule whereby they are guided though both seeke to the word of God take delight in that insomuch as you shall not be able to difference them there yet a great difference there is in the apprehension of the word the one is so consident of the comfort that he hath in the word and he will be ready to take it ill at Gods hand if he finde not acceptance before him Now the other see the need they have of the Lord to maintaine their comfort for them This manner of affection we finde in David when the Lord had brought him and his people into a sweet frame and temper of spirit to offer willingly towards the building of the Temple what saith David now Doth he thinke this to be enough No no but he prayeth to the Lord 1 Chron. 29.18 O Lord God of Abraham Isaack and Israel our fathers keepe this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their heart unto thee Thus is he sensible that these comforts would soone faile them they should againe waxe barren and uncomfortable And here is the nature of true Consolation in Christ to looke up unto the Lord to preserve and maintaine it and so he is still drawne neerer neerer to Christ But now though both attend unto the Word as their Rule of Sanctification if you take it in the way in which the one and the other hold it forth yet there is a great difference Psal
sanctification but is revealed in an Absolute Promise of free grace and so is the soule built up in the Assurance of its good estate and groweth faithfull through Christ and not in Hypocrisy This is the true rest of the soule when it groweth up in a lively Faith in Jesus Christ and yet resteth not in this that it is sanctified but doth look principally after Jesus Christ and blesseth God for sanctification making use of it for those ends for which God hath given it but dares not rest in it as the ground of his blessednesse This is the first difference betweene Hypocrites and Gods owne Servants in the root though both may work in the name of Christ yet as the one is temporary and the other persevereth so this difference you shall find between common and sincere Christians and that not onely when Legall Christians are blasted of God but even then when they doe most flourish in their profession The true Faith of the Gospel of Christ is never prefident of his owne strength though they that have it sometimes be as Peter Mat. 26.33,35 but it is out of himselfe in Christ whereas the Legall Christian is confident of his Faith that he can make use of it to these and these ends which are before him he thinketh there is no more needfull but to look up unto Christ and so his work is done whereas take you the strongest Faith of the Thessalonians who were grown to such height that none of the Churches were before them yet the Apostle doth not think their Faith strong enough but prayeth for supply of something lacking in their Faith otherwise when it is at the best it will warpe whereas one that hath but a temporary Faith is confident in the strength of that faith insomuch that it doth not fear but to carry an end his profession in a safe course to Gods glory and his owne Thus we see there is a reall difference between the presence and work of the Spirit in an Hypocrite and in a Child of God In particular we see there is a difference in the Faith which is given to both of them the one hath confidence in himselfe the other in Jehovah Isa 26.12,13 This is the first difference in the root of their profession 2 There is Difference also in the Rule by which they walk though both seek to the word and delight in that you shall not difference them there yet this difference you shall find in their apprehensions the one is confident of his comfort that he hath in the word the other seeth need that the Lord should maintaine his comfort for him 1 Chron. 29.18 David prayeth thus c. as being sensible that this their comfortable frame of spirit would soon faile them and they would quickly grow liftlesse unto such spirituall works as then they had been about and this is the nature of true Consolation in Christ it maketh a man to have recoure unto the Author of it to preserve it Now though both attend unto the word yet here they differ the one hath enough if he can see the Rule like to the Israelites Deut. 5.27 they have enough if they have the rule but a true Christian attending rightly unto his rule findeth it farre off from him to walk according to it unlesse the Lord be pleased so to set it home unto him as that by his power he may be carried an end in obedience unto it for though he know and see his Rule yet he wanteth help to rule his heart according to his rule otherwise though the rule be streight yet his walking will be crooked as a child will write crooked though his line be streight So a Christian man is sensible how his feet and hands will shake when he cometh to walk or doe any thing according to a rule therefore he doth wholly look unto Christ as being sensible of his owne inability unlesse he find help and strength from him 3 There is difference also in the scope and End which they aime at though both aime at the glory of God yet both cannot attaine unto this to make the glory of God their last end but the one of these doe secretly wind about to his owne glory in the end as Jehu doth 2 Kings 10.16 Come see my zeale that I have for the Lord but he bringeth about his owne glory by it and here is the maine deceit of the work he seeketh the glory of God in himselfe and in his owne hand whereas the principall care of Gods owne people is and ought to be the glory of God in Jesus Christ But the Hypocrite his chief care is to have it seen that God is glorified by his hand Come see the zeale that I have Object You will say Is it not a great glory unto God to be glorified by my hand Answ Yes but there is a great deceit in it for many a man will work much so far as his owne glory is wrapped up in his actions and like it well so long as God may be glorified in him But all this while he wanteth those single affections after the glory of God though in the hand of another But how then should a man seek to promote the glory of God If it be the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ that a man seeketh after he will then rejoyce as much that God may be glorified by his brother as by himself and that 's the spirit of a true Israelite indeed So that the Name of Christ be magnified it 's no matter by whom I therein doe rejoyce yea and will rejoyce saith the blessed Apostle Phil. 1.18 If any man therefore aimeth at Gods glory then onely when it may be an honour to him in his profession no thank to him for that much close work may be found so long as both are carryed an end together But if when I hear that my Brother glorifieth God I could have wished that such a thing had been done or spoken by me it is the worse because it is not done by my hands if that which is the rich goodnesse to my Brother be not also my rejoycing it is because of the core of Hypocrisy in my heart Thus have we seen particularly the difference between legall and Evangelicall holinesse We proceed still in the fourth Use to a fifth Question If Jesus Christ be the first gift that is given to the Children of God before he giveth right unto Promises or to me to challenge Promises yea before he giveth me any other gifts of his saving Grace then any soule may ask this Question Quest 5. Of what use are Promises if it be not to bring me to Christ yea especially to what end are conditionall Promises made that is to say Promises to such and such Qualifications if I may not take a Promise in one hand and a Qualification in the other hand and bring them both to God and lay hold upon Christ with both hands in the strength of
of free grace without any Qualification mentioned Howbeit many of them that heard the word believed and the â—umber of the men were about five thousand about three thousand of them believed before so that here are two thousand that believe upon this Absolute Promise the Lord Christ is offered to them and they receive him by Faith The like we read also Acts 10.43,44 To him give all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins And while Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the words to that the Holy Ghost giveth himselfe and they receive him in an absolute Promise and left it should be a matter of absolute doubt unto any consider thus much that whereas the Lord doth unite himselfe to the soule as a Father to a child or as an Husband to a wife it is free For did you ever know a true reall Marriage made in a Conditionall Promise Doth a man say to his wife If you prove a loving and a kind wife then I will be thine Husband Or doth a wife say to her Husband If you will take me and love and maintaine me and all the children that God shall blesse us with then I will be your wife Would not your soule rise against such a Covenant as this Now I beseech you consider whether we shall not put an unspeakable dishonour upon the Covenant of free grace to conceive and expect that if we carry our selves thus and thus then God will be ours and we his But if thus and thus then he will cast us off Hath the Lord made such a Covenant with his Elect Indeed the Lord would have the Jewes to know that though he were marryed to them yet he would not continue that Covenant but upon condition of obedience when they were disobedient the Lord gave them a bill of Divorce but in the Covenant of Grace spoken of Hos 2.19,20 the Lord giveth himselfe and you take him in an absolute Promise and now the Lord dwelleth in you and the soul yieldeth up it selfe unto God to be wholly at his disposing and doth not stint nor limit God upon this and this condition nor doth the Lord so bind us to the performance of any condition as that if it be not found the Covenant will be voyd yet he requireth many things of us as an Husband will doe of his wife as to be meek and lowly c. but if we faile the Covenant is not broken therefore believe it it doth much dishonour the Covenant of Grace to lay the weight of our interest in it upon any Condition by which we might plead our right unto it I confesse that the Lord doth usually give himselfe in a future Promise which makes us conceive that it is not so absolute a Covenant when persons give themselves one to another they give themselves absolutely and not in a future Promise and say I take thee to be my wife and I take thee to be mine Husband but all times are alike unto God that if the Lord say I will marry thee to me in tender mercies and faithfullnesse and loving kindnesse he doth that for the present which he promiseth to doe and againe it breeds in the soule a Reciprocall Union that though it know not whether the Lord hath given himselfe yet this it findeth namely a patient waiting with hope that the Lord will shew mercy at the length as when a woman hath a promise of marriage from her Husband she waiteth in hope untill he give himselfe so there is an Union or Contract when the soule doth waite upon God but when the Lord giveth himselfe more fully then he speaketh more plainly and giveth himselfe not in a future but in a present Promise and now the soule seeth that the Lord hath gracious fellowship with him for ever and ever Thus we see that promises are not vaine things but there are great use of them before our Union all promises are of excellent use in our Union the Lord giveth himselfe in an absolute promise onely but to take Christ in a Conditionall promise by vertue of the Condition is incompatible to a Covenant of Grace 3 After our union with Christ they are of more abundant use They were of use before we were in Christ for Doctrine and for Instruction and for Exhortation but now they are of more efficacy in the same kind and 1 They serve us for Doctrine to teach us that there is not onely free grace in Christ but there are gifts of grace in him and all the treasures of the good things of God are in him and all the blessings of the promises made unto Qualifications are layd up in him also 2 They serve for Instruction to direct us whither to look for Qualifications and the blessings promised unto them also namely to the Lord Jesus Christ to receive the blessing through him and the Qualification by the same hand for they are first fulfilled in him there is no good Condition but it is found in Christ no blessing thereunto but it is found in him also in him therfore they are to be sought for so that though a poor soule see himselfe wretched and blind and naked yet he hath an husband in whom all riches are laid up this he is taught to know by the promise and directed also to goe to Jesus Christ that enjoying him he may enjoy all good things in him 3 They are of use to stirre up unto Prayer for now I see that all these good things are in Christ and in him they must be enjoyed if they be enjoyed at all hereupon the soule is set a work the Holy Ghost concurring therewith to consider Is there so much grace in Christ and in him abundantly Hath the Lord made so many gratious promises unto such and such gracious Qualifications whether then should I goe either for the one or for the other but unto Christ that he may work in us a spirit of Faith of Love and of a sound mind and whatsoever else we stand in need of Give unto thy Servant a wise and an understanding heart saith Solomon when the Lord bad him ask what he should give him 1 Kings 3.9 Thus are the Servants of God stirred up by Conditionall promises to seek unto the Lord for the supply of all their wants for in him are all good things laid up and by him are they given unto his servants 4 They are of use to helpe us to Know our spirituall state and means to discern thereof All these qualifications to which the promises are made are fruits of the Spirit and will more or lesse declare unto you your sanctified state which is a marvelous blessing Upon the promises made unto such conditions the Lord stirreth up the hearts of his people to seek for such conditions to which the promises are made and when the Lord hath given them he then openeth their hearts to see what he hath
given them and so to discern their sanctified estate Now I know that thou fearest me seeing thou hast not with-held thy Son thine onely Sonne from me so the Lord saith to Abraham Gen. 22.12 wherein he bare witnesse to his work and this doth fill Abraham with strong Consolation together with the Oath of God unto him for now the Lord doth not onely know it but cause him to know it also so that if the Lord doth but breath in such fruit of the Spirit if he doth but give power to the soule to doe such a work unto which the promise is made and doe make it appear unto the soule to be indeed such by the revelation of his blessed Spirit then doth the Lord fill the soule with Consolation But though the Holy Ghost himselfe doth not so sweetly and strongly breath and clear up his own Testimony by the comfort which he giveth unto the soule in such a promise yet a man by the Promise may being enlightned of God discerne what God hath done for him and hereby the soule may stay it selfe Psal 9.18 The expectation of the poore shall not perish for ever When the poor soule is meekned by Gods hand and the Lord letteth him so discern it that now he quietly resteth upon the Lord now the Spirit of God doth help David along to be supported with some stay and besides the waiting of a Christian upon him who hath made the promises doth make him yet more patient and hopefull And this is a fourth use of Conditionall promises to strengthen Faith 5 They are of use to work all these qualifications in us to which the blessings are promised by the exceeding pretious Promises we are made partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 and this is no small work or use of these promises that from them should spring all our gratious qualifications for the Lord having promised such blessings in them these promises being received and enjoyed and meditated on by us we beholding them and the glory of the Lord Jesus in them are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 This great power there is in the Promises to help an end the work of God in the soul of a Christian so that though they were never given to bring us to Christ yet to this end they were given to work all those qualifications in us to which the blessings are promised Yea and they may truly be said to be given to bring us to Christ in this sense That though our Faith be not begotten by any promises to gratious qualifications prae-existent in us yet they may beget such qualifications of Faith to which promises are made 6 They are of use to stir up and provoke Christians to all such duties to which blessings are promised they stir them up effectually The Lord maketh a Promise 2 Cor. 6.17,18 And mark what use the Apostle maketh of it being a conditionall Promise Chap. 7.1 Having therefore these Promises c. let us c. implying that the having of these Promises stirreth up Gods people unto duties and the Lord is wont to breath in them and so to set forwards the work of cleansing of the hearts and wayes of his servants 7 They are of use further to strengthen Faith for the Lord that hath made such Promises will accomplish them for his Servants Gen. 32.9,10 Jacob there putteth the Lord in mind of his Promise and said O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac the Lord which saidst unto me Returne unto thy Countrey and to thy Kindred and I will deale well with thee and he was now returned according to the appointment of God but what now doth he plead the condition mind in the next words I am not worthy the least of all the mercy and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant yet now though he pleadeth not any worth at all yet seeing the Lord had promised such a mercy to him he prayeth for it ver 11. Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother Thus his faith is strengthned though he doth not plead any worthinesse to receive mercy So also doe absolute promises strengthen faith and the prayer of faith 2 Sam. 7.13,14 c The Lord there promiseth David that he would build him an house and that he would not take his mercy from his Children this stirreth up and strengthneth the faith of David ver 28 29 c. This well ordered and sure Covenant of God was all his stay and all his salvation though his house was not so with God 2 Sam. 23.5 So when the Lord promiseth to heal the backslidings of his people Ho. 14.5 their hearts are strengthned to come unto the Lord and say O Lord thy words are true let it please thee to heal the backslidings of thy servants Thus by the promises of God the Faith and faithfull prayers of his servants are both strengthned together Now let me further say thus much let us rightly discern what use to make of the principall part of the Scriptures take heed you doe not close with promises before we have Jesus Christ in them especially take heed you make not use of a promise to a gratious qualification to give you your part in Christ neither be taken aside to make account that the Lord did give you himselfe gratiously in a conditionall promise for these are aberrations from the Covenant of grace consider therefore well what the promises be and what use the Lord would have us to make of them it is not for a woman to take her husbands inheritance before shee take his person you know that all the blessings and all the promises are as it were the Inheritance of the Lord Jesus given unto him and to no other but in his name and therefore there is not any soule under heaven that can challenge his Right in Christ at the first by any promise till Christ first be given either in that promise or in some former if you know that you are in Christ you may know that the promises are yours otherwise you shall not be able to know your right in Christ by your right in the promises and therefore doe not turne them upside downe beyond the scope and intendment of the promises of the Covenant of grace we may take occasion by them to admire the goodnesse and grace of God as David did Psal 31.19 Thus ought we to consider of them and whither to looke that we might enjoy them and the blessings in them If you shall say we have been converted and have had gratious changes wrought in us be not deceived such worke may reach no farther than conviction and you may come to turne your backs upon Jesus Christ Consider therefore did ever the Lord give himselfe to be one with you whensoever the Lord doth strike up the bond of Union it is in a free promise of his grace Trust
of the sixt Commandment and whosoever shall looke on a woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her already in his heart and broken the seventh Commandment Thus Christ hath as it were revived Moses but as the Law given by Christ is not a Covenant of works but a Commandment of well-doing and he having given it we take our selves bound to be subject unto it The Apostle also presseth the morall Law upon severall relations of men Eph. 6.1,2,3 c. It is an honour to Christ that his servants should be holy as he is holy it is for the glory of God and he requireth it the Apostle James presseth it Chap. 2.8 to the end of the Chapter If you fullfill the Royall Law according to the Scripture Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe ye doe well And againe Whosoever shall keepe the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Thus wee see the Apostles of Jesus Christ put it upon Christians to keepe the Law of God and Christ himselfe beareth witnes to the Law for God will never justifie sin to be no sin though he will justifie the person of a sinner Now as the Lord Jesus giveth the Law and as it were renueth it so he doth also give his Spirit unto his servants enabling them to keep it Jer. 31.33 and Ezek. 36.27 Now this Law would he not write in the hearts of his people nor give unto them his holy Spirit enabling them to keepe it were it not his will in Jesus Christ that the Law should be the Rule of holines and righteousnes unto his people hence it is that the children of God though they be not under the Covenant of the Law yet take themselves to be bound to the obedience of it for if Christ have given the Law as well as Moses and if he have ratified it by giving them his Spirit to teach and strengthen them to keepe it though not perfectly yet sincerely then they take themselves bound to obey the Law though they be under the Covenant of grace for doe we make voyd the Law through faith God forbid yea we establish the Law for what need have Christians of free justification by Christ if they were not bound unto the obedience of the Law by the Commandment of the Law therefore the free justification of men under a free Covenant of grace doth establish the obedience of the Law otherwise what need they run to Christ to save them from the Curse of the Law Why doe we still run to Christ for the continuance of our Justification but that we find our selves ungodly Creatures against the righteous and holy Law of God Therefore if God have given men the Law his Holy Spirit to strengthen them in the obedience of it and his grace to save them from the curse of it then Christians are to know that they are bound to keep the Law they lye under the authority of it and dare not pluck their necks from under that yoke Now there are divers effects springing from the subjection of Gods people to the Commandement of the Law 1 As they take themselves bound to the obedience of it so they believe and many times feele the fatherly displeasure of God when they transgresse it now the transgression of the Law could not bring them under the displeasure of God unlesse they were bound unto the Commandement of the Law This displeasure David was sensible of Psal 38.1,2,3 c. where he makes many complaints which doe all of them spring from the conscience of the disobedience of the Law which God hath framed in the hearts of his servants whereby they reflect upon their sin as the ground of all the distempers which lye upon their bodies or minds This is the first effect of the subjection of Gods people to his Law they lye under the faith and sense of the danger of the disobedience of it 2 They are under the faith and sense also of Gods gratious acceptance of their wayes when they are sutable to the blessed directions of his word not that they can raise there-from their justified estate but by the same Spirit of God whereby they are helped to obey the Commandements of God they doe see the Lords gratious approbation of them in their poore and weake endeavours for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous that is acknowledgeth and approveth it Psal 1.6 When the Lord by his Spirit boweth the hearts of his people unto obedience then he knoweth and accepteth their obedience Gen. 22.12 Thus the Lord beareth witness unto his Servants that he doth accept their works so that they sensibly know and believe that the Lord doth acknowledge their poorest and weakest endeavours unto which they are carried forth by his Spirit in the Obedience of his word this the Prophet David confirmeth Psal 18.20 to 26. where he speaketh of his righteous dealing with Saul and whereas his enemies laid it to his charge that he was an enemy unto Saul the Lord beareth him witnes that he had walked toward Saul with a good conscience now the Lord having led him an end to deale justly and righteously and purely with Saul having kept him from all the malice and outrage of Saul and maintained his cause against him and delivered him out of his hands whom the Lord had now rejected herein the Prophet seeth the Lord accepting him when in the name of his Son by the power of his Spirit he is helped to attend unto the Commandements of God This is commfortable unto a Christian spirit when the Lord beareth witnesse unto his soule that he hath an eye to all the Commandments of God And all this argueth that the servants of God being in a state of grace in Jesus Christ have looked at themselves as bound by the Commandements of the Law and as being under the Law to Christ who hath given the Law and power unto his servants sincerely to keep it both by writing in their hearts a Law of obedience and by putting his Holy Spirit within them for if the people of God were not sensible of their bounden duty to the observation of the Law of God they would neither have faith nor sence of Gods fatherly displeasure when they negligently breake these Lawes neither would they be sensible of Gods acceptance of their conformity thereunto But we know what the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Conscience c. And truly the Lord doth often beare witnesse unto the integrity of his Servants against the oppositions of men So he did to Abraham to David to Paul and to sundry of the Servants of God though they are not wont to build their safe estate thereupon Yet this kind of Gods acceptance of their wayes and obedience they doe discern c. yet in their best obedience which they doe perform they see the need they have to goe unto God for justifying grace because if they have failed in
Rom. 4.4,5,6 He looketh not for his blessednesse from his works though he should perform all the conditions to which the Promises are made yet he expecteth all his blessing from free Justification and union with the Lord Jesus Christ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin this is the blessednesse of Christians It is true the Lord doth blesse the workings of his servants and accept them Mat. 25.34,35,36 Thus Christ blesseth them but they are not sensible of their good deeds so as to expect blessings for their obedience sake and therefore they make answere and say Lord when saw we thee an hungry and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee drink c Neither do they fear the curse of God or that their sins should separate them from God those that are under the law indeed are cursed if they doe not continue in all things that are written in the Law to doe them But this Curse is removed from the Elect by Jesus Christ 3 This also is a third effect of the freedom from the Covenant of works that a Christian doth not look for conjugall comfort from his obedience nor fear conjugall divorce from his disobedience In a Covenant of works it is with a man as it was with Leah Jacobs wife who expected love and fellowship from her Husband because of her fruitfulnes Gen. 29.32,34 but thus doth not a man under a Covenant of grace for when he hath done all he can he is ready to say I am an unprofitable servant Luke 17.10 and doth not chalenge God for any of his dealing with him he seeth he deserveth not his daily bread and so looks for no reward from his good works though the Lord will gratiously acknowledge his servants in what they doe according to his will yet they are not wont to plead any such thing which is very observable in the practice of Jacob Gen. 32.9,10 c. where he doth not presse the performance of Gods Commandement to procure any blessing but acknowledgeth his unworthinesse and looketh for grace from the Promise of God Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother for thou saidst I will surely doe thee good Nor doth a Child of God fear divorce by his disobedience though it have been very great Sometimes the people of God have not onely rejected the servants of God but the Lord himselfe 1 Sam. 8.7 But when Samuel had pressed hard upon them for their sin Cha. 12. and they were truly humbled then Samuel said unto them ver 20 21 22. Fear not c. Therefore feare you not he will not cast you off So that mind you a poor Christian doth not fear divorce from his disobedience for if we should look for blessings from the one or cursings from the other we walk as not under Christ but under the Law But he that is freed from the Covenant of works is freed also from expecting salvation or fearing damnation for what he doth He knoweth the Lord will hide his face from him if he doe evill but he knoweth the Lord will not cast him off for ever yet he dares not commit sin but being under grace he is the more affected if he shall at any time displease God and procure chastisement to himselfe and by this means the Lord doth mortifie his distempers on the other side if he doe well he will not say now my Husband will cleave unto me and dwell with me No no we are freed from the Law Rom. 7.4 But we were not so if we look for conjugall love from God for our obedience to the law it is true if a man be marryed to the Law his obedience unto it will supply comfort unto him but if we be dead unto the Law we have no life in it nor by it but onely in Jesus Christ from whom we expect our comfort indeed we are troubled that we should sin against the grace of God otherwise we look not at our obedience or disobedience to make us accepted or rejected 4 And finally the soule doth not claim his right unto any Conditionall Promise by his performance of the condition nor doth he deny himse fe the blessing that the Promise may reach forth unto him though he be wanting in obedience to this or that Commandement Pregnant for this purpose is the example of Jacob which we mentioned before Gen. 32.9,10 who though he had a plain and a full Promise of God to doe him good if he would returne unto his Countrey and to his kindred yet when he did returne according to the word of God he claimed not his interest in that Promise for that he had done as God commanded him but I am lesse than the least of thy mercies and yet he cometh unto the Lord for the performance of his Promises but upon this ground onely for the sake of mercy and truth Deliver me I pray thee for thou saidst I will surely doe thee good vers 11 12. So that mind you though the soul can make use of a conditionall Promise and come to God for the blessing of it yet not expecting it in the least manner by vertue of his obedience and truly this is the freedome of a Christian soule whereas another man if he have kept the Commandment and performed the condition he then looketh for acceptance from God as if the Lord make this Promise that He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy This man confesseth his sin unto God and forsaketh it and therefore he looketh for mercy But this is not the manner of Gods people and yet if they look for any mercy it is in the way of God but not for their owne goodnes their hope is in the faithfulnesse and free-grace of God they may make mention to the praise of God how he hath guided them and carryed them an end in his owne wayes yet they chalenge nothing for any thing that they have done but put the Lord in mind of his free Promise that as of his free grace he hath freely promised so from the same grace he may make good what he hath promised Vse 1. If any therefore shall accuse the Doctrine of the Covenant of free grace of Antinomianisme and say it teacheth men freedome from the Law of Moses and if they commit any sin they plead they are not bound unto the Law we see how false such an aspersion would be for all the people of God know that the Lord is an avenger of every such wickednesse There is none under a Covenant of Grace that dare allow himselfe in any fin for if a man should negligently commit any sin the Lord will schoole him throughly and make him sadly to apprehend how unworthily he hath made bold to abuse imbeazle the treasures of the grace of God Shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound God forbid None that have a portion in the grace of God dare allow himselfe in sin but if through strength of temptation he be
at any time carried aside it is his greatest burthen 2 Sam. 12.8,9 compared with 13. Hath not the Lord sayth Nathan done these and these things for thee Wherefore then hast thou despised the Commandment of the Lord Then David confesseth I have sinned It pierced him to the heart to consider it that he should abuse his neighbours wife and kill her husband and above all that he should commit that wickednes against God that had dealt so gratiously with him So that the children of the Covenant of grace will onely tell you that they are free from the Covenant of the Law but not from the Commandment of it for as it is given by Jesus Christ and ratified in the Gospell and as Christ hath given us his Spirit enabling us to keep it wee are under it so farre as to take our selves bound by the Authority of it and if we doe trangresse against it we know it is sin in the sight of God therefore it is that the soule in such a case is sensible of the wrath and displeasure of God whether it be his own sin or the sin of his brethren therefore he runneth unto God for mercy which he would not doe if he did not know that his desert according to the Law did utterly cut him off from mercy else would he never pray for pardon of sin nor rejoyce when the Lord helpeth him to doe that which is right and just in his sight nor blesse the Lord for strengthning him unto obedience unlesse he thought it to be his duty and therefore Vse 2. It is of use also to Teach the servants of God how far we are freed from the Law to wit from the Covenant of it so that we neither looke for justification nor salvation from it and let it not be grievous to any soule that a Christian should say he doth not feare condemnation by his disobedience he will be apt to feare in this kinde untill he be assured of the favour of God but when he knoweth his portion in the Covenant then indeed he doth not feare condemnation by his sin nor doth he thinke that the Lord will cleave unto him because of his fruitfulnes he casteth not off his comfort nor looketh at himselfe as divorced from Christ because of his barrennes nor doth he looke for his daily bread from all his obedience but expecteth all goodnesse and blessing from the treasures of the free grace of God Vse 3. This may also serve to Teach men some discerning of their owne spirits and state if you looke for justification no longer than you are obedient and feare eternall condemnation then you are disobedient if you are afraid of divorce from Christ because of your sins or if you looke for any vertue or challenge right to any promise by vertue of any well-doing of your owne in such a case either you are under a Covenant of workes or you are gone aside to a Covenant of works and if ever the Lord open your eyes and bestow his free grace upon you you will know your redemption from such dependances as these be I know a Christian man that hath not been cleerely taught the distinct differences between these two Covenants may be misled into dangerous wayes that might tend unto the utter undoing of his soule but it is a sin of ignorance and the Lord will not leave his servants but cleare up his truth and grace unto them Vse 4. May serve to Teach the servants of God that desire to walke in a way of constant obedience how to build their faith and hope truly if they be grounded upon your own obedience or righteousnes of sanctification if they depend upon you you will find your hearts ever unsetled you may finde comfort as under the Law you shall for the Law will cast in comforts upon a man because of his obedience if he be marryed to the Law but if you shall believe that Christ is yours and comfort your selves because you have been by the power of the Law constrained to duties and restrained from sin and thereupon build your conjugall communion with Christ you will find your soules full of sadnes and feare ere long especially if you have true grace in your hearts and therefore it is the faithfullnes and tendernes of the grace of God unto his people that when Christians come into this Country though they have been marvellous eminent in our native Country yet here they cannot pray fervently nor heare the word with profit nor receive the Seales with Comfort they wonder what is become of their old prayers and hearings and Sacraments and of their lively spirits in holy duties truly the Lord hath disinabled them as it were from such things because they did build their union and fellowship with Christ upon them that so they might know the freedome of the grace of God that justifieth the ungodly then will the poore soule be glad to seeke after the Lord Jesus Christ and say as the people of God sometimes did Hos 2.7 I will goe and returne to my first husband for then it was better with me than now now the soule will plainly see discerne that he closed not with his true husband when as he built so much hope and comfort upon his duties therefore he will finde himselfe weake and dead as it were to all spirituall duties and can finde no life in them no comfort from them and it is the marvellous goodnes and free grace of God unto such a soule whom the Lord will not suffer to blesse himselfe in his works for if a man should lay the foundatiō of his comforts in them and be ready as it were to take it ill if he should not finde God accepting his works Wherefore have wee fasted and thou regardest it not Isa 58.3 If a man rejoyce in the sparks which he hath kindled this shall he have at the hands of God he shall lie downe in sorrow Isa 50.11 Whereas the light of God shall gratiously breake forth unto the servants of God that wait upon him though they be for present in darknes and see no light trust not therefore in any legall comforts but wait upon the free grace of God both to justifie sanctifie comfort and glorifie your soules This is the way of constant peace and if the Lord doe at any time checke his servants when they walke in by-wayes it is that he might build them upon a sure foundation so that their salvation will not lye upon their obedience nor damnation upon their disobedience This is the way of constant peace and s◅ety unto all the Israel of God Quest 7. This Doctrine may serve in the next place to Answer a seventh Question touching the necessitie of sanctification For it may be demanded If the Lord will give himselfe unto the soule in the Covenant of his grace not onely his Attributes but his Person all that is God is given by vertue of this Covenant If God hath himselfe not onely chosen us
that is the first and fundamentall of all the rest that God doth put forth or any other Person in Trinity for the applying of the Covenant unto the hearts of his people And God in giving his Sonne doth give himselfe Isai 9.6 Joh. 10.30 1 Joh. 2.23 Rom. 5.8 Joh. 3.16 And as God giveth us his Sonne so he giveth us all things else in his Sonne Rom. 8.32 So then this is the first and the great worke of God that he hath given his Son out of his own bosome to take our nature upon him to lead a miserable life and to dye a cursed death and in him hath given all his Attributes his mercy and power unto the sonnes of men an undoubted signe that God intendeth to give himselfe in the Covenant of grace unto his people when he giveth Jesus Christ himselfe in that Covenant as he doth expressely Isa 42.6 where wee may see that God giveth another even that God the Father giveth God the Sonne Thus it is a gift of the Covenant that God giveth his Sonne to be the foundation of the Covenant and the chiefe blessing of it And Chap. 49.8 He speaketh to the same purpose No man hath seene God at any time Joh. 1.18 nor can see him nor will God the Father have immediate fellowship with any creature but the onely begotten Sonne of the Father the Lord hath given him that he might reveale him Thus wee may perceive that the Lord is gratious and marvellous gratious in that he giveth us his Sonne his deare Sonne the second Person in Trinity and thus he saith to his Elect I will be a God unto thee and give thee my Sonne that shall redeeme thee out of all distresse and danger Thus doth the Lord for his people and it is a cleere evidence of his grace and sheweth that his love unto his people is beyond all banks and bottome for the Lord to give us his Sonne and this Sonne so soone as he was promised his people saw him a farre of Joh. 8.56 Your father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad For when the Lord Jesus Christ was promised unto him Gen. 17.16,17 and the Lord had said unto him I will blesse Sarah and give thee a sonne of her yea I will blesse her c. Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed he did rejoyce that the Lord would give him a Saviour out of his loynes how it could be brought to passe it may be he knew not but by a spirit of Prophecy did he discerne it no doubt This is the first worke of God in giving himselfe by Covenant and this was done long agoe before we were borne he gave him in his eternall counsell when he did elect us in him he gave him when he sent him into the world But this is more when 2. He giveth us unto his Christ by Covenant and draweth us unto him and giveth Christ unto us also And this grace of God cometh neerer us the other did leave us like lambs in a large pasture but now as He giveth us unto Christ so he giveth him unto us and both in present possession And this the Father doth Joh. 6.44 for no man saith Christ can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and every one that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Now this kinde of hearing and learning of the Father is a strange kinde of learning which the Lord Teacheth the soule by when he draweth him unto Christ an effectuall Teaching and powerfull 1 Cor. 1.9 This is your effectuall calling and this is the Lords giving us unto his Sonne John 6.37 All this is properly the worke of the Father Men are said to be well given when they give themselves to their bookes to their works and businesse but this we may well say that we are indeed well given when the Lord giveth us unto his Sonne for otherwise we are but in all ill state which way soever we are given Quest If you shall aske How the Father giveth us and calleth us and draweth us into fellowship with his Sonne for they are Scripture-phrases and all of them of like value in Scripture-sense Answ In a word The Lord draweth us unto his Sonne by his Spirit and calleth us as by his word so by his Spirit also and giveth us by his word and Spirit unto Jesus Christ In this thing I shall speake no more unto you than what you have often heard and I suppose long agoe received As that the Lord calleth his people out of their sinnes by the light of the Law and by the Spirit of bondage he setteth home the Law effectually unto the soule and thereby draweth us from sin and from the world in some measure that we have now no minde to those things which before we were full of delight in whether they be sinnes against the Law or sinnes against the Gospell it is the Lords usuall dealing by his Spirit to set home sinnes against both in so much that thereby we come to be afflicted with some kinde of trembling and feare and torment about our spirituall estate And thus it was with Saul who afterwards was Paul Acts 9.3,4,5,6 when Christ called unto him out of heaven and challenged and convinced him of sinne he all trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to doe So it was with the Jaylor Acts 16.29 After the Lord had shaken his heart with an earth-quake which is a sanction of the Law and a ratification of it as all Gods judgements are he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling to Paul and Silas Thus the Lord draweth men out of themselves and their finfull wayes by a spirit of bondage whereby they are convinced of sinne and desert of Gods wrath are greatly and deeply afflicted with feare concerning which the Apostle Paul saith 2 Tim. 1.7 God hath not given us the Spirit of feare or bondage but of power of love and of a sound mind c. Such feare also the Apostle John speaketh of 1 Joh. 4.18 when he saith Perfect love casteth out feare for feare hath torment which commeth from the sense of a mans estate whereby he is forced to cry out many times and to say woe worth my soule that ever I was borne for the Lord causeth the to possesse all my sinnes and presseth me downe to the nethermost hell This is one worke of the Spirit of bondage by which the Lord draweth the soule out of it selfe and sinnes though of it selfe the spirit of feare goeth no further than to shake a mans carnall confidence which is accompanyed with Anguish and Torment 1 Joh. 4.18 Rev. 9.3 11.10 Besides this Spirit of Bondage the Lord hath another work which is called a Spirit of Burning Mal 4.1 The day cometh c. This is a Spirit of burning let us speak unto it a little the Prophet saith I shall leave them neither root nor branch
Quest Whether the Civil Magistrate in matters of Religion or of the first Table hath power civilly to command or forbid things respecting the outward man which are clearly commanded and forbidden in the word and to inflict sutable punishments according to the nature of the transgressions against the same and all this with reference to godly peace Answ The want of a right stating of this Question touching the Civil Magistrates power in matters of Religion hath occasioned a world of Errours tending to infringe the just power of the Magistrate we shall therefore explaine the termes of the Question and then confirme it in the Affirmative By Commanding Forbidding and Punishing we meant the coercive power of the Magistrate which is seen in such acts By Matters of Religion commanded or forbidden in the word respecting the outward man we understand indefinitely whether those of Doctrine or Discipline of faith or practice his power is not limited to such matters of Religion onely which are against the light of Nature or against the Law of Nations or against the fundamentalls of Religion all these are matters of Religion which may be expressed by the outward man but not onely these therefore we say not barely thus In matters of the first Table but joyn therewith In matters of Religion that all ambiguity may be avoided and that it may be understood as well of matters which are purely Evangelicall so far as expressed by the outward man at well as of other things And we say Commanded or forbidden in the word meaning of the whole word both of the Old and New Testament exception being onely made of such things which were meerly Ceremoniall or otherwise peculiar to the Jewish polity and cleered to be abolished in the New Testament By which limitation of the Magistrates power to things commanded or forbidden in the word we exclude any power of the Magistrate either in commanding any new thing whether in doctrine or discipline or any thing in matters of Religion which is beside or against the word or in forbidding any thing which is according to the word 1 Hence he is not to mould up and impose what Erastian forme of Church polity he pleaseth because if there be but one form commanded now of God he cannot therefore command what forme he will 2 Hence he is not to force all persons into the Church or to the participation of the seals because he is not thus commanded 3 Hence he is not to limit to things indifferent which are neither commanded nor forbidden in the word without apparent expediency or inexpediency of attending the same By that expression cleerly commanded or forbidden in the word we understand that which is cleer either by express words or necessary Consequence from the Scripture and we say cleerly commanded or forbidden in the word Not simply that which the Magistrate or others think to be cleerly commanded or forbidden for they may thinke things commanded to be forbidden and things forbidden to be commanded but that which is in it selfe in such sort cleer in the word de jure the Civil Magistrate in these days since Christs ascension may and ought to command and forbid such things so cleared in the word albeit de facto oft-times he doe not Sutably inflicting punishments according to the nature of the transgressions This clause needeth not much explication being so plaine of it selfe some things commanded and forbidden in the Law of God are of a smaller nature in respect of the Law of man and in this respect 't is true which is often said that De minimis non curat lex i. e. Mans Law looks not after small matters but other things commanded or forbidden in Gods Law are momentous and of a higher nature and though small in themselves yet weighty in the consequence or circumstance And in this case if he inflict a slight paper punishment when the offence is of an high nature or contrariwise when he inflicts that which is equivalent to a capitall punishment when the offence is of an inferiour nature he doth not punish sutably There are sundry rules in the word in matters of this sort as touching the punishment of Blasphemy Idolatry Heresie prophanation of the Lords day and sundry other like matters of Religion according to which Magistrates of old have held and others now may observe proportions in making other particular Laws in matters of Religion with sanctions of punishments and inflicting the same they inflict sutable punishments Onely let it be here remembred that though we grant the Civill Magistrate his power thus to command forbid and punish in matters of Religion cleerly reâ—ealed in the word yeâ— it is one thing what he may and must doe and another thing when and how he must exercise his power to all persons under his Jurisdiction for some such persons may not be at all acquainted with the true God or have any knowledge of Christ or of the word but as yet are Pagans Now touching such the Magistrate should take care that the best means be seasonably and wisely used with them according to their capacities to bring them first to the knowledge of the true God and of his word and to convince them of the falshood vanity of their gods whom they worship c. and afterwards as there is cause to put forth acts of his coercive power towards them as Scripture-rules and examples will allow others though they are Christians yet such as are not clearly instructed or inlightned in matters clearly set down in the Word in this case the civill Magistrate is to informe and convince and not to proceed suddenly till all just means are used to leave him convinced of which it is more meet for the Magistrate than for the offending person to judge who it may be will never say he is convinced We live in times wherein many men are perversly carried and will regard no reason but goe full against the light of it and of common sense too sometimes rather than confesse the truth when convinced of it such an obstinate foole is not to be answered according to his folly by any further reasonings Pro. 26.4 A whip is fitter sayth Solomon for such a backe By this which hath been already spoken touching the acts and rule of the Magistrates coercive power in matters of Religion the impertinency and invalidity of many objections against this his power will appear as 1. That thereby the civill Magistrate is made the Churches King and Law-giver which would be true if he might command or forbid any thing which was not first commanded or forbidden of the Lord who is the Churches Law-giver which we say he may not 2. That thereby he is made to have dominion over mens faith when he doth no more by our position but presse them to that faith which he that hath indeed dominion over the same hath prescribed 3. That thereby tyranny is exercised over mens tender consciences and true liberty of conscience is
against the light of nature as Law of Nations or deny things obstinately which are fundamentall albeit not against the light of nature or Law of Nations as for example that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and onely Mediatour that the Scriptures are the word of God c. should yet not be restrained yea that were to suppose some under the shining of the Gospel left of the Lord in a lawlesse condition in respect of any Authority to restrain them in matters of Religion the Civil power may not meddle with them and Ecclesiasticall cannot as not being actually of the Church 2 The Church hath sufficient power to reach her ends in curbing and curing offences of the second Table yet none will thence conclude that therefore no need to the Church therein of the Coercive power of the Magistrate 3 The Church aimeth at restraint from infection of others as well as amending the parties themselves now supposing the Church casting out a person for obstinate holding of Hereticall Tenents yet the Church cannot now restraine him any further in any Ecclesiastical way but that he may now doe more mischiefe in spreading his Tenent then ever unlesse the Magistrate also exercise his Coercive power 4 The Church may in case by clamorous noise made in the Assembly or otherwise by faction be hindred from the exercise of its power to cencure and so although it have power enough to act yet it will need the Magistrates help to exercise that power unlesse we durst plead as some it seems doe that in this case the Elders may act by corporall force to redresse it as Phineas the Priest did in killing Zimri and Cozbi disturbing the Congregation on then humbling themselves before God but we say that was extraordinary as was the act of Samuel in cutting Agag in pieces of Elijah in putting Baals Priests to death and Peters act against the life of Ananias and Saphira nor would we plead the Priests example 2 Chron. 26. in thrusting out Vzziah out of the Temple or such like Arguments supposing that the Priests of old and the Levites might by a dispensation peculiar to those times be allowed more liberty of acting in matters of a Civil nature both in the great Synedrian and other where then any of us dare say is imitable by or allowable to Churches or Church Officers now Object Thirdly and lastly the tares are commanded to be let alone Mat. 13.29,30 Therefore what Authority hath the Magistrate to restraine or punish men now under the Gospel but rather to leave Christians to the liberty of their owne Consciences Answ This is a Parable and therefore to be taken in the scope and substance and not according to the circumstances thereof as Peter Martyr noteth in this case Now the scope of part of the Parable is not to be a direction unto us what we shall doe in point of exercise of any power with us but conteins simply a doctrine of providence what God will order to be the condition of his visible Church in this world and therefore to shew that Christ intended not any rule of precept of our duty in this sentence of the Parable vers 29 30. Nay let both grow together he doth not in his after exposition of the severall branches of the Parable insist at all on the branch mentioned to give any explication thereof and if it were any direction it must either look to Civil or Church power if to Civil power then since the tares are expresly interpreted to be the Children of the Devil and such as offend and doe iniquity and are as reprobates to be burned or damned vers 38. Then the worst wretches that live Murderers Buggerers Traytours c. must be all let alone in their sins and onely left to Christs Judgement at the last day And our opposites have least reason to stretch this Parable as respecting any restraint of the use of the Civil power when the very scope of it is not to tell us touching the state of the Civil Kingdome in this world but rather of the state of the Kingdome of God or the Ecclesiasticall part of the world the visible Church and if it look at any restraint of the use of power it striketh rather at the use of Church power but if it look at Church power then the Churches are not to censure Hereticks no not though obstinate contrary to Titus 3. No incestuous adulterous covetous Church-members contrary to 1 Cor. 5. And that the Parable never intended any abridgement of either powers in the just exercise thereof is evident in that it speaketh 1 Of such an extirpation of Offendours as is onely possible to Angels armed with Christs power and 2 Of an universal extirpation of all and every reprobate from among the company of the Elect neither of which hinders but that 1 To such particular offendours as may be rooted up by Civil and Church power without danger and hurt to godly ones as are obstinate seducers Hereticks and they may and ought so to be 2 Such particular Offendours which by their continuance amongst Gods people doe over-run and over-top them in such sort as they are hurt and endangered by them and they cannot grow and thrive spiritually by reason of them they may ought to be rooted out by both powers for if there be any force in the Parable in this way it is to shew that the tares are to be suffered in reference not to the hurt but to the good of the wheat so that which tends to the corrupting blasting and destruction of the wheat is therefore to be removed because hurtfull and pernicious to the wheat so that our opposites would gain nothing to their cause by pressing this Parable as directory that way to us but wee rather upon the reasons before going conceive it to be set down not as a direction or any Command of Christ enjoyning us thus or thus to doe but as a doctrinall instruction that God may and will in his providence suffer for a time mixtures of good and bad together elect and reprobate in his visible Church nor are we to fret or be discontented at his providence in it or to think that by any course wee can take it will be otherwise whilst and where ever we are in this world like to that speech of Paul 1 Cor. 5 10. Now in the close of all let it be considered whose doctrine doth most infringe true liberty of conscience those which would have every Christian left to the liberty of his owne conscience in matters of Religion which at least are not against the light of nature Law of Nations or those that maintaine the fore-named power of the Magistrate for suppose the Magistrate be a Christian he must be left to the liberty of his Conscience too as well as others Now if left to the Lesbian warping rule what if he in his own Conscience through temptation and errour be in most things a Papist which may stand with the Law
offended be a society or some publick person equivalent 2 In case the party in such acts of judgement be freed from error which was the present condition of the Apostles guided in their administrations by an infallible spirit Object 5. This Synod Acts 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuag 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vid. Schindl Lexi so speaketh as having power to lay the truth of God cleared and declared by it as a burthen upon the Churches v. 28. which our ordinary Synods seem not to have power to doe Resp The notion or tearm burthen may be taken politically i. e. for a truth imposed by virtue of Church power and Authority this though the Apostles as Apostles might doe yet if they did so in this place which we rather conceive not it was extraordinary and Consequently not Exemplary Or the word Burthen may be taken for the charging of the Church to receive and yield Obedience in the Lord unto the truth discussed cleared and orderly commanded to them In which sense if we take it here according as it 's taken in divers places elswhere Pro. 30.1 21.1 Rev. 2.24 then the stile or manner of speaking is exemplary OF THE POWER OF Synods The Third Question Quest 3. WHat is the Power of a Synod Resp The Power of a Synod Is Decisive Directive Declarative of the truth by clearing and evidencing the same out of the word of God non coactive yet more than discretive For the better understanding hereof consider that Ecclesiasticall Power is 1 Decisive in determining by way of discussion and disputation what is truth and so consequently resolving the Question in weighty matters of Religion Acts 15.16,28 16.4 This belongs to the Synod 2 Discretive in discerning of the truth or falshood that is determined this belongs to every Believer 3 Coactive or judicial for we omit to speak in this place of Official judgement in judging of the truth determined Authoritatively so as to impose it with Authority and to censure the disobedient with Ecclesiastical censure 1 Cor. 5.12 Mat. 18.17 This belongeth to every particular Church The judgement of a Synod is in some respect superiour in some respect inferiour to the judgement of a particular Church it is superiour in respect of direction inferiour in respect of jurisdiction which it hath none Quere How and how far doth the sentence of a Synod bind Answ We must distinguish between the Synods declaration of the truth and the politicall imposition of the truth declared by the Synod The Synods declaration of the truth binds not politically but formally onely i. e. in foro interiori i. e. it binds the conscience and that by way of the highest institution that is meerly doctrinall The politicall Imposition of the truth declared by the Synod is Ecclesiasticall or Civil Ecclesiasticall by particular Churches and this binds not onely formally but politically in foro exteriori i. e. it binds the outward man so as the disobedient in matters of offence is subject unto Church censure affirmatively towards their own Members negatively by non communion as concerning others whether Church or Members Supremi Magistratu◠approbatio est supremū ut soquuntar arrestum Fr. Hom. disp 18. Th. 4. disp 17. Thes 3. Civil by the Magistrate strengthening the truth thus declared by the Synod and approved by the Churches either by his meer Authoritative suffrage assent and testimony if the matter need no more or by his authoritative Sanction of it by Civill punishment the nature of the offence so requiring In this orderly proceeding of the Churches and Civil Magistrate together in their respective politicall imposition of the truth cleared and declared by the Synod we are to be understood to speak of such a place wherein the Christian Magistrates walk together orderly referving Ecclesiasticall binding power to the particular Churches where either there is no Magistrate or the Magistrate is wanting in his duty as also civil power to the Christian Magistrate where the Churches are wanting to their duty The Fourth Question Quest 4. To whom belongeth the power of calling a Synod Answ For satisfaction to this Question we shall propound one distinction and answer three Queries Distin The power of calling Synods is either Single Authoritative belonging to the Magistrates Ministeriall belonging to the particular Churches Mixt When both proceed orderly and joyntly in the use of their severall powers Arguments proving the Authoritative Power of Calling SYNODS to belong to the Magistrate 1 Because the Magistrate is Custos utriusque Tabulae i. e. Charged with the custody of both Tables That he is keeper of the second Table is granted that he is keeper of the former is sufficiently proved in the first Question 2 From the recorded and approved examples of godly Kings in the Scriptures David 1 Chron. 23.2 Hezekiah 2 Chron. 29.4 Josiah 2 Kin. 23.1,2 3 From the nature of such great Assemblies Though Synodicall Assembling be spirituall yet meer assembling of a multitude together which a Synodicall Assembly presupposeth is a Civil act and therefore cannot in good policy be suffered without the consent of the Magistrate 4 From the necessary though not essentiall requisites to the being of a Synod as place time manner of meeting peace all which need the consent of the Magistrate in case of violent disturbance the Churches as such having no civill power to defend them cannot but want the assistance of the Magistrate that they may meet and transact the matters of the Synod in safety and quietnesse 5 From the proportion that the Magistrates Con-coactive or calling power of a Synod holds with his confirmation of the conclusions of the Synod the same reason that warrants his confirming power for the better strengthening the observation of the conclusions of the Synod warrants his calling power for the better being of the Synod Arguments proving the Ministeriall Power of Calling Synods which may be fitly called a power of liberty because Churches therein have no Authority one over another to belong unto the particular Churches 1 From that famous example Acts 15. where the Synod meets and site without the call of Civil Authority there being then no Christian Magistrate 2 Because the power of the constitution of Synods as properly such firstly resideth with ariseth from and lastly returneth to particular Churches 3 Because the power of the Magistrate tends not to the being but to the better being of Synods and added thereunto is accumulative not privative i. e. it adds strength to it but takes not any power from it Hence a Synod may in ease be without any consent of the Magistrate but cannot be without some consent explicite or implicite of the Churches 4 Because the Lord Jesus hath invested the Churches with sufficient Ecclesiasticall power in the best Ecclesiasticall manner to attaine their Ecclesiasticall end which yet were not if they had not power of themselves by joynt consent to call a Synod Queries Querie 1 In what case may the Magistrate proceed to call a Synod without the consent of the Churches Answ The Magistrate in case the Churches be defective and not to be prevailed with for the performance of their duty just cause so requiring may call a Synod and the Churches ought to yield obedience thereunto But notwithstanding the refusall he may proceed to call an Assembly and that for the same end that a Synod meetes for namely to consider of and clear the truth from the Scriptures in weighty matters of Religion But such an Assembly called and gathered without the consent of the Churches is not properly that which is usually understood by a Synod for though it be in the power of the Magistrate to Call yet it is not in his power to Constitute a Synod without at least the implicite consent of the Churches Because Church-Messengers who necessarily presuppose an explicite which order calls for or implicite consent of the Churches are essentiall to a Synod Querie 2 In what case may the Churches call a Synod without the consent of the Magistrate Answ In case the Magistrate be defective and not to be prevailed with for the performance of his duty just cause providence and prudence concurring The Churches may both Call and Constitute a Synod The Reason why the Churches can Constitute a Synod without the consent of the Magistrate although the Magistrate cannot constitute a Synod without the consent of the Churches is because the essentialls of a Synod together with such other cause as is required to the being though not so much to the better being of a Synod ariseth out of particular Churches as appears from the following Enumeration of the Causes thereof The Essentiall Cause Remote The Authoritative Call of the Magistrate Next The Ministeriall Call of the Churches The Materiall Cause The Members of the Synod i. e. qualified Church-Messengers The Formall Cause The meeting together of such Church-Messengers in the name of Christ The Finall Cause To confider of and clear the truth in question from the word of God Querie 3 In case the Magistrate and Churches are both willing to proceed orderly in the joynt exercise of their severall Powers whether it is lawfull for either of them to call a Synod without the Consent of the other Answ No they are to proceed now by way of a mixt Call i. e. orderly and joyntly in the use of their severall Powers That which learned Parker speakes of the Power of particular Churches concerning Calling of SYNODS holds also in this case concerning the Power of the Magistrate Their Powers are divers yet in respect of exercise they ought not to be divers nor divided the one from the other as before The Churches desire the Magistrate Commands Churches act in a way of liberty the Magistrate in a way of Authority Moses and Aaron should goe together and kiss one another in the Mount of GOD. FINIS Courteous Reader BY reason of the Death of the Reverend Author and the far distance of his loving Friend the Publisher of this Booke some faults may have escaped the Presse for the which the Printer desireth excuse Vale.
to ingraffe us into Jesus Christ this is quite contrary to nature Why wherein is it so contrary I answer whereas nature is active for it selfe now it cometh to passe that whereas a soul hath been stirring and busie in his owne strength at length the Spirit of God by the mighty power of his grace being shed abroad into the soule doth burn up root and branch not onely the root of Abraham's Covenant but all the fatnesse of the root of the Wild Olive by which we are fat and lively to all spirituall work in our owne apprehensions so that we work in our owne strength untill the Lord come and cut us quite down and make us to see that there is not the least good thought as of our selves and therefore unlesse the Lord be wonderfully gratious unto us we cannot be saved till it come unto this the soule is not fit for Jesus Christ Thus the Spirit of God may worke powerfully in the hearts of men and burn up their root and branch and this a spirit of burning may doe and yet leave the soule in a damnable condition for ought I know and such as many a soule may be in and yet never come to enjoy saving fellowship with Jesus Christ therefore as this is one arm of God stretched forth for the salvation of his people when he draweth them out of themselves by a Spirit Of Bondage Burning towards Christ So 2 There is a further work of God in drawing us home throughly and effectually to Jesus Christ when he giveth the Spirit of Adoption which reacheth beyond all the former work he hath cut us off from our selves and now we stand in a state quite contrary to nature and if any saving work be wrought in us it is quite contrary to nature if any thing fall upon the heart and soule of a man to bring his will to this passe to lye downe at Gods feet that he knoweth not what to doe and yet whatsoever the Lord calleth him unto he is willing if it were possible to be done he would run through fire and water to doe it but he findeth himselfe unable to doe any thing and now he will tell you that to believe is as impossible for him as to build a world why then bid him wait waite saith he I but I cannot waite and if I seek the Lord I cannot find him and I see others of Gods servants wrought upon gratiously but dead-hearted I nothing will work upon me now in such a case as this the Spirit of God cometh into the heart of a Christian and taketh possession of the soule for Jesus Christ and so draweth the soule to Christ and maketh it there to stay and there to lye down and to be willing to be drawne yet neerer and neerer unto Christ and to be carried an end by him to take all from him to give all the glory to him This Spirit of Adoption doth give a man a Son-like frame to lye prostrate at his Fathers will like unto the Prodigall Son Luke 15.17,18,19 who when he came to himselfe and saw how unable he was to provide for himselfe and how unworthy he was that his Father should doe any thing for him he came and lay downe at the feet of his Father for he is unable and unworthy of any mercy Now this stooping of the heart unto God and yielding unto him to doe with us as seemeth good in his own eyes is such a prostration of the heart wherein the Lord hath taken possession of the soule that now a man is led unto fellowship with Christ that there is None in Heaven but him none in the earth in comparison of him that the soule desireth after and now a man waiteth upon Christ to see what he will doe for him and though he cannot tell you that he waiteth yet he doth waite that he may be helped of God to depend upon him Thus he receiveth all from Christ and giveth all unto him This is the Fathers drawing of the soule which is expounded to be the hearing and learning of the Father of which John speaketh ch 6.45 He that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me which is when the Lord hath drawne the soule out of his naturall corruptions legall reformations pretences of Faith and waiting upon Christ in his owne strength for Faith if it be wanting Then when the soul doth lie at his feet to be disposed of according to the will of God and is in some measure subject unto the Lord though not so much as he could desire and therefore now the soule doth not content or blesse himselfe in any gifts or works of his own but yieldeth himselfe humbly to the Lord to work in him both will and deed of his owne good pleasure and to teach him how to seek and waite and believe and long after Jesus Christ these things he waiteth for Otherwise untill he be thus taught of God the soule will alwayes think that he can doe something and is not able to come out of himself to utter denyall of himselfe but if any man will come unto Christ he must deny himselfe even all his owne gifts and parts and good works whatsoever for a man is never utterly denyed untill there be nothing left of which a man can say This I am able to doe or this is an hopefull thing in me and when it cometh to this passe then will the soule lie down at the will of God and acknowledge that if the Lord would never shew him mercy just and righteous are his judgements Now when the soule and will of a Christian are convinced of these things as well as his judgement that now he waiteth upon Christ as well that he may be able to waite and seek the Lord as he doth for any other good thing from the Lord he waiteth now upon the Lord for a poor spirit and cannot perke up himselfe no more then a bruised Reed can doe Thus when it cometh unto saving work the will and soule of a man is so cast downe that a man cannot tell what to make of himselfe but there he lieth to see what the Lord will doe with him whether he will reach forth the hand of salvation unto him or no. In this case the soule is left utterly void and hath in himself neither root nor branch but seeth how unable he is in himselfe to beleeve or waite nor can he tell whether Jesus Christ be his portion and now doth the Lord take possession and fill the empty soule If you ask me how this spirit cometh into the soule to make it thus to stoop unto Christ You shall find that the Lord useth to convey himselfe unto the soule in some word of Promise of the Gospel that sheweth unto the soule the riches of the grace of God in Jesus Christ something or other is declared of Christ This word being taught in the publick Ministry of the word or brought to remembrance in some spirituall