fit to sleep 3. Nourish Gods fear which is a wakeful affection as being conversant about danger Fear of God and comfort of the Holy Ghost go together Act. 9.31 4. Keep company with wakeful Christians Heb. 3.13 5. Consider the danger of a drouzy Estate As first It s troublesome to the conscience Song 3.1 2 3. Secondly It s the fore-runner of some great cross or sin Song 5.2 6. Of Tentations Q. WHat is a Tentation A. As it is an act in the Creature it is the moving of a man to some sin with some reason to inforce it Prov. 7.18 19. Gen. 3.5 Prov. 1.11 12. Q. Who are the tempters A. 1. The Devil 1 Chron. 21.1 2. The World by which I mean the wicked of the World Prov. 1.10 and the goods therein 3. The flesh within us Rom. 7.18 Q. What remedy against Satans tentations A. 1. Dispute not with them things Eve was foil'd Gen. 3.1 He hath many methods which we cannot fathom 2. Get faith to quench his fiery darts Ephes 6.16 which is to be set a work in believing that Satan was spoiled and stript of his power over thy soul by Christ on the Cross Heb. 2.14 Col. 2.15 3. Use the Ordinance of prayer for strength to resist Psal 4.6 and wisdom to discern his tentations Jam. 1.5 and long-suffering that he may not tire us with the length of them 2. Of the Word Mat. 3.4 2 Cor. 10.4 both in the Command Exod. 20.13 and in the promise Jam. 4.6 Rom. 16.20 set this against all his proffers and in the threathing God telling Eve if she eat of the tree she should die and she listening to Satan minced of the matter to this Lest ye dye Gen. 3.3 and so was overcome by Satan 4. Avoid three-things 1. Idleness When persons are idle Satan hath an opportunity to tempt 2 Sam. 11.2 2. Solitariness this breeds melancholy Eccles 4.9 10. 3. Secresie this makes the wound of an afflicted Conscience bleed inwardly Jam. 5.16 But if thou canst have ease from God let no man know the matter but if not open thy Conscience to some grave and godly friend and herein be sure to discover that evil that turns the Conscience out of its place 5. O draw good out of Satans tentations and so he will have no courage to tempt as more strongly to believe there is a God because Satan tempts us to doubt whether there be a God so the more to assure our selves we are Gods people because he so tempts us now being he little tempted us when we were in our natural state in a word learn by tentations how to comfort tempted persons Q. What must I do when Satans temptation is past and gone A. As Mariners make their tacklings in a calme firm against a storme come so when temptations are over prepare for new a encounter remembring Satan leaves us only for a season Luk 4.13 though Christ overcame Satan yet he came again and again Satan will try whether we have lost our former strength care and watchfulness or whether God that would not suffer him then will for some sins we have committed since suffer him to have power over us now Satan sometimes politickly gives way for a season when yet his temptation is not overcome Q. What remedy against the temptations of the world A. If you mean by the World the wicked of the Word then consent not to them be you as importunate in resisting as they shall be in tempting Gen. 39.10 Prov. 1.10 But if you mean by World the pleasures profits and honours of the World consider their uncertainty their transitoriness their inability to fill the soul 1 John 2.16 Let us love them onely in reference to God and a good Conscience Q. What remedy against the temptations of the flesh A. 1. Take heed of spiritual pride God suffers such to fall as appears in Adam and Hezekiah 2. Look not disdainfully upon any sin in others seeing thy nature is not free from the same at least in the seed of it Gal. 6.1 God gives many men over to vile temptations to cure their pride 3. Watchfulness Mark 14. ult Prov. 4.23 4. Keep your selves from sinful occasions Gen. 39.10 If thou wilt not keep thy self from occasions God will not keep thee from the sin yea if thou venture on occasions thou hast a secret liking of sin whatsoever thy pretences be 5. Set against the motions that come from the flesh before Satans suggestions meet with them when both forces are joyned they are so much stronger 6. Resist the causing sin and so the effect will cease to cure passion resist pride Q. How is one sin the cause of another A. 1. By effecting or making it so covetousness brings forth theft as in Achan 2. By deserving it when we deserve to be cast into some sin by God not that God doth infuse the matter or form of a punishing sin but by letting lust out and setting Satan loose upon us we are corrected by one sin for another Rom. 1.24 26 28. When a sin deserves to have another sin made the punishment of it we must make our peace for the causing sin before the effect will cease Psal 81.12 13. This forsaking suffering and delivering up the Creature is an act of justice in God Q. What other remedies against fleshly temptations A. 1. Apply the threatnings and Commandments against it and the promises in case we do resist and overcome Revel 2.17 2. Be earnest with God to mortifie it by his Spirit Rom. 8.13 Make no provisions for thy flesh Rom. 13.14 4. Cross thy flesh by endeavouring to do clean contrary to what it suggests 5. Resist the beginning of fleshly suggestions Jud. 23. Cain not repenting of envy it came to murther Judas not repenting of covetousness it came to murther if a Serpent get in its head it will soon get in its body 6. Venture not upon any sin because Satan tells you it is small Mat. 5.22 By listning to this suggestion many exceedingly harden their hearts Q. When are temptations of lusts sufficiently resisted A. 1. When we hate them pray sigh and groan against them but sin reigns where it is loved Rom. 7.15 2. When we do not practise at all gross and presumptuous evils for which God threatens out of heaven 1 Cor. 6.10 11. Titus 3.3 1 Pet. 4.3 4. and when we weaken less evils which appears we do when the judgement commands the will the will the affections and the affections the actions Q. How may we know when temptations come from Satan when from our lusts A. It is very hard if possible to know where the point of difference is if we reject them whether they come from Satan or us they shall not be imputed Rom. 7.20 21. Come the temptation which way it will no more is imputed by God then is seen and allowed Q. What remedy against unholy thoughts whether they come from Satan or corruption A. 1. Complain of them to Christ who had
be said They were liable to wrath but it could not be said they were children of wrath it might be said they were upon their fall cursed but it could not be said they were born cursed So that besides temporal and eternal death there is a viciousnes of nature that passeth from Adam to all his posterity so that as a creature begotten partakes of the nature of the begetter as an horse of the nature of an horse so we partake of the sinful nature of our first Parents all along so that no man can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Job 14.4 for we were shapen in wickedness and in sin did our mother conceive us Psal 51.5 so that naturally we are estranged from God from the womb speaking lyes as soon as we can speak Psal 58.3 The looking-glasse of our misery we may see Rom. 3.9 to the 20. which the Apostle applyes to himself as well as others vers 9. What are we better then they that is by nature No in no wise To say we become guilty by imitation only as one Ox learns to plow by the sight of another is most false For corrupt nature teaches many persons evill for which they never saw example as Cain when he killed Abel To say the immediate will of the sinner is absolutely necessary to constitute sin is to tye the Creator to the Law of the creature who had a soveraigne power in himself to propose what Law he pleased unto his creature To say there is no such defilement upon our natures because our consciences accuse us not for it no more doth our conscience accuse us for sins of ignorance and many other sins yet will we say they are not sins The consciences of the Jewes did not condemn them for not dwelling in Boothes in the feast of the seventh month which they had omitted welnigh a thousand years from the days of Joshua to the days of Nehemiah Neh. 8.14 to the 18. was it therefore not a sin And whereas some say They cannot see how the sin of our first Parents should be both a sin and a punishment was not Pharaoh's hardness of heart both a sin and a punishment Was not the Idolatry of the Gentiles Rom. 1.21 23 24 26 28. Q. Whereas some say No Infant no not of the Heathens is damned meerly for original sin A. We know nothing of their damnation but we speak of the desert of original sin I rather incline to judge of their salvation they dying in Infancy because Christ saith Of such is the Kingdom of God The innocency of all Infants in respect of actual sins whether of heathen or christian Parents is the same they may be saved as the elect Angels are saved or else God may forgive that offence without satisfaction for if that power be in a creature to forgive a debt without payment much more is it in God and I humbly suppose there cannot be a more fit object to exercise the same and to bring it into act then towards poor dying Infants But that which I most incline to concerning the salvation of dying Infants is that though God can pardon dying infants without satisfaction yet that he will not because Christ Is the way to the Father and No man comes to the Father without Christ John 14.6 Now Christ's satisfaction becomes effectual through believing only to them that have the power of believing but to dying infants it may become effectual by bare applying without believing because infants cannot believe Deut. 1.39 Joh. 4.11 That there is some way of salvation for infants the Scripture speaks Luke 18.15 16. but for any other way of salvation for them besides Christ his satisfaction we know not nor for the conveyance of satisfaction in behalfe of infants any other way then by bare application on the Mediators part and acceptation on Gods part I cannot conceive And should infants be damned meerly for original sin then should God deal more severely with poor dying infants then with the Devils who were condemned to hell only for actual sins Q. Wherein doth our natural defilement reside A. In every faculty of soul and member of body Psal 14.3 They are all gon aside they are altogether become filthy So that the whole man stands in need to be sanctified 1 Thes 5.23 the Understanding is full of blindness Psal 14.2 the Will full of rebellion Ioh. 5.40 and 8.44 the Affections of disorder Rom. 7.5 the Conscience of benummedness and other defilements Tit. 1.16 the Ears full of filthy listnings the Eyes full of wanton gazings c. Q. Wherein doth our natural defilement consist which we drew from our first Parents A. In two things 1. In an aversnes to every thing that is good Psal 14.3 and 58.3 2. In a proneness to every thing that is evil Rom. 7.5 So that corruption takes occasion from the holy law of God to stir us up to sin Rom. 7.8 13. Q. How came Adams sin to seize upon his posterity A. That man by nature is wholly sinful nothing is more plain but the manner how he came to be so is hard to understand Now as when we are fallen into a ditch we stand not questioning so much how we fell in as how to get out so should we see how to get out of this sinful condition But to answer some say the Parent begets the soul as well as body but God is called the Father of Spirits Heb. 12.9 See also Zach. 12.1 Num. 27.16 Eccles 12.7 Either the Parent in generation conveyes part of his soul and so the soul should be divisible contrary to the nature of spirits which are not quantitative or he conveys his whole soul and so the Parent should be without a soul or else souls multiply which is more then Angels do Therefore 1. we become guilty by imputation or by Gods ordination in one man God ordained to adorn us all if he stood in one man he ordained to strip us all if he fell 2. By natural propagation or generation of that most filthy nature which Adam had after his fall Gen. 5.1 Adam begat a son in his own likeness after HIS IMAGE What image had Adam then save a corrupt image Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean no body Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in wickedness and in sin did my mother conceive me So that sinful man by man I mean both man and woman who though they be two in sex yet are they one in nature and one in wedlock I say sinful man begets sinful man so that sin is in the seed inbidingly as fire is in the flint as some suppose This power that the body should have over the soul being above nature may be ascribed to Gods justice punishing Adams sin in his base subjecting of his spirit to the flesh Through the seed hereditary diseases of Gout Stone Consumption Leprosy are conveyed which are invisible and why may not sin be conveyed by the father to the childe
suffers it so to do 3. His ordination or appointment whereby God orders brings and disposes all things and the actions of things how disorderly soever they may seem to be to certain ends according as it seemeth good to him for the bringing about of which ends he also appointeth means Q. How is the providence of God conversant about sinne A. 1. God preserves that nature and will that produces sinful actions God hath a concurrence about sinful actions as appears Gen. 45.8 It was not you that sent me hither but God Deut. 2.30 God hardened the Spirit of Sihon King of Heshbon Psal 105.25 God changed the mindes of the Egyptians that they hated his people But as in a chain that breaks there is no link in fault but that which breaks so in these concurrences of causes none is to be blamed but the next and immediate cause which is the will of man so that though God will the being yet man alone wills the nature of sin Q. What are the positive actions of God in and about sin A. Three 1. His withdrawment of his help and grace from the creature both the help of light Deut. 29.4 The Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see and also the help of supportance 2 Chron. 32.31 Hezekiah was left of God to his pride that he might know what was in his heart which two helps being withdrawn the creature sins necessarily but voluntarily so that as the Sun causes darkness not by overcasting the air but by hiding his light as the staffe falls to the ground being not forced by the hand but only forsaken of it so God withdrawing either light or supportment man sins God who suffers sin hath the power of hindering without any obligation to us and man hath the power of doing without any compulsion the action in God is without fault the action in man without excuse 2. God works about sin by removing the impediments that hindered us from sinning God took away good Jehoiada and then Joash shewed his wickedness 2 Chron. 24.17 So God takes away a Master or Father that kept such a person from wickedness who being removed his wickedness appears 3. God works about sin by setting before us objects whereby he knows our corruption will be enticed as a beautiful woman before an unchast person wine or beer before a Drunkard 4. God works about sin by setting bounds to sin that it shall go so far and no further Psal 76.10 The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain 5. God works about sin in that he preserves the person nature and faculties of the sinner even whiles he is in sinning Act. 17.28 In him we live and move as an hors-man driving a lame horse is the cause of his going not of his halting so is God the cause of our moving though not of the sinfulness in our moving Q. What use may we make of Gods providence A. 1. See that nothing befalls unto thee by chance if we take chance as a cause in opposition to God as the Philistims took it 1 Sam. 6.9 2. To perswade us to the use of prayer Gen. 24.12 Neh. 2.4 3. To free the heart from disquieting carefulness Matth. 6.32 34. 4. Eye God in all thy affaires Psal 145.15 Prov. 3.6 Psal 139.3 5. Not to fear the terrors of men and so neglect duty Matth. 10.28 29. 6. To comfort us that we are in covenant with him that sits at the stern and governs all 7. To comfort us in respect 1. of our poor condition 1 Sam. 2.7 2. against enemyes plots Luk. 11.31 33. See Exod. 34.24 3. against fear of danger Matth. 2.13 Job 29.4 8. To work patience in afflictions 1 Sam. 3.19 Psal 39.9 Job 1.20 21. Qu. In what condition did God create man at first A. In an holy and happy condition Gen. 1.26 Eccles 7.29 God made man upright which uprightness consisted in a perfect conformity of the faculties of the soul and members of the body to the will of God Eph. 4.24 Col. 3.10 Qu. Did man continue in that state wherein he was created A. No All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3.23 Rom. 5.12 By one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned Qu. What death did Adams sin procure was it only a temporal death or was it not also eternal A. Adams sin procured to his posterity eternal death in respect of desert Rom. 5.15 If through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace hath abounded unto many As the grace of God gift by grace abounded unto many that is to eternal life and to remission of sins so the offence on the contrary abounded unto eternal death and so it is set down vers 25. that as sin hath reigned unto death even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ as if he should say As the one is so is the other 2. Such as the justification is by the second Adam such is the condemnation by the first Adam But the justification by the second Adam is a justification of life that is of or to eternal Therefore the condemnation by the first Adam is a condemnation to eternal death Rom. 5.18 Therefore as by the offence of one the judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life If any man object that it 's against equity that eternal death should be inflicted for another man's sin A. The same may be said against temporal death it 's as unjust that natural life should be taken away for the sin of another yet the Objectors whether Socinians or Arminians acknowledge this 2. The will of God is the rule of righteousness and if Adam would enter into such an agreement with God that if he stood he and all his posterity should stand eternally and if he fell he and his posterity should perish eternally Who hath any thing to reason against it Hos 6.7 the words are They like Adam have transgressed the Covenant so you have it varied in the margin So that a Covenant passed betwixt God and Adam for the violation whereof on Adams part he and his incur'd eternal death and we hold it equitable in the Courts of men that for the treason of the Father the Posterity smarts also Levi in the loynes of Abraham is said to pay tithes Heb. 7.9 Qu. What did Adam passe over to his posterity besides temporal and eternal death A. Besides their being children of wrath that is not only persons with whom God is angry but upon whom his wrath abides John 3.36 they are children of wrath by nature Eph. 2.3 signifying not only that we are cursed but that we are so by nature or birth natura being derived a nascendo from being born Of Adam and Eve it might
8.16 Q. What are those grounds A. 1. Because Faith evidences Heb. 11.1 1 John 5.10 That none can lay any thing to my Charge seeing Christ did not onely dye for me but rose again and ascended into heaven making intercession for me Rom. 8.33 So that he appearing for me as my Advocate Heb. 9.24 And his blood speaking good things Heb. 12.24 he is not onely able to save me to the uttermost though my sins be great and many Heb. 7.25 but is also willing in that he promises in no wise to cast off them that come unto him John 6.37 which my poor soul doth Q What other ground is there A. My union with Christ Q. How knowest thou thou art united with Christ A. 1. By my soveraign love to him 1 John 4.19 2. By my being made a new Creature and my crucifying the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof 2 Cor. 5.17 Gal. 5.24 which is not meant as if there were no oldness of nature in me or that every lust were actually and perfectly dead but it 's meant thus my lusts are crucified and I am new intentionally because it is that I aime at and strive after daily 3. He that is united to Christ lives not in sin 1 John 3.6 He that abideth in him sins not which is not meant simply of not sinning for no man lives that sins not 1 Reg. 8.46 therefore it is meant of a purpose of sinning hence those in Christ are said not to walk after the flesh Rom. 8.1 that is though sometimes they may slip yet the constant purpose of their heart is after the guidance of the Spirit 4. He that abides in Christ walkes as Christ walked 1 John 2.6 with an as of similitude though not of equality 1 John 3.7 he endeavours to follow Christ in every step though he cannot take such long strides As a young writer begins and ends his lines and makes his letters like his Master though he cannot write so fair so every Member of Christs body having the same mind in his measure that was in Christ Phil. 2.5 endeavours to follow Christ in all graces and duties and his so walking is evidential unto him and to every one that thus obeys Christ he becomes the Author or Causer of eternal salvation Heb. 5.9 5. He that abides in Christ is fruitful Joh. 15.5 which though Hypocrites may seem to imitate yet the fruitfulness of Christians is easily distinguished in that it 's not from external motives but from Christ Hos 14.8 nor for ends selfish and base but for Christ Rom. 14.7 8. Q. What other ground of assurance for the soul A. I have this ground that my sins are forgiven me because I have the other branches of the new Covenant made over to me as the taking away from me a stony hard heart and my heart and the Commandment closes together and that I know God with a relishing knowledge and not onely with a bare notional knowledge therefore I have this branch of the new Covenant that my sins and iniquities God will remember them no more Jer. 31.34 Ezek. 36.25 Heb. 8.11 12. for all the branches of the new Covenant are undivided and my soul truly repents and therefore God hath promised faithfully to forgive Prov. 28.13 1 John 1.8 9. Luke 24.47 Acts 3.19 Acts 5.31 So that whatever evidences my repentance the same also evidences the pardon of my sin Q. What other grounds of assurance have you for your soul A. I finde an universal change in the understanding from darkness to light Acts 26.18 in the judgement from false discerning to a right discerning Isa 5.20 in the Conscience from benummedness to tenderness 1 Sam. 24.5 in the will from wilfulness to evil Jer. 14.16 Iohn 8.44 to willingness for good Acts 9.6 Rom. 7.19 in the imagination from habitual running upon the World Phil. 3.19 to be often in Heaven Col. 3.1 2. in the desires which formerly were lawless now awed by the eye of God Job 31.23 Q. But seeing there may be changes as from prophaness to civility and from civility to a form of Religion without the power how shall I know my change to be right A. I know it to be a true change because I go from one contrary to another that the things which I hated now I love and the carnal courses I loved now I hate Rom. 7.15 holy duties were tedious now they are delightful and now my soul begins to relish that which formerly I loathed Rom. 8.5 Q. What other ground of assurance have you A. This that I have a true conversion which appeares 1. By the humiliation and confusion of spirit I have for living so long a stranger from God Jer. 31.19 Luke 15.19 Rom. 6.21 being sorry I begun no sooner in Gods wayes and that since I have begun I have made no greater haste 2. By my high esteem of my present condition in a converted estate though never so base that I would not change my condition with the greatest man upon earth that is a stranger from the Lord Heb. 11.25 26. Acts 8.39 Q. What other ground of assurance have you A. As the Saints of God of old have gathered comfort and assurance from their uprightness 1. Chron. 29. and Paul had rejoycing from their uprightness and godly sincerity 2 Cor. 1.12 so we may gather assurance from them when 1. We ordinarily and usually look at the eye of God in the things we do Col. 3.23 Eph. 6.6.7 and have a desire if it might be alwayes to look at his eye Isa 38.3 2 Cor. 2.17 by-ends beings a grief unto us Rom. 7.15 2. Uprightness is seen by a disposition to part with whatsoever God commands when we cannot hold Christ and such enjoyment together Mat. 19.21 3. When the same sins we avoid in publick we avoid in secret out of Conscience to God Job 31.1 Gen. 39.10 and the same duties we do before men we labour to do them in secret before God Mat. 6.6 4. When a bare Command moves us to act in our duty though no second respects of credit or profit accompany Esth 4.16 Mat. 14.3 and contrary though second respects of credit and profit which are offered move us to act against duty yet we will not act out of Conscience of our duty to God Gen. 39.10 Q. But how do you alledge all the fore-named signs do you make the soul to stay upon these as a righteousness to answer divine justice A. In no wise but I make them evidences that I have the Spirit of Christ in my heart and having the Spirit I also have the blood of Christ because these are not severed one from the other in justified persons 1 Cor. 6.10 11. Rom. 8.30 Q. What is that righteousness which answers Divine Justice A. It was the satisfaction of Christ upon the Cross for the merit or desert whereof God did not only forgive us our sins but did also blot out take away and by nailing to the Cross did tear all