a Sermon free love that the man spake such an excellent word free love that I was not sleeping when it was spoken free love that the Holy Ghost drove that word into the soule as a nayle fastened by the Master of the assembly it was free mercy so that there 's a meeting of shining favours of God in obtaining mercy and this would be observed Asser. 2. There be two ordinary wayes of God in drawing sinners one Morall by words another Physicall and reall by strong hand Which may be cleared thus Fancie led with some gilding of apparent or seeming good as hope of food doth allure and draw the bird to the grin and sometime pleasure as a glasse and the singing of the Fowler So is fish drawne to nibble at the angle and lines cast out hoping to get food Now this is like Morall drawing in men and all this is but objective working on the fancy But when the foot and wing of the bird is entangled with the net and the fish hath swallowed down the bait and an instrument of death under it now the Fowler draweth the bird and the Fisher the fish a farre other way even by reall violence The Physician makes the sick child thirsty then allures him to drink physick under the notion of drink to quench his thirst this is morall drawing of the child by wiles But when the child hath drunk the drink works not by wiles or morally but naturally without freedome and whether the child will or no it purgeth head and stomack That there is a Morall working by the word in the drawing of sinners to Christ though most evident yet must be proved against Antinomians and Enthusiasts who write That the whole letter of the Scripture holds forth a covenant of works And The due search and knowledge of the holy Scripture is not a safe and sure way of searching and finding Christ. And There is a testimony of the Spirit and voyce unto the soule meerly immediate without any respect unto or concurrence with the word And Such a faith as is wrought by a practicall Syllogisme or the word of God is but an humane faith because the conclusion followeth but from the strength of reasonings or reason not from the power of God by which alone divine things are wrought Ephes. 1.19 20. Col. 2.20 and that because such a faith wrought by the word the works of sanctification in the regenerate and light of a renewed conscience are all done by things that are created blessings and gifts and these cannot produce that which is onely produced by an Almighty power For the word of it selfe without the Spirit yet the word is more then works of sanctification is but a dead letter but that God works faith by the word his owne Spirit concurring is cleare 1. The Prophets alledge this for their warrant Thus saith the Lord. Ergo You must beleeve it And one more and greater then all the Prophets But I say so Christ God equall with the Father speaketh 2. Rom. 10.17 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God Verse 14. How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard It s true the word the works of God are not the principall object of faith nor objectum quod faith rests onely on God and the Lord Jesus Joh. 14.1 1 Thes. 1.8 Your faith toward God 1 Pet. 1.21 Deut. 1.32 Joh. 3.12 Gen. 15.6 Dan. 6.23 Rom. 4.3 Gal. 2.16 2 Tim. 1.12 The word promises and Prophets and Apostles are all creatures and but media fidei the meanes of saving faith they are objectum quo Joh. 5.46 Psal. 106.12 Exod. 4.8 Psal. 78.7 of themselves they are dead letters and dead things and cannot without the Spirit produce faith Yea all habits of grace of faith of love in us are like the streames of a fountaine that would dry up of themselves if the spring did not with a sort of eternity furnish them new supply so would habits of grace being but created things wither in us if they were not supplied from the Fountaine Christ. And all beings created in comparison of the first Being are nothing and all nations to him are lesse then nothing and vanity Isai. 40.17 and so are the infused habits of grace nothing If this were the meaning of Familists and Antinomians who say that there is in us no inherent grace but that grace is onely in Christ we should not contend with them Wee teach no such thing as that Reasonings Syllogismes or the Scriptures without the Spirit can produce Faith yet is it vaine arguing to say raine and dew the Summer-Sunne good soyle cannot bring forth roses floures vines cornes because sure it is a worke of Omnipotencie that produceth all these and so its vaine to say that because Faith is the worke of the omnipotencie of Grace therefore Faith commeth not by hearing and reasoning from Scripture the contrary whereof is evident in Christs proving of the resurrection by consequence from Scripture Mat. 22.31 32. Luk. 20.37 â—8 Nor can any say Christ may make discourses from Scripture and his reasonings because he is the King of the Church are valid and may produce faith but we cannot doe the like nor are our reasonings Scriptures for Christ râ—buketh the Saduces Yee erre not knowing the Scriptures c. because they beleeved not the consequences of Scripture as Scripture and made not the like discourse for the building of themselves in the faith 3. The searching of the Scriptures is life eternall the onely way to find Christ. Joh. 5.39 Acts 10.43 Rom. 3.21 Esai 8.20 4. Gen. 9.27 God shall perswade Japhet by the Scriptures preached and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem Acts 16.14 Gods opening of the heart and Lydia's hearing and attending to the word that Paul spoke goe together 5. The way of Enthusiasts in rejecting both Law and Gospel and all the written word of God is because there is no light in them Some immediate sense of God and working of the holy Ghost on the soule of the child of God witnessing to me in particular that I am the child of God I deny not and that my name expressely is not in Scripture is as true but this testimony excludeth not the Scripture as if the searching thereof were no safe way of finding Christ as they blasphemously say 1. Because this Enthusiasme excludeth the onely revealed rule by which we trie the Spirits and we are forbidden to presume above that which is written 1 Cor. 4.16 and Enthusiasts have acted murthers and much wickednesse under this notion of inspirations of the Spirit 2. Because if the matter of that which is revealed be not according to the written Word Now after the Scriptrue is signed by Christs owne hand Revel 22.18 I see not what we are to beleeve of these inspirations What extraordinary impulsions and propheticall instincts have been in holy men and such as God hath raised to reforme his
close the doore in the lowest roome so I see the throne and him that sits on it it is enough to me 2. Arg. All the tie of the covenant lyeth on God not any on man as bond or obligation for the fulfilling of the covenant or partaking of the benefits thereof Heb. 8.10 Ezech. 36.25.26 Jer. 1. the Lord promiseth to doe all and the new heart is but a consequent of the covenant where is thee in all this covenant one Word that God sayes to man Thou must do this If God had put man on these conditions then they were conditions indeed But when God takes all upon himself where are then the conditions on Mans part Give me leave suppose there should be a fault of performing in this covenant whose were the fault must not the fault or failing be in him who is tyed and bound to every thing in the covenant and saith he will do it If there bee a condition and there should be a failing in the condition he that undertaketh all things in the covenant must needs be in the fault God saith not make your selves cleane get you the Law of God in your mind get you power to walk in my Statutes and when you doe this then I will be your God and enter in Covenant with you Answ. 1. We never teach that the making to our selves a new heart is an antecedent condition required before the Lord can make the New-Covenant with us as this mâ—n would charge Protestant Divines but that it is a condition required in the party covenanting which is conditio federatorum nonfederis and such a condition without which its unpossible they can fulfill the other condition which is to believe and so lay hold on the Covenant but it is clear Antinomians think the new heart no inherent grace in us but that Christ is grace working immediately in us as in stones and the new heart is justification without us in Christ only let Crispe shew where the making of a new heart is commanded to us as a consequent and an effect of the Covenant surely the new heart the washing of us with cleane water be it an antecedent or be it a consequent of the Covenant of Grace it is a promise that God doth freely and of meere grace undertake to perform in us Ezech. 36.26 A new heart will I give you so Ier. 32.39 40. Ier. 31.33 Eâ—ech 11.19.20 Esa. 54.13 Ioh. 6.45 Ezech. 36.32 Not for your sakes doe I this saith the Lord God be it known unto you be ashamed and confounded for your own wayes O house of Israel ver 22. I doe not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy names sake which yee have prophaned amongst the heathen whether ye went and Crispe saith the Covenant in the old Testament had annexed to it divers conditions of legall washing and sacrifices whereas the New Covenant under the New Testament is every way of free grace He is farre wide conditions wrought in us by grace such as we assert take not one jot or title of the freedome of Grace away and though there be major gratia a larger measure of grace under the New Testament yet there is not magis gratia there is no more of the essence of free-grace in the one then in the other for all was free grace to them as to us why did the Lord enter in Covenant wâ—th the Iewes more then with other Nations Deut. 7.7 The Lord loved you because he loved you Was Ierusalem Ezech. 16. holier then the Ephesians Eph. 2. No their nativity was of the land of Canaan their Father an Amorite their Mother an Hittiâ—e Ezech. 16.5 Thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast borne ver 6. And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said to thee in thy blood live And to cause grace have a deeper impression and sinking down into the hearts bottome he repeateth it againe I said unto thee in thy blood live And will Crispe say that this iâ— not a history of free grace as farre from bribe or hire of meritâ— as in the world or will he say it was Gods meaning First wash you with holy water and sacrifice to me and performe all these legall conditions to me while you are Amorites and Hittites by kinde and that being done He enter in Covenant with you when yee have done your work He pay your wages and be your God 2. This Argument militateth strongly against every Gospel duty and the whole course of Sanctification God must so be the cause only cause of all our sinfull omissions sins under the Covenant of grace in that he promiseth to work in us to will and to do to give us grace to abstain froÌ„ sin but does not stand to his word as Antinomians teach which is an Argument unanswerable to me that its the minde of Antinomians that no justified person can sinne but that they omit good or commit ill God is in the fault not they and that the justified are meer blocks in all the course of their sanctification in all the sins they doe they are patients God should more carefully see to his own honour and not suffer them to sinne so they and the old Libertines goe on together For say that the new heart that to will and to doe to persevere stedfastly in the Grace of God were no conditions of the Covenant sure believing in the Lord Iesus is clearly a condition of the righteousnesse of faith as doing is of the righteousnesse which is of the Law Rom. 10.3 4 5 6 7 8. Gal. 4.22 23 24 25 26 27 28 say that to repent pray love God and serve him were not from God through the tye of the New-Covenant yet Gods promise his single word when he saith he will doe such and such things is as strong a tye as his Covenant and oath when he knoweth its unpossible these things that he saith he will doe can be done except he of his meer grace work them in us Now the Lord clearely promiseth that he will give repentance Act. 5.31 Sorrow for sinne the Spirit of grace and supplication Zach. 12.10 a circumcised heart to love and serve the Lord Deut. 30.6 Ezech. 36.26 perseverance in Grace Ier. 32.40 41. Esai 54.10 chap. 59.20.21 Psal. 1.3 Joh. 4.14 chap. 10.28 Phil. 1.6 Ephes. 5.26.27 1 Ioh. 2.1 Then let D. Crispe or any Libertine say when the Saints sinne in not praying in not sorrowing for sin in not willing and doing in their sinnes and falls in their Christian race to heaven let me speak in the words of Crisp whos fault is it or failing not to perform the word or promise of God God undertaketh by promise yea by his simple word to fulfill what he promiseth and saith he will work all these in us yea to will and to doe Ergo if it be not done the fault cannot
time disposition anticipation of the intention 309 Fit words 310 The Jesuits congruous vocation rejected 311 The Arminian refuted ibid. The Protestants conversion proved 312 313 314 The middle science a phancie 312 313 The Vaga and confused necessity of Did. Ruiz refuted 315 Arguments for indeclâ—â—â—ble and irresistible conversion pressed 314.315 316 317 318 319. How loggish we are to be drawne to Christ. 319.320 Antinomians reject Sanctification 321 Will have us in this life compleatly saved and seeme to deny with Familists the life to come and the resurrection 32â— 323 3â—4 Free will not forced 326 Arminian indifferency of will refused 326.327 And their confused loose decrees of things contingent 327.328 329 330 God determines free will 328 329 330 331 The Vses of the Doctrine 331 332 How to deale with such as are troubled they are not drawne 333 334 Grace in drawing inferres Riches and overflowings of grace 335 Vertues of Christ fitting him to draw sinners 336 337 The power and fulnesse of Christs drawing vertue in many branches 340 341 342.343 Perfection not attainable in this life 341 342 Scriptures and ordinances sleighted by Familists and Antinomians 345 346 â—47 c. Rise of Familisme 332. Lovelinesse of Christ. In 1. Vnion 2. Satisfaction 3. Rest. 4. Sense 5. Satisfaction 6. Living in 7. Loving of Christ. 354 355 356 357 Vnion with Christ. 356 357 Familists heaven and hell and being of creatures in God refuted â—58 359 The soule living and loving in Christ. 360 361 362 The State of the question touching vniversall attonement 365 366 The place Rom. 10.18 Have they not heard c. discussed 365 366 367 Of universall grace 368 Of Arminian election 368 369 Arminians goe upon six universalities 369 370 371 Vniversall 1. Will of God to save all 2. Vniversall Redemption 3. Covenant 4. Reconciliation 5. Vocation 6. Possible Apostacy of all 370 371 The Elect particularly designed by persons names c. 371 372 373 Election and Redemption of the same Sphere 375 M Moores and the Arminian opinion of universall Redemption 375 376 The Arminian distinction of Redemption purchased to all possibly applyed to none examined 376 377 â—78 Moores distinction of a reconciliation of all with God and all to themselves vaine 379 380 381 382 c. 1 Pet. 2.21 Isai. 53.6 The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all explaned and vindicated 379 380 1 Cor. 5.14.15 proveth no vniversall reconciliation 381 Nor 1 Tim. 2.4.6 381 382 383 384 385 Moores frivolous reasons answered 385 386 387 388 389 Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lambe of God c. vindicated 389.390 391 The Arminian condition of preaching the Gospel not revealed to thousands and so cannot oblige 392 393 Christs dominion not a naked power to save such as may consist with the damnation of all 393 394 395 c. Proved by fifteene Arguments to 399 There is as good ground in Scripture for the universall conversion and salvation of all and every one as for the univeâ—sall redemption of all and every one 400 401 402 M. Denne the Arminian and Antinomian answered 40â— 405 406 c. The place of Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world c. vâ—ndicated and opened 409 410 All Redeemed from wrath redeemed from iniquity 412 413 Christ purchased faith to us by his death 413.414 Other Arguments to prove that Christ dyed not for all and every one 413 414 415 416 What is never done is not Gods will simply ibid. What the revealed will of God is ibid. All arguments from Gods will love mercy c. against particular election and redemption with equall strength of reason conclude against Arminians 416 417 418 Gods revealed will expresses not to us his decree intention and purpose that the thing be but his approbation or hatred of it be it or be it not 418 419 The word World proveth nothing against us the place Joh. 3.16 againe considered 419 420 421 An elect World in Scripture 422 5. Rules to expound the particle All 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 422 423 424 425 2 Pet. 3.9 The Lord will have none to perish c. vindicated 428 God willeth not all and every one to be saved 4â—8 429 The common nature of man assumed by Christ proveth no more he redeemed all and every one then that all and every one sitteth in that nature with him on his throne 430 431 Hebr 2.9 He tasted death for every man vindicated 4â—1 432 The place Rom. 5. By one mans offence c. is for particular not for universall redemption 432 433 434 435 And 1 Cor. 15. 435 436 The place 1 Joh. 2.1 cleared for us 436 437 438 And 2 Pet. 2.1 ibid. And 1 Tim. 4.10 ibid. Christ hath a serious good will to draw sinners to himselfe 438 439 Foure objections of weake ones answered The Gospel framed in the wisdome of God that none might despaire to open a doore of faith 1. To beleevers 2. To sinners 3. To visible Saints 4. To men 5. To all 6. To that which is most comprehensive the World 440 441 442 443 Christ sorry that we come not ibid. What Gods revealed will is 443 444 Any will to save all contrary to Gods nature and attributes 444 445 Christ willing to draw all heart-exceptions removed 446 447 448 449 Ezech. 33.10 explained 447 448 Prov. 8.30 Ancient love explained ibid. What sort of faith God requireth of all and every one that heare the Gospel Antinomians dreame of a faith which is the apprehension of the eternall love of election 449 450 451 This faith hath for its object a lye that God hath chosen all and every man to glory a lye and is no faith 451 452 The faithfulnesse and mercy of a Gospel-Saviour the objects of saving faith ibid. Arminians lay double dealing on God 417 It s a mystery that God obligeth all in the visible Church to rest on Christ as a Saviour though salvation be not purchased to all 417 418 The Gospel revealeth not Gods decree and intention whom hee purposeth to save or damne 418 419 How Christ dyeth for the world 419 God dealeth sincerely with all whom he commandeth to beleeve 419 420 Gods wise framing of Gospel-invitations without any mans name in particular 420 421 The sufficiencie of power in Christ to save the object of that faith for the want of which reprobates are damned 421 422 The object of fiduciall resting on Christ. 423 Objections of weake ones against their grounds of beleeving removed 423 424 425 The Arminian Argument against particular Redemption taken from hope assurance conâ—olâ—tion propounded in all its strength Answered and retorted on themselves 424 425 426 427 Vniversall Redemption furnisheth no grounds of assurance and consolation but such as may stand with the reprobation and damnation of all 425.426 M. Moore suggesteth hope and the Gospel-comforts of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to Indians Americans Turks ibid. Arminians render God pendulous and doubtsome 426 Frustrated in his hope and ends 427.428 Faith the
awed by the Law 576.577 Antinomians oblige not beleevers to personall walking with God 578 The Law leaveth not off to bee a rule of righteousnesse because it giveth not grace 579 Every naturall man under the Law 581.582 A Mystery of Antinomians that all meanes not effectually moving the will are not meanes laying bonds on the conscience 582.583 Antinomians take away all use of teaching and exhorting 584 Faith looseth us not from the Law ibid. Obeying of God because of the direction of Law and Gospel is to Antinomians a controuling of the free Spirit 589 The Law as the Law required perfect obedience but the Law as Evangelized requireth not perfect obedience that we may be justified 589 The Antinomian doctrine propounded by the carnall Libertine Rom. 7. 590.591 The Law is not meerely passive 591.592 How Faith and new obedience are the meanes of our delivery from the body of sin the former from the guilt and that perfectly and at once in justification and the other from the blot and in-dwelling of sinne and that by degrees in Sanctification 593.594 How we are saved without works 594.595 How God accounteth the good works of the justified porfect 595.596.597.598 CHRIST DYING AND Drawing Sinners to himselfe JOHN 12. 27. Now is my soule troubled and what shall I say Father save me from this houre But for this cause came I unto this houre 28. Father glorifie thy Name IT is a question whether these words of our Saviours Soule-trouble be nothing but the same words and prayer which Matthew chap. 26. and Luke 22. relate to wit O my Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me when his soule was troubled in the garden in his agonie Some think them the same others not It is like they are words of the same matter for first when Christ uttered these words hee was neare his sufferings and on the brink of that hideous and dark sea of his most extreme paine and drew up against hell and the Armies of darknesse as the story sheweth But that the Lord uttered these same words in the garden and not before is not apparent because upon this prayer it is said Then came there a voyce from heaven c. A voyce speaketh to him from heaven now Mat. 26. Luk. 22. no voyce is like to have come from heaven for when hee prayed in his agonie there were no people with him as here because of the voyce the people being present Some said it thundered others said an Angel spake from heaven there being now with Christ in the garden when hee prayed O my Father c. none save Peter James and John the three famous witnesses of his extreme suffering and of his young heaven of his transfiguration on the Mount when hee acted the Preludium and the image and representation of heaven before them as is cleare Mat. 26. vers 37. And he was removed from them also Mat. 26.39 Luk. 22.41 and they were sleeping in his agonie Mat. 26.40 43 45. But now there is a waking people with Christ who heard this voyce But I deny not but it is the same prayer in sense even as suppose it were revealed to a godly man that hee were to suffer an extreme violent and painfull death and withall some fearfull soule-desertion as an image of the second death it should much affright him to remember this and hee might pray that the Lord would either save him from that sad houre or then give him grace with faith and courage in the Lord to endure it so here Christ God and man knowing that hee was to beare the terrors of the first and second death doth act over afore-hand the time being neare the sorrow and anguish of heart that hee was to suffer in his extreme sufferings as it were good ere the crosse come to act it in our mind and take an essay and a lift of Christs crosse ere wee beare it to try how handsomely wee would set back and shoulders under the Lords crosse I doe not intend that wee are to imitate the Martyr who put his hand in the fire the night before hee suffered to try how hee could endure burning-quick but that wee are to lay the supposition what if iâ— so fall out as Christ being perswaded his suffering was to come acted sorrow trouble of soule and prayer before-hand and to resolve the saddest and antedate the crosse and say with our owne hearts Let the worst come or to suffer our feare to prophecy as Job did chap. 3. vers 25. yet suppose the hardest befall me I know what to doe as the unjust Steward resolveth on a way before-hand how to swimmâ— through his necessities Luk. 16.4 The Lord acteth judgement and what they shall pray in the time of their extremity who now spit at all praying and Religion they shall be religious in their kind when they shall cry Revel 6.16 Mountaines and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. You cannot beleeve that a Lambe shall chase the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and every bond-man and every free-man into the dennes and the rocks of the mountaines to hide themselves But the Lord acteth wrath and judgement before your eyes Men will not suppose the reall story of hell Say but with thy selfe Oh! shall I weep and gnaw my tongue for paine in a sea of fire and brimstone Doe but fore-fancie I pray you how you shall look on it what thoughts you will have what you shall doe when you shall 2 Thes. 1.9 be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 1. Fore-seen sorrowes have not so sad an impression on the spirit 2. Grace is a well-advised and resolute thing and has the eyes of providence to say in possible events What if my Scarlet embrace the Dunghill and Providence turne the Tables 3. It is like wisedome grace is wise to see afarre-off to fore-act faith and resolve to lie under Gods feet and intend humble yeelding to God as 2 Sam. 15.25 26. In the Complaint wee have 1. the Subject-matter of it The Lords troubled soule 2. The Time Now is my soulâ— troubled 3. Christs Anxiety wrought on him by this trouble What shall I say or which is the sense What shall I doe 4. And a shoare is seen at hand in the storme a present rock in the raging sea What shalt thou say Lord Jesus what shalt thou doe Pray and hee prayeth Father save me from this houre 5. There is a sort of correction or rather a limitation But for this cause came I to this houre The Lord forgetting his paine embraceth this evill houre 6. Going on in his resolution to embrace this sad houre hee prayeth vers 28. Father glorifie thy Name Touching the first the Soule-trouble of Christ wee are to consider 1. How it can consist with
want nothing Mercy be satisfied Peace should kisse righteousnesse and warre goe on in justice against a sinlesse Redeemer Angels bowing and stooping downe to behold the bottome of this depth 1 Pet. 1.12 cannot read the perfect sense of the infinite turnings and foldings of this mysterious love O Love of heaven and fairest of Beloveds the flower of Angels why camest thou so low down as to be-spot and under-rate the spotlesse love of all loves with coming â—igh to black sinners Who could have beleeved that lumps of hell and sinne could be capable of the warmings and sparkles of so high and princely a Love or that there could be place in the brest of the High and lofty One for forlorne and guilty clay But wee may know in whose brest this bred sure none but onely the eternall Love and Delight of the Father could have outed so much love had another done it the wonder had been more But of this more else-where Wee may hence chide our soft nature the Lord Jesus his soule was troubled in our businesse wee start at a troubled body at a scratch in a penny-broad of our hyde First There is in nature a silent impatience if wee be not carried in a chariot of love in Christs bosome to heaven and if wee walk not upon scarlet and purple under our feet wee flinch and murmure Secondly Wee would either have a silken a soft a perfumed crosse sugered and honyed with the consolations of Christ or wee faint and providence must either brew a cup of gall and worm-wood mastered in the mixing with joy and songs else wee cannot be Disciples But Christs Crosse did not smile on him his Crosse was a crosse and his ship sailed in bloud and his blessed soule was sea-sick and heavie even to death Thirdly Wee love to saile in fresh waters within a step to the shoare wee consider not that our Lord though hee afflict not and crush not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his heart Lam. 3.33 yet hee afflicteth not in sport punishing of sinne is in God a serious grave and reall work no reason the crosse should be a play neither Stoicks nor Christians can laugh it over the Crosse cast a sad glowme upon Christ. Fourthly we forget that bloody and sad mercies are good for us the peace that the Lord bringeth out of the wombe of warre is better then the rotten peace that wee had in the superstitious daies of Prelats What a sweet life what a heaven what a salvation is it we have in Christ and we know the death the grave the soule-trouble of the Lord Jesus travelled in paine to bring forth these to us Heaven is the more heaven that to Christ it was a purchase of blood The Crosse to all the Saints must have a bloody bit and Lyons teeth it was like it selfe to Christ gallie and soure it must be so to us Wee cannot have a Paper-crosse except we would take on us to make a golden providence and put the creation in a new frame and take the world and make it a great leaden vessell melt it in the fire and cast a new mould of it Fiftly the more of God in the Crosse the sweeter as that free grace doth budde out of the black rod of God to the soule that seeth not and yet beleeveth and loveth the Crosse of Christ drops honey and sweetest consolations Wee sigh under stroakes and we beleeve The first Adam killed us and buried us in two deaths and sealed our grave in one peece of an houre he concluded all under wrath Now how much of Christ is in this Omnipotencie infinite wisedome when Angels gave us over and stood aloofe at our miserie as changed lovers free Grace boundlesse love deepest and richest mercy in Jesus Christ opened our graves and raised the dead Christ died and rose againe and brought againe from the dead all his buried brethren Sixtly we can wrestle with the Almighty as if we could discipline and governe our selves better then God can do Murmuring fleeth up against a dispensation of an infinite wisdome because its Gods dispensation not our owne as if God had done the fault but the murmuring man onely can make amends and right the slips of infinite Wisdome Why is it thus with mee Lord saith the Wrestler Why doest thou mis-judge Christ he who findeth fault with what the Creator doth let him be man or Angel undoe it and doe better himselfe and carry it with him Seventhly we judge God with sense with the humor of reason not with reason the oare that God rolleth his vessell withall is broken say we because the end of the oare is in the water Providence halteth say we but what if sense and humour say a straight line is a circle The world judged God in person a Samaritane one that had a devill if we mis-judge his person we may mis-judge his providence and wayes Suspend your sense of Gods wayes while you see his ends that are under ground and instead of judging wonder and adore or then beleeve implicitly that the way of God is equall or doe both and submit and be silent Heart-dialogues and heart-speeches against God that arises as smoake in the Chimney are challengings and summons against our highest Landlord for his owne house and land Secondly If Christ gave a soule for us hee had no choiser thing the Father had no nobler and dearer gift then his only begotten sonne the sonne had no thing dearer then himselfe the man Christ had nothing of value comparable to his soule and that must runne a hazzard for man The Father the Sonne the Man Christ gave the excellentest that was theirs for us In this giving and taking world we are hence obliged to give the best and choisest thing we have for Christ. Should wee make a table of Christs acts of love and free grace to us and of ouâ— sinnes and acts of unthankefulnesse to him this would be more evident as there was 1. before time in the breast of Christ an eternall coale of burning love to the sinner this fire of heaven is everlasting and the flames as hot to day as ever our coale of love to him in time hath scarce any fire or warmenesse all fire is hot Oh we cannot warme Christ with our love but his love to us is hotter then death or as the flames of God Wee were enemies in our minds to him by wicked workes Col. 1.21 Heires of wrath by nature Christ began with love to us we begin with hatred to him 2. The Father gave his onely begotten Sonne for us how many Fathers and Elies will not let fall one tough word to all the sonnes and daughters they have for the Lord God spared not his Sonne but gave him to the death for us all Earthly Fathers spare clap their Sonnes Servants Friends Magistrates flattering Pastors their people in their blasphemies for him 3. Christ gave his soule to trouble and to the horrour of the
upon Act of atonement and free redemption in Christ standeth uncancelled and firme being once received by faith the justified soule ought not so to be troubled for sin as to mis-judge the Lords by-past work of saving Grace 1. Because the beleever once justified is to beleeve remission of sins and a payed ransome If now hee should beleeve the Writs once signed were cancelled again hee were obliged to beleeve things contradictory 2. To beleeve that the Lord is changed and off and on in his free love and eternall purposes is a great slandering of the Almighty 3. The Church Psal. 77. acknowledgeth such mis-judging of God to be the soules infirmity Psal. 77.10 I said This is my infirmity Asser. 2. Yet de facto David a man according to Gods heart 1 Sam. 12.12 13. fell in an old feaver a fit of the disease of the Spirit of bondage Psal. 32.3 When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long V. 4. For day and night thy hand was heavie upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of summer So the Church in Asaph's words Psal. 77.2 My sore ran in the night and ceased not either his hand was bedewed with teares in the night as the Hebrew beareth or a boyl of unbeleefe broke upon me in the night and slacked not Vers. 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever will hee be mercifull no more Then faith and doubting both may as well be in the soule with the life of God as health and sicknesse in one body at sundry times and it is no argument at all of no spirituall assurance and of a soule under the Law or covenant of works to doubt as sicknesse argueth life no dead corpse is capable of sicknesse or blindnesse these are infirmities that neighbour with life so doubting with sorrow because the poore soul cannot in that exigence beleeve is of kin to the life of God the life of Jesus hath infirmities kindly to it as some diseases are hereditary to such a family 2. The habit or state of unbeleefe is one thing and doubtings and love-jealousies is another thing Our love to Christ is sickly crazie and full of jealousies and suspitions Temptations make false reports of Christ and wee easily beleeve them Jealousies argue love and the strongest of loves even marriage-love 3. By this all acts of unbeleefe in soules once justified and sanctified should be unpossible Why then the Lords Disciples had no faith when Christ said to them Why doubt yee O yee of little faith It happily may be answered that the Disciples Mat. 8. doubted not of their son-ship but of the Lords particular care in bringing them to shore in a great sea-storme To which I answer It s most true they then feared bodily not directly soule-ship-wrack but if it was sinfull doubting of Christs care of them Master carest thou not for us the point is concluded That doubting of Christs care and love may well inferre a soule is not utterly void of faith that is in a doubting condition 4. The morning dawning of light is light the first springing of the child in the belly is a motion of life the least warmings of Christs breathings is the heat of life When the pulse of Christ new framed in the soule moveth most weakly the new birth is not dead the very swonings of the love of Christ cannot be incident to a buried man 5. When Christ rebuketh little faith and doubting hee supposeth faith hee who is but a sinking and cryeth to Christ is not drowned as yet 6. The Disciples prayer Lord increase our faith Christs praying that the faith of the Saints when they are winnowed may not faile the exhortation to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might prove the Saints faith may be at a stand and may stagger and slide 7. The various condition of the Saints now it s full moon againe no moon light at all but a dark ecclipse evidenceth this truth The beleever hath flowings of strong acts of faith joy love supernaturall pâ—ssions of Grace arising to an high spring-tide above the banks and ordinary coasts and â—gain a low-ground ebbe The condition in ebbings and flowings in full manifestations and divine raptures of another world when the wind bloweth right from heaven and the breath of Jesus Christs mouth and of sad absence runneth through the Song of Solomon the book of the Psalmes the book of Job as threeds through a web of silke and veines that are the strings and spouts carrying bloud through all the body lesse or more Asser. 3. The justified soule once pardoned receiveth never the Spirit of bondage Rom. 8.15 to feare againe eternall wrath that is This Spirit in the intension of the habit such as was at the first conversion when there was not a graine of faith doth never returne nor is it consistent with the Spirit of Adoption Yet happily it may be a question if a convert brought in with much sweetnesse and quietnesse of Spirit shall fall in some hainous sinne like the adultery and murther of Dâ—vid have not greater vexation of Spirit then at his first conversion but more supernaturall But yet this must stand as a condemned error which Libertines doe hold That frequency or length of holy duties or trouble of Conscience for neglect thereof are all signes of one under a Covenant of Works And that which another of that way saith in a dangerous medicine for wounded soules Where there is no Law as there is none in or over the justified soule there is no transgression and where there is no transgression there is no trouble for sinne all trouble arising from the obligement of the Law which demandeth a satisfaction of the soule for the breach of it and such satisfaction as the soule knowes it cannot give and thereby remaines unquiet like a debtor that hath nothing to pay and the Law too being naturally in the soule as the Apostle saith The Conscience accusing or else excusing It is no marvell that such soules should be troubled for sinne and unpacified the Law having such a party and ingagement already within them which holding an agreement with the Law in Tables and Letters of stone must needs worke strongly upon the spirits of such as are but faintly and weakely inlightned and are not furnished with Gospel enough to answer the indictments the convictions the terrors the curses which the Law brings And a third And indeed Gods people saith he need more joyes after sinnes then after afflictions because they are more cast downe by them and therefore God useth sinnes as meanes by which he leades in his joyes into them in this world and alâ—o in the world to come their sinnes yeeld them great joyes Indeed in some respects they shall joy-most at the last day who have sinned least But in other respects they have most joy who have sinned most for sinne they little or much they all
the Society mixed with the godly they thinke it a worke of the flesh to confesse their owne sinnes this is to steale the word of the Lord from his people So David Psal. 25.7 Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my trangressions The sinnes of his youth as touching obligation to eternall wrath were pardoned I question it not but in regard God was turned from him in the flamings of love and his sinnes sealed up in a bagge in regard of innumerable evils that lay on him he prayeth Vers. 16. Turn thee unto me Hebr. Set thy countenance on me Gods favour in the sense of it was turned away and Vers. 18. Looke upon mine affliction and paine and forgive all my sinnes the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a point in the left side of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to carry away Jerome aufer take away all my sinnes Isai. 53.4 hee carried or did beare as a burden our iniquities Vatablus portavit Pagnin parce condona Spare or pardon all my sinnes then sinne heere is pardoned onely according to the present paine and griefe of body and soule that was on David Psal. 3â— 4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head as a heavy burden they are too heavie for me Wee have no reason to beleeve that David thought himselfe already a condemned man and now in hell though some sparkes of hell's wrath and fire not in any sort as satisfactory to divine justice or as a fruit of Gods hatred and enmity can fall on the children of God yet it s not imaginary but reall anger God was really angry with Moses at the waters of strife The thing that David did against Vriah displeased the Lord not in David's opinion onely And though the hell for a time in the soule of God's children and the hell of the reprobate differ in essence and nature in that the hell of the reprobate is a satisfactory paine 2. and that iâ— floweth from the hatred of God but the hell of the godly not so yet in this materially they are of the same size that the one as well as the other are coales and flames of the same furnace and neither are imaginary Then againe Sinnes of youth long-agoe pardoned though sometimes dearly beloved are like the ghost of a deare friend some yeares agoe dead and buried that re-appeareth to a man as dead Samuel did to Saul look how loving and deare they were alive they are now as terrible and dreadfull when they appeare to us living out from the land of death so are sins of youth when they rise from the dead and were pardoned in Christ long-agoe they appeare againe to David and Job and the Saints with the vaile and mask or hew of hell and sealed with temporary wrath Psal. 99.8 Thou wast a God that pardonedst or forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions The same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is given to God when hee taketh vengeance on his enemies Num. 31.2 Esay 1.24 I will be avenged of mine enemies 2 King 9.7 That I may avenge the bloud of my servants the Prophets So is the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vengeance used Deut. 32.43 Hee will render vengeance to his adversaries And if one and the same temporary judgement in the two Theeves that were crucified with Christ be so differenced that mercy is stamped on the same death to the one and wrath to the other wee may well say there is a temporary vengeance and wrath that befalleth both the Saints and the Reprobate in this life and the difference is in the mind and intention of God in both And that God pardoneth sin when hee removeth temporary wrath So 2 Sam. 12.13 Nathan saith to David The Lord also hath caused thy sinne to passe away why Thou shalt not die This is meant of temporall death especially as the context cleareth V. 10. The sword shall not depart from thine house And V. 14. The child borne to thee shall surely die Then the Lords putting away of Davids sin was in loosing him from the sword in his own person not in his house and children for by proportion of divine justice though tempered with mercy the Sword was punished with the Sword I doe not exclude relaxation from eternall punishment but remission going for relaxation of punishment Then as there be two sorts of punishmenâ—s one temporary and another the eternall wrath to come so there are in Scripture two sorts of remissions one from the temporary another from eternall punishment Therefore sin is put for punishment Gen. 4.13 Mine iniquity saith Cain is more then I can beare or My punishment is more then I can bear Levit. 24.15 Hee that curseth his God shall beare his sinne Ezek. 23.49 And yee shall beare the sinnes of your Idols Num. 9.13 The man that is cleane and forbeareth to eat the Passe-over that man shall beare his sinne So when God layeth sin to the charge of the sinner in punishing it hee is said to lay a burden on the sinner 2 King 9.25 And to remove this burden is to pardon the sin 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people humble themselves then will I heare from heaven and will forgive their sinne and will heale their land by removing the locusts and the pestilence See the pardoning of their sin is exponed to be the removing of the locusts and pestilence And to call sins to remembrance is to punish sin The Shunamite saith 1 King 17.18 Art thou come to me O man of God to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my sonne Job complaineth c. 13.26 Thou makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth Now though out of unbeleefe hee might apprehend that hee was cast off of God and a man rejected of God and that his sins were never pardoned and hee himselfe never delivered from the wrath to come these legall thoughts might keep Job in a distance from God to his owne sinfull apprehension yet it shall be unpossible to prove that Job in all these complaints had no other but a meere legall esteeme of Gods dispensation and that 2. God stamped not temporary wrath and the paine of a hidden and over-clouded God the substraction of the sense of divine manifestations of love the Lord standing behind the wall in all these afflictions Now it s known that as these are often trialls of the faith of the Saints yet are they soure fruits of our fleshly indulgence to our carnall delights and of our not opening to our Beloved when hee knocketh Cant. 5.2 3 4 5 6. And though the godly doe stedfastly beleeve their salvation is in a Castle above losing yet in reason sin bringing broken bones Psal. 51.10 a sad cloud the damming up of a spring of Christs love spread abroad in the heart a temporary hell in the soule it must be sorrowed for hated mourned for confessed and yet in all these there is no necessity of such a Law-spirit of bondage to work these
clay in our water but because good works are not our Saviours it s no good ground to say they have no influence in the way of our salvation and they are not way-marks in our journey because they are no part of the ransome that bought heaven Wee have a grand opinion of our owne righteousnesse and when wee misse it wee think wee misse Christ himselfe which is a great mis-judging and argueth a beleeving in our selves not in Christ. And often soule-trouble ariseth from defects omissions and sinnes in our selves If simple griefe for sin as offensive to love arise that 's good soule-trouble but such soule-trouble as shaketh the bottome of faith and turneth the soule off Christ to seek righteousnesse in it self is damnable as it 's hard for an unregenerate man to see sinne in it's dreadfullest colours and not despaire so it 's hard for a regenerate person to see sinne as sinne and not to fall on unbeliefe and doubting of Christs love Antinomians thinke any anxiety for sinne which expelleth actuall rejoycing in Christ our turning off Christ and our casting of the conscience againe under the Spirit of bondage and worke of the Law Which is contrary to truth and the command of James to be afflicted and mourne and Christs saying Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted and Peter who saith there may be need that the Saints be in heavinesse for a season It 's a great point of wisdome 1. to know how farre forth our spirituall walking may be a seed of comfort we may easily erre on either hands 2. The Logick would bee humble Lord I am not hauty Ergo I am comforted in thee Paul saith well I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not hereby justified we would not build a Towre on a Moale-hill 3. From our sinnefull walking we may draw grounds of godly sorrow yet not grounds of unbeliefe Faith and Godly sorrow are consistent together 4. It 's not safe to argue that wee are not in Christ from the wants adhering to our sincere performances While we slander our selves we may slander the Spirit of God 5. The measure of our obedience cannot bee a warrant to counter-argue Christ as want is no warrant to stand farre off from Christ no more then it 's good Logicke to flee from the fire because you are cold or to bee at odds with gold because you are needy and poore poverty may conclude a sayling with low sayles and humility but not unbeliefe your want of all things should not empty rich Jesus Christ. 7. Absence of Christ mis-apprehended through unbeliefe occasioneth soul-trouble In which there is something which evidenceth saving grace in the troubled soule as is afore said For the want of the thing loved cannot but here be a gracious torment to the lover The Spouse is sicke and dyeth when she wanterh him whom her soule loveth Cant. 2.5 chap. 5. vers 6 8. David so expresseth himselfe Psalm 84.2 My soule longeth yea even fainteth or dyeth or is at an end for the Courts of the Lord my flesh and my heart cryeth out for the living God The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to desire or to bee consumed or to make an end of any thing Davids desire of injoying God was such as it was his death to want God it may hold forth as Pagnine observeth that Davids soule either extremely desired the Lord or dyed upon the absence of God But to be anxiously troubled in an unbeleeving manner is the sinnefull soule-trouble Why doth the soule doubt of Christs Winter more then of his Summer Absence and presence his comming and his departing are both his owne workes God hath liberty in the one as in the other as it is Gods liberty to make faire weather and stormes to make a faire day and a cloudy day To make David a King and his brethren shepherds and common souldiers so hath he his own freedome in the breathings of his owne Spirit and the blowing of his own winde or of the drawing a curtaine over his owne face and hiding himselfe and neither in this nor in any of his waies of freedome can we challenge the Lord or plead against him And if we thinke we doe well to be angry even to the death at the motions and breathings of Christs free love then may we compel Christ to be kind and visit us as we think good What ever yee be Christ is Lord of his owne presence and visits and it 's good the Kings Chamber of presence be a Dainty and Christs wine bee not so common as water nor can wee here force kindnesse or acts of heavenly manifestations on him he hides himselfe Why he is as reasonable and wise in his going as in his comming 2. We should take on us to steward and husband the kisses and embracements of Christ better then he can doe himselfe and should quarrell because the Lord hath not thought fit to make Heires and Minors that are yet under Non-age Masters and Lords of their owne young heaven this were not a good world for us Christs love is better then wine Cant. 1. Neither our head nor our heart could endure to drinke at our own will of this new wine of the higher Kingdome Better for us it is that Christ beare the key of the Well of life then children have it and if the Government of the higher and lower familie bee upon the shoulders of Christ the leading of this or that single person to heaven is worthy Christs care 3. And consider that Christ goeth not behind the mountaine or hideth himselfe upon meere hazard but so weighty reasons that love may bee sharpened through absence that the house may be adorned with new Hangings and Christs bedde made greene that care may bee had when he resteth in his love not to stirre up nor awake the beloved untill he please that the high Tydes and rich Feasts of Christs love after sad and heavy desertions may heighten the worth and esteeme of Christ that faith and love may with more of the violence of ven lay hold on Christ after long seeking and not part with him on so easie termes Cant. 3.1 2 3 4. that we may know what weakenesse is in our owne clay legs under desertion and how we are to walke on Christs legges which are pillars of marble set on sockets of gold that absence and presence the frownings and smilings of Christ may bee to the Saints the little images of hell and heaven and broken men may read their debâ—s in Christs count-booke of free grace with teares in their eyes and songs of praise in their mouth That wee may bee in high love and sicke for absent Christ and may be at the pains through thicke and thin to seeke him And lâ—arne to live lesse by sense and more by faith and resolve to die beleeving and be charitable of Christ absent and kisse his veile when we can see no more and be upon our watch-towre
the condition of the afflicted soule that hee see in him some inherent qualification that may argue to the Physician there is some lesse or more of Christ in the soule of the man else if hee know him to be a person yet utterly void of Christ sure hee must deale with him that is under the Law in a more legall and violent manner then with him whom hee conceiveth to be under the Gospel for one and the same physick cannot suit with contrary complexions The Author professeth hee dealeth with sinners as sinners and so with all sinners as if physick for the gut were fit physick for the stone in the bladder I goe not so high but speak to a weak son who hath God for his Father but under soule-trouble doubteth whether God be his Father or not If hee lay downe a principle that hee was never in Christ because of such and such sinnes you are not who ever intends to cure him to yeeld so much and to deale with him according to a false supposall as if hee were not in Christ but must labour to prove hee is in Christ which to no purpose is done by proving fair generalls as Saltmarsh with other Libertines doth that is you but till the sand and beat the aire to prove that Gods love is eternall and his covenant and decree of election to his chosen so stable and unalterable as no sin can hinder the flowings of eternall love when you make not sure to the man that hee is loved with an everlasting love Hence these considerations for easing the afflicted conscience of a weak child of God Asser. 1. The soule labouring under doubts whether God be his Father is to hold off two rocks either confiding or resting on duties or neglecting of duties the former is to make a Christ of duties as if Christ himselfe were not more lovely and desirable then the comfortable accidents of joy comfort and peace in doing duties Yea take the formall vision of God in an immediate fruition in heaven as a duty and as in that notion contra-distinguished from the objective vision of Christ then Christ is to be enjoyed loved rested on infinitely above the duties of vision beatifice love eternall resting on him yea above imputed righteousnesse assurance of pardon reconciliation as the King is more then his bracelets of gold his myrrhe Spikenard perfumes oyntment kisses the tree more desireable then a fleece of apples that groweth on it for the fourth part of a yeare 2. Sinne it must be to sue and woe the Kings Attendants and Courtiers by himselfe or to make duties Christ and Christ but a Man-servant and Mediator to duties sense comfort assurance or the like 3. The Whelps of the Beare are taken from her by swift riding away with them and by casting down one of them that shee may lose time in gaining the rest while shee returneth back againe so many myles to bring that one to the den And the smell of some delicious fields they say so taketh the dogs that they forget the prey and follow it no more To smell so much in duties and to be so sick and impotent in loving and resting on them as to lie down in the way and seek Christ no more is doubtlesse a neglect of Christ. And thus high our Doctrine never advanced Sanctification nor enthroned any acts duties or qualifications under the notion of witnesses or creators of peace or reconciliation how our hearts may abuse them is another thing Asser. 2. What advise you then a deserted soule to goe on in duties and seek righteousnesse in himselfe By no meanes to seek righteousnesse in himselfe that is highest pride but will you call it pride for a starving man to beg Is it selfe-denyall for such a one to be starke dumb and to pray none in his famishing condition for food Did the Spouse seek her selfe in this duty Cant. 3. Watchmen saw yee him whom my soule loveth Was this a resolution of pride Chap. 3.2 I will rise now and goe about the City in the streets and in the broad wayes I will seek him whom my soule loveth And is it selfe-righteousnesse for the Spouse to send her hearty respects of service to Christ when shee cannot have one word from him nor one smile Cant. 5.6 Tell my beloved that I am sick of love Nor doe I think Mary Magdalen was in a distemper of Pharisaicall righteousnesse when shee rose and prevented the morning skie and came weeping to the grave O Angels saw yee the Lord Gardener whither have you carried him May I not doe these duties when I misse him May I not wake in the night May I not doe well to fâ—ed a love-feaver for the want of him May I not both pray and say Daughters of Jerusalem pray for mee May I not make a din through all the streets and the broad wayes and trouble all the Watch-men and Shepherds and pray them Can you lead me to his tent and tell me where hee lieth O but all these were to be done in faith True but are they not duties of love-sicknesse I owe to Christ also I know they cannot bring to mee everlasting righteousnesse but is not seeking and knocking stairs to finding and opening Asser. 3. Another counsell is force not a Law-suit seeke not buy not a plea against Christ. Conscience a tender peece under Jealousies saith O he loveth not me Christ hath forgotten me joyne not in such a quarrell with conscience Have not cold and low thoughts of Christs love to you because he is out of sight he is not out of languor of love for you Asser. 4. Unbeliefe is a Witch an Inchantresse and covers Christs face with a veile of hatred wrath displeasure Examine what grounds of reason you have to mis-beleeve or breake with Christ say he had broken with you yet because you know it not for suspition lose not such a friend as Christ if you get never more of him you may sweare and vow to take to hell with you if so he deale with you the pawnes and love-tokens you once received that they may bee witnesses what Christ is and may be the remnants seedes and leavings of the high esteeme you once had of him Asser. 5. A time Christ must have to goe and come and therefore must be waited on We give the Sea houres to ebbe and slow and the Moone dayes to decrease and grow full and the Winter-sunne and the Summer-sunne monthes to goe away and returne and whether we will or no God and Nature take their time and aske us no leave Why has God given to us eyes within and without but that David may weare his eyes while they be at the point of failing in looking up and in waiting for God Psal. 69. Asser. 6. And though you were in hell and he in heaven he is worthy to be waited on the first warme smile of a new returne is sufficient to recompence all sorrow in his
shall be saved Knocke and it shall be opened Hee that overcometh shall inherite all things actu secundo to a beleever who under a distemper doth doubt of them infallible So The love of the brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 The keeping of the Commandements and the word of Jesus is infallible in it selfe That I know Christ savingly and that hee dwelleth in me 1 Joh. 2. vers 3.5 but that it infallibly concludeth so to me actu secundo is not sure except the wind blow faire from heaven and the Spirit act in me So the love-tokens and testimoniall rings and bracelets of the Husband my love to the Saints my keeping of his word my holy walking in Christ being the works of his Spirit which dwelt in Jesus Christ are actu primo in themselves as infallible signes of the Bridegromes love to me as the Beloved's word who spake and said Arise my love And if the spirations and breathings of the Spirit goe not along both the voice and the love-bracelets for Christ is no more counterfeit in his love-tokens then in his word when hee speaks as a Husband are alike ineffectuall to perswade the soule I see no reason to call the workes of Sanctification inferiour helps in the Manifestation more then the voice of the Beloved for both without the Spirit are equally ineffectuall and if the Spirit breathe and move with them both are effectuall actu primo secundo and they infallibly perswade It is then a weake Argument None can simply perswade Japhet but God ergo The word of the Bridegrome onely can infallibly perswade or therefore love-bracelets cannot infallibly perswade for the word not quickned by the Spirit of Jesus cannot simply perswade and the Lords perswading of Japhet is the Lords work of converting Japhet not his enlightening of Japhet to know his faith to be true faith Hence for that which infallibly perswadeth us I say 1. Our act of beleeving doth no more perswade of it selfe that wee doe beleeve except the Spirit breathe with the act of beleeving for actuall illumination and perswasion then any other act of loving Christ his Saints or universall intention or sincerity of heart to obey doth prove to us that wee beleeve for many beleeve who know not yea doubt of their beleeving because the Holy Ghost maketh not the light of faith effectuall to perswade that they truly beleeve 2. Asser. The testimony of the Holy Spirit is the efficacious and actuall illumination and irradiation of the Sunne of righteousnesse and his Spirit assuring us that wee are the sonnes of God This light cometh from inherent acts of grace in us 1 Joh. 2.3 4 â— chap. 3.14 2 From the testimony and rejoycing which resulteth from a good conscience 2 Cor. 1.12 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. 1 Tim. 6.17 18. Heb. 13.18 3. From the experience they have had of the Lords dealing with their soules and the love of God spread abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5.3 4 5. 4 From a sincere aime and respect to all the Commandements of God Psal. 119.6 Acts 24.16 1 Joh. 3.20 21. 1 Thess. 5.23 Phil. 4.12 Revel 22.14 15. 5. From the positive marks that Christ putteth on his Children as markes of true blessednesse Math. 5.3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Psal. 119.1 2. Psal. 32.1 2. 6. From the judgement that the Saints maketh of themselves and their owne begunne communion with God Psal. 73.25 Psal. 18.20 1 22. Psal. 26.3 4.8 Psal. 40.9 10.7.8 Job 31. Job 29. Esayâ—8 â—8 3 Psal. 42.1 2. Psal. 6â— 1 2 3 4 8. Psal. 84.2 3 4 5. Psal. 119. â—0 31 40.46.50.57.60 62 63.81.82.97.98 99.101 103 111 112.125.127.128.136.139 145.148.162.164 Cant. 1.5 chap. 2.4.5.6.16 chap. 3.1 2 3 4 5. chap. 5.6 7 8 9 10 11 12. All which were needlesse floorishes if they had neither peace consolation nor assurance from these as from marks and signes which do infallibly convince the light breathings and irradiations of the Holy Ghost concurring with them that they are in a saving condition who have these qualifications in them 7. Because by holy walking the Saints make their calling and election sure and firme not to God but to themselves 2 Pet. 1.10 11 12. vers 5.6 7. Asser. 3. As there is in the eye lumen innatum in the eare aer internus a certaine inbred light to make the eye see lights and colours without and a sound and aire in the eare within to make it discerne the sounds that are without So is there a grace a new nature an habituall instinct of heaven to discerne the Lords Spirit immediatly testifying that we are the Sonnes of God Rom. 8.16 1 Cor. 1.12 Grace within knoweth Christ speaking without the voice of my beloved As the Lambe knoweth by an internall instinct the mother but for wakening and quickening of the instinct to apprehend this there is neede of opened eyes and the presence of the mother to the eye or of the bleating of the mother to a waking eare for instincts cannot worke in the sleepe if the Spirit speake and the voice behind be heard the soule knoweth what sound it heareth but not otherwaies it is but curiositie so to compare the evidence by signes and markes of Sanctification with that evidence that commeth from the Spirits immediate voice or testimonie so as the former should be lesse sure fallible conjecturall and the latter infallible sure and efficaciously convincing For the evidences are both supernaturall certaine divine and strongly convincing if there bee any deception in either it is because of the dulnesse of our apprehension or our imagination which fancieth we see what we see not or from our unbelief who will not be convinced For the Holy Ghost speaketh the same thing by his operations of grace in holy walking that he speaketh by either the Word preached or by the Word and immediat voice of the Spirit witnessing to our Spirit and there is the same authority revealing to us a thing hid and the same thing revealed it maybe there be a variation of the degrees of light and divine irradiation Or the one may cary in to the soule a more deepe impression of God then the other and the radiation of light in the subject may be more strong in the one then in the other but of themselves they are both infallible supernaturall and convincing It is doubted which of these evidences bee more free and partake more of the nature of Grace Antinomians conceive that an evidence by marks in our self is more selfie lesse free and neerer to a seeking of assurance in our selfe then that evidence which resulteth from the immediate testimony of the Spirit But the ground they build on is false and the superstructure is lesse sure If it were a matter of giving and receiving or of wages and worke it were something but it s a matter of meere knowledge God reveiling our condition to us one way not another Possibly the more
within the trunk or body of the true to feel see and taste the sap of life from whence the fruit cometh Yea the contrary consequence is true because I smell sincerity love single intentions to please God in my works of sanctification therefore I know they came from Faith so the Holy Ghost should delude us when hee saith Wee know wee know or beleeve in Christ because we keepe his commandements Ergo We cannot know this except it bee evident that our keeping of his Commandement come from faith and the knowledge of God Object 6. Such a Faith as a Practicall Syllogisme can make is not a faith wrought by the Lords almighty power for the conclusion followeth but from the strength of reasonings not from the power of God by which alone divine things are wrought Ephes. 1.19 20. Col. 2.20 But faith wrought by a word and a worke and the light of a renewed conscience without the testimony of the Spirit is such a faith as a practicall Syllogisme can make Ergo such a faith so wrought is not wrought by the Lords almighty power The Minor is proved because all the three the Word the Worke and the light of Conscience are all created blessings and gifts and therefore cannot produce of themselves a word of almighty power and the word of it selfe is a dead letter the worke is lesse for faith commeth by hearing a word not by a worke Answ. When Master Cornwell saith By the power of God alone Divine things such as faith that layeth hold on Christs righteousnesse are wrought Ephes. 1.19 Col. 2.20 hee excludeth the ministery of the Gospel and all the promises thereof for they are created things and so they have no hand nor influence in begetting faith Antinomians will have us beleeve that Paul Ephes. 1.19.20 Col. 1.20 thinkes no ministery of the Word nor any hearing of the preached Word begetteth faith contrary to Rom. 1.16 Rom. 10.17 but by the onely immediate power of the Spirit we are converted without the Word Nor is here that which is in question concluded never Protestant Divine taught that without the actuall influence of omnipotent Grace can faith or spirituall sense that we are justified be produced by the Word worke or created light alone nor can the corne grow alone by power in the earth clouds or raine nor any Creature move without the actuall influence of the omnipotent Lord in whom we move therefore by this reason we could not know that the Sunne shall rise by the rising of the morning starre nor can we have any supernaturall sense by our holy walking contrary to Scripture 1 John 2.3 1 John 3.14 But we know by this all faith is ascribed by Antinomians to the immediate testimonie and Enthusiasticall inspiration of the Spirit as for the searching of Scripture say they it s not a sure way of searching and finding Christ it s but a dead letter and holds forth a covenant of works in this letter and therefore with the old Anabaptist they 'll have no teaching by Scripture but onely teaching by the Spirit We hold that conditionall promises are made to duties of Sanctification therefore we may have comfort and assurance from them in our drooping condition Cornewell answereth Pap. 23.24 25. The promises are not made to us as qualified with such duties of sanctification for then they should belong to us of debt not out of Grace Rom. 4.4 But in respect of our Vnion with Christ in whom they are tendered to us and fulfilled to us Satisfaction is made to the thirstie not for any right his thirst might give him in the promise but becausâ— it directeth to Christ who fulfilleth the condition and satisfieth the soule and the soule must first have come to Christ and gotten his first assurance from faith in Christ not from these conditions and duties Answ. 1. This is a yeelding of the cause We say there bee promises of the water made to thirsty soules not as if the right jus law merit debt that we have to them belonged to us for the deede done but for Jesus Christ onely 2. Not as if wee upon our strength and the sweating of free-will did conquer both the condition and reward 3. But yet wee have comfort and assurance when we by grace performe the duty that our faithfull Lord who cannot lye will fulfill his owne promise 4. He knoweth nothing of the Gospel who thinketh not God by his promise commeth under a sweet debt of free-grace to fulfill his owne promise and that this debt and grace are consistent But Antinomians breath smell of flâ—shly liberty for they tell us Conditionall promises are Legall contrary to the Gospel Rom. 10.9 John 3.16 Joh. 5.25 That that it s not safe to close with Christ in a conditionall promise if any thing be concluded from water and bloud it s rather damnation then salvation That its a sandy foundation to prove that Christ is mine from a gracious worke done in me by Jesus Christ were it even Faith For we are compleatly united to Christ without faith wrought by the Spirit It s incompatible with the Covenant of Grace to joyne faith with it To be justified by faith is to bee justified by workes That to say there must be faith on mans part to receive the Covenant is to undermine Christ. Neither Cornwell nor Saltmarsh oppose these blasphemies but extoll the Patrones of them in New-England Father save me from this houre Father is a word of Faith But had Christ need of Faith Answ. Not of faith of confiding in him that justifieth the sinner except he had faith of the justifying of his cause in Gods acquitting him of suretieship when he had payed all but hee had faith of dependencie on God in his trouble that God would deliver him and he was heard in that which he feared And Q. 2. how could there be a faith of dependencie in Christ for hee was the same independent God with the Father Answ. There were two relations in Christ one as Viator going toward glory and leading many children with him to glory another as comprehensor seeing and enjoying God 2. There were two sights in Christ one of Vision another of Vnion the sight of Vnion of two natures is the cause of the sight of vision Christ being on his journey travelling toward glory did with a faith of dependency rest on God as his Father seeing and knowing that the Union could not be dissolved but as a Comprehensor and one at the end of the race injoying God in habit there was no necessitie that Christ should alwaies Et in omni differentiâ temporis actually see and enjoy God in an immediate vision of glory For 1. this implyeth no contradiction to the personall union even as the seeing of God habitually which is the most joyfull sight intelligible and by necessitie of nature does produce joy and gladnesse may and did consist in
Christ with groanings and sadnesse of Spirit even before his last sufferings so the interruption for a time of the actuall vision of God might stand with Christs personall happinesse as God-man 2. If we suppose there were just reasons why God should command that Angels and glorified Spirits should not actually see God for a time there were no repugnancy in this to their true blessednesse so it fell not out through their sinnes no more then the Sunne should lose any of its nature if wee suppose God should command it to stand still and to be covered with darkenesse many dayes as in Joshuahs time it stood still in the firmament some houres and for a time was covered with darkeness at the suffering of Christ. What an enterposed cloud of covering it was or what a skreene did interrupt the flux of the beames and rayes of the Godhead from actuall irradiation on the soule and faculties and powers of the soule of the man Christ is more then I can determine Certaine it is God was with the Manhood and so neere as to make one person but there was no actuall shining on the powers of the soule no heate and warmnesse of joy but as if his owne infinite Sea of comfort were dryed up he needed a drop of the borrowed comfort of an Angel from heaven Now whether this Angel Luk. 22.43 did wipe the sweat of bloud off his holy body and really serve him that way or if the Angel was sent with good words from the Father to comfort him and say to this sense O glorious Lord courage peace and joy and salvation shall come thy Father has not forsaken thee utterly it cannot be knowne but Luke saith an Angel appeared from heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strengthning him But it was admirable that the Lord of all consolation should stand in need of consolation and a good word from his owne creature or that the great Lord the Law-giver should need the comfort of Prayer or any Ordinance O what a providence what a world is this that God-man sweet Jesus is put to his knees and his prayers with it Come see the Lord of life at a weake passe he is at God helpe me at Teares and sighing God save me This is more then if the whole light of the Sunne were extinguished and it behoved to borrow light from a candle on earth and the whole Sea and Rivers dryed up and they behoved to begge some drops of dew from the clouds to supply their want 2. Christ himselfe refused comfort to himselfe There was a sea of joy in Christ within him but not one drop can issue out on the powers of his soule joy is sad fairenesse black faith feareth and trembleth the infinite All lieth under the drop of the comfort of a creature-nothing Riches beggeth at poverty 's doore the light is dark greennesse withereth and casteth the bloome life maketh prayers against the death of deaths the glory and flower of heaven standeth sad and heavie at the jawes and mouth of hell 3. Mat. 26. Hee prayed to this sense falne on his face to the earth once O my Father remove this cup but hee is not answered Hee knocketh the second time O my Father if it be possible remove this cup. O but here 's a hard world the substantiall Sonne of God knocking and lying on his face on the earth and his Father's doore of glory fast bolted the Sonne cannot get in The like of this providence you never read nor heare of The naturall Son of God cryeth with teares and strong cryes with a sad heavie and low Spirit to his Father hee cannot get one word from heaven nor halfe a glympse of the wonted glory that was naturall and due to him as God O rare and sad dispensation He must cry the third time O my Father remove this cup. We storme â—f the Lord doe not open his doore at the first knock O what hard thoughts have some of God if a floud of love issue not from his face at the first word but the Lords Saints are not to look for a providence of the honey drops of the fattest consolations of heaven in every ordinance of prayer and praises O what a sad administration Psal. 22.2 O my God I cry in the day time and thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent The Church speaketh sadly to God What can be worse then this Lam. 3.7 Hee hath hedged me about that I cannot get out hee hath made my chaine heavie Yet to open a sad heart in the bosome of a friend farre more to God is much ease but here is worse Vers. 8. Also when I cry and shout hee shutteth out my prayer Psal. 69.3 I am weary of crying my throat is dryed mine eyes faile while I wait for my God It is grace to put a construction of love and faith on the Lord 's not answering our desires These experiences may silence us 1. It may be good that the Lord answer and not good that hee answer now The Saints are often ripe for praying when they are unripe for the mercy of a reall answer and help from God Two things necessitate prayer 1. Our duty to worship 2. Our necessity and straits But on our part wee are not ripe for an answer for any of these being yet not humbled and praying with slow desires little fervour of faith 2. It s possible it be our duty to pray as supposing a reall necessity of what wee need and yet it is not our good that God heare us now No doubt Abraham and Sarah both prayed for a son many years before the one was an hundred the other ninety and nine years old but it was not good that God should heare them till it be a miracle and a new way and more then ordinary providence they were answered 3. God refuseth never to heare us for favours that are non-fundamentalls toward everlasting life but when it s better be not heard then heard Moses might possibly not know a reason but it was better for him that he saw afarre-off the good land more for faith and mortification and heavenly mindednesse which hee saw not then that hee should enter with the people into that land which hee prayed for 4. Not any of the Saints considering that all things worke together for good to them that love God but as they praise God that hee hath heard their prayers so they praise God in some things that their prayers lie at a fast bolted doore and take it well in other things that hee was displeased with them and so that they have cause to be humbled that God did grant their desire Let it be that David prayed for a sonne and God gave him Absalom it s a question if David had not cause to wish hee had never been born 5. God hath equally regulated and limited our desires to be heard and our willingnesse faith submission and patience and our praises according as
brought to bed Lord Jesus when will the Man-childe be borne and thy Spouse be eased of the birth Yet is not this disease deadly Sion as soone as shee travelled brought forth her child Isai. 66.8 All her shaddowes of sufferings shall be quickly gone The Spouse cannot die of child-birth paine Christ will save both the Mothers life and the Babe 2. Sinne is a deare and costly thing In heaven in the Count-book of Justice it goeth for no lesse then the bloud of God the shaming of the Lord of glory Justice for the request of all the world and the prayers of Christ could not abate one farthing A mans soule is a deare thing Exchange of commodities of silkes purple fine linnen is much exchange of Saphires Diamonds Rubies and other precious stones for baser commodities is much more and that ships-full of the gold of Ophir should bee given for bread and things obvious is a rich traffiquing but the market and value of soules as it hath not since God made man on earth fallen or risen so it is ever above a world Mat. 16.26 What hath a man profitted if hee lose this God will not take Silkes nor Purples nor Saphires nor Rubies nor Navies loaden with fine gold nor any corruptible thing 1 Pet. 1.18 for soules The price is one and the same soules were never bought nor sold nor exchanged nor ransomed but once and the price is one and as high as the soule and bloud of the Lord of life Job 27.8 What is the hope of an hypocrite though hee hath gained when God taketh his soule from him let him cast up his accounts and lay his charges hee stands a poore man a man without a soule What mad men are wee who sell soules daily for prices so farre below the Lords price A man that would wood-feet a Lord-ship of many thousands yearly for a base summe some pence or for a nights sleep in a straw-bed and bind himselfe not to redeeme it what a waster were hee how worthy to begge Satan is going through the world and hee gives some pence in hand O how sad a reckoning when the Devill the cozening Creditor comes at night with his back counts Pay mee for your sweet lusts I gave you answer my Bill for your idle oaths your lies oppressions cozening Covenant-breaking your unjust judging your starving and murthering of the widdow and the fatherlesse by detaining of the wages of the Souldier your sleighting of Christ and reformation and the price is referred to God and the market knowne Sathan can abate nothing thy soule he must have and within few dayes the body too is this wisdome to earne hell and to make away a noble soule for a straw 3. What are wee to give for Christ what bonds of love hath he layd on us who earned our Heaven for us at so deare ◠price I desire onely these considerations to have place in our thoughts 1. As God had but one Sonne and one onely begotten Son and he gave him for sinners so Christ had two loves one as God and another as man he gave them both out for us and two glories one as God one as Man and Mediator the one was darkened for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he emptied a Sea of glory for us he powred it out for us and for his other glory he laid it downe as it were in hell endured infinite wrath for us 2. He went to death and the grave made his testament and left his love grace and peace in legacie to us 3. Greater love then this hath no man but he saith not greater love then this hath no God That God did let out so much love to men is the wonder of the world and of heaven Wee may find words to paint out creatures and the garment may be wider then the thing but should Angels come and helpe us to find out expressions for Christs love words should bee below and in this side of Christ. 4. Behold the man saith an enemy of Christ but behold him more then a man behold the Lord in the Garden sweatting out of his holy body great blobs and floods of Love trickling downe upon sinners of clay Men and Angels come see and wonder and adore 5. Love was Christs cannon-Royall he battered downe with it all the forts of hell and triumphed over Principalities and powers Christ was judgement-proofe he indured the wrath of God and was not destroyed he was hell-proofe and grave-proofe hee suffered and rose againe but hee was not love-proofe to borrow that expression he was not onely love-sicke for his Church but sicke to death and dyed for his friends Cant. 2.4 His banner over his Church was love Saints bee sworn to his collours die and live with Christ and take Christ in the one arme his cause and Gospell in the other and your life betweene both and say to all enemies take one take all The midst of Christs Chariot is paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem Cant. 3.10 Christs royall seat both in the Gospel in which he is carried through the world as a Conquerour Revel 6.2 and in the soules of his children is love From the sense of this it were our happiest life to live and love with Christ for hee hath carried up to heaven with him the love and the heart and the treasures of the sonnes of God so as all ours are with him above time 6. Wee are not to feare death extreamely nor hell at all Christ feared both for our comfort hee hath taken away the worst of death In that 1. He hath subdued hell and sinne and there remaineth to us but the outer side of death 2. The beleever but halfe dies and swoneth or rather sleepeth in the grave 3. He dyeth by will because he chooseth to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 rather then by nature or necessity 4. As dying and sufferings are the cup that Christ dranke so are we to love the cup the better that Christs lip touched it and left the perfume of the breathings of the Holy Ghost in it In common Innes by the way side Princes and common travellers and thousands lye in one bed the clothes may be changed but the bed is the same Christ tasted of death Heb. 2. for us but there was gall in his cup that is not in ours Christs worm-wood was bitter with wrath ours sweetned with consolation 7. All the Saints are in Christs debt of infinite love When we grieve the Spirit purchased by Christ we draw blood of his wounds a fresh and so testifie that wee repent that Christ suffered so much for us The Father hath sworn and will not repent that he is an eternall Priest and stands to it that his bloud is of eternall worth and when the Father sweareth this Christ is the same one God with him and sweares that he thinketh all his bloud well bestowed and will never give over the bargaine his Bride is his Bride though
gloriation of or in things hoped for and a convincing light and evidence of things not seen There is good reason to beleeve that God will lift up a fallen people who desire to fear him and wait for his help Obj. 6. They plow upon Christs back and make long and deep furrowes on Israel from her youth Psal. 129.1 Ans. True plowing is a work of hope but have you not seen Enemies digging a grave for Christ and preparing a coffin for him ere he be dead and they have been fain to fill up the living mans grave and they plow but Christ cometh in and soweth joy in the hot furrow and reaps the crop and the quiet fruits of righteousnesse The enemies plant and the Vintage is Christs one sowes but another reaps Object 7. But the soules under the altar doe cry to God and their bloud is not avenged their bloud and their graves in their kind make supplications before the throne for justice yet the enemies prosper Answ. Hath not the Lord appointed a time for fighting and suffering and a time for triumphing when these that have gotten the victory over the Beast and over his Marke and over the number of his name stand on the Sea of glasse having the harps of God singing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lambe there was a time when the Lamb did weep and in the daies of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares unto him that was able to save him from death Revel 15.23 Heb. 5.7 It is a sin to carve a date of our owne for justice Object 8. But he delayes his comming Answ. But he is not slack as some count slacknesse If generall justice to a world must be measured by thousands of years as but one day to God particular judgements may have hundreth of yeares and when the Saints are killed Christ surviveth them to redeeme them from bloud and disgrace when they are dead when their cause is judged and they rotten into powder in the grave they are redeemed even when the soules under the altar are avenged on their Murtherers Object 9. It stumbleth many that wicked men are fat and their faces shine as if God were with them Answ. If they be fat on common mercies the more shame to the Saints if they bee not fat and their bones greene as an herbe upon the same fare and the same mercies perfumed with Christ and there is more fatnesse and marrow in the higher then in the lower house Saints are leane through their own unbeliefe Now for rules of submission to providence in order to the Text let these be considered Rule 1. Christs patience and so our submission must bee bottomed on a looking above-hand to the will of God every wheele in a great worke moves according to the motion of the highest and first wheele that moves all the rest Every inferiour Court acts as ordered by the highest and supreme Senate the greatest in the Kingdome Every inferiour or be in the heaven is moved in subordination to the Primum mobile the highest that moveth all the rest the motion of rivers regulate the flowings of lesser brooks And things that move on earth as the heavens move so are they carried the principle of motions and wayes in all morals beginneth at the Highest mover the just and wise will of God all are to say not my will but thy will be done Rule 2. There is no ground of submission in a crosse-providence but to looke to the end that Christ looked to the Lords wise and holy will He curseth because the Lord bideth him saith David of Shimei and there hee fixeth his stake The Lord hath taken away saith Iob and upon the Lords taking away he saith Blessed be the name of the Lord Any man can say Blessed be the name of the Lord who giveth the greatest part of men breake their teeth in biting at the neerest linke of the chaine of second causes but they arise never up to God the first Mover Rule 3. Christ not onely submitteth to Gods will but he approveth that it may be done So Ezechiah Esai 39.8 Hee said moreover good is the word of the Lord the thing was hard that all in his house should be caried away to Babylon and his sonnes should be captives Yet the will of the Lord was good and just when the thing willed and decreed of God was evill to him Rule 4. Christ will not hinder God to doe what he thinkes good Thy will be done Murmuring is a stone in Gods way Murmuring is an Anti-providence a litle God setting it selfe against the true God that stirres all in wisdome and the Murmurer doth what he can to stop up Gods way Old Eli when he heard sad newes saies 1 Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him I hinder him not to doe what is good in his eyes David saith 2 Sam. 15.26 If the Lord say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him doe to me what seemes good in his eyes here am I is as much as I will not flee him nor hinder him I lay my selfe under him to receive his stroakes So Christ Heb. 10.5 Psal. 40. Thou hast prepared my eares or my body here am I Verse 7. Here am I to doe thy will Rule 5. Christ gave not away his naturall will but in the act of willing he submitted it it was a broken will that Christ reserved to himselfe or a submitted will hic nunc Christ seeketh not the resigning of naturall faculties in heard providences but that we quite contest with God and that our will be not abolished but broken especially that we doe not quarell with Justice Lament 3.28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence because he hath borne it upon him Vers. 29. Hee putteth his mouth in the dust if so bee there may bee hope Vers 30. Hee giveth his cheeks to him that smiteth them hee is filled with reproach there bee here many sweet signes of a broken will 1. Solitary sadnesse 2. Silence the soule not daring to quarrel with God 3. The stooping to the dust and putting clay in the mouth for feare that it speake against Gods dispensation as Job 40.4.5 4 A willing accepting of buffets on the cheeks and reproaches So Micha 7.9 I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned When the soule is made like a broken and daunted heifer or a silly heartlesse Dove so as the man like a wâ—ll-nurtured childe kisseth the rod of God He is a bad Souldier who follows his Captaine sighing and weeping Faith sings at teares and rejoyceth under hope in the ill day Rule 5. It s the childs happinesse that the wise fathers will be his rule not his owne and for the Orphane the Tutors wit is better then his owne will Our owne will is our hell Ezech 18.31 Why will ye dye
many deaths as Christ will is a rare grace of God and not of ordinary capacity Rule 7. Christ in submitting his will maketh the Prophecies the revealed Gospel his rule and in the matter of duty is willing to be ruled by Gods revealed will in the matter of suffering hee is willing that the Lords will stand for a Law to which hee doth willingly submit and will in no sort quarrell with everlasting decrees To be ruled by the one is holinesse to submit to the other is patience For patience is higher then any ordinary grace in regard its willing to adore and reverence something more and higher then a commanding promising and threatning will of God It was a grace in Christ most eminent in the Lamb of God dumb meek and silent before his shearers the meekest in earth and in heaven that hee did not onely never resist the revealed will of God but never thought motion nor any hint of a desire was in him against the secret and oâ—ernall decree and counsell of God Christ will not have us to make Images of him who is the invisible God but when in his works of justice power love free grace hee setteth before us the image of his glorious nature and attributes hee will have us to adore him in these According to his decree of reprobation hee raised up Pharaoh to be clay to all men on whom as on a voluntary and rationall vessell of wrath they might read power justice truth soveraignty in these works wee are to tremble before him and adore the Lord. So in works of Grace that are the Image of the invisible God the Lord is to be loved 1 Tim. 1.16 In Paul the chiefe of sinners the Lord holds forth an image of the freest grace no lesse then in the revealed will of God for 1. Christ made an example of mercy and free grace in him 2. Hee made a speaking and crying spectacle to all Ages an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a printed copy of crying grace to all the world and in this wee are to adore and submit to him Such a limb of hell hath received mercy not I who before men was holier O submit to this worke of grace as to the copy of his eternall decree and be silent Rule 8. Christ putteth nature and naturall reason that his naturall will might seem to plead withall under the Lords feet So it would seeme strange God hath many sonnes but none like Christ hee was a Sonne his alone hee had never a brother by an eternall generation hee was the onely heire of the house but never a son so afflicted as hee This seemes against all reason But Christ brings in his Fathers will with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Mat. 26.39 Joh. 12.27 Luk. 22.42 Mark 14.36 But thy will be done It s against submission to put absolute interrogatories upon the Lord Wee love to have God make an account of his providence to us and that the last and finall appeale of the wayes of the Lord should be to our reason as to the great Senate and supremest Court in heaven and earth It s true Christ putteth a Why upon God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me but 1. with the greatest faith that ever was a doubled act of beleeving My God my God 2. With the extremest love that ever was in a man it s also a two-fold cord of warmnesse of heart to his Father My God my God 3. It s a word relative to the covenant between the Father and the Son for My God is a covenant-expression that the Father will keep what he hath promised to his Son and relateth to the infinite faithfulnesse of the Covenant-Maker 4. God relateth to the Dominion Lord-ship and Soveraignty that the Lord hath and therefore that Christ will submit to him 5. Christs complaint of the Lords forsaking sheweth the tendernesse of his soule in prizing the favour of his Father more then any thing in heaven and earth And therefore Christs why is a note of 1. Admiration 2. Of sinlesse Sorrow conjoyned with love tendernesse and submission to God Christ cannot speak to his Father beside the truth But every man is a lyar and wee seldome put questions and queries upon Soveraignty but wee preferre our reason to infinite wisdome Job is out and takes his marks by the Clouds and the Moone when hee saith Job 13.24 Why holdest thou me for thine enemy Chap. 3.11 Why died I not from the womb why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly And Jeremiah 15.18 Why is my paine perpetuall and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed Chap. 20.18 Wherefore came I out of the wombe to see labour and sorrow that my dayes should be consumed with shame All the Lords works are full yea with child of reason wisdome and grave and weighty causes and though wee see not his acts to have a why yet there is a cause why hee doth all hee doth reason is necessity to him and an essentiall ingredient in all his actions Rule 9. In this Administration of Providence with Christ the Lord goeth many wayes at once In this very act hee redeemeth the world judgeth Satan satisfieth the Law and Justice glorifieth Christ destroyeth sin fulfilleth his owne eternall will and counsell In one warre hee can ripen Babylon for wrath humble his Church deliver Jeremiah punish Idolatry In the same warre hee can humble and correct Scotland harden Malignants that they will not hearken to offers of peace and blow up their haters that they may be lofty through victories and be ripened for wrath through unthankfulnesse to God Providence hath many eyes so also many feet and hands under the wings to act and walk a thousand wayes at once There is a manifold wisdome in Providence as in the work of Redemption In every worke that God doth hee leaveth a wonder behind him No man can come after the Almighty and say I could have done better then hee It s naturall to blame God in his working but unpossible to mend his work Rule 10. Nor is Christ made a loser by losing his will for the Lord but his will is fulfilled in that which he feared Heb. 5.7 Providence submitted unto rendereth an hundred fold in this life Matth. 19.29 God makes the income above hope Gen. 48.11 And Israel said to Ioseph I had not thought to see thy face and lo God hath shewed me also thy seed One berry is not a cluster that two men cannot bear but it s a field an earth of Vine-trees in the seed Ephes. 3.20 He is able to doe above all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more then aboundantly above that we can aske or thinke above the shaping or frame of my words and thoughts But I can ask heaven he can give more then heaven and above heaven yea I can think of Christ but he can give above the Christ that I can thinke on
when England had often before and have now opportunity they will not lift Christ up on his throne nor put his Crowne Royall on his head but doe put it on their owne head but the judgement is not yet at an end Scotland hath not walked worthy of the Gospel but have fallen from their first love We take not a deliberate list of every limbe thigh legge and member of this nationall wrath and we neither see wherefore we are afflicted nor how For this cause came I to this houre There is some peculiar act of Christs will here holden forth and that is Christs peculiar intention to die for his people in which we are to consider the activenesse of Christs will in dying for man which may be seene 1. In his free offering of himselfe and his service to the Father Psalm 40.6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine eares hast thou opened Heb. 10.5 A body that is the office house and instrumentall subject of obedience to the death as the eare is of hearing and obeying the commandements of God thou hast prepared me Vers. 7. Then said I loe I come in the volumne of thy booke it is written of me to doe thy will ô God In these words Christ is brought in as a servant with three excellent quallities 1. Physically he is fitted with a body and a soule to offer to God for us as in a servant there are required strong limbs and armes to endure drudgery in this he was borne of his mother for this sad service his Master furnished him for this even the seed of mans flesh and bloud for suffering 2. There were morall habilities in him promptitude of of will So the Lord is brought in as a Lord and Master in justice crying servant O Sonne and servant Jesus I have a businesse for thee of great concernment At the first word as all good servants doe Christ takes him to his feet and compeares before his God his Master and Lord Loe I come here am I so servants of old answered their Master What service wilt thou command so hard which I will not undergoe Master here 's a body for thy worke here be cheekes for the nippers a face for those that will plucke off the haire a backe for smiting a body for the crosse and the grave Christ as a servant uncovered standing on feet would say Lord send mee thy seruant to the Garden to worke under the burden of thy wrath till I sweat blood bid me goe to shame to scourging and spitting is it thy will I goe up on the cursed crosse and bee made a curse for sinners that I be crucified and die that I goe lower in to the utter halfe of hell the grave which is a sad journey loe here am I willing to obey all 3. There was in Christ not onely willingnesse but delight Psal. 40.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My God I delight to doe thy will every servant cannot say this to his Master thy Law is in the midst of my heart 2. His willingnesse to die was a part of his Testament and last Will he dyed with good will and left in Legacy his death and the fruits of it his blessing his heart his love his peace his life to his bride in Testament confirmed by Law to all his poore brethren and friends Heb. 9 17. and John 14.27 Peace I leave in testament with you But the Orphane and the poore friend gets not all that his dying Father and friend leaves in Testament but Christ gives possession himselfe ere he die My peace I give to you but to the point His latter Will was willingnesse to die 3. No externall force could take his life from him against his will John 10.18 No man taketh my life from me but I lay it downe of my selfe I have power to lay it downe and I have power to take it againe Yet lest it should seeme a will-action in Christ and â—o not obedience he addeth This Commandement that is the will of a Superiour have I received of my Father Compelled obedience is no obedience exact willingnesse was a substantiall and essentiall ingredient in Christs obedience Acts of Grace cannot be extorted can yee teare a shoure of raine from God in an extreame drouth or bread from him in your hunger against his will Farre lesse since Christs dying was an act of pure grace can any compell him to dye for man Love arrested his holy will and that made him runne apace to dye for us O blessed be his good will who burned himselfe in the Bush in a fire of free love 4. Though dying be a passion yet Christs dying was both a passion and an action Will added as much perfume and strength of obedience as nature and paine shard-ship shame and abasement could doe his life was not so much plucked from him as out of his owne hand As an Agent he offered his bloud and soule yea himselfe to God through the eternall Spirit Hebr. 9.14 Love was the coard the chaine that did bind Christ to the Altar 5. Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on this intention came to this houre so is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often in Scripture Not onely his will but the floure of his will his intention was to die for Christs eye and his heart and his love was on his Bride the intention is the most eminent act that Love can put forth Christs eye and his heart being upon his Spouse he made our salvation his end and measure of his love to compasse this end the Lord laid many Oares in the water his rising earely his night watching his toyling his sweating his soare and hard Soule-travell as being heavy with Child of this end O might I have a redeemed people was all his care and his soule was eased when dying bleeding crying he went thorough hell and death and slept in deaths blacke and cold prison and his Redeemed ones in his armes When hee came to the end of this sad journey and found his Ramsomed ones he said I have sought you with a heavie heart faire and foule way sad and weary and all is well bestowed since I have gained you Let us up together to the hill of Spices to our Fathers house to the highest mountaine of Frankincense All that Christ did was for this end That he might deliver us from this present evill world Galat. 1.4 That he might be a ransome for many Matth. 20.28 That we might have life and have it more abundantly Joh. 10.10 That he might seeke and save the lost Luke 19.10 That he might present his wife a glorious Church to himselfe not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she should bee holy and without blemish Ephes. 5.26 27. that wee being dead to sinne should live to righteousnesse 1 Pet. 2.24 Christ came to seeke and travelled ever till he found his desire a redeemed and saved people and then hee rested Even as hee journyed through
opposition to another known false god though all may oppose the Gospel The Lord complaines of a whorish heart that playeth the harlot with many lovers Jer. 3.1 and heaven and saving grace stands on an indivisible point like the number of seven one added one removed varieth the nature no man is halfe in heaven halfe in hell almost a Christian is no Christian. When Adam fell from one God hee fell upon many inventions not upon one onely Eccles. 7.29 Our wandering is infinite and hath no home either God is a thunder or then hee is an Angel speaking from heaven Consid. 5. Men think the supernaturall wayes of God a thunder in the aire which is a most naturall work the ebbing and flowing of the Spirit either naturall joy or melancholly naturally following the complexion of the body It s Grace that puts a right sense on the works of God as on the word wee are no lesse heterodox in mis-interpreting the wayes and workes of God then in putting false and unsound senses on his word Emrods plagues the Philistines they doubt if chance or if the God of Israel have thus plagued them Moses works miracles the Magicians work miracles and the Egyptians doubt whether their false god or the living God that made the heaven and the earth hath wrought the miracles When God and Nature both worke naturall men or Saints as naturall betake themselves to the nearest God As sicknesse comes the naturall man saith Neglect of the body health the moone humours the air cold weather did it but hee looks not to God And the beleever guilty of a breach of the Sixth Command in neglecting second causes and in needlesse hurting the body seeth not this but fathers all upon God onely in a spirituall dispensation and considereth onely dispensation in God not sin in himselfe 2. Mercies grow invisibly and wee see not wee are ready to sleep at mercies offered When Christ knocks in love wee are in bed Cant. 5. 3. Judgements speak in the dark but wee heare not the Lord fatteneth some slaughter-oxen for hell and death is on some mens faces even the second death on their person but they see not To heare the Lords rods and who hath appointed it is the man of Wisdomes part Micha 6.9 There is an Orthodoxe Wisdome and Will as there is an Orthodox Faith Will as well as the minde can frame Syllogismes every unrenewed man hath a faith of his owne in the bottome of his will 2 Pet. 3. Some are willingly ignorant Some Jer. 9. through deceit refuse to know the Lord whereas lusts puts out reason and takes the chaire Lust hath stout Logick against Christ a fleshly minde vainely puffed up is a badge of bastard wit out-reasoning all the Gospel O but grace is quick-eyed sharpe and a witty thing to see God vailed in under the curtaine of flesh to see Christ and heaven through words and the Gospel with childe of so great a salvation Consid. 6. What wonder that there bee divisions about Christ. Some will have the Lord speaking from heaven a thunder others an Angel Christ is the most disputable thing in the world Math. 16.13 14. there be five Religions and sundry opinions touching Christ the Scribes and Pharisees had many sundry opinions and one of them is the right way onely and tenne false Joh. 7.40 Many say Christ is a Prophet Vers. 41 Others said this is the Christ Others no Shall Christ come out of Galile and there was a division among them Luke 2.34 Christ is for a signe that shall bee spoken against And amongst Christs sufferings this is one Hebr. 12.3 He sustained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contradiction of sinners Math. 24. Many false Christs shall arise There is but one heaven and one way to heaven and there is but one hell but there be thousands of wayes to hell from one point to another you can draw but one straight line but you may draw tenn◠thousand crooked and circular lines The truth is one and very narrow the lie is broad and very fertile and broodie error is infinite It s a blessed thing to find wisdome to hit upon Christ and adhere to him there be some dicets and couseners Ephes. 4.14 that lye in wait to deceive the simple and they cast the dice for heaven and can cast you up any thing on the dice either one or seven do yee then resigne your selves in this wood of false Religions that now is to Christ to be led to heaven Many now teach there be some few fundamentals beleeve them and live well and you are saved And many false Teachers that turne the Gospel upside downe say it is the same Gospel though the head be where the feet should be and for errors we wrong not truth so long as we hold nothing against fundamentals Should a man remove the roofe of your house cut down the timber of it and pick out all the faire stones in the wall and say Friend I wrong not your house see the foundation stones are safe and the foure corner stones are sure in the meane time the house can fence off neither winde nor raine would not this man both mock you and wrong you He that keeps the foundation Christ shal be saved though he build on it hay and stubble 1 Cor. 3. It s true But it was never the intent of the Holy Ghost That a man beleeving some few fundamentals though he hold and spread lyes and false Doctrines is in no hazard of damnation or that hee hath liberty of conscience to adde to the foundation hay and stubble and untempered morter and to daube dirt upon the foundation Christ and not sinne the place speaks no such thing but of this else where Others said it was an Angel These come neerer to the truth for they conceive there is more in this voice then a worke of Nature such as a thunder is they think an Angel spoke to Christ and they are convinced that Christ keeps correspondence with Heaven and Angels Angels have been and are in high estimation among men alwaies and there is reason for it 1. There is more of Heaven in Angels and more of God then in any of their fellow-creatures Sinnefull men have been stricken with feare at the sight of them they are persons of a more excellent countrey then the earth John the Apostle did overvalue an Angel Revel 19. Revel 21. And fell downe to worship him 2. Angels elect and chosen never lost their birth-right of creation as Men and Devils have done they were created as the Lilies and Roses which no doubt had more sweetnesse of beauty and smell before the sin of man made them vanity-sick Ro. 8.20 but they have kept their robes of innocency their cloth of gold above five thousand yeares without one sparke of dirt or change of colour for they never sinned innocencie and freedome from sinne hath much of God Adam as many think kept not his garments cleane
Libertines doe us from which wee are as farre as the East from the West Propos. â— It is not our doctrine but the weakenesse of sinners and of the flesh that we should be shie to Christ and stand aloofe from the Physitian because of the desperate condition of our disease This is as if one should say it is not fit for the naked to goe to him who offereth white linnen to cloath him nor that the poore should goe to him who would be glad you would take his fine gold off his hand or to say set not a young plant but let it lye above earth till you see if it beare fruit Unworthinesse in the court of justice is a good plea why Christ should cast us off but unworthynesse felt though not savingly is as good a ground to cast your selfe on Christ as poverty want and weakenesse in place of a Statute and act of Parliament to beg though the letter of the Law forbid any to beg Propos. 4. Acting and doing thouâ—h neither savingly nor soundly is not merit of grace yet not contrary to grace to obey the law of nature to give almes is not against grace Libertines should not reject this though it be not all but a most poore All to engage Christ. Propos. 5. Faith is a morall condition of life eternall and wrought in us by the free grace of God I never saw a contradiction between a condition wrought by irresistible grace and the gift or free grace of life eternall for life eternall given in the law and Adams doing and performing by the irresistible acting and assisting of God are not contrary yet the former was never merit but grace the latter was Legall doing Propos. 6. We doe receive the promise of willing and doing wrought immediatly in us according to the good will and most free grace of Christ and yet we are agents and worke under Christ. Propos. 7. Luther for I could fill a booke with citations Calvine and all our Protestant Divines are for qualifications voyd of merit or promise before conversion and for gracious conditions after conversion under the Gospel Antinomians belie Luther Propos. 8. Antinomians yeeld the preaching of the Law and preparations before conversion and conditions after and peace from signes of sanctification c. yet they are to be reputed enemies to grace and holinesse and turne all sanctification in their imaginary faith and justification of which they are utterly ignorant Never Antinomian knew rightly what free justification is Propos. 9. Immediate resting on Christ for all wee doe and drawing of comfort from the testimony of a good conscience are not contrary Propos. 10. Holinesse idolized or trusted in is to make Christ the alone Saviour no Saviour Propos. 11. God is not provoked to reprobate whom hee elected from eternity by new sins yet is hee displeased with Davids adultery so farre as to correct him for it and Solomon for his back-sliding with the rod of men Propos. 12. Works before justification please not God but it followes not that God keeps not such an order as sense of sin though not saving should goe before pardon and conversion no more then because Adams sin pleased not God therefore it should not goe before the Sons taking on our flesh If we are not to doe nor act any thing before conversion neither to heaâ—e conferre know our sinfull condition nor be humbled for sin despaire of salvation in our selves because these are not merits before conversion nor can they procure conversion to us neither are wee after conversion to beleeve for beleeving cannot merit righteousnessâ— and lâ—fe eternall nor are we to heare pray be patient rejoyce in trâ—â—â—lation for not any of these can procure life eternall to us And why is not the doing of the one as wâ—ll as the other a seeking righteousnesse in our selves Propos. 13. The promise of Christs comming in the flesh 2. and of giving a new heart are absolute promises the former requireth no order of providence but that sin goe before redemption the latter requireth an order of providence not of any Gospel-promise or merit in any sort there nâ—ver was never can be merit betwâ—en a meere creature and God Propos. 14. There is no faith no act of Christs coyn or of the right stamp before justification Propos. 15. Wee are justified in Christ virtually as in the publike Head when hee rose again and was justified in the Spirit 2. In Christ as hâ—s merits are 〈◊〉 cause of our justification 3. In Christ apprehended by faâ—th formâ—lly in the Scriptures sense in the Epistle to the Romanes and Galathians not that faith is the formall cause or any merit in justification but because it layâ—s â—old on impâ—ted riâ—â—â—eoâ—snesse which is the formall cause of our justiâ—â—caâ—ion 4. We are justified in our own sense and feeling not by faith 〈◊〉 because wee may beleeve and neither know that wee bâ—lâ—eve nor be sensible of our justification but as wee know that wee beleeve whether this knowledge result from the lighâ— of faith or from signes as meanes of our knowledge 5. Juâ—â—iâ—ication by way of declaration to others is not so infallible as that the Scripture calls it justification properly so named Object 8. I was sixthly in hearing the word shined upon by a sweet witnessing of the Spirit But O how I did strive against this work I was called upon but I put away all promises of mercy from me I may justly say The Lord saved me whether I would or no. Sometimes I was dead and could not pray sometimes so quickened that me thought that I could have spent a whole night in prayer to God Answ. 1. If the faith of the eternall love of free election was his first conversion no wonder hee was shined upon with light But it was not Scripture-light but wild-fire for the method of Christs drawing in the Scripture is not Enthusiasticall up at secret election at first There is no doubt wee put Christ away from us after conversion Cant. 5.1 and that so Christ saves us against our will That the principle of saving is free grace 2. that free will is neither free nor willing till Christ first draw us till hee renew and work upon the will But I feare Antinomians will have free will a block to doe nothing at all If Christ will let me sinne say they let him look to it upon his honour be it And Faith justifies an unbeleever that is that faith that is in Christ justifieth me who have no faith in my selfe And It is legall to say wee act in the strength of Christ. And To take delight in the holy service of God is to goe a whoring from God And A man may not be exhorted to any duty because hee hath no power to doe it And The Spirit acts most in the Saints when they endeavour least And In the conversion of a sinner the faculties of the soule and working thereof are
Churches can be no rule to us 3. If there be any marke of Scripturall sanctification that doth not agree to Scripture the rule of righteousnesse though found in a person not mentioned in Scripture it s a delusion 4. It s all the reason in the world that a sinner be drawn to Christ. For Christ is the most rationall object that is he being the wisdome of God And man is led and taken with reason Christ is a convincing thing and invincibly bindeth reason so the forlorne Sonne before he returne to his Father argueth Luke 15.17 My Father hath bread he giveth it to servants and I am a starving Son therefore I 'le returne to my Father and the wise Merchant must discourse Matth. 13.45 46. Christ is a precious pearle all that I have in the world are but common stones and clay to him therefore I cast my account thus to sell all and to buy him So Matth. 9.21 the diseased Woman hath heart-Logick within her self if a touch of the border of his garment may heale me then I le goe to Christ and the unjust Steward cast Syllogismâ—s thus I cannot worke and a lodging in heaven I must have and there is but one way to come by it to make mee a friend in heaven Yea a fooles paradise a wedge of gold is a strong reason Prov. 7.21 The Whore forced the young man with guilded words and the out-side of reason Faith is the deepest and soundest understanding the gold the floure of reason Christ can make me a King therefore I le be drawne to him Poore Adam out-witted himselfe turned distracted he studied an aple so while hee studied all his postrity out of their wits and now wee are borne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mad fooles T it 3.3 What is the Gospel but a masse a Sea a world of faire and precious truthes that sayes come borne-Idiots to wisdome and be made eternall Kings this is good reason For the other way of drawing we shall speake of it here-after Asser. 3. In words and oratory there is no power to make the blinde see and the dead live Will yee preach heaven and Christ seven times and let Angels preach above a dead mans grave Yee doe just nothing But Christs word is more then a word Joh. 4.10 Jesus said if thou knewest that gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee give me drinke thou wouldest have asked of him and hee would have given thee living water Psalm 119.33 Teach mee O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keepe it unto the end Psalm 9.10 Those that know thy name will put their trust in thee Christ said but Follow me to Mathew And I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud live Ezech. 16.6 One word live is with child of omnipotencie Majesty and heaven and glory lie in the wombe of one world when Christ speaks as Christ he speaks pounds and talent-weights Luk. 24.32 The Disciples going to Emans say one to another did not our hearts burne within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the Scriptures There bee coâ—es of fire and fire-brands in Christs words Christ is quick of understanding to know what word is the fittest key to shoote the yron barre that keepes thâ— heart closed he opens sealâ—s on the heart with authority violence may break up sealed letters but it may be unjustly done but authority can open Kings seales justly Christ not onely teacheth how to love or modum rei but hee teacheth Love it selfe he draweth a lump of love out of his owne heart and casts it in the sinners heart the Spirit perswadeth God Gal. 1.10 then hee must perswade Christ and perswade heaven this is more then to speake perswasive words of God and Christ it is to cast Christ in at the eare and in the bottome of the heart with words Men open things that they may be plaine to the understanding Christ opens the faculty it selfe to understand The Sunne gives light but cannot create eyes to see Christ can whole the broken optick nerves He creates both the Sunne and tyes a knot upon the broken eye-strings that the blind man sees bravely Asser. 4. One generall is unseparable from Christs drawing that for the manner of drawing he doth it out of meere free Love The principle of drawing on Christs part is great love Ephes. 2.4 God rich in mercy for his great love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sinne quickned us in Christ. Tit. 3.4 But when the bâ—unty and man-love or rather the man-kindnesse of God our Saviour appeared he saved us Thankes to the birth of love and of felt love Col. 1.12 13. Giving thanks to the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who hath delivered who hath snatched us with haste and violence from the power of darkenesse and hath translated us to the kingdome of the Sonne of his love â— This love hath in regard of his fervour much haste and loseth no time but comes and drawes and pulls the sinner out of hell before he be past recovery and cold dead as a Father seeing his child fall in the water and wrestling with the proud floods he runnes ere he be dead out of hand to pull him out Luk. 15.10 The Father ranne and fell on his neck and kissed him The Fathers running saith that the love of Christ hath need of haste to prevent a sinner and that hee is eager and hot in his love when Christ runnes to save hee would gladly save he drawes with good will when he runnes and sweats to come in the nick of due time to save So Cant. 2.8 when he commeth to save his Church or comfort her in her faintings loves pace is swift like the running of a Roe or a young Hart. Behold he commeth leaping upon the mountaines skipping on the hills And it is an expression of the extreme desire that Christ hath of an union with us and how faine hee would have the company of sinners So wee difference between inviting or calling yea or leading and drawing in calling and leading Christ leaveth more to our will whether we will come or refuse but in drawing there is more of violence lesse of will 3. In drawing there is love-sicknesse and lovely paine 〈◊〉 in Christs ravishings 1. When Christ cannot obtaine and winne the consent and good-liking of the sinner to his love he ravisheth and with strong hand drawes the sinner to himselfe when invitations doe not the businesse and he knocks and we will not open then a more powerfull work must follow Cant. 5.4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the doore and my bowels were moved for him Christ drives such as will not be led 2. And these who will not be invited he must draw them rather then want them he drawes with compassion as being overcommed with love for his bowels are moved
the soule comes to Christ he seeth a beauty of holynesse and Christ is taken with this beauty Psalm 110.3 So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty Psalm 45.11 Thou hast ravished my heart saith Christ to his Spouse Cant. 4.9 my sister my Spouse Vers. 10. How faire is thy love my Sister my Spouse how much better is thy love then wine and the smell of thine oyntments then all spices Vers. 11. Thy lips O my Spouse drop as the honey-combe honey and milke are under thy tongue and the smell of thy garments is as the smell of Lebanon Sion is the perfection of beauty Psal. 50.2 All this beauty and sweetnesse commeth from Christ there is no such thing in the people of God as they are sinnefull men considered in their naturall condition and therefore it must be fountaine-beauty in him as in the cause and originall of beauty 2. There is a delâ—ctâ—tlon in a communion with God This is one generall Prov. 3.17 All Wisdomes waies are waies of pleasure to the spirituall soule every step to heaven is a paradice 1. What sweetnesse is in the sense of the love of Christ to delight all the spirituall senses 1. The smell of Christs Spicknurd his Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia his Yvorie chambers smâ—ll of heaven the oyntment of his garments bring God to the Sense Psalm 45.8 All thy garments smell of myrrhe aloes and cassia out of the yvorie palaces there have they made thâ—e glad Cant. 1.13 A bundle of myrrhe is my beloved to me he shall lye all night between my breasts 2. To the sight Christ is a delightfull thing To behold God in Christ is a changing sight 2 Cor. 3.18 But wee all with open face-beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord Ephes. 1.17 Math. 16.17 1 Joh. 2.37 To see the King in his beautie is a thing full of ravishing delight 3. It taketh the third spirituall sense of hearing the Spouse Cant. 2.8 is so taken with the sweetnesse of Christs tongue that for joy she can but speake broken and unperfect words The voyce of my beloved It is not a perfect speech but for joy she can speake no more It s the voice of joy and gladnesse that with the very sound can heale broken bones Psal. 51.8 and which David desired to heare O if you heard Christ speake Cant. 5.13 His lips are like Lilies dropping sweet smelling Myrrhe Heavens musick the honey of the new Land is in his tongue the Church cheereth her soule with tâ—is Cant. 2.10 My beloved spake and said unto mee Rise up my love my faire one and come away Christs piping in the joyfull Gospel-tiding Vers. 5. should make us dance Matth. 11.17 Christ harping and singing sinners with joyfull promises out of heâ—l to heaven must have a drawing sweetnesse to move stones if the sinner have eares to heare and what heat and warmnesse of love must it bring when Christ is heard say Esai 54.11 O thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with faire colours and lay thy foundations with Saphirs He doubles his words hee desires Jerusalems eares may owne this cry Esai 40.1 Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith the Lord speake to the heart of Jerusalem 4. Christ is sweet to the spirituall taste Cant. 2.3 I sate downe under his shaddow with great delight and his fruit was sweet in my mouth Psal. 34.8 O taste and see that the Lord is good Christ is a curious banquet the Wine the Milk the Honey and the fatted calfe killed are all but shaddowes to Christs excellent Gospel-dainties 5. The sense of touching which is the most spirituall is the heavenly feelings sense and experience of Gods consolations and this sense is fed with the kisses of Christs mouth Cant. 1.3 With the hid Manna the White stone the new Name 3. Joy is a drawing delight Psal. 16.11 In his face there is fulnesse of joy Look how farre Gods face casts downe from heaven sparkles of joy on us as farre goes our joy and wee are said in beleeving 1 Pet. 1.8 to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious 4. There is particularly delectation Psal. 36.8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them drinke of the rivers of thy pleasures Should not this draw men to Christ And there must be abundance of pleasures where there is a river of pleasures as Psalm 46.4 There is a river the streames whereof make glad the City of God What a Sea of Seas must God himselfe bee His full and bright face his white throne his harpers and heavenly troopes that surround the throne the Lambe the heaven of heavens it selfe the tree of life eternally greene eternally adorned both at once with soule-delighting blossomes and loaden with twelve manner of fruit every month Peace of conscience from the sense of reconciliation the first fruits of Emmanuels land that lyes beyond Time and Death must all be above expression There is a second drawing motive in Christ and this is from gaine which is eminently in Christ. 1. The drawne soule hath bread by the covenant of grace his yearely rent is written in the New Testament Christ is his rentall booke and heritage Esai 33.16 He shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munition of Rocks for his lodging he shall not lye in the fields Bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure or faithfull bread and drinke are unfaithfull uncertaine and winged to naturall men 1 Tim. 6.17 Riches hath an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an uncertainty like Ghosts or Spirits that yee see but they evanish out of your sight and disappeare or like cloudes or fire-lightnings in the ayre that come and goe suddenly but bread is faithfull and sure to the soule drawn to Christ when the covenanted people are so drawn that they receive a new heart then God saith Ezech. 36.29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesse What then And I will call for the corne and will increase it and lay no famine upon you Vers. 34. And the land shall be tilled Does the New Testament provide for the plowing of your land Yea it doth Yea know Wisdoms attendants and allacays Prâ— 3.16 On her right hand is length of dayes and on her left hand riches and honour Eternity hath the honour and the right hand Riches is the left hand blessing of wisdome 2. It should draw us in the owne kind to Christ in regard Christ is more then gain Pro. 3.14 Wisdomes merchandise is better then silver and her gaine then fine gold Vers. 15. Shee is more precious then Rubies 2 Job 28.1 Wisdome cannot bee gotten for gold 3 Is there not some worth in Gold Vers. 16. Wisdome cannot be valued with the gold of Ophyre with the precious Onix with
the Saphire Vers. 17. The Gold and the Christall cannot equall it 4 May there not be bidding and buying and words of a market here Nay the disproportion between Christ and Gold is so great that a rationall Merchant can never speake of such a bargaine Vers. 18. No mention shall bee made of Corall or of Pearles for the price of Wisdome is above Rubies Say that heaven and earth and all within the bosome and circumference of heaven and millions of more worlds were turned into Gold Pearle Saphires Rubies and what else yee can imagine yee undervalue Christ if yee speake of buying of him 3. Being drawne to Christ maketh all yours when yee are hungry all the bread of the earth is your Fathers When yee are in a Ship yeare in Christs Fathers waters when yee travell in Summer ye see your Redeemers fields your Saviours woods trees floures cornes cattels birds Yea and all things are yours 1 Cor. 3.21 Not in possession but in a choiser free-holding in free heritage Psal. 37.11 Yee have the broad rent the faire In-come of all things Your land is named All things Revel 21.7 Hee that overcometh shall inherit all things 4. All you have a morsell of greene herbes a bed of straw want hunger wealth are guilded and watered with Christ. The third drawing thing in Christ is Honour The Church is a Princesse daughter Cant. 7.1 A Kings daughter Psal. 45.13 A Queene in gold of Ophire Psal. 45.9 Kings and Priests unto God Revel 1.5 Not young Kings onely but Crowned Kings And they had on their heads crownes of gold Revel 4.4 Every Saint rules the Nations with a rod of iron Every beleever is a Catholicke King and swaies the Scepter over all the Kingdomes of the world 1. In regard that his head Christ guides all Kings Courts and Kingdomes all the world and the weight of States Empires not indirectly and onely in ordine ad Spiritualia but directly and the weight of the Church tryumphing and the Church fighting are upon the shoulders of our brother and Saviour 2. In that by faith he breaks and overcomes the world 3. And by prayer which is more then the key of Europa Africk and Asia he can bring in the nations to Christ and shut and open heaven 2. Consider what God makes them To him that laies hold on my Covenant saith the Lord Esai 56.5 I will give within my house and my walles a name But what is a name A name is but name A name better then the name of sonnes and daughters even an everlasting name that shall not be cut off An everlasting name I confesse is more then a name Esai 43.4 Since thou wast precious in my sight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast beene glorious or honourable 1 Chron. 4.9 And Jabez was more honourable then his brethren the same word and way Vers. 10. And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying oh that thou wouldest blesse me indeed and enlarge my coast It was said of Reuben Gen. 49.4 Reuben thou shalt not excell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor be an overplus in praise it s to remaine or abound either in quantity or quality for his incest deprived him of his excellencie Prov. 12. â—6 The righteous is more abundant the same word more honourable glorious or excellent then his neighbour 3. The Lord who knowes the weight of things Angels and Men esteemes highly of them Cant. 5.2 My Sister my Love my Dove The Spouse must in Christs heart have an high respect when he saith Cant. 4.1 Behold thou art faire my love and that cannot content him he addeth Behold thou art faire Cant. 6.9 my dove my undefiled is but one shee is the onely one of her mother shee is the choise one of her that bare her The Saints in Christs bookes are jewels Mal. 3.17 His onâ—ly choise the floure of the earth All the world is Christs refuse and King are but morter to him the Saints are Christs assâ—ssors and the Kings Peeres to judge the world with him Lords of the higher House Christ devides the throne with them Luk. 22.30 1 Cor. 6.2 Revel .21 The Lord so farre honoureth them as to put them on all his secrets Psalm 25.4 The secrets of the Lord are with them that feare him Joh 14.21 I will manifest my selfe unto him they are of his Cabinet counsell Cant. 2.4 The King brought me into his house of Wine his secrets of love and free grace are there 4. Christ so honoreth them that he professeth hee desires a a communion with them Cant. 4.8 Comâ— with me from Lebanon my Spouse Joh. 14.23 The Father and I will come un-him and make our abode with him Cant. 2.16 He seedeth among the Lilies till the day breake the Lord familiarly converseth with them Vse 1. All them who are taken with faire things and are so soft as pleasures they must have and will not be drawne to Christ the pleasantest and fairest one that ever heaven had are much prejudged ye warme your selves O children of men at the outside of a painted fire Your pleasure and wee may beleeve Salomon are floures worme-eaten and as garments torne and threed bare Salomons honey and Sampsons Dalilah are sweet drinks that swels them when these work on their stomacke they are glad to vomit them out and are pained with sickenesse at the remembance of them there is no drawing beauty to Christ behold him in all his excellencies Cant. 5.10 My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among tenne thousand Vers. 11. His head is as the most fine gold his locks are bushie and black as a raven Vers. 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of water washed with milke and fitly set Vers. 13. His cheeks are as a bed of spices as sweet floures his lips like Lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe Vers. 14. His hands are as gold rings set with Berill his belly is as bright yvorie over-laid with Saphires Vers. 15. His legges are as pillars of Marble set upon sockets of fine gold his countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars Vers. 16. His mouth is most sweet or in the abstract 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sweetnesses and hee is all desires all loves and all of him or every peece of him is love and when John sees him Revel 1. O what a sight Vers. 13. Hee was clothed with a garment downe to the feet and girt about the paps with a golden girdle Uers. 14. His head and his haire were white like wooll as white as snow and his eyes were as a flame of fire Vers. 15. And his feet like unto fine brasse as if they burned into a furnace and his voice as the sound of many waters Vers. 16. And hee had in his right hand seven starres Hee hath the Churches and all the elect in his right hand and ouâ— of his mouth went a sharpe two edged sword and his countenance was as the Sunne shineth in
ninety nine beside because this is the Master wheele that stirreth all the rest Now the Lord knoweth how to reach down his hand to the bottome of the elective faculty and that wheele being moved without more adoe it drawes all the affections as subordinate wheels If the key be not so fitted in the work wards and turnings of it as to remove the crosse-barre it cannot open the doore Omnipotency of grace is so framed and accommodated by infinite wisdome as that it can shoot aside the dissenting power without any violence and get open the doore If free will be the workmanship of God as wee must confesse it is a needlesse arguing of Arminians and Jesuites to say that free will is essentially a power absolutely loosed from predeterminating Providence so as whatever God doth on the contrary it may doe or not doe it may nill will chuse refuse or suspend its action for such a creature so absolute so soveraigne and independent as hee that made it cannot without violence to nature turn move bow determine and master it in all its elective power for his own ends and as seemeth good to the Potter for the manifestation of mercy and justice is to say Hee that made the free will cannot have mercy on it hee that framed the clay-vessel cannot use it for honour or dishonour as hee pleaseth hee that moulded and created the horologe and all the pins pieces and parts hath not power to turn the wheels as hee pleaseth 4. Christ in externall meanes accommodates himselfe so in the revealing of himselfe as hee thinks good 1. In accommodating his influence with his word 2. With externalls of providence The breathings of the Holy Ghost goe so along with the word as the word and the Spirit are united as if they were one Agent as sweet smells are carried through the aire to the nose The word is the chariot the vehiculum the horse the Spirit the Rider The word the arrow the Spirit steeleth and sharpeneth the arrow The word the sword the Spirit the steel-mouth and edge that cutteth and divideth asunder the soule and the spirit the marrow and the joynts Heb. 4.12 It is the same Christ in all his lovelinesse and sweetnesse that is preached in the word and conveyed to the soule not God or Christ as abstracted from the word as Enthusiasts dreame And though the Preacher adde a Ministeriall spirit to the word to cause Felix tremble yet hee is not Master of the saving and converting Spirit Golden words though all Gospel and honeyed with heaven and glory planting and watering without the Spirit are nothing In externals of providence God chuseth 1. Meanes 2. Time 3. Disposition 4. Anticipation of the sinners intention 5. Fit words 1. In meanes God appeares to Moses acquainted with mountaines and woods in a bush which burnt with fire to the Wisemen skilled in the motions of the heaven in a new starre to Peter a fisher in a draught of fishes 2. He setteth a time and takes the sinner in his month Jer. 2.24 In his time of love Ezech. 16.8 When he is ripe like the first ripe in the figge-tree Hos. 9.10 3. Often he chuseth in the furnace Hos. 5. Last verse I will returne to my place Hebrew till they make defection or be guilty for the most part man is not guilty in his owne eyes while hee bee as Manasseh was in the bryars the fire melting the silver portrait of a horse causes it losse the figure of head feet leggs and turnes all in liquid white water and then the metall is ready to receive a farre other shape of a man or any other thing the man is ductill and bowable and â—npartiall when God seales and stamps the rodd he is not so wedded to himselfe as before it may be also that mercies and great deliverances and favours melt the man and bring him to some gracious capacity to be wrought on by Christ. 4. Christ anticipates the current of the heart and intention When Saul is on a banquet of blood Christ out-runnes him and turnes him all men are converted contrary to their intentions thousands are in a channell and current of high provocations and they are in the fury of swelling over the banks and Christ gets before them to turne the current to another channell Christ is swift and they are all chased men that are converted Sure Mathew that morning he came to the receipt of custome minded nothing but money and his count book and had not a forset purpose of Christ and because intentions purposes counsels are as it were essentiall to rationall men as men and the refined'st acts of reason and their noblest and most Angel-like works and Christ catcheth sinners contrary to their intentions and in this sense saves the sinner blesses him and gives him Christ and heaven against his will whether he will or not that is whether he spiritually will or no or whether he savingly intend his owne conversion or not 5. There is one golden word and God is in the word one good word that is fit and dexterous hic nunc Prov. 25.11 A word fitly spoken Heb. a word spoken on his wheeles is like apples of gold in pictures of silver Sure Christs words to a sinner ripe for conversion moves on wheeles that is in such order as two wheeles in one cart they answer most friendly one to another in their motion because Christ observeth due circumstances of time place person congruency with the will and disposition As Hos. 2.14 and Salomons Ecoles 12.10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words Hebr. words of will or of good will Christ was greater then Salomon and is a higher Preacher then he and seeks out words to the heart that burns the heart Luk. 24.32 Sure there is more of heaven more life and fire in these words to Mathew Follow me and to dying Jerusalem Live then in ordinary words the Hebrews call vaine words Esai 36.5 A word of lips Prov. 14.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these be words of winde that are empty and have no fruit the words of the Lord fitted for converting are words of the heart and words of power which want not the effect they are words fit for the heart Esai 40.2 Hos. 2.14 Such words as teach the heart Esai 54.13 Joh. 6.45 there is an uncreated word sutable for the heart that goes along with the word spoken and that meets with all the byases turnings and contradictions of the heart and takes the man and no word but that onely can doe the businesse there is a word that is with child of love a word commeth from God and its a coale from the Altar that is before the Lords throne and it fires up all yron locks in the soule that the will must yeeld The woman of Samaria heareth but these words I am he that talketh with thee and her will is burnt with a strong necessity of love
complaining would be examined Seldome or never is it seen that a reprobate man can be in sad earnest heavie in heart touching his deadnesse of heart and fruitlesse hearing of the word of God thirty or fourty yeares and withall if there be a dram of sincerity the least graine of Christ as if the soule doe but look afarre-off with halfe an eye yet greedily after the Lord Jesus it s a sweet beginning It s true a talent weight of iron or sand is as weighty as a talent weight of gold but in a Saint an ounce weight of grace hath more weight then a pound of corruption It is no Gospel-truth that Antinomians teach That God loves no man lesse for sin or no man more for inherent holinesse It s true of the love of election and reconciliation in the work of justification but most false of the love of divine manifestation in the work of sanctification as is cleare Joh. 14.21 23. Nor are men by this taught to seek righteousnesse in themselves because they are commanded to try and examine themselves as 1 Cor. 11.28 2 Cor. 13.5 4. Such soules would upon any termes be brought to reason and debate the question with Christ that as the Law may stop their mouth before God so mercy may stop the mouth of the Law and sin and it may convincingly be cleared that though scarlet or crimson can by no art be made white yet Christ who is above art can make them white Isai. 1.18 as wooll and snow And therefore such would be brought in an high esteeme and deep judgement of Christs fairnesse beauty excellency incompatable and transcendent worth and though a soule have a too high esteeme of his sins yet say that hee dies with an high esteeme of Jesus Chriâ—t hee is in no danger for faith is but a swelled an high and broad opinion and thought of the incomparable excellency and sweetnesse of Jesus Christ. Vse 8. This powerfull drawing teacheth humble thankefulnesse 1. The most harmelesse and innocent sinner must bee in Christs book for the debt of ten thousand Talents 2. The sense of drawing grace is mighty ingaging every act of thankfull obedience should come out of this wombe as the birth and child of the felt love of God Christ did bid such a man battell 2. He was Christs enemy when he took him 3. It cost Christ blood he died to conquer an enemie Rom. 5.10 4. He kept the taken enemy alive he might have killed him he gave him more then quarters he made a captive a King Rev. 1.6 Suppose we Christ should in his own person come locally down to hell and look upon so many thousands scorching and flaming in that unsufferable lake of fire and brimstone if he should cull out by the head and name so many thousands of them even while they were spitting on Christ blaspheming his name and scratching his face and should loose off the fetters of everlasting vengeance and draw them from amongst millions of damned Spirits lay them in his bosome carry them to heaven set them on Thrones of glory crown them as Kings to raigne with him for evermore Would they not be shamed and overcome with this love kisse and adore so free a Redeemer and thus really hath Christ dealt with sinners look on your debts written in Christs grace-book would not such a redeemed one praise his Ransomer and say O if every finger every inch of a bone every lith every drop of blood of my body every hair of my head were in an Angels perfection to praise Iesus Christ O the weight of the debt of love O the gold Mynes and the depths of Christs free love 3. Consider what expressions vessels of grace have used of free grace how far below grace Paul sets himself lo here Eph. 3.8 To me who am 1. Lesse then a Saint 2. Not that only but lesse then the least 3. Lesse then the least of Saints But 4. yet a little lower lesse then the least of all Saints is this grace given that I should preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Gospell riches is grace and mercy but there is a great abundance of it it s a speech from quick-sented hounds who have neither footstep nor trace nor sent left them of the game they pursue Christ defies men and Angels to trace him in the wayes of grace So Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 I was a blasphemer and a persecuter and an injurious person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but I was be-mercied as if dipt in a river in a Sea of mercy Vers. 14. And the grace of the Lord Jesus to me was abundant No that is to low a word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his grace was more or over-abundant one Paul obtained as much grace even so whole and compleat a ransome without diminishing as would have saved a world Rom. 5.15 If through the offence of one many bee dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is exceedingly to abound and borrowed from fountaines and rivers which have flowed with waters since the creation but there is a higher word Vers. 12. Where sinne abounded grace farre more or exceedingly over-abounded or more then over-abounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Vers. 21. Sin reigned unto death that grace might reigne unto life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christs grace might play the King The saving knowledge of God under the Kingdome of the Messiah Esai 11.9 fills the earth as the Sea is covered with waters A Sea of Faith and a Earthfull of the grace of saving light and a Sunne sevenfold as the light of seven dayes Esai 30.26 hold forth to us a large measure of grace and righteousnessâ— and peace like a river and the waves of the sea Esai 48.18 All these say Christ is no niggard of grace And 4. can they not weare and out-spend their harps who fall downe before the Lambe Revel 14. and Revel 5.8 Who with a loude voice praise the grace of God Vers. 12. For ever and ever Consider if it must not be a loud voice when ten thousand times ten thousand and thousand thousands all joyne in one song to extoll grace if we be not in word and deed obliged to expresse the vertues and praises of him who hath called us from darkenesse to his marveilous light Vers. 32. And I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men to me Article II. The next thing we consider is the person that drawes I sayes Christ I will draw all men to me There is a peculiar aptitude in Jesus Christ to drawe sinners to himselfe 1. As concerning his person he is fit for neither is the Father nor the Holy Ghost in person Lord Redeemer but Christ as in the deep of Gods wisdome the Sonne was thought fittest to make Sonnes Galat. 4.4 the heire to communicate the right of heire-ship
to the neerest of the bloud to his brethren to make them joynt-heires with him so is Christ a fit person as Lord Saviour to rescue captives and to draw them to the state of Sonne-ship which I speake not to exclude the other two persons for Joh. 6.44 The Father drawes to the Son and the Spirit of grace in the worke of conversion must bee a speciall agent but Christ is made in a personall consideration a drawer of sinners God works and caries on all his state-designes of heaven by Christ Hebr. 2.10 He brings or drives many Sonnes to glory 2. Christ by office is a congregating and uniting Mediator Col. 1.20 He makes heaven and earth one Hee is our peace and made of twaine on Ephes. 2.14 The Shepherd that gathers the Sonnes of God in one Joh. 11.52 And hee by the merit of his bloud maketh sinners Legally one with God he is Emmanuel God with us fit to draw us in a Law-union to God We were banished out of Paradise the Sonne by office was sent out to bring in the out-law sonnes 3. God hath laid downe in a manner his compassion mercy gentlenesse to sinners in Christ and Christ hath taken off infinit wrath and satisfied justice in his nature and office God is no where to speake so so much mercy graciousnesse kindnesse tender compassion to sinners such a Sea of love as in the Lord Jesus O but he is a most lovely desirable compassionate God in Christ. The sinner findeth all that God can have in him or doe for saving in the Mediator Christ there can nothing come out of God to the sinner but through Christ. There is no golden pipe no channell but this all God and wholâ— God is in Christ and all God as communicable to the creature and were God seen in his lovelynesse his beauty would be strong coards and chaines to draw hell up to heaven Love grace mercy are sodering and uniting attributes in God now though these same essentiall attributes that are in one bee in all the three persons yet the Mediatory manifestation of love grace and free mercy is onely in the Sonne so as Christ is the treasurie store-house and magazene of the free goodnesse and mercy of the Godhead As the Sea is a congregation of waters so is Christ a confâ—uâ—nce of these lovely and drawing attributes that are in the Godhead Christ is the face of God 2 Cor. 4.6 The beauty and lovelynesse of the person much of the majestie and glory of the man is iâ— the face now the beauty and majesty and glory of God is manifâ—sted iâ— Châ—ist So Hebr. 1.3 He is the brightnesse of his glory the Father is as it 〈◊〉 all Sunne and all pâ—â—rle the Sonne Christ is the substantiall rayes light-shining thâ— eternall and â—ssâ—â—tiall irradiation of this Sunne of glory the Sunnes glory is manifested to the world in the light and beames that it sends out to the woâ—lâ— and if the Sunne should keep its beames and light withiâ— iâ—s body we â—hould see nothing of the Sunnes beauty â—nd glory No Mâ—n no Angel could see any thing of Goâ— i◠〈◊〉 had not had a consubstantiall Sonne begotten of himselfâ— by â—n eternall generation but Christ is the beamâ—s and splendor and the shining but the consubstantiall shining of the infinite pâ—arle and outs God as the sâ—â—le doth the stâ—mpâ— and as God incâ—â—nate hâ— reveales the excellency glory and beauty of God 〈◊〉 pearle is a drawing and an alluring creature from its shining bâ—â—uty so Christ is the drawing lovelynesse of God yee cannot sâ—e the creatures beauty or the mans face but yee see the creature and the man so saies Christ to Philip Joh. 14.9 Hee that hath seene me hath seene the Father I am as like the Father as God is like himselfe there is a perfect indivisible essentiall unity betweene the Father and me I and the Father are one one very God he the begetter I the begotten So God hath laid downe and empawned all his beauty his lovelynesse and his drawing vertue in Christ the load-stone of heaven he is the substantiall rose that grew out of the Father from eternity A mans wisdome makes his face to shine Wisdome is a faire lovely and an alluring beauty Now Christ is the essentiall wisdome of God were your eyes once fastened upon that dainty lovely thing Christ that uncreated golden Arke the eternall that infinite floure and Lilie that sprang out of the essence and beautifull nature of God with eternall infinite greennesse fairenesse smell vigour life never to fade that essentiall wisdome and substantiall word the intellectuall birth of the Lords infinite understanding if your eyes were once on him in a vision of glory it should be unpossible to get your eyes off him againe there would come such drawing rayes and visuall lines of lovely beauty and glory from his face to your eyes and should dart in through these created windowes to the understanding heart and affection such arrowes and darts of love as yee shall be a captive of glory for ever and ever Psalm 16.11 In thy presence is fulnesse of joy Revel 22.4 They shall see his face it s a Kings face and a kingly glory to see it Ver. 5. And they shall raigne for ever and ever 4. Then there is so much warmenesse of heart and such a fire of love such a stock of free grace so wide so tender so large bowels of mercy and compassion toward sinners as he would put himselfe into a posture of mercy and in such a station of clay as he might conveniently get a strong pull of sinners to draw them a large and wide handfull or his armes full of sinners as he would be a man for us to get all the organes of lovely drawing of sinners to him a mans heart to love man a mans bowels to compassionate man a mans hands to touch the foule leapers skin a mans mouth and tongue to pray for man to preach to men and in our nature to publish the everlasting Gospel a mans leggs to bee the good Shepheard to goe over mountaine and wildernâ—sse to seek or to save lost sheep a mans soule to sigh and groane for man a mans eyes to weepe for sinners his nature to lay downe his life for his poore friends hee would bee a created clay-tent of free-grace a shop and an office-house of compassion towards us he would borrow the wombe of a sinner to be borne sucke the breasts of a woman that needed a Saviour eat and drinke with sinners and publicans came to seek and to save lost sinners was numbred with sinners dyed between two sinners made his grave with sinners saith Esaiah Esai 53.9 borrowed a sinners tombe to be buried in And now he keeps the old relation with sinners when hee is in heaven honour hath not changed him as he hath forgotten his old friends Hebr. 4.15 For we have not a high Priest that cannot bee touched with the feeling of our
with himselfe as the Bridgrome is farre more excellent then his bracelets chaines rings In this sense I would in my heart and esteeme make away all ordinances yea all the honey-combes all the apples all the created roses that grow on Christ all the sweet results and out-flowings of glory yea whole created heaven for Christ Christ God himselfe the bulke the body the stalke of the tree of life is infinitly to be valued above an apple yea all the created apples and sweet blossomes and soule-delighting floures that groweth on the tree Now here on earth we are happy as heires not as Lords and possessors and in an union with the exterior and revealed will of God in beleeving fearing serving God in Christ in a practicall union with God but all this is but the way to the weell not the wee ll it selfe and the union with or vision of God is mediate farre off in a mirrour in the image forme characters elements or looking-glasse of Word Sacraments Ministery Ordinances of hearing praying praysing but in heaven wee see God face to face that is without meanes or the intervention of messengers or ordinances I cannot determine whether when we shall know and see the Lord in an immediate vision of glory our understanding shall receive created formes intellectuall species images characters of the lovely essence the white ruddy pleasant lovely countenance of that desirable Prince the Lord Jesus it s a nicety not for our edification sure Christ shal infuse and poure in into every vessell of glory so much of himselfe his presence lovlinessâ— image beauty as from bottome to brimme the soule shall be full and who knoweth what the eternall milkings the everlasting intellectuall suckings of the glorified ones are by which they draw in and drinke from the honey-combe of uncreated glory and the deepe deepe fountaine and river of endlesse life the streames of joy consolation love fruition of Jehovah the soule being the channell whose bankes are eternally greene with glory what are the emanations the out-flowings of blessedness from the pure essence and bright face of him that sitteth on the throne and what can these in-commings and the eternall flowings of the tyde of that Sea of matchless felicitie bee who knoweth Come up and see can best resolve come up and drinke be drunke and giddie and satiated with glory and move no curious question of that fruition of God Christ will solve all these doubts to the quieting of your minde when yee come up thither nor is it needfull to say that there is a vision of God in this life which is heaven and all the heaven wee shall ever have and this vision is without receiving any images formes characters of God because it is purely spirituall and abstracted from all acts of imagination and in it we are meere patients not agents God powring the immediate brightnesse of his owne essence in us truely this is to be wise above what is written and I crave leave to doubt if Familists have the images and species of this opinion from the Spirit of God For that spirit is a Spirit of sobriety and the most spirituall and extaticall visions that the Prophets the men of God were taken up with in them all to me there seems to be visions of formes images characters a Throne Angels with six wings smoake a woman cloathed with the Sunne c. A pot toward the North a cloude and a fire infolding it selfe a colour of Amber out of the midst of the fire but a vision of God immediate in this life and that ordinary without forms images without Word Sacraments Ordinances I know not I understand it not Pos. 3. The Monkish conceit of the excellency of a contemplative life separated from all obligation to duties of the second Table above the practicall life hath been the first seed of wicked Familisme the Authors of both these books called Theologia Germanica and The Brighs Star being professed Papists though Mr. Randall extoll both as peeces of rare price and Doctrines suiting only for the perfect as if the Scripture were not such a peece yet professed grosse Idolatry and the adoring of the wood of the Cross is in The Bright Star cap. 19. and divers other Popish principles are in both Pos. 4. There is a twofold fulnes of lovelinesse in Christ one attainable in this life the other reserved for the life to come The full and highest pitch of the drawing loveliness of Christ I thinke excludeth all Ordinances Scripture Sacraments and meanes we now use Because Old Monks and late Familists make no heaven but in this life only as if a Monks coul were the very crown of eternall glory and say the Resurrection is past as their Fathers Hymeneus and Phyletus said and doubt of the immortality of the Soule therefore they that they may be true to their own principles must say that there be a number of perfect men that are above and higher then Law duties ordinances teaching of men ministery because these are for the unperfect and unregenerate and the Monks and Familists are not such but doe already injoy God in a fruition of Glory But the Scripture saith That meanes ordinances are ever in use in this life and only excluded from the life to come 1 Cor. 13.8 Charity never faileth But whether there be prophecies they shall faile whether there be tongues they shall cease whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away Ver. 9. For we know in part and we prophecy in part 10. But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away v 12. For now in this life we see through a glasse darkly But then in the life to come face to face Now I know in part but then I shall know even as also I am known And that this is a Paralell between this life and the life to come is clear from the 1 Joh. 3.2 Behold now we are the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know when he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 2. The life to come is holden forth Revel 21.22 to want all Ordinances And I saw no Temple therein saith Iohn when he saw the New Jerusalem for the Lord God Almighty and the Lambe are the Temple of it Nor is there any ignorance there Rev. 22.5 And there shall be no night there and they need no Candle neither light of the Sun for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign for ever and ever What ever any say of a personall reign of Christ on earth the words prove that while that life come all the regenerate here have need of a Temple and Ordinances so long as there is night and darkness and use for Sun and Moon so the date of Church ordinances is holden forth Cant. 2.16 My well-beloved is mine and I am his he feedeth among the Lillies 17. Vntill the
with the blood of Buls and Goats which was offered for the reconciling of men to God not of God to men 2. Because that blood is said to sanctifie and purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God which cannot be said of God but clearly holdeth forth that Christ having offered himselfe without spot to God through the eternal Spirit those for whom he offereth himself cannot eternally perish as M. Moor saith p. 5. but that their consciences by this blood are purged from dead works to serve the living God And the place 1 Pet. 2.24 doth not prove that Christ bare the sinnes of many on the tree who are not actually saved by his death 1. The place saith the contrary and no such thing as that the Lord layd on Christ the iniquities of all and every one of mankinde 1 Peter restraines it to beleevers elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit begotten again unto a lively hope who are kept through the power of God by faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.2 3 4 5. And there is no colour that Peter speaketh of all Adams sonnes of all the heathen because hee saith Christ bare our sinnes Which bee these The sins of these that be called to patient suffering for well doing who are to follow Christ who left us an example of patient suffering who when he was vers 23. reviled reviled not again Now what is this the Indians and Tartarians patient suffering after Christs example to whose eares the name of Christ and his suffering never came by a dream or imagination 2. The sinnes of these which Christ bare on his own bodie on the tree are these that are healed with Christs strips and these that are returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of their soules and are to live to righteousnesse being dead to sin by the death of Christ who bare their sins v. 24 25. now these are the All that Isai speaketh of c. 53. when he saith 53.6 The Lord layd on him tâ—e iniquities of us all That is if we beleeve Arminians of all Moab Ammon Egypt Philistims Caldeans Ethiopians and all Adams Children who never heard of Christ for the thousand part of Adams Sons never heard of Christ then are they not obliged to beleeve in him of whom they never heard nor is it their sinne that they beleeve not Rom. 10.14 Ioh. 15.22 Ergo they are not obliged to live to righteousnesse being dead to sinne through Christs death because they never heard of Christs death Far lesse are all Adams sonnes healed with Christs stripes and returned to the shepherd and Bishop of soules nor was the chastisement of all the heathens peace upon Christ. And Esaiah expoundeth who be these all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose iniquities were laid upon Christ v. 8. for the transgressions of my people was he stricken and v. 12. he bare the sins of many as Matth. 20.28 and 26.28 The blood which is shed for many and he made intercession for sinners What doth he beare stripes for all the heathen and is he entred as High Priest for all Adams sons into the Holy of Holiest to plead and Advocate for such as Cicero Regulus Scipio Cato such as Pharoah Cain Judas Julian If he bare their iniquities he must beare their apostacie and finall infidelity or doth hee intercede for all and every one of mankinde 1 Ioh. 1.2 compared with 1 Ioh. 1.6 7 8 9 10. and Hebrew 9. He appeareth for us ver 24. for those that are sprinkled 13 14 15 16 17. and looke for him the second time vers 28. He maketh intercession for them that come to God through him Heb. 7.25 Who have a High Priest over the house of God Heb. 10.20 21 22. All these and many other places sheweth the contrary And the redemption that is in Iesus Christ Rom. 3.24 is not a Redemption which might have been confined within Christ to reconcile God to himselfe and which might consist with the finall totall and utter perishing of all mankind 1. We are justified through this redemption and not by the works of the law 2. V. 25. God set forth Christ this redeemer to be a propitiation through faith in his blood 3. That Christ might appeare the justifier of the ungodly vers 26. and exclude boasting by the law of faith ver 27. and bee the God of Iews and Gentiles ver 30.31 so that it was never Gods minde to imprison a reconciliation within the Father and the Sonne and leave our heaven at such a dead and cold venture as the discretion of indifferent free will so as it might fall out if men pleased that the suretie Christ should die and all his poore broken friends die eternally and suffer the second death also Arminians turne the Gospel in the sadest and bloodiest bargaine that ever was and yet the new English Arminians worse then their fathers say they preach not the Gospel of grace nor Christ who preach not their universall attonement in a grosser way then ever Arminians did for 1. Arminians durst not say Christ died vice loco omnium singulorum sed tantum in bonum eorum he died not in the person place and roome of all mankinde but onely for their good as Socinus taught them But Master Moore saith this right downe pag. 3. 2. Arminians durst not say Christ died and rose again and pleadeth as high Priest and Advocate for all but onely for beleevers Mr. Moore saith that for all he rose and acquiteth us of all our sins pag. 4. The place 2 Cor. 5.14.15 doth not prove a Reconciliation of all within God as Mr. Moore dreameth 1. The All that Christ died for if one died for all then were all dead by no reason must bee in number equivalent to all that died in the first Adam Nor is there any reason in the text to make all those that are actually made alive in Christ and live not to themselves but to Christ equall in number to all that died in Adam 1. God gave not Christ to die for heathen who were never to hear of Christ that they might live to Christ. 2. These words hence forth know we no man not Christ after the flesh nor for the outward priviledge of Jewish dignitie circumcision or a temporall kindgome which fleshlie dignity the Apostles sometime knew Christ for and expected in him but now this is taken away and Christ hath died for all that is for Iews and Gentiles without respect of any such differencie for Christ gave his life for the Gentiles as well as for the Iews 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for All is a word of efficacie and holds forth the Lords effectuall intention but if Mr. Moores glosse stand there is no effectuall intention in Christ to save all and every one Nor doth the place 1 Tim. 2.4.6 signifie any reconciliation not applyed to persons for his being given a ransome for all noteth clearely an
5.44.45 Motives to pray for beleevers are sweeter as their uprightnesse with God faith in Christ love in the Saints fellowship to the Gospel Answ. The thing in question is not concluded we say not we are to pray for the salvation of none but beleevers only and that Christ died for none but those that already beleeved We are to pray for all ranks beleevers or unbeleevers as Christ died for thousands of both but ever in order to faith and election to glory 2. It s a â—lasphemous comparison to say the gracious good will of God to chuse men to glory and the highest and most matchlesse love of Christ Ioh. 3.16 and 15.13 Ephes. 5.25 26 27. Acts 20.28 Tit. 3.3 4. is but a common motive to induce us to pray for all men and such belly-blessings as a shining Sun and raining clouds which God bestoweth on blasphemers apostates and cruâ—ifyers of the Lord Iesus Psal. 73.1 2 c. Ier. 12.1 2. Job 21.1 2 3 4 5 6. Yea the giving of Christ to die for sinners is an argument to prove that far more Christ will give us all other things Rom. 8.32 even righteousnesse faith love and all graces and therefore there can be no sweeter motive to move us to pray for all men conditionally then because for any thing our charity is to deem on the contrary they may even though persecuters be within the circumference and sweet lists of Gods free love and greatest good will and affection of Election and Redemption Rom. 9.11 12 13. Ephes. 1.9 Ioh. 15.13 and 3.16 Gal. 2.20 and we are to pray for them under this reduplication and notion as freely loved of God and redeemed of his rich grace and in no other consideration which is the far sweeter motive then any inherent uprightnesse faith or love that can be in us Object 11. We are to pray without wrath ver 8. which is incident when we pray for those that crosse and persecute us not when we pray for beleevers Answ. Non concluditur negatum Ergo We are to pray for all and every man because we can hardly pray without wrath and grudging for such as Nero. 2. If beleevers injure us as they often doe now adaies hee knowes not his owne heart who is not tempted to wrath in praying for them 3. Vers. 8. All prayers in generall must be without wrath and with pure hands and not prayers onely for persecuters Ob. 12. The thing prayed for is that wee may lead a quiet and peaceable life that so the Gospel might runne and be glorified 2 Thes. â— 1 Joh. 17.22 23. But things to bee prayed for to the beleevers are higher as increase of love sincerity filling with the fruits of Righteousnesse Phil. 1.9 c. Answ. All these prove this place will prove onely wee are to pray for Magistrates under whom we have peace and the Gospel nor for beleevers and so not for all Adams sonnes as the next words Pag. 59. prove Object 13. Here is a ground to preach the Gospel to all men to every Creature Matth. 28.20 Mark 16.15 And how farre to all men Joh. 16.12 1 Cor. 3.12 Hebr. 5.12 even though they hate and persecute us Answ. If every creature be no Senechdoche it must warrant us to preach to Devils 2. It s evident by the story of the Acts that the Apostles obeyed not this command in the letter â—s Master Moore presseth it there bee many Nations and thousands of people to whom the Apostles never preached the Gospel neither to fathers nor sons 3. Gods decree is no warrant to the to preach the Gospel except God confer miraculously the gift of tongus and this strongly proveth the contrary the Lord never yet sent the meanes of the knowledge of the truth to all and every Son of Adam then he cannot will all and every Son of Adam to be saved and Christ dyed not for all and every creature then he commanded not to preach the Gospel to all every creature but onely to every creature that is to all Nations Jewes and Gentiles now when the partition wall is broken downe Object 14. He sheweth the will of God touching the Mediator to save and ransome all 2. To bring all to the knowledge of the truth 3. By this knowledge sinne is removed death abolished enmitie slaine peace obtained so farre for all men that God hath given all over to the dispose of Christ and made him Lord and Judge of all 4. The other part of Gods will Jesus Christ performeth to wit to preach the Gospel to all and will performe it in due time 5. The Gospel may be preached to all vers 7. 6. Prayers made for all v. 1 2 3 4 and here is no more then Christ doth to all men Answ. Here be faire Positions but not a word to prove that this is Gods will concerning all and every sonne of Adam He supposeth all this as granted because he saith not because the Text saith it and therefore we deny what he proveth not Master Moore alledgeth that Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world Answ. The word World is the Nations and Gentiles and beleevers are elect of both Jewes and Gentiles Joh. 3 16. God so loved the world Rom. 11.12 If the fall of them bee the riches of the world if the casting away of them bee the reconcilement of the world of the Gentiles and especially of Jewes and Gentiles Math. 24.14 And this Gospel of the kingdome shall be preached in all the world for a witnesse to all Nations that is Jewes and Gentiles A personall witnesse to every single man it cannot be except every single man heard it Rom. 10.14 How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard Joh. 15.22 Rom. 2.12 So is the world all Nations taken Mar. 14.9 10. and the word World Mark 16.15 2 Taking away of sinne is the actuall free compleat pardoning of sinne so as Judas sin is sought and not found Jer 50.20 As 2 Sam. 24.10 David having numbred the people prayeth O Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant any Arminian in conscience answer Did David pray for no more then is due to Iudas Cain and all mankind of whom many never in faith can pray as David here doth Or doth he not seeke the effectuall pardon of his numbring the people Job 7.21 And why doest thou not pardon mine iniquity and take away my transgression Esai 27.9 This is all the fruit to take away his sinne this cannot be the potentiall and ineffectuall removing of sinne common to all the world but proper to the Church and brought to passe by particular afflictions on the Church Rom. 11.27 This is my covenant with them when I shall take away their sinnes These words are not fulfilled till all Israel be saved both elect Iewes and Gentiles and the Iewes converted But Arminians say Though the Iews were never converted and not a man of Israel
saved yet the Lambe of God taketh away the sinnes of the world So Esai 6.7 Thine iniquity is taken away and thy sinne purged this is no halfe pardon such as Esaiah had before the Lord touched his lips 1 Joh. 3.5 And yee know that he was manifested to take away our sinnes Iohn speaketh of the taking away of the sinnes of us Iohn and the Saints who were loved Vers. 1. with a wonderfull love to bee called the Sonnes of God us whom the World knoweth not vers 2. us who shall be like Christ when he appeareth Arminians are obliged to give us parallel places where the redemption of all and every man and Christs naked power and desire to be friends with all men and to make any covenant of grace or works as he pleaseth is called the taking away the sinnes of the world and yet the whole world may possibly dye in their sinnes and not a man be saved the taking away of the worlds sinnes to us is the compleat pardoning of them Remission of sinnes in his bloud Ephes. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Blotting out of transgressions Esai 4â— 25 as a thicke cloud Esai 44.23 a not remembring of sinnes Isai 43.25 Ier. 31. â—4 Such a taking away of sinnes as is promised in the covenant of grace to the house of Iudah to the Church under the Messiah that heareth the Gospel Ier. 31.34 Hebr. 8.8 9 10 11 12. Rom. 11.26 27. Esai 59.20 This is the taking away of the sinnes of the world a new world in whose inner parts the Lord writeth his Law and with whom the Lord maketh an everlasting covenant never to turne away from them Jer. 31.33 34 5 36 37. in whom the Lord putteth his Spirit and in whose mouth he puteth his Word and in the mouth of their seed and their seeds seede Esai 59.20 21. The Arminian taking away of sins is of all and every one of Adams seed of such as never heard of a Covenant of a Word of a Spirit of a Seed a holy Seed of a new heart Finally the taking away of the sinnes of the world is the removing of them as farre from us as the East is from the West Psal. 103.12 bestowed on these that feare the Lord vers 11. and are pitied of the Lord as the Father pitieth the Sonne and the subduing of our iniquities and the casting of our sinnes in the depths of the Sea Mich. 7.19 â—0 a mercy bestowed only on the remnant of the Lords inheritance The Arminian taking away of sins is a broad pardon of sins to all the world let them shew Scripture for theirs as we doe for ours and cary it with them Object 15. Though Reconciliation bee purchased to all and every one yet it is not necessary that it bee preached to all and every one but onely it is required that God bee willing it bee preached to all now it is free to God before he be willing to make offer of the purchased reconciliation to all to require afore hand such acts of obedience and dueties which being performed hee may publish the Gospel to them or being not performed hee may bee unwilling to publish the Gospel to them Yea though reconciliation be purchased to all yet its free to God to communicate the benefits of his death upon what termes hee thinketh good And Christ died saith Master Moore to obtaine a lordship over all and a power to save beleevers and destroy such as will not have him to raigne over them as wee heard before Answ. 1. We have in this Doctrin that Argument yeelded God commanded to preach to all and every one Ergo Christ died for all and every one For 1. The consequence is true absolutely by the Arminians doctrine Christ absolutely died for all and every one without prescribing any condition to those for whom he dies he saith not my sonne dieth to purchase reconciliation to all upon condition all beleeve or perform some other dutie but beleeve they or beleeve they not the 〈◊〉 is payed and salvation purchased for all without exception but the antecedent is not true but upon condition God is not willing the Gospel bee preached to all but to such as perform such conditions 2. If they perform not the condition Christ should have said preach not the Gospel to all nations nor to every creature but onely to such as yee finde fit hearers of the Gospel and have performed such acts of obedience as I require for conditionall threatnings are set downe in the Gospel as well as conditionall promises he that beleeveth shall be saved he that beleeveth not shall bee damned But in Old or New Testament Arminians never shew us where the preaching of the word of Grace is referred to our free will Doe this O Ammonits O Indians and the glad tyding shall come to you if yee doe not this ye shall never heare the Gospel Arminians say God sendeth his Grace and Gospel both genti minus dignae indigniori negat to the unworthy Nation and denyeth both to the worthier 3. Arminians say in Script Synod Dordr pag. 6. Lex non lata aut non intellecta cum intelligi non possit non obligat a law not made or not understood when it cannot be understood doth not oblige then God cannot deny a salvation and the benefit of a preached Gospel to Indians though both were purchased in Christ if they never heard as hundreths of Nations could by no rumor heare or dreame of Christ and the Gospel of Christ. 4. How can God with the same naturall and half-will equally will that all bee saved when hee absolutly without merit or condition willeth the meanes of salvation to some and denyeth the meanes of salvation to the farre largest part of mankinde for want of a condition unpossible because it neither was nor could be known to them 5. By the Arminian way sinne originall is no sin it bringeth wrath and condemnation on no man God beginneth upon a new score and the reckoning of the covenant of Grace to count with all men and God is so reconciled to all mortall men and transacteth with them in such a way of free grace that hee will punish no man for any new breach except committed actually by such as are come to age as have the use of reason and are obliged to beleeve in Christ. pag. 285 286 287. Dordr scrip Synod Yet hath God decreed never to reveale any such gracious transactions to millions of men that better deserve to heare these secrets of grace then thousands to whom they are proclaimed in their ears ere they can discerne the right hand by the left This Arminians say was Gods dispensation Matth. 11. with Capernaum and Tyrus and Sidon But it will bee found that Arminians deny the prescience and foreknowledge of God 6. Most abominable and comfortlesse must the doctrine of the death of our Lord Iesus be if Christ died onely to bee a Lord and such a Lord as hee might have power without
all the world of Elect and Reprobate all Adams Sons live and die in sin and are tormented with the Devill and his Angels eternally such a thing as life eternall and the Kingdome of heaven is for no use offered or purchased to the redeemed who stand before the Throne and sing praises to the Lambe He is the Lord and builder of his house the Church but he hath no Church but that which cannot be called a Church I know no Article of the Gospel that this new and wicked Religion of universall attonement doth not contradict 11. To beleeve in Christ is to beleeve that omnipotency can save Judas Pharaoh and all every mortall man so they beleeve in Christ But Christ hath purchased sufficient grace to no mortall man because in the obtaining of eternall life to all the world as Arminians say neither faith repentance or grace to beleeve and repent hath any place God might after Christs death have required nothing for our actuall salvation but abstaine from eating the fruit of such a tree and yee have life eternall in Christ. 12. How can Christs satisfaction be imputed to any man seeing it is a meer possible salvation or a power to save that may and doth stand with the damnation of millions that Christ died for 13. Christs dying had in his eye the Sanctification the giving of the Spirit the raising to life the eternall glory of not one man more then another not of Peter of Moses more then of Cain or Judas though he said Joh. 17.19 For their sakes sanctifie I my selfe And v. 24. Father I will that those whom thou hast given me should be where I am that they may behold the glory that thou hast given me 9. I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast given me 14. Christ hath died yet he must by the Arminian way make no Testament appoint no certaine heires but win the dead mans Legacy by free will and have it who will 15. Christ obtained by his death that the Gospel should no more be preached then the Law or faith in an Angel that men may be saved Vse All the doctrine contrary to universall attonement doth highly advance Christ for by it the Lord Jesus as Mediator and our High Priest must be essentially grace and essentially an Ambassador of Grace It is kindly to Christ to save salvation belongeth to Christ as Christ injoy him as a Saviour and yee cannot perish be joyned to him as a Husband and he cannot but love and save his Spouse submit to him as a King and ye must share with him in his Throne his Kings royall Crown was never ordained for another end but that the lustre of the precious stones in that Crown should shine on the face and soules of his Redemed ones Christ came not to destroy but to seek and to save the lost get in union with Christ by faith and the Spirit of the Lord Jesus and he will save you to speak so whether you will or no yee complain of corruption he is a King over the body of sin he is a Priest to sacrifice lusts to preach Christ a dying Redeemer of all and every one of mankind when millions redeemed doe eternally perish is to steal away Christ from the people as thieves in Ieremiahs dayes did steal the word of the Lord it is to make the Lord Jesus as weak and powerlesse a Priest as ever any son of Aaron for his blood no more can take away their sins then the blood of Bullocks or Goats could doe it it s to enthrone free will and dethrone the grace of Christ and to put shame on the Lord Iesus and his blood and though these enemies of the crosse of Christ now croud in in England under the Name of the Godly party yet it was a good Observation of that Learned and gracious servant of Christ Doctor Ames who conversed with Arminans that he could never see a proof of the grace of Christ in the conversation of such men as in doctrine were declared enemies of the grace of Christ. Now for the world All and the World and all Nations it may be demonstrate from Christs will in the Scriptures that if universall attonement and Redemption of all and every one can be proved from these Grammattications Then with the like strength I can prove 1. The conversion of all and every mortall man to saving Faith 2. The eternall salvation of all and every man 3. The eternall perishing of all and every one which must be infinitely absurd and blasphemous And if the good will of God cannot be extended to the end and the efficacious and onely saving meanes tending to this end which are salvation and saving faith with no colour of reason can it be extended to one means of redeeming all and every one rather then to another 1. There is an universall conversion and saving illumination which is called in the Text A drawing of all And I when I am lifted up on the crosse will draw all men to me Here is a drawing of all men and so an effectuall conversion but not of all and every man as Mr Den saith 1. Because v. 33. This drawing is by the power of Christ lifted up on the Crosse and by the Holy Spirit given by Christ Joh. 7.39 and 14.16 7. and 15.26 â—7 and 16.7 1â— 14. Now it can bee no Gospel-truth that Christ draweth by the lifting of himselfe on the Crosse and by his death all and every man to himselfe even thousands and millions of the sons of Adam that never heard one letter or the least sound of the Gospel or of his lifting up on the Crosse for sure Christs death-drawing must be by proposing the beauty and lovelinesse of Christ crucified which thousands never heard of 2. This drawing must be all one with the drawing which effectually produceth running Cant. 1.4 after Christ. And which is Ioh. 6.44 Now when Christ saith No man can come except he be drawn He clearly sheweth that the drawing of the Father is a peculiar priviledge of some and not common to all as the other two expressions beside of being taught of God and hearing and learning of the Father 3. Because all the drawn are raised up by Christ their life and head at the last day v. 44.4 The Adversary cannot show any drawing of Christ or to Christ that is common to all and every one of mankind So All Israel shall know the Lord as its Heb. 8.10 for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel saith the Lord I will put my lawes into their minde and write them in their hearts and I will bee to them a God and they shall bee to mee a people vers 11. And they shall not teach every one his neighbour and every man his brother 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall all know me from the least of them even to thâ— greatest When was this covenant made under the Mesiah when
love to all and every man nor gives he faith and salvation to all and every man yea the known and beleeved love of God in sending his Son to die for us is proper to the beleever 1 Ioh. 4.16.9 10. We have known and beleeved the love God hath to us God is love and he that dwelleth in love its a noble Princely pallace to lodge in dwelleth in God and God in him This cannot be said of the love that God beareth to the Reprobate yea and to the fallen Angels for Arminians say that God loved them with such a love but that love to Devils is now dried up long agoe and so that to Pharaoh Iudas Cain now in hell but this love is gone so dream they that love in God is like summer brooks that go dry in time of drought but the truth is Gods generall love to Arminians is a faint desire and a wish that all and every one men and Angels be saved and a bestowing on them means 1. Which the Lord knowes shall plunge them deeper in hell and make their everlasting chaines heavier and more fiery better he love them not 2. Such meanes as can be demonstrated free will without God or any determination or bowing to one hand rather then to another can and may absolutely master and over-master equally to conversion or obstinacy or to finall rebellion to salvation or damnation to make themselves free Princes and Lords of the book of life and the writing pen of eternall Election and Artists causes and masters of the decrees of Election or Reprobation For 1. Let God doe what he can or omnipotency or sweetnesse of free grace all that is possible free will hath the free and absolute casting of the ballance to will receive Christ open to the King of glory and be converted or to the contrary 2. In Election and Reprobation from eternity as Arminians in their last Apology goe no higher then time coepta est in temporo electio contra quam creditum est c. God doth no more in his generall decree for chusing of Jacob or Peter then of Pharaoh Esau or Judas but chuseth all indefinitely who shall beleeve But for the Assumption that Peter Iohn Pharaoh Judas Esau beleeve or not beleeve the eternall decree of God does nothing his means Gospel his inward grace such grace as they can grant doe no more nor can doe any more to determine the will to either side to beleeving or not beleeving then he can work contradictions or make free will and free obâ—dience to be no free will and no obedience for its repugnant say they to the nature of free-will that it should be determined by God And 〈…〉 such as is required of us now who are under commâ—â—â—ements threatnings promises were no obedience at all for if the Lord should determine the will say they and therefore Gods last decree of chusing those to life whom he foresees shall expire in faith and persevere to the end and of rejecting such as he foresees shall goe on in finall obstinacy against the Gospel is not any Scripturall decree of Election or Reprobation nor hath God any liberty in this to chuse this man not this man but all men chuse God and are foreseen finally to beleeve or not beleeve before and without any free decree of God so that the number of chosen Angels or men is in the power of the creatures free will not in the liberty of the former of all things so as we chuse God but God chuseth not us But 2. So none are within the compasse of Election or Reprobation but such as hear the Gospel and so all the Heathen are saved or damned by chance or without any will or decree of God or they must be neither capable of salvation nor damnatâ—on contrary to Scripture and experience for terrible judgements temporall and great externall favours befall Indians Americans and such as never heard of Christ and not without the counsell of Gods will if there be a providâ—nce that rules the world 2. God doth nothing in the Election of Peter more then of Iudas nor can grace and mercy have place in the chusing of the one rather then the other but as free will is foreseen to play the game ill or well so goe the eternall decrees of Election and Reprobation and there can be no such thing as that grace and the free pleasure of God who hath mercy on whom he will or because he will and hardens whom he will can have any place here 4. The Scripture no where speakes of any love of God in Christ to man but such as is efficacious in saving any other love is lip-love not reall and so to alledge this one place without authoritie of the Word is petitio principii a begging of the question for the love Ezâ—ch 16.8 Called the time of loves was such as saved all that were to bâ— saved amongst the people of God and cannot be understood of such a love as God did bear to the Heathen and the Cannanits for it separates them from all the world so Deut. 7.7 Psal. 146.19.20 Isai. 51.1 2 3. Isai. 52.3 4. Psal. 132 1â— Psal. 1â—5 4 Zech. 3.2 1 King 1.13 2 Chron. 6.6 Isai. 4â— 8 9. Deut. 14.2 Isai. 43 20. Dan. 1â— 15. 1 Chron. 16.13 Ezech. 20.5 Act. 13.17 Yee shall not finde that the love of God in Christ can consist with Reprobation or Damnation in all the Scripture but by the contrary it is a love that Christ hath to his wife in giving himselfe for her sanctifying washing and presenting her without spot or wrinkle before 〈…〉 a husband-love Ephes. 5.25 26. Ghostâ—iâ—us â—iâ—us 3.4 5 6. a great love quickning us together with Christ saving us by grace raising us up and making us â—it together with Jesus Christ in heavenly places Ephes. 2.4.5 a love causing washing of us and advancing us to bee Kings and Priests to God Revel 1.5 6. a love to Paul in particular and working life in Paul Gal. 2.20 I live no more but Christ liveth in mee and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Sonne of God who loved mee and gave himselfe for me It is the love of God our Father who hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace 2 Thes. 2.16 an everlasting love Jer. 31.3 a love before the foundation of the world Ephes. 1.3 4 before we doe good or evill Rom. 9.11 Not a love that fals to nothing by a consequent act of hatred nor a love to which the hatred of reprobation may succeed every hour and out of which wee may bee decourted a love that puts the honour of sonnes on us 1 Ioh. 3.1 It is a saving and a pittying love Isai. 63.9 a love which the Lord rests in Zeph. 3.17 a love continuing to the end Ioh. 13.1 a love that makes us more then conquerors Râ—m 8.37 It is a separating love
onely begotten Sonne into the world that wee might live through him 5. The Scripture casts out a longer rope yet that thou mayest reach to Christ art thou not a Man if thou be not a sinner nor a visible Saint nor a bruised Reed thou art one of mankinde see the Gospel will not have thee to dispaire or to foment and harbour strange and far-off thoughts of Christ Tit. 3.4 But after that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour to man appeared he saved us 1 Tim. 2.3 God our Saviour will have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all men to be saved 6. The farthest from Christ must be creatures that are nothing but bits of the world now the name World is a frameder and a farther-off word then the name of Man or Sinners it s the farest off-word for fallen Angels are members and citizens of the World therefore the Gospel is preached to the World Christ is brought in in the Gospel as a World-lover as if he were a whole World-Saviour he takes away the sinnes of the world Ioh. 1.29 He so loves the world Joh. 3.16 He giveth his flesh for the life of the world Joh. 6.51 In this Grammar of the Holy Ghost observe wee by the way for resoluton the wisdome of God in framing the words of the Gospel It cannot be said that God loved all the world in Christ his beloved and all and every sinner and all the race of mankinde Yet laying downe this ground that God keepeth up in his minde the secrets of Election and Reprobation till he in his owne time be pleased to reveale them the Lord hath framed the Gospel-offer of Christ in such indefinite words and so generall yet without all double dealing lying or equivocating for his owne good pleasure is a rule both of his doings and speaches As 1. seldome doth the Lord open Election and Reprobation to men till they by grace or in the order of his justice open both the one and the other in their owne waies and therefore he holdeth out the offer of Christ so as none may cavell at the Gospel or begin a plea with Christ. 2. Seldome doth the Gospel speake who they be that are Elect who Reprobate yet doth the Gospel offer no ground of presuming on the one hand or of despairing on the other For if thou bee not a beleever nor a weake reed nor a Saint yet thou arâ— a sinner if not that thou art a man if not that thou art one of the world and though the Affirmative conclude not I am a sinner I am a man I am one of the world but it followeth not therefore I am elected to glory or Ergo I am ransomed of the Lord. Yet the Negative touching Reprobation holdeth I am a Sinner I am of the World I am a man hence it followeth not therefore I am a reprobate and therefore I have warrant to refuse the promise and Christ offered in the Gospel It followeth well therefore I must be humbled for sinne and beleeve in Christ there is roome left for all the Elect that they have no ground of standing aloofe from Christ and the rest never come and most willingly refuse to come nor have the Reprobate ground to quarrell at the decrees of God though they bee not chosen yet they are called as if they were chosen and they have no cause to quarrell at conjectures they have as faire a revealed warrant to beleeve as the Elect have they are men sinners of the world to whom Christ is offered why refuse they him upon an unrevealed warrant 4. The fourth ground of Christs good will to draw all men is that Christ goeth as farre in the dispensation of free grace as sinners as the chiefe of sinners Grace journies all along and can goe no further then Hell and Damnation Luk. 19.10 The Sonne of man came to seeke and to save that which is lost as if Christ would say is any man a sinner and who are not and a lost sinner see and behold I am a Saviour for that man Christ went as low downe to Hell in the freedome of grace to save as Zacheus in evill doing to destroy Mary Magdalen went as farre on toward Hell as seven Devils Grace in Christ went as farre on as to redeeme from seven Devils Manasseh as if he had intended to make sure worke of Hell runnes on to empawnd soule and salvation and gives himselfe to witchcraft observing of times to cause the streets of Hierusalem runne with bloud to all abominable idolatry mercy in the Lord went as neere hell to save him Paul goeth so farre on the mouth of the furnace as to waste the Church of God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 8.3 to make heapes of dead men in the Church and there came nothing out of his nostrils for breathing and respiration Act. 9.1 but threatnings that is ripe purposes of bloud yea murthering of the Saints came out of his mouth with every word hee spoke but Christs free-grace pursues him hard and out-runnes him Christs grace came as it were a step below Paul and saved him 1 Tim. 1.14 And the grace of our Lord saith he was more or over-abundant in me through faith and love Jer. 3.1 And thou hast played the harlot with many companions or lovers yet returne to mâ—â—â— saith the Lord. It s here as if Christs rich grace and our extreme wickednesse should strive who should descend to the lowest roome in Hell the latter to destroy the former to save and here Christ defies the sinner to be more wicked then he can be gracious 5. Christ in the Gospel as a great Conquerour sends out Writs signed under his Excellencies hand come and meet me who will and be saved as farre as graced will can goe as farre goeth the good will of the conquering Prince Râ—vel 22.17 It s much worthy of observation how that sweet Evangelicke invitation is conceived Esai 55.1 Ho every one that thirsts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is alas or ah every one that thirsts come to the waters and he that hath no silver come buy and eat as if the Lord were grieved and said woe is me alas that thirsty soules should die in their thirst and will not come to the water of life Christ and drink gratis freely and live For the Interjection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ho is a marke of sorrowing as Ah or wo every one that thirsts Esai 1.4 Ah sinnefull nation or wo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the sinnefull nation Vers. 24. Ah I will ease me or alas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will ease me of my adversaries Jer. 22.18 They shall not say of Jehojachim ho or alas or woe to my brother ah Sister It expresseth two things 1. A vehemencie and a serious and unfamed ardencie of desire that we doe what is our duty and the concatenation of these two extreamely desired of God our comming to Christ and our salvation this morall connexion
be mans but it must be which I abhorre to writ or speak the Lords 3. God takes all upon himselfe in genere causae gratiosae Liberrimae independentis primae non obligatae ad agendum ex ullae lege in the kind of a cause that worketh by meer grace freely Indepdenently without any Law above him to obliege him to doe otherwise with his own then he freely willeth decreeth promiseth for men carnally divide Gods decree which is most free from his promise which is as free as his decreeâ— but it followeth in no sort as Arminians and Jesuites object to us therefore men who doe not believe pray walk holily are not in the fault being under a Law to obey for sinnefull inability to obey can ransome no man from the obligation of obedience and most blasphemous it is that because God undertaketh in the Covenant that we shall walk in his commandements as he doth promise Ezech. 36.27 and that we shall feare him Ier. 32.39.40 That God should therefore be in the fault and we free of all fault when in many particulars we offend all Iam. 3.2 and we fear not God in this or this sinne as is possible and may be gathered from Iosephs speech to his brethren who sayes he would not wrong them for he feared God and Iobs word that he durst not dispise the cause of his servant because he was affraid of God Yet God promiseth that he will keep Ioseph Iob and all the elect in the way of Gods Commandements that they shall not fully fall away from him God never by promise covenant oath or word undertaketh o keep his elect from this or this particular breach and act of unbeliefe against the Covenant of grace 4. The fault against the Gospel or any sin in a believer must justly be imputed to him because he is tyed by the Evangelick Law not to sinne in any thing the Gospel granteth pardons but not dispensations in any sins and it can in no sort bee imputed to God because if any believer fall in a particulaâ— sin or act of unbeliefe against the covenant of grace the Lord neither decreed nor did ever undertake by Covenant or promise to keep him by his effectuall grace from falling in that sinne for the Lord would then certainly have keeped him as he did Peter and doth all the Elect that are effectually called that in mighty temptations their faith faile them noâ— Nor is the act of believâ—ng that is wanting in that particular fall such a condition of the Covenant as Christ either promised to work or the necessary condition of the Covenant of Grace or such a condition the want whereof doth annull and make voyde the eternall Covenant of grace 5. I here smell in Antinomians that God must bee in fault as the author of our unbelief our stony hearts our walking in our fleshly wayes because God hath promised to give us faith and a heart of flesh to walk in his wayes as the old Libertines said God was the principall and chief cause of sin and that God did all things both good and ill the Creatures did nothing So Calvine in insâ—itut adversus Libertines chap. 14. in opus pag. 446. Mr. Archer down right saith God is the authour of sin what end is there of erâ—ing if God leave us It is true the tie and all the tie of giving a new heart and the Spirit of grace and supplication lieth on the Lord who promised so to do Deut. 30.6 Ezech. 11.19.20 chap. â—6 26.27 Ier. 31.33 34.35.36 But yet so that we are under the obligation of divine precepts to doe our part Ezech. 18.31 make you a new heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die O house of Israel Ier. 4.4 Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the fore-skinne of your heart Ephes. 4.23 be renewed in the Spirit of your mind Rom. 12.2 Rom. 13.14 and 1 Thessal 5.17 pray without ceasing Psal. 50.15 Call upon mee Matth. 26.41 Watch and pray Therefore all the tie and obligation of what ever kâ—nd cannot so free us from sinfull omissions nor can the tye ly on God evangelick commandments are accompanied with grace to obey grace layeth a tie on us also to yeeld obedience 6. It s a foule and ignorant mistake in Crispe to make the Covenant nothing but that love of God to man which hee cast on man before the Children had done good or evill Rom. 9.1 That love is eternall and hath no respect to faith as to a condition but it s not the covenant it selfe because it is the cause of the covenant 2. To the love of election there is no love no work no act of beleeving required on our part Yea no mediator no shedding of blood wee are loved with an everlasting love before all these but the covenant though as decreed of God it be everlasting as all the works of creation and divine providence which fall out in time and have beginning and end are so everlasting for God decreed from eternity that they should be yet it is not in being formally while it bee preached to Adam after his fall and there is required faith on all the Saints part to lay hold on the Covenant Esai 56.4 and to make it a covenant of peace to the Saints in particular 2. Faith is the condition of the covenant 3. Christ the mediator of it 4. Christs blood the seal of it 5. The Spirit must write it in our heart But the love of election is a compleat free full love before our faith or shedding of blood or a mediator be at all Object We are not saved nor justified nor taken in Covenant by faith as a work saith Crispe for then we should not bee saved by grace and grace should not be grace but wee are justified by faith that is by that Christ which faith knoweth according to that by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many therefore faith is no condition of this covenant Answ. The contrary rather followeth 1. Seeing Crisp doth say none under heaven can bee saved till they have believed We are not taken in covenant by faith neither wee nor scripture speak so taking us in covenant is before wee can beleeve but we lay hold on Christ and righteousnes by faith not as a work but a necessary condition required of us 2. I leave it to the consideration of the Godly if beleeving in him who justâ—fieth the ungodlâ— be no condition a work justifying I do not think it but onely I beleeve and know that Christ justified me before I beleeved from eternity as some say when I was conceived in the womb â—s Crispe saiâ—h and that the threatning he that believeth not iâ— condemned already carries this sence he that believeth not that he is not condemâ—â—d hee is already condemned Who can believe such toyes 2. Beleeving is a receiving of Christ Ioh. 〈…〉 Christs dwelling in the heart Ephes. 3.17 Then to 〈◊〉 must bee to
know that Christ was in mee before I beleeved and thaâ— I received him from eternity or from my conception 3. To beleeve maketh mee a sonne borne not of flesh and blood Ioh. 1.12.13 and Gal. 3.26 and by faith wee receive the Spirit This then must be nothing else but I know by the light of faith I was a sonne before and had received the Spirit before I beleeved What more absurd 4. And by faith I live not Christ liveth in mee and I am crucified and mortified that is by faith I know that I did live the life of God and was crucified to the world whereas I was dead in sinnes before I beleeved 5. And because beleeving is somewhat more then a naked act of the mind it being a fiduciall adherence unto and an affiance acquiescence heart-relyance staying on Christ or a rolling of our selves on God for salvation as is clear in the originall holy languages of scripture Psal. 18.18 Esai 26.3 Psal. 112.8 Esai 10.21 Mich. 3.11 Psal. 22 8. Psal. 55.22 1 Pet. 5.7 Cant. 8.5 Ioh. 1.12 It s too hungry a notion of faith to make it nothing but a knowing of that which really was before for heart-adherence is not an act of the mind and so not an act of knowledge but of the will and affection in which there is no act of knowledge formally though it presuppose an act of knowledge 6. Then wicked men must be in their sinnes not justified in his blood because they will not know that Christ dyed for them in particular and that Christ bore their sinnes on the crosse and justified and pardoned them long agoe all which to beleeve is to hold a lye in the right hand But to returne Asser. 7. How the Lord worketh in us to will and to do the power and the act and yet we are guilty in our omissions of good or in our sinfull and remisse manner of working with the grace of God is a point more mysterious then I dare undertake to explaine if these may give light I offer them to the Reader Posit 1. Grace free-grace is the great and Master-wheele that carrieth about heart senses foot and hand not that only but seede and tree and fruit the flower the principle dependeth necessarily on free grace and for a third the state and condition is higher then either principle or seed or fruit to bee an heir of glory is more then a supernaturall principle of gift and more then one single action above nature Grace must make the principle gratious and grace must inact and quicken the principle to bring forth and graces policie makes naturall men citizens of heaven sonnes of God heirs of life Ioh. 1.12.13 Gal. 4.4.5 Positi 2. This must stand as a ground that there is not any gracious act performed by the members but the head Christ is so interessed in it that as even the finger and toe in the naturall body cannot stirre without the motion takes its beginning from life and head so neither can the mysticall body or any joynt or member of it act or move in its supernaturall or be of grace but every individuall act of grace must pay the rent of glory to the mysticall head whose predeterminating influence does act and stirre the ship for Christ is not only the compasse and day-Starre according to which spirituall motions are directed and hand and finger foot and all see with the visive power seated in the head for they have no facultie of seeing in themselves and the Saints in these actions stirre with the light in the two eyes or seven eyes and lamps that are in the head Christ but also the real motions of grace in their physicall as well as in their morall sphere are shapen and acted by Christ It is not much though it be a wonder that a huge great ship made up of so many peeces of dry and dead timber can move regularly through so many circles compasses turnings of many coasts countreyes change of windes ten thousand miles to a certain herbrie when timber is acted and moved with the borrowed art and reason of a man stirring the helme so there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reason a wisdom in him who is made our wisdome to act the Saints in their heaven-ward motion that are carried through so many sea-circles turnings contrary windes of temptations afflictions various soule-dispensations of sweet and sowre absence presence going and coming again of Christ to such a determinate home as heaven for the Father must thank the stires-man Christ his sonne that the broken bark and all his poore friends are landed with the borrowed art of Christ and no more thanks and praise to us then to dead timber That we should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the praise of his glory Ep. 1.12 as if our passive being it is a borrowed expression for we are coagents with and under Christ in the work were destinated to the praise of the glory of his grace but wee are so drawne as Christ is great Lord moderator and authour and God in the second and new world of grace as God creator is in all actions of nature Ioh. 15.5 without mee as your vine tree in whom you grow and a stock in whom you bring forth fruit every blossome of of life every apple yee can do nothing Phil. 2.13 For it is God that worketh in you to will and to doe according to his good pleasure 2 Cor. 13.3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me which to you ward is not weak but is mighty in you then every word that Paul spoke Christ in him spoke it not formally as if Paul had been a mâ—er patient but efficaciously Rom. 15.18 for I will not dare to speak of any of these things which Christ hath not wroughtly me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed Esa. 27.3 I the Lord doe keep the Church the garden of red wine I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day keeping and watering every moment is grace actuall every moment to make his tender Vines grow and preserving his own from succumbring under every temptation 2. There were no ground for Adams thankfulnesse and praise that he stood one moment or that he gave names to every thing according to their nature or ever heard with patience the command of God thou shall not eat if in every act of obedience he had not need of the actuall predeterminating influence of God nor were there ground for this prayer in faith and in patient submission to God as to one to whom we owe the prayses of the not failing of our faith Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil nor were there 3 any glory due to Christs advocation and intercession that we fall not fully and finally off Christ and from Christ and the state of Grace when we are tempted if free-will not the actuall influence of
of our own 3. Wee are to beleeve in the generall we being within the covenant the Lord will keep his promise Deut. â—0 6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heaâ—t and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule that thou mayest live Ezech. 11.19 And I will give them one heart and I will put a new Spirit within you 20. that they may walke in my Statutes Ezech. 36.27 then are we so to set to these duties of waâ—king in the Lords way as wee are to beleeve he will nor deny actuall grace necessary for our perseverance because it is his expresse promise Ier. 31.33.34.35.36 Ier. 32.39 â—0 Esai 59.19 20 21. Esai 54 10.11 Ezech. 36.26.27 1 Ioh 2.1.2 Matth. 16.18 Luk. 2â— 3â—.32 though in acts not fundamentall and simply nâ—cessary for our being in the state of grace the Lord hath reserved a latitude of independent Sovâ—raigntie to act the soule in these and these particular aâ—ts as seemeth good to him that every new breathing of the Spirit of â—esus may bee a new debt and obligation of free grace to Christ. We are absolutely to pâ—ay for the breathings of Christs Spirit to goe aâ—ong wiâ—h us in all the particular acts of a gracious and spirituall walking but we know the Lords absolute good pleasure is his rule hee walks by so here our desires may bee absolute in seeking where the Lord gives upon condition of â—is owne good will nor are our desiâ—es in prayer to bee conformable to Gods decree or free pleasure but to his revealed will Grace is the culours of the inhabitants and citizâ—ns of the house of the lower and higher roomes of the new Ierusalem all the way and all the home the Sainâ—s walk in this white Christ keeps not his Spouse in a close chamber it is not one great act of free grace onely when all were in one day redeemed on the crosse but dayly Christ weareth his Church as a bracelet about his neck as a seal on his heart as his Royall diadem and a crowne of glory on his â—ead as his love-ring on his hand this day grace to morrow new and fresh supply of grace the next houre grace hee has strowed all the way to heaven with new grace every day new wine new Spiknard new peâ—fume new ointments When will Christ grow old and gray-haired Never Will his heart evâ—r grow cold of love No Will hee tyre of love will he weare out of delight in the Spouse that lyeth for eternity betweene his breasts No no The love of â—hrist is alwaies greenâ— as young-like as fair and white today as from eternity this rose is not altered a whit Who knowes how grace and love in Christs breast solaced themselves in these infinite revolutions of ages before the creation how Christs heart was cheering it selfe and rejoycing to have the first day of the creation dawning that he might enjoy the love of the sonnes of men not then created Proverb 8 3â—.31 as if grace and love had thought long to finde a channell with wide banks to flow in as if Christ having infinite love within him in that long long age to borrow that expression should say when shall time begin and sinfull men and my mysticall body and desired spouse my Church have being in the world that I may out that grâ—ce on her I have love within me and lying beside me I rejoyce to have a lover as if grace in Chriâ—t hâ—d been in too naâ—row banks in the inâ—â—nite acts of the infinite minde of God and the heart of Christ and longed to have Men and Angels to give a vent to his love And that long avum the ages that were before the world was brought it green to us that long long endlesse and vast duration when time shall bee no more cannot make Christs love change the colour or grow lesse or root one Saint out of his heart When God leaveth off to bee God â—râ—ce will leave off to bee Grace Make Christ repent of Grace if you can as Christ has washen his Spouse and in regard of the guilt of sin has made her all fair and spotlesse so doth he dayly lick and purge and cleanse her in regard of the inherent bâ—ot while shee bee faire as the Sunne and all a new heaven Asser. 7. In the third consideration from this suspension of divine influence cometh our sinne as a necessary consequent and result yet so as the Lords suspension and our transgression fall both in the bosome of divine providence The Lord knoweth why be withdraweth his grace that we mâ—ght know how weighty a thiâ—g grâ—at heaven is laid upon our poor shoulders and that we would make foule woâ—k out of all wee have received and the flock the second Adam has given is if we had not Christ to stirre the ship to lead the minors to heaven to keepe the inheritance to the little heirs of Christ should evanish to nothing Poâ—tion 9. If wee consider the Lords denyall of Christ from wicked men they câ—nnot turne to God but that impotency lay in the womb of will it is not weaknesse onely but also wilfulnesse Matth. 23. verse 37. I would have gathered you saith Christ yee would not Ioh. 5.6 Christ saith to the sick man wilt thou bee made whole Then there was a stop in his will as well as in his weaknesse er 44.16 As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not heaâ—ken to thee 2. Love and delight to do ill is from the strength and marrow of the will not from weaknes only the seruant that would not leave his master because he loved him is a slave for ever through love to slavery rather then through impotency to bee free In those that dâ—light to doe eâ—il Will hath a strong influence in the evil they doe every sinner esteemes his prison of hell a heaven hiâ— fetters of sinne on his legs as a gold chain about his neck 3. It is a journey of a hundreth miles to Christ it is unpossible to the naturall man to compasse it yet he may walk two of these hundreth miles though not as a part of the way he will not so much as cast a sad look after Christ the will not bestow one sigh after Christ nor know his own weaknesse nor dâ—spair of his own hability nor lie at the water-side and câ—y Lord Iesus come carry me over he positively hates Christ were it possible that the unrenewed man had the two eyes of a renewed man to see the beauty and high excellenâ—y of Iesus though he had still his own lame legs he would weep out his eyes for a Chariot to carry him to Christ hee would send sad love-challenges after Christ could these that ' are scortched in hell-fire and hear the howling of their fellow prisoners and see the ugly Devils the bloody Scorpions with which
O how admirable was his love and that love was Christs last work in this life he dyed of no other sicknesse but love love love was Christs death-work Christs Testament Christs winding sheet Christs grave he took his Bride lapped in his love and hart to Paradise with him his last breath was love The myrrhe when it is withered has the same smell and a sweeter that it had while it was gâ—een Christ that bundle of myrrhe that lyeth all the night between the Churches breasts when withered and dead smelled of love for hee opened the graves and raised the dead and took a repenting sinner to Paradise with him which are acts of great love its considerable that hee is at one time a dying a drawing and a loving Saviouâ— and ask what was Christs last act on earth it s answered he dyed in the very act of loving and drawing sinners to his heart Vse We are engaged to love him and if so to keepe his commandments and to draw him after us his owne image hoâ—inesse in the Saintâ— takes Christ and causes him fall in love with us Cant. 4.9 Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes with a chaine of thy neck It s much love that ravishes Christ yâ—a it so overcomes him that hee professes its above him hee must desire his Spouse to looke away Cant. 6.5 Turne away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me Cant. 7.5 The king is held in his galleries holinesse makeâ— our king the Lord Iesus a captive for eternitie he will delight to see the Lambs wife his bride when shee shall bee decked up with endlesse glory Bee holy and the king shall desire your beauty ingage Christ more to love you deck your selves with chains with bracelets be attired in raiment of needle work the braver in this apparell you are yee are the lovelier to Christ the wedding garment makes you fair to the king put on the crowne of grace on your head and bee highly beloved of this Prince Ver. 33. Now this he spoke signifying what death he should dye The last article in Christs drawâ—ng of sinners is the exposition of the Evangelist Iohn who openeth to us the sense of Christs words to wit what was meant by Christs lifting up from the earth for it is not an ordinary phrase to expresse dying on the crosse therefore saith Iohn hee meaned by his lifting up from the earth the kinde and manner of his death to wit that he should bee crucified and dye the shamefull and ignominious death of the crosse it would seeme that the exposition of Iohn may be referred to the whole verse 32. What is the sense of this If Christ be lifted up hee will draw all men up to him that is if he be crucified by that shamefull and painfull death and the merito thereof he will draw all men to him and translate them from the kingdome of darknesse to the state of saving grace which is true in it self but seemeth not to bee the sense of the words 1. Because the Evangelists use to expound what may appeare ambiguous to the hearers as Ioh. 7.8.39 But this he spoke of the Spirit â—oh 20.23 Then went this saying abroad among the Brethren that that disciple Iohn should not dye yet Iesus â—aid not to him hee shâ—ll not dye So Matth. 2.16.17 18. But that Christ draweth sinners by his death was not so much controverted for to come to Christ to beleeve in Christ to bee drawen to Christ were Phrases obvious enough and known to all 2. It is most pertinent to the text that lifting up from the earth which is ambiguous and may seeme to allude to Elias his beeing carried up to heaven should bee expounded by Chriâ—â—s manner of death to wiâ— by crucifying 3. Because the holy Ghost expoundeth not the connexion of the conditionall proposition If I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men after me which he must doe if the sense goe thus but onely speaketh of the kinde and nature of Christs death which was known to the â—ewes to bee both shamefull and cursed but in his exposition hee speaks nothing of the fruit of Christs death but of the kinde and manner of death Now that the Evangelist expoundeth the sence of Christs words what he meaned by being lift up from the earth it holdeth forth to us a necessity that the Lord speak plaine language to us in scripture and that one scripture expound another In finding the meaning of scripture these considerations may give light 1. The Scripture in the plainest expressions is dark that is high and deepe in regard of the matter which is deepe high above the reach of reason and yet the language plaine obvious easie that a virgin shall be a mother the antient of dayes a young sucking infant that through one man death digged a hole in the world and sinne passed on all through a second Man life and heaven entered again are high and deepe mysteries yet is not the Gospel obscure as Papists say 2. In meer historicall narrations and prophecies foretelling the wars of the Lamb the Dragon and the Beast the Antichrist their persuing the woman in traveling in birth to bring forth a man child the matter subject is not profound nor deepe yet the expressions are dark and covered while the works of the Lord bee a key to open his word Here 's the wisdome of God that in deepe and high mysteries necessary for salvation the Lord is plaine and lower and easier stories are foretold more darkly articles of faith are not set downe in dark and enigmaticall prophesies but plainly whereas histories of things to come are more mysteriously proposed 3. The Scripture in no place is in the popish sense dark that is that we are not to take any sense for the word of life and the object of our faith but that which the Church giveth as the sense in regard the Scripture is a nose of wax with equall propension to contradictory senses except the mistris of our faith the witch of Babel expound it and then it is for such formally the word of God as she expoundeth it 4. The holy Ghost the Authour of Scripture has concreated with the words the true native sense which all the powers on earth cannot alter Then when we sweare a covenant with the Lord in plaine easie countrey language not devised of purpose to bee ambiguous or to hold forth that all sects Antinomians Socinians Arminians Prelatiâ—all halters Anabaptists Seekers c. may salve every one his owne way and his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what hee thinks good to obtrude any authoritative interpretation on this covenant which it holds not forth in its owne simple words to the reader is the greatest tyranny and equivocating jugling in the world and we may easily distinguish and dispute our selves out of a good conscience or rather confesse wee had never any
intent to keep it or acknowledge it was our sin we did swear it and because unlawfull it obliges us not When wee accuse the scripture of darknesse wee would but snuf the Sun and blow at it with a pair of bellowes to cause it shine more brightly But the mischief is that wee either charge our soules beyond their stint thinking to compasse that world of the deâ—pe wisdome of God with our shorâ— fingers or we stumble at the wisdome of the Scripture because it is eccentrick to and complâ—es not with our lusts and here 's a deep not seene God intends to carry Pharoah and blinded reprobates to hell through the wood of his mysterious works and word they being blinded and hardned and they intend the same but in another notion God aimes at the same end materially with them but God levels at the glory of his owne unviolable justice they levell at the word the works of God to flatter their lusts and take up a plea with both from the womb What death he should die Two things offer themselves to our consideration 1. Christs dying 2. The kinde of his death What death he should dye Christ came into the world with as strong intention to dye as to live and to be a pained an afflicted man as to bee a man In Christs dying these considerations have place 1. The love of man can goe no farther then death greater love then this hath no man that a man should give his life for his friends Ioh. 15.13 For this Love can goe no farther then the living Lover now hee cannot goe one â—eppe beyond death Chriâ—t went on to the first and second death so farre as to satisfie justice love is like lawfull necessity neither of them can live when God is dishonoured Christ's love burnt and consumed him till he dyed love followed and persued his lost Spouse through the land of death through Hell the grave the câ—â—ses of an angry God though Christs love was both ancienter then his man-hood and survived his death love was of longer life in Christ then his life as man this Sun of love buâ—nes hard down from heaven to this day 2. It was a hard law that Christ subjected himselfe unto that die he must Heaven Angels the World could not save his life This faâ—re â—ose had life and greenesse in abundance and yet it must wither this fountaine of heaven had Sea 's of waters yet dryed up it must bee this beauty of highest glory was full and vigorous yet it must fade the Lilly of the excellentest Paradise that cast Rayes of glory and Majesty over the foure corners of the Heaven of Heavens and out-shadowed Angels Men and the large circuit of the whole Creation must finde its death-moneth and must cast its faire and timely bloome The love of loves must become pale and droup that fire of love that warmes Angels and men must become cold and there was strong and invincible necessity thus it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 26.54 Christ must die Mar. 8.31 the Sonne of man must suffer many things Luk. 22.27 For I say unto you saith Christ that that which is written must have an end in me Ioh. 3.14 The Son of man must be lifted upon the Crosse. Christ could not passe to heaven another way death was that one inevitable passe that he behoved to goe through there was no passable foord in the river but one there was but one strait passe and fort between Christ and his Father his glory and a saved Church and justice kept this passe Christ must lay out himselfe his life bloud estate and glory for his Church to gaine this fort and save his people from their sinnes The Law laid it on him 2. Love laid it on him 3. Our necessities and everlasting perishing burthened him 3. Might not the dead all wonder there was never before nor after nor never shall be such a Christ amongst the dead as the Lord of life all these in the dust could say O life what dost thou here among the dead the wormes and clay might say O Creator canst thou lie neare to us Would not the fountains be offended that they could not have leave to furnish a draught of cold water to their Creator who made the the Seas and the Rivers and divided Iordan with his Word would not life it selfe grieve at such a dispensation that it could stay and lodge no longer in the body of the Lord of life but behoved to be gone and leave the Prince of life to fall that he could not stand on his own feet was not bodily strength discontented that sweet Iesus complained Psal. 22.15 My strength is dryed up like a Pot-shard ver 17. I may tell all my bones Would not joy and beauty take it ill that sweet Iesus was a sad Saviour and his face foule with weeping and his faire countenance that was like Lebanon all marred and our lovely Redeemer was put to his knees to pray with strong cryes and teares Esai 52.14 Heb. 7.5 If there had been sense and reason in all the Purples Silks Fleeces wooll fine linnins that ever the earth had they would think themselves unhappy that they could not cover the holy body of the Redeemer of men and their Creator when he complained Psal. 22.18 They part my garments among them and cast loâ—s on my Vesture 4. It was to much in regard of our deservings that the Lord of life should discend to a naturall life to be under the â—owly condition of base clay but that this tent of clay that the Lord was to dwell in should be of the finest and most pretious earth that can be would seeme reason it might be said it were fitting for the glory of the God-head united in a personall union with the Man Christ that the body of the Son of God should be above paine weaknesse or the Law of death that it should be more glorious then all the pearelesse and pretious stones of the earth yea then the Sunne in the Firmament yea but Esai 53.2 he hath no forme nor comlinesse and when we shall see him there is no beauty that wee should desire him But this was incomparable condiscension of love that the Lord would take his own death upon him and assume the manhood of sick weak pained sad sighing and dying clay Esai 53.4 Surely he hath born our sicknesses and carryed our sorrowes 5. If there be any that ever tasted the sweet of life it being the most noble and desirable of created beings if it were from a glorious Angel to a poore gnat or a base worm they keep possession of life with all their desire they will part with all things men even with teeth and skin ere they quit their life Iob 2.4 The more excellent life is they struggle the more to keep it a young man will doe more then an old man for it and the old man who
was on Christ dying 2. How he was a curse and the causes of it To curse in both languages is to pray evill to devote to destruction either in word or deed now the curse that Christ was made 1. Was the Lords pronouncing him a curse 2. The setting of him a part as appointed for wrath and judgement 3. The dishonor done to him the nothinging or dispising of Christ was a part of his curse now in the first of these three we know Deut. 21.23 The Lord pronounceth him accursed that hangeth on a tree Paul in Gal. 3.10.13 applies it to Christ it was a Ceremoniall curse I grant Deut. 21. but had a speciall relation to Christ who was under a reall and morall cuâ—se for such a curse is upon the sinner for Idolatry and the highest breaches of the morall Law Deut. 27. as to sâ—t light by Father and Mother to remove the neighbours land-mark and by fraud or rapine to take his Lands from him such a curse was laid on Christ an higher curse then to be hanged on a tree to be hanged was a note of a temporall curse but except the man dyed in sinne no mark of the eternall displeasure of God but as typicall and relative to Christ for whose sake only this cuâ—se was put on the death of the Crosse it was in equivalency an eternall vengeance and that wrath which all the Elect were for ever to suffer in hell the Apostle saith Gal. 3.10 11 12 13. Such a curse as is due to these that abide not in all that is written in the Law of God to doe it was upon Christ now this was a reall and morall curse because first due to the Gentiles who were not obliged to the Law of Ceremonies and was secondly due to thousands that dyed not on the tree 2. Christ was devoted and set apart in the eternall counsell of God for suffering the punishment of sinne when God first purposed if there be order of first and second in the eternall decrees of God the Lord devoted and set apart this Lamb before the foundation of the world was laid to bee a bloudy sacrifice for sinne He was separated from the flock to be killed and for our sakes he devoted vowed and sanctified himself for that work Christ was of all mankinde separated to be an atonement and an expiation for sinne he was dieted for the race to runne through death and hell hee was fitted to suffer no man so furnished to undergoe the wrath of God as hee 3. As to be accursed comes under the third notion to wit to be dishonouâ—ed so was Christ under a curse Psal. 22.7 no man Esa. 53.3 the last of men the contempt and the refuse of men Act. 4.11 the stone rejected by you builders saith Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Nothinged stone not so much esteemed as an errand murtherer Barrabas and this death of the Crosse now especially in the Christian world is become most base as the buriall of an Asse Ier. 22. was a sign of Gods displeasure so is hanging Nâ—tions having not without Gods providence casten their consent together that it should be the death of the poore and basest of men so Peter as if it had been only of mens chusing Act. 5.30 The God of our Fathers raised up Iesus whom yee slew and hanged on a tree And Act. 2.23 whom by wicked hands ye have crucified and slain hanging on a â—â—ee is more then slaying to kill a man is all yee can doe but to put him to a base death that is cursed both of God and man is farre worse it s more then the woâ—st and that a King lineally discended of Kings and of the blood Royall the Kingly Tribe of Iudah the man on earth that only by birth and law had Title to the Crown of Iudea should be put to so base a death is the worst that wicked men and devils could doe I may adde yet a fourth consideration Gen. 3.17 Alâ— the creatuâ—es are put under the curse of mans sinnes Christ dyed such a death as took the creatures off the cuâ—se and Col. 1.20 Christ having made peace through the blood of his crosse reconciled all things to himself whither they be things in earth or things in heaven 2. Now how Christ could be a curse is harder there is a thing intrinsecally and fundamentally cursed and there is a thing extrinsecally and effectively cursed none but he that sinneth is intrinsecally and fundamentally cursed for in this regard its a personall evâ—ll Christ was not intrinsecally abhominable hatefull and an execrable thing to God Objâ—ct But if Christ suffered all that we was to suffer for our sinnes then as God must in â—ustice abhorre and hate with a hatred of abhomination the sinner and the sinner is such an one as God must let out his displeasure against him so must God hate and abhorre his person therefore Gods displeasure not only persued Christ by way of punishment that extrinsecally he was cursed but also the Lord in justice behoved to hate and abhoâ—re the person of the Son of God with the hatred of abhomination that he intrinsecally should be a curse as well as the sinner in whose person he stands Ans. Christ the surety behoved to suffer all and every punishment due to the Elect either in the same kinde and coyne as death or in the equivalency and in as good for there were some punishments that may be well changed the one in the other as death naturall or by violence was changed in the death of the crosse we have no ground to think if Christ had never come to die for us that the death of all mankinde must have been the death of the crosse so Gods hating and abominating the sinner must bee and was changed in Gods forsaking of Christ when he complained My God my God c. in regard this was all as penall and sad to Christ as the other to wit to be abominated and hated in our persons as cursed of God not to say that it was not congruous to the condition of him who is the Son of the eternall God by nature and by an unspeakable generation to be in his person abominated and abhorred of God as a man intrinsecally cursed as the sinner who sinneth in person is and not to adde also which may be said the kinde of punishment this not this is arbitrary to the Law-giver now the Apostle saith not Christ was cursed but Gal. 3.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was made a curse for us extrinsecally a curse as 2 Cor. 5.21 God made him sinne for us that is what was penall in the curse and sinne and whatever was congruous and sutable to his holy person that the Lord Iesus came under sure as Christ took on him our nature so he changed persons and names with us legally he was made the sinner and the sinner made the Sonne there was reciprocation of imputation here Christ was you legally
decree as the Painter that draws the whole body exactly but forgetteth to draw one of the five fingers and in the mean while that circumstance which we wrestle most against in our thoughts was specially intended of God how often doth this fire our thoughts and burn them up with fretting Had I done this I might have eschewed this heaviest and saddest calamity Had I gone to Sea when the winde and Sailers called me but the fourth part of an houre sooner I had not been in dry land where I am now butchered to death so had I but spoken a word I might have saved all this losse and labour had not this man come in with an ill counsell and one unhappy word many hundreth thousands had not been killed in battell and Martha Ioh. 11.21 is upon this distemper for she saith to Iesus Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not dyed She would say it was an ill hap Christ was unluckily in another place when my brother dyed but the wise decree of God had carved these circumstances so that Christs absence was especially decreed in that affliâ—tion ver 15. Iesus said plainly Lazarus is dead and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there to the intent that yee may believe c. Look up in the affliction to the sadest and blackest circumâ—â—ance in the crosse infinite wisdome was not sleeping but from eternity with understanding and counsell the Loâ—d decreed and frâ—med that sadest circumstance even that Shemei a subject should curse David his Prince and that he should harge him with blood againâ—t Saul of which he was mâ—st free and at that time and no other time when he was flying for his life from his Son Absolom but all these sad circumstances were moulded and framed on the wheels of the decree of him who deviseth all shapes our woes according to the counsell of his will We would have our Lord to remove the gall the worm-wood and the fire-edge out of our crosse and we lust for some more honey and sugar of consolation to be mixed with it it were good if we could by grace desire three ills to be removed from our crosse 1. That of its nature it be not sinfull such as hardnesse of heart we may in our election and choyce pray that it be not both a sinfull plague of God on the soule and a judgement to us 1. We may pray that the affliction may be circumstanced and honeyed with the consolations of Christ and with faith and patience and a spirituall use of the affliction 3. We may pray it may not be a burthen above our back and such as we are not able to bear and this we may as lawfully chuse and pray as say Lord lead us not into temptation Vse 3. Was there shame and reproach on Christs crosse fie on all the glory of the world let us not think 1. too much of this peece airy windy vaine opinion of mens esteem and the applause it s but a short living hungry Hosanna when your name is carried through a spot or bit of this clay-stage for a day or two they 'll wonder at you but nine nights Christs fame spread abroad through all the countrey and now hee is shamed and a reproached man now the whole people cry out away with him away with him crucifie him the ground of mans glory is his goodlinesse or graciousnesse his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all his endowments and brave parts and all this glory Esai 40.6 is as the flower of the field his glory has a moneth and lives the poore twelfth part of a year and Herod is gone to the worms and his silks rotten and gone and Shebna is tossed like a ball in a large place and must hear this Esai 22.18 Thou shall die in a strange land and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy Lords house it s an earthly thing Phil. 3.19 Whose glory is their shame who minde earthly things Hos. 4.7 I 'le change their glory into shame and when Epharim glories in children God sews wings to that glory and it flies away Hos. 9.11 As for Ephraim their glory shall flie away as a bird The tenne Tribes boasted of their strength and multitude but the Lord saith Esai 17.4 The glory of Iacob shall be made thin 2. God in a speciall manner sets himself in person against this glory Esa. 23.9 The Lord of Hoasts has purposed to staine the pride of all glory and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth Esai 10.12 I 'le punish the glory of the high looks of the King of Assyria Habac. 2.16 The Lord layes a right curse on Chaldees glory the cup of the Lords right hand shall be turned into thee and shamefull spâ—ing shall be on thy glory 3. It s the sweet fruit of Christs death and abasement that we learn to lay down our credit under the Lords feet Phil. 2. Let the same minde be in you that was in Christ Iesus O that must be a high and an aspiring mind for he was the high and lofty one nâ— he teaches all his to be abased ver 6. who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God ver 7. but he emptied himselfe he was full of majesty and glory but he made himselfe of no reputation an empty thing and took upon him the form of servant and was made in the likenesse of men and humbled himself ah let never man go with high sailes nor count much of worlds glory after Iesus Christ ah our reputation name is as tender to us as paiper as our skin a scratch in it or a rub is a provocation cannot be expiated as if we minded in the airy cloud of mens fame to fly up to heaven and frothy fame were as good to lay hold on Christ as fervent faith breach of our priviledges of State is more now then blasphemy against God Vse 4. Now if Christ was made a curse for us that we might be delivered from the curse we are comforted in Christs being made a curse for us in regard of 1. Extream love 2. Perfection of blessednesse For this act of love we are assured he that will be made the curse of God for us will be any thing four great steps of love were here every one of them greater then another 1. To be a man 2. To be a dying man 3. To be as a sinning man 4. To be a cursed man Consider these foure as they grow out of the root of love A Spirit sinlesse and holy is a happy thing the Sonne of God being God is a Spirit and so in another condition then man he was above bones and clay and the motion of hot ayr going in and out at the nostrils it s a sort of cumber to carry about a piece of dust of more then a hundreth and fifty bits of clay organs five senses two hands two
legges head tongue lips throat shoulders breast back so many fingers toes lithes joynts veines muscles then belly stomack heart liver bowels and a number of cumbersome vessels let them be a hundreth and fifty fragments of warm red and bloody clay they require more then a hundreth and fifty servants of clay of meat rayment medicine to serve them and the more needy a creature is the more miserable a Spirit is above all these and needs not senses nor servants to serve the senses and life O but Christ was happy from eternity and consider what a low lowp of love was this the Word made flesh God manifested in the flesh is the greatest mystery of love in the world here God an infinite Spirit made man has need of two eyes of clay two eares two legs two hands he must come under the necessities of all these hundreth and fifty organs can ye tell what secrets of love are here God looks out at two clay windows the two eyes of a Man God walks with the two clay legges of a man Hee dwelt amongst us saith Ioh. 1.14 hee pitched his clay-tent with us full of grace and glory grace and glory dwelling in clay is one of the deep wonders of the World But 2. We would accept to be men but if it were referred to our choise we must die in paine and be tumbled in a cold hole of clay in the earth and see the Sunne no more it may be we would take it to our advisement ere we chused life Christ knew on such terms if he should be made a creature of clay and if the high and lofty God should be cloathed with such ragges a coat of clay so farre below his beauty he must die yet he would bee a man a dying man and we know what sad and soure accidents were in his death But 3. Yee will kill an honest hearted and ingenuous innocent man ere yee move him to take with a fault when he has done no fault Iob was called an hypocrite by his friends but he would never take with it hee would maintaine his own righteousnesse till hee dyed the Martyrs ere they would take sinne on them by acting it and deny Iesus Christ they would rather chuse the gallous torture the teeth of Lions burning quick or any thing but Christ Iesus takes it patiently to stand as the thiefe the bloudy man the false man and as all the wicked men of the world he could not act sin but he said Father make me the sinner I never stole but let my face be blacked with theft I never shed innocent blood but let the staine and blot off the murtherer be upon me I never lied but let me be as a lyar and stand so before justice and God made him sin 2 Cor. 5.21 when a man willingly goeth to prison for a broken man it s a reall acknowledgement that he takes on him the broken mans debts It s as good as if he had said crave me for him a morall blot to be put on an honest holy harmlesse man is a high measure of selfe-denyall and love Christ said here am I crave me Lord. But this is nothing Christ was a maâ— 2. A dying man 3. Made as a sinner and as a wicked and unhonest man but God blessed him he was made a blessing of God and that is comfort enough No it was not so God made him a curse an execrable thing all the broad curses written in the book of the Law came on him see Christ made clay dying clay as sinning clay cursed clay what would yee have more Christ is as if his Father abhorred him and would not once give him on cast of his eye 2. All perfection of blessednesse comes to us by this that Christ was made a curse for us Gal. 3.14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Iesus Christ that we might receive the promise ef the Spirit through faith This is the true freedome from the Law to be freed from the curse thereof in believing Christ was made a curse for you according to that Rom. 6.14 For sinne shall not have dominion over you for yee are not under the Law but under grace which doctrine is cleare Rom. 7. where expresly we are said to bee freed from the dominion of the Law as the wife is freed from the Law of subjection to her husband if the husband be dead which is a comparison and holdeth not in all but only in so farre as the two husbands the Law and Christ stand in opposition the one to the other now the opposition is that the Law has dominion to justifie the legall observers of it and guide the wife to life eternall but the conditions are hard and now because of the flesh unpossible Christ againe the better husband leadeth his Bride to heaven in sweeter termes by believing in him that justifieth the ungodly who has satisfied for our breach of the Law 2. The Law hath dominion over the wife that is in subjection to it to condem her if she break to this spirituall husband in thought word or deed but the two husbands both agree in this that both command holy walking as the Apostle excellently sheweth 1 Cor. 9.20 to them that are under the Law I am as under the Law that I might gaine them that are urder Law ver 21. to them that are without Law as without Law being not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ that I might gaine them that are without Law Hence we teach that the believer married to the second and better husband Christ is not freed from the rule and directing power of the Law to lead us in the wayes of sanctification and holinesse but we are freed from the dominion of the Law that it cannot justifie us nor condem us because in Christ we are justified by his imputed righteousnesse laid hold on by faith and saved freely in him by his blood hence give me leave to vindicate our doctrine in this from the wicked aspersions cast on it by Antinomians especially by Mr Town Mr Towne 's assertion of grace against Doctor Taylor Pag. 3. When it s said we are not under the Law but under grace Rom. 6. by the word Law I understand the morall Law or decalogue with all its authority dominion offices and effects and by grace is understood the Gospel of Christ if yee were saith he under the power and teaching of the Law it s true sin would then lord it over you in that the Law is the strength of sinne 1 Cor. 15. But yee are translated unto another Kingdome where the enemy yee so feare is spoyled of all its armor and power whereon it dependeth and your King you now live under doth freely communicate abundant and effectuall grace of justification and sanctification so to fortifie you that yee shall be more then Conquerours therefore feare not only be strong in the faith thereof Answ. 1.
this end ver 4. that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Henâ—e I argue these that ought to fulfill the righteousnesse of the Law by walking after the Spirit and mortifying the deeds of the flesh are not freed from the Law as a rule of rightâ—ousnesse but are obliged by vertue of command to this rule for Paul proveth that there is a commanding power enjoyning rightous walking above us even when we are led by the Spirit 1. Because wee are obliged to minde the things of the Spirit not of the flesh ver 5. 2. To be spiritually minded is life as to be carnally minded is death eternall ver 6. 3. We are to be subject to the Law then we must be spiritually not carnally minded for the carnall minde cannot come under such subjection ver 7. 4. We are to please God in our walking then wee cannot walk in the flesh ver 8. 5. Because we are dead to sinne v. 9.10 We are not debters nor owe we to the flesh any service v. 10. But sure by a commandement we owe service to Christ againe the Apostle Gal. 5. treating of that common place of Christian liberty especially moveth the Antinomian doubt and saith ver 13. Christian liberty is not licentiousnesse nor an occasion to the flesh and commandeth that we serve on another in love ver 13. Now here was a fit place if Paul had been an Antinomian to say but ye are freed from the Law as a rule of righteousnesse and if I command you to love one another I bring you back to bondage againe I clap you up in goale againe and deliver you to your old keeper no saith he But 1. this is Liberty to serve one anotâ—er in love and it s an Evangelâ—ck fulfilling of the law for all the Law saith he ver 14. is fulfilled in this one word thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe and ver 16. There is an expresse command walk in the Spirit and ver 18. It might be said then we may live as we list we are free from all Lords its true saith the Apostle ver 18. yee are not under the Law to condemne you but yet yee are not lawlesse yee must be led by the Spirit and ver 19. flie the woâ—ks of the flesh ver 19. such as adultery fornication c. now the law expresly forbiddeth the works of the flesh And Rom. 7. the very Antinomian doctrine is obviated for ver 6. But now we are delivered from the Law O then might some say then we are free men he answers not so we are delivered from the Law that wee should serve God in a Spirituall manner But againe ver 7. Paul proponeth the speciall objection of the Carnall Libertine if we be freed from the Law what shall we say then is the Law sinne this doubt ariseth both from ver 5. ver 6. ver 5. he said the motions of sinne that were by the Law did work in our members sinfull motions he inferres then it may appeare to some that the Law is a factor and agâ—nt for sinne is the Law sinne bâ— way of solliciâ—ation ver 6. Wee are not under the Law then it would appeare that the remâ—ved Law is not a dispensâ—tion to sinne and so the law is sinne if we be freed from it we may sinne Paul saith the Law is not so removed and dead but tâ—ere is a good and holy â—se of the law it remaineth as a rule of righteousnesse touching what we should flie and what we should follow thus the law is neither a factor for sinne nor a dispensation to sinne because it discovereth and forbiddeth sinne for saith he I had not known lust to be sinne but by the Law and this the Antinomiâ—n now moveth we are freed from the law being once justified what ever we doe it is not against a law nor a rule for we are under no law as a rule and what we doe though to our sense and feeling it be adultery and a debt agâ—inst the seventh command yet truly in the sight of God it is no more sinne then any thing Christ doth is sinne we are as cleane of it ere we commit it as Christ or the glorified Spirits in heaven and therefore the law gives us a dispensation to doe these things being justified which the unjustified cannot doe but they must in doing it sinne because the unjustified man is under the law as a rule of justice which we are not under and so we have a dispensation and an anâ—idated one to sinne before hand but because we are under no rule of righteousnesse it is to us no sinne Take two servants the master commandeth one of them eat all fruit of the garden but I forbid you the fellow servant under a paine eat not of this tree in the east end of the garden to the other he giveth no such charge or command the former servant eating of the tree in the east transgresseth not his masters command because he is under no law forbidding the other cating of that same tree is a transgressor because he is under a forbidding command so here if the justified be not under the tenne Commandements as a rule of life though they swerve from all the tenne yet they sinne not for Saltmarsh saith where there is no law there is no sinne Mr Towne saith Although the Spirit bring forth in the Saints the fruits of holinesse according to the law Gal. 5.22 Ephes. 5.9 Yet without Christ we can doe nothing unlesse as the imp or branch we suck and derive life and sap from him which is the Spirit of faith what if it be affirmed even in true sanctification the law of works is a meere passive thing as the Kings high way which a Christian freely walketh in you have not a face to deny it Psal. 119.31 Answ. If the Spirit of Grace bring forth in the Saints fruits of holinesse according to the law then is the law to the Saints a rule of their walking which the Antinomians deny It s true It may be the law to the holy Spirit in his person acting immediately in the Saints is passive for the law cannot work on the holy Spirit but that the â—aints are meere patients and blocks in all their holy walking is grosse Libâ—rtinisâ—e and maketh God the Author of sin as before is said and this way also the Saints are freed from the Gospel and the command of faith and all the promises no lesse then from the law because neither law nor Gospel can be a rule to the person of the holy Ghost in his immediate actions the Spirit is free in his operations and subjecteth both law and Gospel to his gracious breathings but is subject to none 2. Mr. Towne and Antinomians would lay upon Protestant Divines that they teach the Saints may walk in holines without the grace of Christ because they will have the Saints under
tenets that Antinomians hold contrary to walking in Christ. (a) Vol. 3. Serm. 4.160 161 162. The Antinomian confession of sins fleshly Vehement stirrings of lusts goe before conversion The right use of preparations to facilitate not to merit Redemption hath no foregoing preparations Conversion hath (b) Saltmarsh Free grace cap. 51. p 184 185. Vel specificativè vel reduplicativè How the promises of the Gospel are held forth to sinners as sinners How we cannot too soone come to Christ and yet wee must not come presumptuously Preparations make us nothing lesse sinners and nothing lesse unworthy of conversion if God would enter into judgement with us The Lord hath a set time for ripening the sinner for conversion Christ is moved by the same love to renew his drawing that moved him at first to draw Love-sicknesse goes before renewed drawings and divers other sweet marks The doâ—bt against condinaâ—l Gosâ—el-promises propounded Antinomians imagine that conditions of grace must be unconsâ—stent with grace Antinomians reject only the Arminians conditions The Arminian condition disproved Conditions absolutly in our will which we may performe or not perform as seeâ—eth good to free-will loosed from al divine predetermination were â—either in Adam before the fall nor in elect Angels Evangelike conditions wrought by the irresistâ—ble gâ—ace of God doe well consist with free grace Obedience commanded in the Law and in the Gospel how it is the same and how different The two extremes of Arminians and Antinomians the former dâ—stroying grace and making the letter of the Gospel-grace the latter destroying the letter of the written Gospel and all action in the regenerat and turning aâ—l commands and Evangelike exhortations into celestiall and immediate rapts of the Spirit How election is of free grace and justification and salvation of free grace How free â— condition saith is The nature of liberty not in a liberty of contradiction but in other â—hree things The Lords decrees and promises dâ—minish nothing of his liberty and freedome of grace in his working Grace properly though not originally in Saints Vse Our abusing of gracious Gospel conditions Bastard preparations The Lords Method both after and before we be delivered from temporall afflictions God delivers his Church out of externall afflictions before they be huâ—bâ—ed Free grace only not merit the caâ—se of our conversiâ—â— We have neither strength nor leasure to praise grace to the bottome Wherein the drawing consisteth Libertines falsly tâ—ach that justification and regeneration is one Town Assertion of Grace pag 115 116. Repentance and Mortification are some other thing then Faith How farre the Law draweth a sinner to Christ. Both Law and Gospel in the letter equally unable to draw a sinner to Christ. The difference betweene the Law and Gospel in the matter not in that manner of â—oâ—king that Antinomians conceive How law and love work diveâ—sly A power to command and a power to punâ—sh are two dâ—fferent powers Pag. 137. Hâ—w love and law work in us now The particular manner of drawing is unknown to us God is various in his dispensation in drawing souâ—e 〈◊〉 some râ—ughly some that to their sense they can tell you day and hour they were borne over againe others are drawne but know not when where or how A confluence of mercy in conversion Two wayes of drawing sinners Morall and Physicall (a) Rise â—eign c. er 9. pag. 2. (b) Er. 39. pag. 8 (c) Er. 40. pag. 8. (d) Francis Cornwell A Conference of M. Cotton at Boston with the Elders of New-England Pag. 17 18. Libertines deny all morall working of the word That there is a morall working of the worâ— Inspirations without Scripture vaine Some Propheticall impulsions have beene in many of our first Reformers and others that succeeded them but these are not ordinary rules of rejecting Scriptures Christ is a rationall object Sinners arâ—ue â—re thâ—â—â—ee drâ—wne to Christ. The oratory of Christ is effectuall Christs mâ—ver 〈◊〉 â—s thrâ—ugh love Christs love 〈◊〉 is 1. Vâ—olâ—â—t 2. 〈…〉 4. Reâ—ll 5 Lovâ—ly 〈◊〉 Christs love spâ—edy and swift aâ— a Roe In drawing there is lâ—ssâ— will then in leading Christ drâ—wes powerfully compassionatly patiently Redemption and drawing by free love sweeter then by strict law Drawiâ—g stroâ—g and easie 〈…〉 consentiâ—g to be drawâ— aâ—d there an end The way of loves working through delight is sweet and conquering Evincing and binding lovelinesse in Christ in divers respects The vertues of Christ. Sweet relations in Christ. Christs Kingdome a drawiâ—g thing in divers considerations Christ himself the drawingst Lover in heaven and his vertues againe holden forth Drawing arguments in Christ from beauty gaine honour Of the beauty of God Foure things in beauty that are by proportion in God What the beauty of God is The beauty in Chrâ—sts person The beauty of a communion with Christ. Delectatioâ— in gâ—dlinâ—sse to all the spirituall seâ—sâ—s Christ dâ—lâ—ghtfâ—ll to all the senses Christs voice sweet Christ sweet to the taste Reall gaine in Christ in divers partâ—â—â—lars Richâ—s uncertaine No markâ—t or bâ—yiâ—g of Christ. Reall honâ—ur in comming to Christ in divers iâ—stancâ—s How highly God esteemeth of his Saints Vse A survay of Christ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How caâ—aâ—ious and gâ—eat Christs loâ—â— is Libertines the grand enemies of grace Vse 1. The sweetnesse of a communion with God far above the pleasures of sin Great things reported of the wayes of Christ. Christ 〈◊〉 pâ—â—ssible Object 1. Godiiâ—â—sse nâ— sad life The dâ—scipline oâ— christs house not rough â—ut to naturall 〈◊〉 â—punc The manner of the Lords drawing the will The Lord worketh by proportion in drawing the will The Lord by holy wiles and art draweth the will The learned Gentleman M. Ed. Liegh in Critica Sacra on the old Test. thinketh not without good reason that the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to perswade comes from this The Lords grace bewitcheth and charmeth the will * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mussiâ—are submissa voce loqui quod occulâ—um velis 2 Sâ—m 12 19. So Isai. 3.3 the prudent and wise man hâ—th such a name as to charme and bewitch as â—loquent Orators doe or Exorcists and Conâ—urers of Spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conjungere sociare by enchanting Deut. 18.11 Isai. 47.9 Septuaginta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ worketh on the wâ—ll by internall application God cannot be the Creator of the will but hee must effectually turne it whither soever hee pleaseth The word and the Spirit Meanes are accommodated to conversion Time sitted of God for conversion God converts every man beside his intension A fit word must be in conversion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a wheele Prov 20.26 What congruous vocation or the new calling and conversion of sinners devised by Jeâ—uits the Pelagians living agâ—in is The Arminian calling and conversion The conversion of Protestant Divines Rom. 9.17.18 Reasons against the Iesuites congruous conversion of sinners drawing one not another The middle science fancied by Iesuites and Arminians to be in
not wearied thee with incense Jer. 2.5 What iniquity have your fathers found in me Micah 6.3 O my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearied thee testifie against me It is strange that sinners can see a black spot on the Lords faire face or that their will that is nearer of kin to reason then the affections that are in beasts should be averse to God yet it is said of wicked men that they are haters of God Rom. 1.30 His citizens hated him Luk. 19.14 Joh. 15.24 And especially these speeches carry allusion to Ps. 81.11 Israel would have none of me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Israel had no liking of me no will of me So that weakenesse simply is not the nearest cause of our not comming to Christ but wilfull weaknesse or rather weak-wilfulnesse 1. Because in agents that cannot worke there impotencie or lownesse of nature is the cause as the reason why a horse cannot discourse as a man is because his nature is inferiour to the reasonable nature of a man and not because the Horse will not but because he cannot discourse The cause why a lump of clay casts not such light in the night as a candle or a starre in the firmament is the basenesse and opacitie of the nature of clay to produce such an action as to give light there is not such a thing as will in the clay which intervenes between its nature and the no-giving light in the night But men hearing the Gospell doe not beleeve not only because they cannot for beasts cannot beleeve but because as Christ saith They will not beleeve Joh. 5.40 They will have none of Christ. Psal. 81.11 They will not have Christ to reigne over them Luk. 19.14 And will intervenes betweene the impotencie of their will and their disobedience 2. Because that hatred of God and of Christ ascribed to unregenerate men Rom. 1.30 Luk. 19.14 Joh. 15.24 is the birth that lay in the wombe of Will and comes from Will as Will and not onely from Will as weake so mens delighting and their loving to be estranged from Christ and to satisfie themselves with other lovers beside Christ are high bended acts of the Will Which argueth that not onely weaknesse but wilfulnesse hath influence in mens unbeliefe 3. The Lord chargeth men with this Matth. 23.37 I would yee would not 4. Conscience taketh it on its will and fathers disobedience on the will 1. Sam. 8.19 Nay but we shall or we will have a King Jer. 44.16 The people avow their will and peremptory resolution is we will not hearken to thee 6. But for the ground reason and cause on Christs part of drawing it is free grace and only free grace which are holden forth in these Positions Pos. 1. As there is no merit good deserving worke or hire in the miserable sinner dying in his bloud dead in sinnes out of his wit and disobedient deceived and serving divers Lusts Ezech. 16.4 5 6 7 8. Ephes. 2.1 2 3 4. Tit. 3.3 4. So there is as much love mankindnesse and free grace in heaven in the breast of Christ as would save all in hell or out of hell I speake this in regard not of the Lords intention as if he did beare all and every one of mankind a good will purposing to save them But because their lyes and flowes such a Sea and Ocean of infinite love about the heart and in the bowels of Jesus Christ as would over-save and out-love infinite worlds of sinners so all could come and draw and drinke and suck the breasts of overflowings of Christs free grace in regard of the intrinsecall weight and magnitude of this love that if you appoint banks to channell or marches to bound this free love God should not bee God nor the Redeemer the Redeemer Pos. 2. Could any created eye of Men or Angels reach or compasse the thousand thousand part of this love with one look such an act of adoration and admiration must follow thereupon as should breake the soule and breast of this creature in a thousand pieces but Christ in heaven and out of heaven is hid Infinitenesse is a secret that Angels or Men never did never shall comprehensively know there is a secret of love seene in heaven but never seene how little of the Sea doe our naturall eyes behold Onely the superfice We see but a little part of the skinne or hide of the visible heavens with our bodily eyes but so much as is seene is of exceeding beauty No eye bodily can see the bottome of the Seas or the large in-fields in the visible heavens If the infinite lumpe of the boundlesse love of Christ were seene at once what a heavens wonder what a worlds miracle would Christ appeare to bee But as much of Christ is seene as vessels of glory though wide enough can comprehend But if Angels and glorified Saints see much of Christ and so accordingly as they see and know doe praise him and yet cannot over-praise and out-sing so much as they see and if the in-side of infinitenesse of love free grace mercy majesty dominion be an everlasting Mystery Angels and Men are below merit even in heaven and Angels and Saints must be ashamed of and blush at the imagination of merits for an infinite lovely Majesty seen and not praised nor loved in any measure of equality or commensuration to his dignity and worth must lay infinite though sinlesse debt for eternity on all the Citizens of glory whether home-borne or natives of that Countrey as elect Angels or adopted strangers as glorified Saints Pos. 3. The manner of graces working on Saints is gracious and so essentially free as is evident in our first drawing to Christ when many sins are forgiven and so the soule loves much and the sweetest burden in heaven or out of heaven is a burden of the love of Christ All debt must be a burden to an ingenuous spirit but the debt of free grace that lieth from eternity on Angels and Men is a lovely and a desireable paine That men before they were men and had being and before all eternity were in the bosome of Christ the ingaged debters of the Lambe in the purpose of free grace loved with an everlasting love is a deepe thought of love and that being was gratious being before actuall being speaketh and cryeth much love and it s the floure the glory the crowne of free grace that Gods free love in Christ casteth forth the warming rayes and beames of the Redeemers kind heart on men who are enemies darkenesse haters of God dead in sinne dying in blood and pollution And how broad how warme and how ranckly must the faire and large skirts of Christs love smell of admirable grace when they are spred over the bleeding the loathsome the blacke and unwashen sinner is not every word a heaven Ez. 16.8 Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was
the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednes yea I sweare unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine c. Christs passing by is as a traveller on his journey who findeth a child without Father or Mother in the open field dying and naked wallowing in bloud and then casting a covering of freelove and love hath broad skirts over his people and its an expression of much tendernesse and warmenesse of love Many articles in that place extoll free grace 1. Christ is brought in as a passing by-passenger to whom this fondling was no bloud-friend but a meere stranger so if humanity and man-kindnesse had not wrought on his heart he might have passed by us we are to Christ nothing of kinred or bloud by our first birth but strangers from the wombe to God going a whoring as soone as we are borne 2. Christ looked on forlorne sinners and there is love in his two eyes it may be that bowels of iron in which lodgeth nothing of a man or of naturall compassion would move a traveller to see and not see a young child dying in his bloud but saith he I saw thee my heart my bowels had eyes of love toward thee there was tender compassion in my very looke my bowels within me turned and swonned at the cast of mine eye when I saw thy misery 3. Behold and behold he would owne his owne mercy and love let Angels and Men wonder at it that the great and infinite Majestie of God should condescend to looke on such base sinners so farre below the free love and Majestie of God There is a behold a signe put upon this doore come hither Angels and Men and wonder at the condiscension 2. Tendernesse 3. Strength of heate and warmenesse 4. Freedome and unhired motions 5. Riches and aboundance 6. Efficacie and vertue 7. The bounty and reality of the free love of Christ. 4. Thy time was a time of loving What of loving it was a time of loathing a time of love when sinners were so base so poore wretched so sinfully despicable such enemies to God in their minde by wicked works Col. 1.21 Dead in sins and trespasses walking according to the course of this world â—n ill Compasse to stirre by according to the Prince of the power of the ayre the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Was this a time of love Yea Christs love cannot be bowed or budded with any thing without Christ It s as strong as Christ himselfe and sinne and hell can neither breake nor counter-worke the love of Christ your hatred cannot countermand his imperious love 5. It was not a time of single love but it was a time of loves Thy time Christ hath a time and sinners have a time when they are ripe for mercy it was a time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of loves of much loves of much love He loved us and shewed mercie on us Eph. 2.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his great and manifold love Can. 7.12 there I wil give thee my loves Cant. 6.2 Thy loves are better then wine V. 4. We will remember thy loves more then wine It s a bundle a wood of many loves that is in Christ. Then V. 5. I spred my skirt over thee He is a warm-hearted passenger who in a cold day will take off his own garment to cloth a naked fondling that he finds in the way I saith Christ laid on thee a naked sinner the skirt of that love wherewith the Father loved me O what a strange word is that Joh. 17.26 I have declared unto them thy name and will declare it that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them It s true Christ could not bee stript naked of the love wherewith his Father loved him and that love being essentiall to God cannot be formally communicated to us yet the fruit of it is ours and the Lord Jesus spreds over his redeemed ones a lap of the same love and bowels in regard of the fruits of free love which the Father did from eternity spread over himselfe 6. I covered saith Christ thy nakednesse O what a garment of Glory is the imputed righteousnesse of Christ Bring foorth the best robe and put on him This is the white raiment that cloatheth the shame of our nakednesse 7. Yea I sware unto thee and entred in covenant with thee Equals doe much if they swear and enter in covenant with equals But O humble Majestie of an infinite God who would enter in covenant with sinners wretched sinners at our worst condition and would quiet our very unbeleeving thoughts of sinfull jealousie with an oath of the most high who hath no greater to sweare by then himselfe 8. And thou becammest mine Hebr. thou wast for mee set a part for me Heere stouping and low condescending love to owne sinners and a claime and propriety on wretched and farre off strangers to name dying bleeding sinning and God-hating dust and guilty-perishing clay his owne proper goods 9. Vers. 9. Then washed I thee with water That Christs so faire hands should stoupe to wash such blacke-skinned and defiled sinners in either free justification or in purging away the rotten bloud and filth of the daughter of Sion in regeneration maketh Good that to the free love of Christ that which is blacke is faire and beautifull 10. And I annointed thee with oyle free grace and Christ dwelling by Faith Ephes. 3.17 in Saints that are the floure gold and marrow of the Church is a high expression of free love Sinners are worse then withered and dry clay without saving grace 11. And to all these Christ clothed his naked Church with broidered worke fine linnen and silke hee putteth bracelets on her hands a chaine of gold of grace about her necke a Jewel on her forehead eare-rings on her eares and a beautfull crown on her head the grace to professe Christ and carry on the forehead the name of the Father of the Lambe and of the new Jerusalem the bride the Lambs wife before Men and Angels is a faire ornament 12. Beside a name and the perfume of a sweet and precious report in the World addeth a luster to the Saints who are by nature the children of wrath as well as others Ezech. 16.10 11 12 13 14. Ephes. 2.1 2 3 4 5. Pos. 4. It s an abasement of Christ that he who gives such a ransome to justice for free grace should wait for a penny from sinners that sinners must bid and buy and ingage him to give and Christ say You must give me more I must sell not give grace for nothing Your penny worthes cannot roll about that everlasting wheele of free grace the decree of election or bow or breake Christs free heart to save you rather then another 2. There is no more proportion betweene wages and saving grace then between wages and eternall
which are for us and the soule injoying Christ possesseth Christ and not it selfe loveth Christ not it selfe liveth in Christ not in it selfe injoyeth Christ not it selfe solaceth it selfe in Christ not in it selfe beholdeth Christ and his beauty not it selfe nor his owne beauty so that mind will love desire hope joy sight wondring delighting are all over in Christ not in it selfe And all this further confirmeth the point in hand that Christ crucified and laid hold on by faith is a desirable and a drawing lover PART III. All men I will draw all men The parties drawne to Christ is the third Article in the doctrine of Christs drawing and they are here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All men It is a great question betweene us and such as are for universall attonement and grace universall as many Anabaptists in England now are what is meant by All men in which these are to be observed 1. The state of the question 2. The mind of the Adversaries 3. Our minde 4. The clearing of places alledged by the Adversaries 5. The answering of that principall doubt what faith is required of all within the visible Church 6. The uses of the Doctrine Of all these shortly The state of the Question The Question toucheth 1. Gods intention and purpose to save man 2. In chusing some to salvation not others 3. Gods purpose in sending Christ to dye for some not for others The first Article is called universall grace the second conditionall or which to me is all one vniversall election to glory and so no Election The third is the question touching the universalitie of Christs death or a fancied universall attonment made by Christ for all I cannot particularly handle all the three For the first God ingageth all men as Christs debters thus far that it is mercy that they live or have any opportunity of seeking God what ever be the means naturall or super-naturall whereas for the sin of Adam God might by a like justice have destroyed the world and all mankinde vanity is penally inflicted on all the servants for treason of the Master against the King of Heaven and earth but in Christ there be two mitigations 1. One is that the servants are not destroid for the sin of the Master 2. That as the fore-fated Lord is restored so the sick servants groaning under vanity shall bee delivered from that bondage they come under for the sinne of man Rom. 8.20 21 22. Hence it is though we be out-laws by nature that now by a priviledge of grace from the Mediator the Tenents receive and lodge the Master because Christ hath taken off the Statute and Act of forfeiture 2. No man living on earth but he is beholding to Christ though many know him not for common helps of providence and experiences do teach him some more of God by nature 3. The sound of Christ God revealed in the Gospel in the Apostles ministery is declared and is gone to the ends of the earth and to the Nations Psal. 19.4 Rom. 10.18 But some say these words Have they not heard have relation to v. 14. the hearing of the Gospel or the publishing of the glad tidings of the Gospel to all and every one of mankind and must be meant of that same hearing Ans. It relates to hearing of God revealing himselfe in the meanes of salvation say the Adversaries But then the question is Whether these meanes be the preaching of the Gospel or of the same God revealed as Creator by the Sun Moon and Stars who is revealed in the Gospel and salvation by him Now the Sun and Stars and heaven declare the glory of God and sound forth his praises and salvation through Christ by this sense to all and every Nation and to every single person without exception not onely when Paul wrote this to the Romans but when David penned the 19. Psalme what difference then between the Iewes to whom God revealed his Testimonies and the Gentiles to whom God made no such revelation Psal. 147.19 20. Deut. 4.33 34 c. Deut. 5.25 26. Psal. 78.1 2 c. Psal. 81 4 5. and this sound if it be the Gospel preached to as many as see the Sun and ever when they see the Sun then at that time and to this day the Sun and Moone must be sent Apostles and Preachers by whose words and Ministery all and every man that seeth the Sun then and now and to Christs second comming are obliged to pray to God in Christ and to beleeve and Faith comes by hearing the Sun Stars night and day preach Christ for sure the same hearing of the Gospel v. 18. must be understood which is spoken v. 14.15 for if the one be an hearing of the Gospel by the Apostles which produceth faith and salvation and the other a hearing of Sun and Stars in the book of the Creation This produceth not faith and salvation by the confession of the Adversaries 2. The Apostle shall not answer his own Objection Ver. 18. If all both Jew and Gentile have not heard the Gospel its unpossible they can beleeve for faith cometh by hearing the Gospel from their mouth who are sent of God and if they hear not they must be excused because they beleeve not in Christ of whom they never heard The Apostle must answer yea but they have heard the Gospel Why they heard the Sun and the Stars preach Christ and salvation by him to the farthest ends of the earth for sure David in the literall and native sense of that 19. Psalme speaketh of such dumbe Preachers Now this is no answer at all for Sun and Stars are not sent of God to preach salvation by Christ. 2. Faith comes not by hearing the creatures preach Christ. 3. The Prophets and Apostles not the dumbe and livelesse creatures have pleasant feet on the Mountains to preach peace as it is verse 14 15 16. cited from Isai. 52.7 Nah. 1.15 But the native sense of the words v. 18. is but a meer allusion in Scripture phrase to Davids words Psal. 19. It is neither citation nor exposition of them but an using of Scripture language in comparing the Gospel to the Sun the sound of the Gospel preached to the sound of the glory of the Creator in the works of heaven and earth to show how ample the preaching of the Gospel under the New Testament is to wit that it is not preached to one Nation of the Jewes only as of old but to all nations to the Jewes and to the foolish people by whom the Lord provokes the Jewes to jealousie as is clear v. 19 20. and that voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their voice is gone to the ends of the earth is the voice of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe who preached the Gospel to Nations of all kinds to Iewes and Gentiles it s not the voice of the creatures the heaven and earth but a meer allusion to that voice Psal. 19. for the words have no sense
otherwise for the Apostle avoucheth the Gospel is preached the promise of salvation published to all that call on the Lords Name v. 12. Be they Jewes or Grecians that is Gentiles and beleeve they must or else they cannot pray and needs they must heare or then they cannot beleeve and hear they cannot except God send Preachers But God hath sent Preachers with pleasant feet to both Iewes and Gentiles as the Prophets Isaiah and Nahum fâ—retold v. 13 14 15. and they have not all obeyed v. 16 17 18. But it may be said They have not all heard the Gospel preached this must certainly excuse the Gentiles if they beleeve not having never heard of Christ how can they beleeve as it is v. 14. It s a rationall excuse I cannot sin in not beleeving the Gospel saith the Gentile yea and Christ frees them from the sin of unbeliefe also Ioh. 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them and so if they had not had a Lord Speaker from heaven they had not had sin That is they should have ben free of the Gospel-sin of unbelief but now they have no cloak for their sin Now they cannot say Lord we cannot beleeve a Gospel never spoken to us by any nor heard of by us But sure the Iewes heard these creatures and works of God that preached his glory Psal. 19.6 And if they preach Christ objectively as Amyrald and other Arminians fancie then the not hearing and not obeying the Gospel thus preached had been their sin though Christ or his Apostles had never spoken the Gospel which is contrary to Christs word Ioh. 15.22 And contrary to Paul how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard by the preaching of a sent Minister who subjectively and vocally must preach the Gospel But to return to the state of the question 4. So much of God is revealed to all even to those who never heard of Christ as serves to make all unexcusable for that knowing willingly and knowingly they glorifie not God as God Rom. 1.19 20 21. 5. All within the visible Church have meanes sufficient in their kinde in genere mediorum externorum to save them 6. As none can be saved by the light of nature nor ever any used or could use it so far forth as to improve it for their sufficient preparation to receive the tidings of the Gospel either from Men or Angels sent to preach to them or by any inspiration bringing the sense or things signified in the Gospel so saved they cannot bee by any name under heaven but by the Name of Christ that is Christ named preached and revealed in the Gospel Act. 4.10 11 12. Joh. 14.6 Heb. 11.6 Joh. 5.40 and 1 Joh. 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and hee that hath not the Son hath not life 7. The question is whether or no God so farre forth willeth desireth intendeth that all and every one within and without the visible Church Tartarians and Indians who never by any rumor hard of Christ not excepted that hee giveth them sufficient meanes and helps of a common and universall grace which if they would use well the Lord should so reward pro-move or increase whether out of decencie or a congruous disposition of goodness or of equity or of free promise or any obligation so farre as to send the Gospel to them and bestow on them a larger measure of saving and internall grace by which they should if they so would bee converted to the Faith of Christ and saved We deny Arminians affirme 2. Whether the Lord from eternity late Arminians are for time-election hath absolutely without any provision in or pre-science or fore-knowledge of good works Faith perseverance in both or of condition reason cause merit qualification in some certaine and definite persons rather then others predestinated and chosen them to glory and life eternall And all the meanes conducing to this end and that of meere free grace because he so willeth or if the Lord passe no definite compleat peremptorie and irrevocable decree to save some certain persons while he forsees them expiring and dying in faith and holy conversation Arminians hold that the Lords decree of election of men to glory is generall conditionall incompleat changeable while he forsees they have ended their course in the Faith and then peremptorily and irrevocably he passeth a fixed decree to save such and not others we deny any such loose decrees in the Almighty and beleeve that of free grace he chuseth some absolutely without conditions in them or respect to any good foreseene to be in them rather then in others because He hath mercy on whom hee will and hardens whom he will Rom. 9.17.18 3. Upon this generall indefinite revocable and conditionall good will and intention of God to save all and every one whether or no did the Father give his Sonne and the Sonne dye for all and every one intending absolutely to impetrate and obtaine to all and every one of mankinde remission of sinnes and especially expiation of sinne originall and all sins against the covenant of works and salvation to them all both within and without the visible Church and the opening of the gates of heaven so as God hath laid aside his anger for all these sins hath made all savable reconciliable that notwithstanding of divine Justices plea against men all and every one may according to the intention of God bee saved in his bloud so they would as they may and can beleeve in Christ we deny Arminans here affirme 2. The mind of Arminians Arminians runne upon six Universalities 1. They say God beareth to all and every man of what kind soever an equall universall and Catholike good will yâ—a to Esau Pharaoh Judas as to Jaakob Moses and Peter to save them all so as this love is not stinted to any certaine persons precisely and absolutly loved and chosen to salvation 2. That there is a Catholicke price an universall ransome given by Christ dying on the Crosse for all and every one an Attonement made and a Redemption purchased in Christs bloud by which all and every one Pharaoh Judas Cain all the heathens Tartarians Americans Virginians that never heard of Christ are made savable and reconcilâ—iable and God made placable and exorable to them so aâ— though they be lost in the first Adam yet have they a new venture of heaven and in Christs death the Lord hath a generall antecedent and priâ—â—ry intention to save all without exception yet no more to save Moses and Peter then Judas and Pharaoh Yea that the fruit of Christs death and the effect of it may stand though all and every one of mankinde were eternally lost and not one person saved 3. As there was a Catholicke forfeiture of all so there is a second covenant of free grace made with all and every one of Adams sonnes with promises of free grace a new heart righteousnesse and
for imputed sinne behoved to bleed to death 2. Only Enoch and Elias were reprieved by the prerogative of free-grace we are by birth and sinne but some ounces or pieces and fragments of death and its appointed for all men to die there is more reason we should die then the Lord of life for life was essentiall to the Prince of life but life is a stranger to us man is but man but a handfull of hot dust a clay-vessell tunned up with the breathing of warme wind that smoaks in and out at his nostrils for a inch of flietting away time And sinne addes wings to the wheels of his life and layes a Law of death on man and if Christ had not come into this clay city he had been under no law of death he dies for us then we should â—arre rather have died pâ—opter quod unumquodque tale c. Now because your Redeemer laid his skin to death and was willing to kisse death believers are to esteeme of death as the crosse that Christ went through love the winding sheet and the coffin the better that they were the sleep-bed and night-clothes that your Saviour sleeped in 3. And Christ had the more cause to be willing to die that he was little beholden to this life it looked ever with a frowning face on Christ 1. The first morning salutation of this life when Christ was new born it boasted and threatned Christ with the cutting of his throat in the cradle and banishment out of his own land to Egypt 2. He had good hap all his life to sufferings hee had ever the winde on his faire face and the smoak blowing on his eyes as if his whole day had been a feast of teares and sorrow yea life and the sad and glowing crosse parted both together with Christ as if the world had sworn never to lend the Son of God one smile or one glimpse of a glad houre 3. Christ thought himselfe well away and out of the gate as he fore-telleth when the people mourned for his death Luk. 23. ver 28 29 30 31. before the destruction that came on the City of Ierusalem that killed many of the Lord of the wine-yards servants and at last killed the righteous heir 4. You may remember Christ message that he sent to Herod Luk. 13.32 I doe â—uers to day and to morrow and the third day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I shall be perfected Heb. 2.12 It became him from whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvâ—tion perfect through sufferings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Death made Christ perfect for the Loâ—d put the faire crown of Redemption on Christs head with a very black hand it was a black boat-man that carried our Prince Iesus over the water to Paradise but sweet Iesus would have it his perfection his crown his glory to be swallowed up in deaths womb for us It s considerable that death perfecteth the head 1. As a Priest he had been an unperfect sacrifice if he had not dyed and being offered dead to God Christs dead corps had an infinitely sweet smell in the nostrils of a just God never sacrifice never burnt offering like this which perfected all 2. He had not been a perfect King and Conqueror had he not persued the enemy to his own land and made the enemies land the seat of warre and triumphed dead upon the crosse 3. He had not beene a perfect Redeemer had he not dyed and paid life for life no satisfaction without death no remission of sinnes without blood Heb. 10. but it was the heart-blood and blood with the life that was shed to God Now these same befall the dying Saints 1. While the Saints are here they are from home and not at their Fathers fire-side and this world their Step-Mother looks ever asquint on them Ioh. 16.33 And the crosse gets a charge from God concerning a Saint wâ—it on him as his keeper while he die leave him not the crosse follows the house of Christ and all the children of the house it s kindly to all the second Adams seed it is an in-come by year that followes the stock every childe may in his suffering say my father the Prince of ages even the head of the house my brother Iesus and all our kine were sufferers the sad crosse runs in a blood to us Psal. 34.19 Matth. 19.24 This is not our home I would I were ashoare and at home in my Fathers house 2. The Lord takes the righteous away from the ill to come Esai 57. When Christ was taken away vengeance came to the full on the lewes when he was in heaven Christs followers that die out-runne many Crosses as we see a man upon his life chased by his enemies gets into a strong house and with speed of foot wins his life sad dayes persue the Saints and they escape to their Castle before the affliction can reach or overtake there be some cruces posthume late-borne crosses calamities and ill dayes that come on the posterity of the godly the Lord closeth their eyes that they never see them The grave is a house the Devill and the World and affâ—ictions cannot besiege sure when a Saint is in heaven he is beyond Doomesday death and teares he defies the malignants of this world then and the warres and bloud that his own brethren can raise against him 3. What shall we say that as Christ thought himselfe maimed and he wanted a piece or an arm or legge of a Saviour and a perfect Redeemer till he dyed and then when hee dyed he was perfected indeed our redemption had been lame and unperfect had not Christ dyed and his escape through death and the land of darknesse the grave to his Fathers old crown that hee had with him befere the world was was a perfecting of Christ 1. So dying to a Saint is the Sun rising the morning birth-day of eternity the opening of the prisoners doore the Coronation-day the marriage-night 2. He is ever a lame man he wants incomparably his best halfe so long as he wants Christ in a fruition of glory all the travelling and way-fairing men in their journey toward heaven are but sick men for sicknesse is but a lamenesse of life a want of so many degrees as make up a perfâ—ct life because good health is but the flowre and perfection of life and the only perfect life Col. 3. ver 3.4 is the life of glory then all the Saints yet wanting the life of heaven must be crazie weak groaning men not healthy in a spirituall consideration while they be in heaven 3. When a Saint dies he but takes an essay of the garment and robe of glory though death make it seem strait and pinching and enters in the joy of his Lord Rev. 14.13 There is both Word and Writ and from a land where there can bee no lies from heaven blessed are the dead
that die in the Lord that they may rest from their labours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the travellers may over-rest or exceedingly breath and refresh or comfort themselves after much toyle and sweating in the way therefore is death 2 Tim. 4.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unfolding of the net or of the tent that the man may goe out or a taking up the burthen and laying it down in another Inne or a loosing the cabels of ships to saile or an untying of cords of a tabernacle to goe to a choycer place Vse 2. From Christs dying we learn to die to sinne and live to him that dyed for us 1 Pet. 2.24 Rom. 6.2 6. 2 Cor. 5.15 Mortification to this goodly and God-like Idoll the World is a speciall lesson of the death of Christ Gal. 6.14 It is a great distance and many miles about and off the roade-way to heaven to goe through such a thorny thick and bushy-wood of honours riches pleasures wordly it s a shorter and easier way to stand at a distance from the silken and golden creature and despise the fairest created excellencies that fill both sides of the Sun Antinomians would have us rest satisfied with a morall mortification in the brim of the imagination to believe that Christ dying mortified sinne and the body thereof on the Crosse and there is an end and that wee are obliged by no command no precept no law to a personall mortifying of our lusts to walk in new obedience and that all that we doe is arbitrary and free to us comming on us by the immediate Spirits impulsion for Christ works in the Regenerate as in these that are dead not as in these that are alive and that after conversion we are altogether dead to spirituall acts say they contrary to 1 Cor. 15.10 Phil. 2.13 Rom. 6.11 Gal. 2.20 1 Pet. 2.5.24 And that it is the efficacy of Christs death to kill all activity in his members that he might act all in all Yea and that there is not any command in the Gospel all is but promises Christ is obliged to doe all in us and if he suffer us to sin let him see to his own honour Yea to act by vertue of or in obedience to a command is a Law-way and we have nothing to doe with the Law But the Gospel teacheth us a reall and personall mortification and that we are to be holy as he is holy perfect as he is perfect that is a new-covenant command Gen. 17.1 That we should walk before him and be perfect that we should walk after the Lord Deut. 13.4 walk in all his wayes Deut. 5.33 take diligent heed to walk in his way Iosh. 22.5 Psal. 119.93 Prov. 2.7.20 Isa. 2.3 walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham Rom. 4.12 according to this rule of the Gospel Gal. 6.16 and worthy of the vocation Eph. 4.1 worthy of the Lord Col. 1.10 in light 1 â—oh 1.7 even as he walked 1 Ioh. 2.6 after his commandements 2 Ioh. 6. honestly as in the day Rom. 13.13 in love Ephes. 5.2 as children of the light v. 8. as we have received Christ Col. 2.6 in wisdome ver 4.5 as wise men Ephes. 5.15 And the Gospel forbids and condemns walking as the Gentiles doe in the vanity of the minde having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God but observe by Antinomians fleshly doctrine no Gospel command under paine of eternall death bee it a command of believing in him that justifieth the sinner or of holy walking as a fruit and witnesse of our faith and justification obligeth these that are in Christ as if in regard of any Scripturall command of law or Gospel we might live as we list and follow the inspiration and leading of a lawlesse spirit separated from all word either Law or Gospel either commanding or conditionally promising or threatning We are not so to live after flesh in lasciviousnesse lusts excesse of wine revellings banquetings and abominable Idolatries 1 Pet. 4.3 not after the flesh 2 Pet. 2.10 Rom. 8.13 If yee live after ths flesh yee shall diâ— There is a Gospel threatning as a promise of life yea the armes colours the badge of Gospel grace is to deny ungodlinesse Tit. 2.11 Not to walk in darknesse nor hate our brother 1 Ioh. 2.8.9 for this is the new commandement and that the Gospel has commandements is cleare Math. 15.3 Ioh. 15.12 Rom. 16.6 Eph. 6.2 1 Tim. 1.1 The holy commandement 2 Pet. 2.21 1 â—oh 3.23 Rev. 22.14 Prov. 2.1 Ioh. 14.21 1 Thes. 4.2 1 Ioh. 2.4 3 2â— And he that keepeth his Commaadements dwels in him and he in him Ioh. 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandements Math. 5.3 4 5 6 7 8 9.20 21 22 24. Math. 7.1.2 3 c. Vse 3. We have rich consolation from the Article of Christs dying the sinners debts are paid his band and the hand-writting of bloud and eternall vengeance is cancelled and taken out of the way the gates of the pâ—ison broken and the prisoners brought out by the bloud of the everlasting Covenant 1 Pet. 2.24 with his stripes we are healed Esai 53.5 The chastisement of our peaces or treaties of peace as the word beares were upon him and with his stripes we are healed Thâ— word of stripe in either languages is a mark of a wound where blood and humours are neighboured together it leads us to this that the only medicine of sick and dead sinners was that which is sicknesse paine swellings from nailes in hands and feet to Iesus Christ. Christ the Physitians paine was our case his wounds the healing and coverâ—ng of our wounds with his skinne and his death the life of sinners to visit the sick and help him at his bed side with consell and art is favour but its physick of grace not of nature that the Physitian should be the sick man the pained the groaning and dying Patientâ— and lye down in his bed and make his life and blood and medicine to cure our diseases and wounds In a Law-challenge the believer is so freed from eternall wrath that if Satan and conscience say Thou art a sinner and under the curse of the Law he can say its true I am a sinner but I was hanged on a tree and dyed and was made a curse in my head and Law-surety Christ and his payment and suffering is my payment and suffering Vse 4. Sinne is a sad debt the Law is a severe craveâ— 1. It s pastime to a foole to sinne it is no pastime nor sport to Christ to satisfie for sinne 2. There is as much justice and vengeance in the Gospel as in the Law the Gospel-suffering for our sin was as salt and sowre to Christ as the Law vengeance would have been to us The Lord never minded that any should beare sinne either by acting or suffering gratis and at an easie rate 3. Will yee not read bloudy justice persuing sinne on