unto Christs First it must have the same principle and seedâ—… with Christs namely his Spirit As in Christ there were two natures so in either nature there was Holynesse after a severall manner In his Divine nature he was holy by essence and underivatively in His humane by consecration and unction with the Spirit and in this wee are to beare proportion unto him Our holynesse must proceede from the same Spirit whereby he was sanctified onely with this difference The Spirit of Holynesse was Christs Inrâ—… proprio by vertue of the by postaticall union of the humane nature with the divine in the unitie of his person By meanes whereof it was impossible for the humane nature in him not to bee sanctified and filled with Grace But to us the Spirit belongs by an inferior union unto Christ as our Head from whom it is unto us derived and dispensed in such proportions as Hee is in mercy pleased to observe towards his members But yet though wee have not as Hee a plenitude of the Spirit yet wee have the same in Truth and substance with Him As it is the same light which breaketh forth in the dawning of the day and inhereth in the Glorious body of the Sunne though here in fulnesse and there but in measure So the Apostle saith we are all changed into the same Image with Christ by the Spirit of our God And he that is ioyned unto the Lord is one spirit and that there is but one Body and one Spirit betweene Christ and his members Secondly our Holynesse must bee conformable to Christs in the Ends of it First the Glory of God Father saith hee I have gloryfied thee on earth I have finished the worke which thou gavest me to doe Wherein there are three notable things for our imitation First that God must first give us our workes before we must doe them We must have his warrant and authoritie for all we doe If a man could bee so full of selfe-zeale if I may so call it of irregular and unprescribed devotion as to offer rivers of oyle or mountaines of cattell or the first borne of his body for the sinne of his soule should neglect and macerate his body and dishonour his flesh into the gastlynesse and image of a dead carcasse yet if the Lord have not first shewed it nor required it of him it will all prove but the vanitie and pride of a fleshly minde Secondly as wee must doe nothing but that which God requires and gives us to doe so we must therein aime at his Glory as his Authoritie must bee the ground so his Honour must be the End of all our workes and thirdly God is never glorified but by finishing His workes To beginne and then fall backe is to put Christ to shame Secondly all Christs workes were done for the good of the Church He was given and borne for us He was made sinne and curse for us For our righteousnesse and redemption he came and for our expediencie he returned againe When the Apostle urgeth the Philippians not to looke to their owne things but every man also on the things of others hee presseth them with this argument Let the same minde bee in you which was in Christ Iesus Hee thought it no robbery to be equall with God and therefore to him there could be no accession all that he did was for his Church and this Saint Paul sealeth with his owne example If I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith I ioy and reioyce with you all And else where I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more aboundantly I love you the lesse I beloved Onely here is the difference Christs obedience was meritorious for the redemption of His Church ours onely ministeriall for the edification of the Church we doe all things saith the Apostle for your edification When the Apostle saith I fill up that which is behinde of the afflictions of Christ for his Bodies sake which is the Church We are not to conceive it in our adversaries glosse that it was to merit expiate satisfie for the Church but only to benefit and edifie it Let him expound himselfe The things which happened vnto mee namely my bonds in Christ have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospell and againe I endure all things for the Elects sake that they may also obtaine the Salvation not which my sufferings merit but which is in Christ Iesus To note that the sufferings of the Saints are ministerially serviceable to that Salvation of the Church unto which the sufferings of Christ are alone meritorious and availeable Thirdly our holinesse must bee Proportionable to Christs in the parts of it It must be universall the whole man must bee spiritually formed and organiz'd unto the measure of Christ. Every part must have its measure and every ioynt its supply Holynesse is a resurrection all that which fell must be restored and it is a generation all the parts of him that begetteth must be fashioned The God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirit soule and body may bee preserved blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Lastly our Holinesse must bee proportion ed unto Christ in the manner of working I shall observe but three particulars of many First it must be done with selfe-denyall He that will follow Christ must deny himselfe Christ for us denyed himselfe and his owne will His naturall love towards his owne life yeelded to his mercifull love towards his members not as I will in my naturall desire to decline dissolution but as thou wilt in thy mercifull purpose to save thy Church Many men will be content to serve God as long as they may with all advantage themselves but to serve him and deny themselves is a worke which they have not learned Ephraim loveth to treade out the corne saith the Prophet You know the mouth of the Oxe was not to be muzled that trod out the corne he had his worke and reward together But plowing is onely in hope for the present it is a hungry and a hard worke So saith he while Ephraim may serve me and himselfe make religion serve his other secular purposes he will be very forward but when he must plow that is serve in hope of a Harvest but in paine for the present hee hath an easier plow going of his owne as it followes ye have plowed wickednesse Secondly it must bee done in obedience unto God Christ emptied himselfe and became obedient It was his meate and drinke to doe the Will of his Father even unto that bitter worke of his Passion he was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse to note that though as made of a woman partaker of the same passions and naturall affections with us hee did decline it and shrinke from it yet as made under the Law hee did most voluntarily
the good and refuse the evill Ro. 7. 18. Secondly no evil lust riseth or stirreth though it prevent the consent of the will but the wil may be esteemed faultie not in this that it consented unto it but in this that it did not as it ought to have done hinder and suppresse it For the stirrings of lust before the will is their usurpation and inordinatenesse not their nature which therefore the will according to that primitive soveraignty which in mans nature shee had ought to rectifie and order againe Thirdly originall sin though to persons it be not yet to the nature it was voluntarie and to the persons in Adam as in their common Father for with them otherwise then in him no covenant could be made and even in humane lawes the Acts of parents can circumscribe their children To the third wee utterly deny that God did take away originall righteousnesse from man but he Threw it away himselfe God indeed with-holds it and doth not obtrude againe that upon us which wee rejected before but he did not snatch it away but man in sinning did nullifie it to himselfe For what was righteousnesse in Adam but perfect and universall rectitude whereby the whole man was sweetly order'd by Gods law and within himselfe now Adams sinne having so many evils in it as it had pride ambition ingratitude robberie luxurie idolatry murther and the like needs must that sinne spoile that originall righteousnesse which was and ought to bee universall Secondly wee grant that originall sinne is not onely a fault but a punishment too but that the one of these should destroy the other wee utterly denie for which purpose wee may note that a punishment may be either by God inflicted in its whole being or by man in the substance of the thing contracted and by God in the penall relation which it carries ordered It is true no punishment from God inflicted upon man can bee in the substance of the thing sinfull but that which man brings upon himselfe as a sinne Gods wisedome may order to be a punishment too When a prodigall spends his whole estate upon uncleannesse is not his povertie both a sinne and a punishment when a drunkard or adulterer brings diseases upon his bodie and drownes his reason is not that impotencie and sottishnesse both sinne and punishment did not God punish Pharaoh with hardnesse of heart and the gentiles with vile affections and yet these were sinnes as well as punishments To expedite this point in one word as I conceive of it Two things are in this sinne Privation of Gods Image and lust or habituall concupiscence The privation is in regard of the first losse of righteousnesse from Adam alone by his voluntarie depraving of the humane nature and excussion of the image of God but in regard of the Continuance of it so deficienter Gods justice and wisedome hath a hand in it who as he is the most just avenger of his owne wrongs and the most free disposer of his owne gifts so hath hee in both respects been pleased to whith-hold his image formerly rejected and not to obtrude upon ingratefull and unworthy men so pretious an endowment of which the former contempt and indignitie had justly made them ever after destitute Concupiscence wee may conceive both as a disorder and as a penaltie Consider it as a punishment and so though it bee not by God effected in nature for he tempteth no man much lesse doth hee corrupt any yet is it subject to his wisedome and ordination who after he had been by Adam forsaken did then forsake him likewise and give him up into the hand of his owne counsell leaving him to transmit upon others that seminarie of uncleannesse which himselfe had contracted Consider it as a vice and so wee say that lust or flesh doth not belong to the parts as such or such parts but is the disease of the whole nature either part whereof though it doe not equally descend from Adam yet may hee justly bee esteem'd the Father and Fountaine of the whole nature because though generation doe not make all the materials and parts of nature yet doth it worke to the uniting of them and constituting of the whole by them So then naturall corruption is from Adâ—…m alone meritoriously by reason of his first prevarication from Adam by our parents seminally and by generation and contagion but under favour I conceive that it is not from the body in the soule but equally and universally from the whole nature as a guilty forsaken and accursed nature by some secret and ineffable resultancie therefrom under those relations of Guilt and cursednesse This with submission to the learned I conceive in that great question touching the penalenesse and traduction of originall concupiscence reserving to others their libertie in such things wherein a latitude of opinions may consist with the unitie of faith and love But to returne to those things which are more for practice This doctrine of originall sinne doth direct us in our humiliations for sinne shewes us whither wee should rise in judging and condemning our selves even as high as our fleshly lusts and corrupt nature Let not any man say saith S. Iames that he was tempted of God I shall goe further Let not any man say of himselfe by way of excuse extenuation or exoneration of himselfe I was tempted of Satan or of the World and who can be too hard for such enemies who can withstand such strong solicitations Let not any man resolve his sinnes into any other originall then his owne lusts Our perdition is totally of our selves wee are assaulted by many enemies but it is one onely that over commeth us even our owne flesh Saint Paul could truly say It was no more I that sinned but did he charge his sinnes therefore upon Satan or upon the World No though it was not he yet it was something that did belong unto him an inmate a bosome enemie even sinne that dwelt within him It is said that Satan provoked David to number the people and yet Davids heart smote himselfe and did not charge Satan with the sinne because it was the lust of his owne heart that let in and gave way to Satans temptation If there were the same minde in us as in Christ that Satan could finde no more in us to mingle his temptations with all then hee did in him they would be equally successelesâ—…e but this is his greatest advantage that he hath our evill nature to helpe him and hold intelligence with him And therefore wee must rise as high as that in our humiliations for sinne For that will keepe us ever humble because concupiscence will be ever stiâ—…ring in 〈◊〉 and it will make us throughly humble because thereby sinne is made altogether our owne when wee attribute it not to casualties or accidentall miscarriages but to our nature as David did In sinne was I shaped and in iniquitie did my mother conceive me
and Christians That which makes us to be in Christ after any kinde of way is Faith And according to the differences of Faith are these differences of being in Christ to bee discerned Saint Iames makes mention of a dead Faith when men are in Christ by some generall acknowledgement by externall profession by a partiall dependence comming to Him only as to a Iesus for roome and shelter to keepe them from the fire not as to a Christ for grace and government in His service not by any particular and willing attraction of those vitall influences those working principles of grace and obedience which are from him shed abroad upon true beleevers And this is the semi-conversion and imperfect renovation of many men whereby they receive from Him onely generall light of truth and common vertues which make them visibly and externally branches in Him But Saint Paul makes mention of a lively operative unfained faith which in true beleevers draweth in the power of Christs death and the vertue of His resurrection unto the mortification of sinne and quickning of Spirit and bringing forth fâ—…uite unto God and this onely is that which is the ground of our life from Him The Life that I live I live by the Faith of the Sonne of God Lastly this Vnion unto Christ is compared unto Marriage Psal. 45. Eph. 5. 32 whereby the Church hath a right and proprietie created to the body name goods table possessions purchases of Christ and doth reciprocally become all His resigning its will wayes desires unto His governement Now for the discovery of this we may consider either the essentials or the consequents of marriage The former hath for the genuâ—… the most generall requisite consent and that must have these differencies and restrictions First it must bee a mutuall consent for though Christ declare His good will when He knocketh at our doores and beseecheth us in the ministry of His Word yet if we keepe our distance reject His tokens of Love and Favour and stop our eares to His invitations there is then no covenant made this is but a wooing and no marriage Secondly it must bee a present consent and in words de prâ—…senti or else it is onely a Promise but no Contract Many men like Balaam would faine die the death of the righteous but live their owne lives would faine belong to Christ at the last and have nothing to doe with Him ever before would have Him out of neede but not at all out of love and therefoâ—… for the present they put Him off Many other suiters they have whom they cannot deferre or denie till at last peradventure Hee grow jealous and wearie departs from them and turnes unto those who will esteeme Him worthy of more acceptation Seeing you put the Word from you faith the Apostle and judge your selves unworthy of Eternall Life Lo wee turne unto the Gentiles Thirdly it must be free and unconstrained for compulsion makes it a ravishment and not a marriage They who must be but one Bodie ought first to agree in the same free and willing resolution Many men when God slayes them will enquire earely after Him when Hee puts them upon a racke will give a forced consent to serve Him when Hee sends His Lions amongst them will send for His Priests to instruct them how to worship Him but this is onely to flatter with their lippes that they may escape the present paine like the howling devotion of some desperate Mariner in a storme not at all out of cordiall and sinceere affection wicked men deale no better with God then the froggs in the fable with the blocke which was throwne in to be their king When He makes a noyse and disturbes their peace when He falls heavie upon them they are sore affrighted and seeme to reverence His Power but if He suffer their streame to bee calme about them and stir not up His wrath they securely dance about Him and re-assume their wonted loosenesse Fourthly it must be without errour for hee that erres cannot consent If a woman take her selfe upon some absence of her husband to be now free from him and conceive him dead and thereupon marry againe if it appeare that the former husband is yet living there was a mistake and error in the person and so a nullity in the contract So if a man mistake himselfe judge himselfe free from his former tie unto sinne and the Law and yet live in obedience to his lusts still and is not cleansed from â—…is filthinesse he cannot give any full consent to Christ who â—…ill have a chaste spouse without adulterers or corrivals Lastly It must be an universall and perpetuall consent for all time and in all states and conditions This is a great difference betweene a wife and a strumpet A wife takes her husband upon all tearmes his burdens as well as his goods his troubles as well as his pleasures whereas a strumpet is onely for hire and lust when the purse is emptied or the body wasted the love is at an end So here He that will have Christ must have Him All for Christ is not divided must entertaine Him to all purposes must follow the Lambe wheresoever He goeth must leave Father Mother Wife Children his owne life for Christ must take as well His Yoake as His Crowne as well His Sufferings as His Salvation as well His Grace as His Mercie as well His Spirit to leade as His Blood to redeeme He that will be his owne Master to doe the workes of his owne will must if hee can bee his owne Saviour too to deliver his soule from the wrath to come The consequents and intendments of marriage are two Convictus Proles First mutuall societie Christ and a Christian must live together have intimate and deare acquaintance with each other the spirit of a Christian must solace it selfe in the armes and embracements in the riches and lovelinesse of Christ in his absence and removes long after Him in His presence and returnes delight in Him and entertaine Him with such pure affections and Heavenly desires as may make him take pleasure in His Beautie Secondly there must be a fruitfulnesse in us we must bring forth unto God Christ will not have a barren Spouse every one that loveth Him keepeth His Commandements Now then in one word to unfold the more distinct qualitie of this our union to Christ wee may consider a threefold unitie Of Persons in one nature of natures in one Person of natures and Persons in one qualitie In the first is one God In the second is one Christ. In the third is one Church Our union unto Christ is the last of these whereby Hee and we are all spiritually united to the making up of one mysticall Body The formall reason or bond of this union is the Spirit of Christ by which as by immortall and abiding seede we are begotten a new unto Christ. For He being the
THREE TREATISES OF The Uanity of the Creature The Sinfulnesse of Sinne. The Life of Christ. BEING THE SVBSTANCE OF SEVERALL SERMONS PREACHED AT LINCOLNS INNE BY EDWARD REYNOLDES PREACHER to that Honourable Society and late Fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford GAL. 2. 20. Not I but Christ liveth in me LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Robert Bostocke and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Kings Head 1631. HONORATISSIMO ET CELEBERRIMO DOCTISSIMORVM Iurisprudentium Collegio Hospitij Lincolniensis Magistris Uenerabilibus Socijsque universis Auditoribus suis faventissimis EDWARDVS REYNOLDES EIDEM HETAERIAE A SACRIS CONCIONIBVS Tres hosce Tractatus De Rerum Secularium vanitate De Peccato supra modum peccante De Christi in Renatis vitâ ac vigore MINISTERII IBIDEM SVI 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaedam Exile quidem perexiguum perpetuae tamen observantiae Summaeque in Christo Dilectionis pignus Humiliter Devotè D. D. D. A TABLE OF THE CONTENTS The first Treatise The Vanity of the Creature ECCLES 1. 14. PRoportion and Proprietie the grounds of satisfaction to the soule Pag. 3 The Creature insufficient to satisfie the Desires of the soule 4 The Ground hereof The vast disproportion betweene the soule and the Creature 7 The Creature vaine 1. in its nature and worth 9 Therefore wee should not trust in it nor swell with it 11 The Creature vaine 2. in its deadnesse and inefficacie 15 Therefore we should not relie on it nor attribute sufficiency to it 19 How to use the Creature as a dead Creature 1. Consider its dependence and subordination to Gods power 22 2. Sanctifie and reduce it to its primitive goodnesse 24 How the Creature is sanctified by the word and prayer 26 3. Love it in its owne order 34 The Creature vaine 3 in its duration 36 The Rootes of Corruption in the Creature 38 Corrupt mindes are apt to conceive an immortalitie in earthly things 46 The proceedings of Gods providence in the dispensation of earthlie things wise and iust 48 Correctives to be observed in the use of the Creature 1. Keepe the intellectuals sound and untainted 52 2. By faith looke through and above them 55 3. Convert them to holy uses 58 Great disproportion betweene the soule and the Creature It is vexation of spirit 59 Caresare Thornes because first they wound the spirit secondly they choak and overgrow the heart thirdly they deceive fourthly they vanish 59 Degrees of this vexation 1. In the procuring of them 62 2. In the multiplying of them 64 3. In the use of them Discovered 67 1. In knowledge naturall and civill 68 2. In Pleasures 70 3. In Riches 72 4. In the Review of them 74 5. In the disposing of them 75 The Grounds of this vexation 1. Gods Curse 76 2. The Corruption of nature 78 3. The deceitfulnesse of the Creature 80 It is lawfull to labour and pray for the Creature though it vex the spirit 84 We should be humbled in the sight of sinne which hath defaced the Creation 86 Wee should be wise to prevent those cares which the Creatures are apt to breed 89 Irregular cares are both superfluous and sinnefull 90 How to take away or prevent Vexation 1. Pray for that which is convenient to thy abilities and occasions 94 2. Take nothing without Christ. 95 3. Throw out every execrable thing 97 4. Keepe the spirit untouched and uncorrupted 98 What it is to set the heart on the Creature 99 The spirit is the most tender and delicate part of man 100 A heart set on the world is without strength◠Passive or Active 1. Vnable to beare temptations 1. Because Satan proportioneth temptations to our lusts 101 2. Because temptations are edg'd with promises and threatnings 105 3. God oftē gives wicked mē over to belieue lies 107 2. Vnable to beare afflictions 108 3. Vnable to performe any active obedience with strength 110 How to use the Creature as a vexing Creature 113 The second Treatise The sinfulnesse of Sinne. ROM 7. 9. NAturall light not sufficient to understand the Scriptures 118 How the Commandement came to Saint Paul and how hee was formerly without it 119 A man may have the Law in the Letter and be without it in the Power and Spirit 121 Ignorance doth naturally beget blind zeale and strong misperswasions 122 Saving knowledge is not of our owne fetching in The Spirit by the Commandement convinceth a man to be in the state of sinne 123 Nature teacheth some things but it cannot thorowly convince 125 The Spirit convinceth first by opening the Rule which is the Law 129 The strength of sinne twofold to Condemne us Operate or stirre in us It hath the strength of a Lord. 129 Husband 129 How sinne hath its life and strength from the Law by the Obligation of it 130 Irritation of it 130 Conviction of it 130 The Spirit by the Commandement convinceth us 1. Of Originall sinne either imputed as Adams sin 134 Or inherent as the corruption of Nature 135 In naturall corruption consider 1. The universalitie of it in Times 136 Persons 136 Parts 136 Corruption of the Minde 139 the Conscience and Heart 140 the Will 141 the Memory and whole man 142 2. The closenesse and adherency of it to nature 143 How the body of sinne is destroyed in this life 144 Why God suffereth the remainders of corruption in us 147 3. The contagion of it on our best workes 149 4. The fruitfulnesse of it bringing fruit suddenly 151 continually 151 desperately 151 unexpectedly 151 5. The temptations of it 155 6. The warre and rebellion of it 157 7. The wisedome and policies of it 161 8. The strength and power of it 164 9. The madnesse of it and that twofold 1. Fiercenesse and rage 167 2. Inconsideratenesse and inconsistency of reason 184 10. The indefatigablenesse of it 185 Being naturall and 186 Unsatisfiable 188 11. The propagation of it 193 The great error of those who either mitigate or denie originall sinne 199 In our humiliations for sinne we should begin with our evill nature 212 We should be iealous of our selves and our evill hearts 213 We should hold warre with our corruptions 215 We should be patient under the weight of our concupiscence 216 Wherein the strength of lust lies 218 How to withstand concupiscence in all the wayes thereof 221 The Spirit by the Commandement convinceth us 2. Of actuall sin with the severall aggravations thereof 226 The Spirit convinceth 2. by discovering the condition of the state of sinne 1. It is an estate of extreme impotency to good 233 because of our naturall Impuritie 234 Enmity 234 Infidelitie 234 Folly 234 In the wicked there is a totall impotency 237 Whether all the workes of naturall men are sinfull 237 How God rewardeth the good workes of wicked men 244 How the good workes of wicked men proceed from Gods Spirit 245 Whether a wicked man ought to omit his almes prayers and religious
quoad Regnum in regard of the dominion and government of it in regard of the vigorous operation which is in it First sinne is condemn'd Rom. 8. 3. and therein destinated and design'd to death It shall fully bee rooted out Secondly in the meane time it is disabled from a plenarie Rule over the conscience though the Christian be molested and pester'd with it yet he doth not henceforth serve it nor become its instrument to bee subject in every motion thereof as the weapon is to the hand that holds it but Christ and his love beare the sway and hold the Sterne in the heart Rom. 6 6. 〈◊〉 Cor. 5. 14 15. 1. Pet. 4. 1 2. Thirdly the sentence of the Law against sin is already in execution But we are to note that sinne though condemnd to die yet such is the severity of God against it it is adjudg'd to a lingring death a death upon the Crosse and in the faithfull sin is already upon a Crosse fainting struggling dying daily yet so as that it retaines some life still so long as we are here sinne will be as fast to our natures as a nailed man is to the Crosse that beares him Our Thorne will still bee in our flesh our Canaanite in our side our Twinns in our wombe our counterlustings and counterwillings though we be like unto Christ per primitias spiritus yet we are unlike him per Reliquias vetustatis by the remainders of our flesh not to sinne is here onely our Law but in heaven it shal be our Reward All our perfection here is imperfect Sinne hath its deaths blow given it but yet like fierce and implacable beasts it never le ts goe its hold till the last breath Animamque in vulnere ponit never ceaseth to infest us till it cease to bee in us Who can say I have made my heart cleane Cleanse thou be saith holy David from my secret sinnes Though I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified saith the Apostle and the reason is added He that iudgethme is the Lord which Saint Iohn further unfolds God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things Which places though most dangerously perverted by some late Innovators which teach That a man may bee without secret sinnes that he may make his heart cleane from sinne and that Saint Paul was so doe yet in the experience of the holiest men that are or have been evince this truth that the lusts of the flesh will be and worke in us so long as we carry our mortall bodies about us And this God is pleased to suffer for these and like purposes First to convince and humble us in the experience of our owne vilenesse that wee may be the more to the prayse of the glory of his great grace As once Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria dealt with the Egyptian Idols after the embracement of Christianitie most he destroyed onely one of their Apes and Images he kept entire not as a monument of Idolatry but as a spectacle of sinne and misery that in the sight thereof the people might after learne to abhorre themselves that had liv'd in such abominable Idolatries Secondly to drive us still unto him to cast us alwayes upon the hold and use of our Faith that our prayers may still finde something to aske which hee may give and our repentance something to confesse which he may forgive Thirdly to proportion his mercy to his justice for as the wicked are not presently fully destroyed have not sentence speedily executed against them but are reserv'd unto their Day that they may be destroi'd together as the Psalmist speakes even so the righteous are not here fully saved but are reserv'd unto the great day of Redemption when they also shall be saved together as the Apostle intimates 1. Thess. 4. 17. Fourthly to worke in us a greater hatred of sinne and longing after glory therefore we have yet but the first fruites of the spirit that we should grone and waite for the Adoption and Redemption therfore are we burdened in our earthly tabernacle that we should the more earnestly groane to be cloathed upon with our House which is from Heaven Fiftly to magnifie the power of his Grace in the weakest of his members which notwithstanding that inhabiting Traytor which is ready to let in and entertaine every temptation shall yet make a poore sinfull man stronger in some respect then Adam was himselfe even able to overcome at last the powers of darkenesse and to be sufficient against all Satans buffets Lastly to commend the greatnesse of his mercy and salvation when we shall come to the full fruition of it by comparing it with the review of that sinfull estate in which here we lived when we were at the best without possibility of a totall deliverance Thirdly consider the great Contagion and pestilentiall humour which is in this sinne which doth not onely cleave unseparably to our nature but derives venome upon every action that comes from us For though we doe not say That the good works of the Regenerate are sinnes and so hatefull to God as our adversaries belie and misreport us for that were to reproach the spirit and the grace of Christ by which they are wrought yet this we affirme constantly unto the best worke that is done by the concurrence and contribution of our owne faculties such a vitiousnesse doth adhere such stubble of ours is superinduc'd as that God may justly charge us for defiling the grace he gave and for the evill which we mixe with them may turne away his eyes from his owne gifts in us Sinne in the facultie is poison in the fountaine that sheds infection into every thing that proceeds from it Ignorance and difficultie are two evill properties which from the fountaine doe in some measure diffuse themselves upon all our workes Whensoever thou art going about any good this evill will be present with thee to derive a deadnesse a dampe a dulnesse an indisposednesse upon all thy services an iniquitie upon thy holiest things which thou standest in neede of a priest to beare for thee Exod. 28. 38. and to remove from thee In the Law whatsoever an uncleane person touched was uncleane though it were holy flesh to note the evill quality of sinful nature to staine and blemish every good worke which commeth from it This is that which in thy prayers deads thy zeale fervencie humiliation selfe-abhorrencie thy importunitie faith and close attention this like an evill sauour mingleth with thy sacrifice casteth in impertinent thoughts wrong ends makes thee rest in the worke done and never enquire after the truth of thine owne heart or Gods blessing and successe to thy services This is it that in reading and hearing the Word throwes in so much prejudice blindnesse inadvertency security infidelity misapplication misconstruction wresting and shaping the word to our selves This is that which in thy meditations makes thee roving and unsetled
and you shall finde more madnesse and tempest in him then in the Sea into which he was throwne Angry exceeding angry at Gods mercy to Ninivie and with a strange uniformitie of passion in a contrary occasion as angry at Gods severity to the Gourd That which made Iob though before full of impaciency in some particular fits to lay his hand on his mouth and reply no more which was Gods debatement and expostulation with him Ionah regarded not but reproves and replyes with much madnesse of heart upon God himselfe I doe well to be angry even unto death So belluine and contumacious are the mindes of men set upon their owne end that though God himselfe undertake the cause they will out-face his arguments and stand on their owne defence Asa was a holy King his heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes yet when the Prophet sent from God told him of his folly in entertaining leagve with the Syrians and depending upon their confederacies It is said that he imprisoned the Prophet and was in a rage or in a tempestuousnesse against him Theodosius was a holy and excellent Prince and amongst all other graces for none more eminent then for lenitie and compassion yet so farre did his furie kindle upon occasion of an uproare at Thessalonica where one of his servants had been slaine that he commanded an universall massacre without distinction to passe upon the City where in a very short space of three houres there were seven thousand men butchered by the Emperours Edict and the City fill'd with the blood of Innocents And this should teach us to keepe the stricter watch over our owne hearts since such excellent men as these have fallen since so many occasions may throw us into the like distemper since the sinne of our nature is but like a sleeping Lyon or at best but like a wounded Lion any thing that awakens and vexeth it begets rage and furie to be the more circumspect over our selves and the more jealous of our owne passions in those particular cases especially wherein this fiâ—…e is most apt to kindle First when thou art in disputation engag'd upon a just quarrell to vindicate the truth of God from heresie and distorsion looke unto thy heart set a watch over thy tongue be ware of wild-fiâ—…e in thy zeale take heed of this madnesse of thiâ—…e evill nature Much advantage the Divell may get euen by disputations for the truth When mâ—…n dispute against those that oppose themselves as the Disciples against the Samaritans with thunder and fire from heaven with railing and reviling speeches such as the Angell durst not give unto Satan himselfe when men shall forget the Apostles rule to instruct those that oppose themselves with meeknes and to restore those that are fallen with the spirit of meeknes When tongve shal be sharpned against tongue and pen poisoned against pen when pamphlets shall come forth with more teeth to bite then arguments to convince when men shall follow an adversarie as an undisciplin'd Dog his game with barking and bawling more then with skill or cunning this is a way to betray the truth and to doe the Divell service under Gods colours It is a grave observation which Sulpitius Severus makes of the councel at Ariminum consisting of foure hundred Bishops whereof eighty were Arians and the rest Orthodox when after much treaty and agitation nothing was concluded but either party kept immoveable to his owne tenent It was at last resolv'd that the sides should severally dispatch an embassage to the emperour of ten men apiece who should make relation of their faith and opinions And here now grew the disadvantage for saith hee the Arians sent Aged men cunning and able to manage their employment to the best but on our part there were young men sent of little learning and of strong passions who being vex'd and provok'd by the adverse partie spoild their owne businesse though farre the better with imprudent and intemperate handling Secondly when thou art upon any civill controversie or debate for matter of right looke unto thy heart take heed of that seed of madnesse which lies lurking in it lest upon occasion of lawfull controversie there breake out rage and revenge upon the persons of one another It is not for nothing that the Apostle saith There is utterly a fault amongst you because you goe to Law with one another 1. Cor. 6. 7. Why The Apostle doth plainely allow Iudicature vers 1. A man may go to law before the Saints they may iudge small matters and things that pertaine to this life vers 2. 3. 4. And for any man from such a place to inferre the unlawfulnesse of sueing to publick justice for his right is a piece of Anabaptisme and folly justly punished with the losse of his right What then is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Impotency and defect which the Apostle blameth in them It consisteth in two things first their going to law before Heathen Iudges thereby exposing the profession of Christianity to imputations of scisme divisions and worldlinesse amongst the enemies of it In which case rather then put a rub unto the progresse of the Gospell by giving unreasonable men occasion to censure the truth thereof by their altercations and making the ministery evill spoken oâ—… by their scandals they were to suffer and to beare wrong For those words Why doe you not rather take wrong and suffer your selves to bee defrauded are not a Positive precept as Iulian the Apostate objected scornefully to the Christians unlesse it be in smaller injuries which may with more wisedome be borne by patience then by contention repaid or overcome but onely a Comparative precept that a man should rather choose to leave his name life estate goods interests utterly unvindicated then by defending them unavoydably to bring a scandall upon the Crosse of Christ. Secondly which is to my present purpose Their going to law though in itselfe Iust when before competent and fit judges had yet an accidentall vitiousnesse that by their inadvertencie did breake out of their evill hearts and cleave unto it and that was their litigations ranne from the businesses unto the persons It brake forth into violence and wrong against one another much perturbation of minde revengefull and circumventing projects shew themselves under the colour of legall debatements Nay saith the Apostle you doe wrong and defraud and that your brethren Such a notable frowardnesse and rage lyes in the natures of men that without much caution and watchfulnesse it will bee blowne up into a flame even by honest and just contentions Thirdly In Differences upon private conversation looke to your hearts give not the raines too much to anger or displeasure to suspicions or misconstructions of your neighbours person or courses give not the water passage no not a little Be Angry saith the Apostle but sinne not let not the sunne goe downe upon your wrath It is not a
unto two men in severall by diverse wayes of propriety or unto sundry purposes A house belongs wholly to the Landlord for the purpose of profit and revenew and wholly to the tenant for the purpose of use and inhabitation but it seemes in ordinary reason impossible for the same thing to belong wholly to sundry men in regard of al purposes for which it serves But such an ample propriety hath every man to originall sinne that he holds it all and to all purposes for which it serves For though some sinnes there are which cannot by some men bee properly committed properly I say because by way of provocation or occasion or approbation or the like one man may participate in the sinnes which another commits as a King cannot be 〈◊〉 to his superiors in governement because he hath no superiors a lay man cannot commit the sinneâ—… of a Minister an unmarried man the sinnes of a husband c. yet this disability ariseth out of the exigence of personall conditions but no way out of the limitednesse or impotency of originall sinne which in every man serves to all the purposes which can consist with that mans condition and as his condition alters so is it likewise fruitfull unto new sinnes And these are two great aggravations of this sinnefull inheritance That it comes whole unto every man and that every man hath it unto all the purposes for which it serves Thirdly it is to be observ'd that in originall sin as in all other there are two things Deordination or sinfulnes and Guilt or obligation unto punishment And though the former of these be inseparable from nature in this life yet every man that beleeveth and repenteth hath the damnation thereof taken away it shall not prove unto him mortall But now this is the calamitie Though a man have the guilt of this sinne taken of from his person by the benefit of his owne faith and the grace of Christ to him yet still both the deordination and the guilt passeth over unto his posteritie by derivation from him For the former the case is most evident what ever is borne of flesh is flesh no man can bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane an evill roote must bring forth evill branches a bitter fountaine corrupt streames leaven will derive sowernesse into the whole masse and the Fathers treason will staine the blood of all his posterity And it is as certaine for the latter that though guilt and punishment may bee remitted to the Father yet from him it may be transmitted to his childe Every parent is the chanell of death to his posterity Totum gonuâ—… 〈◊〉 fecit Adam is damnationis traduceâ—… Adam did diffuse and propagate damnation unto all mankind Neither is 〈◊〉 any wonder or injustice that from a cursed roote should proceed branches fit for nothing but the fire As a Iew that was circumcised brought forth an uncircumcised sonne as cleane crne sowed comes up with chaffe and stubble as the seed of a good Olive brings forth a wilde Olive so is it with the best that are their Graces concurre not to naturall generation and therefore from them is nothing naturally propagated For first the wiping off of Guilt while the fault abides is an Act of Grace and pardon now pardons are ever immediate from speciall favour from direct grant and therefore cannot runne in the bloud nor come to a man in the vertue of his birth or by derivation especially where the pardon runnes not in generall termes but personally by way of priviledge and exemption and that too upon certaine conditions the performance and vertue whereof is intransient and cannot availe any by way of imputation or redundancie Secondly though the personall Guilt be off from the man yet the ground of that Guilt the damnablenesse or liablenesse to be imputed unto punishment is inseparable from sin though sin be not mortall de facto So as to bring damnation to the person justified yet it never ceaseth to be mortall de merito that is to be damnable in it selfe in regard of its owne nature and obliquity though in event and execution the damnable vertue of sinne be prevented by faith which cures it and by repentance which forsakes and cuts it off For wee must observe that To merit damnation belongs to the nature of sinne but to bring forth damnation belongs to the accomplishment and finishing of sinne when it is suffered to grow to its measure never interrupted never prevented God hath patience toward sinners and waiteth for their repentance and doth not presently powre out all his wrath if in this interim men will bee perswaded in the day of their peace to accept of mercy offer'd and to Breake of sinnes before the Epha be full then their sinnes shall not end in Death But if they neglect all Gods mercie and goe on still till there be no remedie then sinne growes to a ripenesse and will undoubtedly bring forth Death Since therefore the nature of sinne passeth to posterity even when the guilt thereof is remitted in the paâ—…ent needs must the guilt thereof passe too till by grace it be done away Fourthly In originall sinne there is a twofold denomination or formalitie It is both a Sinne and a Punishment of sinne For it is an absurd conceite of some men who make it an impossibility for the same thing to be both a sinne and a punishment When a prodigall spends all his mony upon uncleannes is not this mans poverty both his sin and his punishment When a drunkard brings diseases on his body and drownes his reason is not that mans impotencie and sottishnesse both his sin and his punishment Indeed sinne cannot rightly be cald an inflicted punishment for God doth not put it into any man yet it no way implies contradiction but rather abundantly magnifies the justice and wisedome of Almighty God to say that he can order sinne to bee a scourge and punishment to it selfe And so Saint Austen cals it a penall vitiousnesse or corruption So that in the derivation of this â—…in wee have unto us propagated the very wrath of God It is like Aarons rod on our part a branch that buddeth unto iâ—…iquitie and on Gods part a Serpent that stingeth unto Death So that Adam is a twofold cause of this sinne in his posterity A meritorious cause he did deserve it by prevarication as it was a punishment an efficient cause he doth derive it by contagion as it is a sinne And this is the wretchednesse of this sinne that it is not onely a meanes to bring the wrath of God upon us but is also some part and beginning of the wrath of God in us and so is as it were the earnest and first fruits of damnation Not as if it were by God infus'd into our nature for wee have it put into us no other way but by seminall contagion and propagation from Adam but God seeing man throw away and wast
Adams sinne may be thus farre said to be unto posterity imputed as that by reason of it they become obnoxious unto Death namely to an eternall dissolution of body and soule without any reunion and an eternall losse of the divine vision without any paine of sense yet that death which to Adam in his person was a punishment is not so to his posteritie but onely the condition of their nature Thirdly they say that that which is called originall sinne is nothing else at all but onely the privation of originall righteousnesse and that concupiscence was 〈◊〉 contracted and brought upon nature by sinne but was originally in our nature suspended indeede by the presence but actuated by the losse of that righteousnesse Fourthly they say That that Privation was not by man contracted but by God inflicted as a punishment upon Adam from whom it comes but onely as a condition of nature unto us that man in his fall and prevarication did not Throw away or actually shake off the Image of God but God pull'd it away from him which if God had not done it would have remained with him notwithstanding the sinne of the first fall Fifthly they say That in as much as the privation of originall righteousnesse was a punishment by God upon Adam justly inflicted and by Adam unto us naturally and unavoidably propagated It is not therefore to be esteem'd any sinne at all neither for it can God justly condemne any man nor is it to be esteem'd a punishment of sinne in us though it were in Adam because in us there is no sinne going before it of which it may bee accounted the punishment as there was in Adam but onely the condition of our present nature Lastly they say that Adam being by God deprived of originall righteousnesse which is the facultie and fountaine of all obedience and being now constituted under the deserved curse all the debt of legall obedience wherein he and his posteritie in him were unto God obliged did immediately cease so that whatsoever outrages should after that have beene by Adam or any of his children committed they would not have beene sinnes or transgressions nor involv'd the Authors of them in the guilt of iust damnation That which unto us reviveth sin is the new covenant because therein is given unto the law new strength to command and unto us new strength to obey both which were evacuated in the fall of Adam Vpon which premises it doth most evidently follow that unlesse God in Christ had made a covenant of grace with us anew no man should ever have beene properly and penally damned but onely Adam and he too with no other then the losse of Gods presence For â—… Hell and torments are not the revenge of Legall but of Evangelicall disobedience not for any actuall sinnes for there would have beene none because the exaction of the Law would have ceased and where there is no Law there is no transgression not for the want of righteousnesse because that was in Adam himselfe but a punishment and in his posteritie neither a sinne nor a punishment but onely a condition of nature not for habituall concupiscence because though it be a disease and an infirmitie yet it is no sinne both because the being of it is connaturall and necessary and the operations of it inevitable and unpreventable for want of that bridle of supernaturall righteousnesse which was appointed to keepe it in Lastly not for Adams sinne imputed because being committed by another mans will it could bee no mans sinne but his that committed it So that now upon these premises we are to invert the Apostles words By one man namely by Adam sinne entered into the world upon all his posterity and death by sinne By one man namely by Christ tanquam per causam sine quâ non sinne returned into the world upon all Adams posteritie and with sinne the worst of all deaths namely hellish torments which without him should not haue beene at all O how are wee bound to prayse God and recount with all honour the memorie of those Worthies who compiled Our Articles which serue as a hedge to keepe out this impious and mortiferous doctrine as Fulgentius cals it from the Church of England and suffers not Pelagius to returne into his owne country There are but three maine arguments that I can meet with to colour this heresie and two of them were the Pelagians of old First that which is naturall and by consequence necessarie and unavoidable cannot be sinne Originall sinne is naturall necessarie and unavoidable therefore it is no sin Secondly that which is not voluntarie cannot be sinfull Originall sinne is not voluntarie therefore not sinfull Thirdly no sinne is immediatly caused by God but originall sinne being the privation of originall righteousnesse is from God immediately who pull'd away Adams righteousnesse from him Therfore it is no sinne For the more distinct understanding the whole truth and answering these supposed strong reasons give me leave to premise these observations by way of Hypothesis First there are Two things in originall sinne The privation of righteousnesse and the corruption of nature for since originall sinne is the roote of actuall and in actuall sinnes there are both the omission of the good which we ought to exercise and positive contumaâ—…ies against the Law of God therefore a vis formatrix something answerable to both these must needs be found in originall sinne This positive corruption for in the other all agree that it is originall sinne is that which the Scripture cals flâ—…sh and members and law and lusts and bodie and Saint Austin vitiousnesse inobedience or inordinatenesse and a morbid affection Consonant whereunto is the Article of our Church affirming that man by originall sinne is farre gone from righteousnesse which is the privation secondly that thereby he is of his owne nature enclined unto evill which is the pravitie or corruption and this is the doctrine of many learned papists Secondly the Law being perfect and spirituall searcheth the most intimate corners of the soule and reduceth under a law the very rootes and principles of all humane operations And therefore in aâ—… much as well being is the ground of well working and that the Tree must be good before the fruite therefore wee conclude that the Law is not onely the Rule of our workes but of our strength not of our life only but of our nature which being at first deliver'd into our hands entire and pure cannot become degenerate without the offence of those who did first betray so great a trust committed unto them Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God Exâ—…ni valdâ—… tuo with all thy might saith the Law it doth not only require us to love but to have mindes furnish'd with all strength to love God so that there may be life and vigoâ—… in our obedience and love of him The Law requires no
strong nor our hearts endure in the day when hee will have to doe with us How can wee choose but send forth an Embassage especially since he is not a great way off as it is in the Parable but standeth before the dore and is nigh at hand and will not carry an embassage of repentance to give up our armour to strip and judge our selves to meete him in the way of his judgements to make our selves vile before him and be humbled under his mighty hand and sue forth conditions of peace to meete him as the Gibeonites did Iosua and resolve rather to be his servants then to stand out against him This is certaine God is comming against his Enemies his attendants Angels and his weapons fire And if his patience and forbearance make him yet keepe a great way off that hee may give us time to make our peace O let the long suffering of God draw us to Repentance least wee treasure up more wrath against our selves Consider the great aggravation of that spirituall Iezabels sinne I gave her space to repent of her fornications and she repented not Consider that the long suffering of God is Salvation and therefore let us make this use of it Labour to bee found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse The last thing in this first point proposed was How the spirit by the Commandement doth thus convince men to be in the state of sinne To this I answere briefly First by quickning and putting an edge upon the Instrumentall cause the sword of the Spirit For the word of it selfe is a dead letter and profiteth nothing it is the spirit that puts life and power into it I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord to declare unto Iacob his transgressions saith the Prophet Mic. 3. 8. As the Spirit is a Spirit of life so hath he given to the Word to be a Word of life quicke and powerfull Phil. 2. 16. Heb. 4. 12. Secondly by writing it in the heart casting the heart into the mould of the Word and transforming the spirit of man into the image of the Word and making it as it were the Epistle of Christ bending and framing the heart to stand in awe of Gods Word for writing his Law and putting his feare into the heart is the same thing with God In which respect amongst others men are said to bee Sealed by the Spirit because that Spirituall Holinesse which is in the Word is fashioned in the hearts of the Saints as the image of the seale is in the waxe As the light of the Sunne doth by reflection from the Moone illighten that part of the earth or from a glasse that part of a roome from which it selfe is absent So though the Church bee here absent from the Lord yet his Spirit by the Word doth illighten and governe it It is not the Moone alone nor the glasse alone nor yet the Sunne without the Moone or the glasse that illightneth those places vpon which it selfe doth not immediately shine but that as the principall by them as the instruments so the Spirit doth not and the Word cannot alone by it selfe convince or convert but the Spirit by the Word as its sword and instrument So then when the Spirit turnes a mans eyes inward to see the truth of the Word written in his owne heart makes him put his Seale unto it frameth the will to search acknowledge and judge the worst of its selfe to subscribe unto the righteousnesse of God in condemning sinne and him for it to take the office of the Word and passe that sentence upon it selfe which the Word doth then doth the Word spiritually Convince of sinne Which should teach us what to look for in the ministry of the word namely that which will Convince us that which puts an edge upon the Word opens the heart makes it burne namely the spirit of Christ for by that only we can be brought unto the righteousnesse of Christ we are not to despise the ordinances in our esteeme when we find them destitute of such humane contributions and attemperations which we haply expected as Naaman did the waters of Iordan for though there bee excellent use of Humane learning when it is sanctified for opening the Word as a baser colour is a good ground for a better yet it is the Word alone which the Spirit worketh by the flesh and fleshly accessions of themselves profit no more nor adde no more reall vertue or lustre to the Word then the weedes in a field do unto the Corne or then the ground colour doth unto the beautie of that which is put upon it We should therefore pray for the Spirit to come along with his Word It is not enough to be at Bethesda this house of mercie and grace unlesse the Angell stirre and the Spirit move upon these waters It is Hee that must incline and put the heart into the Word or else it will remaine as impotent as before But of this point also I have spoken at large upon another scripture Having then thus shewed at large that the Spirit by the Commandment convinceth men to be in the state of sin both Actuall and Originall imputed and inherent what kinde of state that is A state of Impotencie and Enmity How it doth it by quickning the Word and opening the heart Now we are very briefly to open the second point That the Spirit by the Commandment convinceth a man to be under the guilt of sin or in the state of death because of sinne I died for which we must note First that there is a two fold Guilt First Reatus Concupiscentia which is the meritoriousnesse of punishment or liablenesse unto punishment which sinne brings with it and Reatus personae which is the actuall Obligation and obnoxiousnesse of a person vnto punishment because of sinne Now in as much as nature is not able to discover without the Spirit the whole malignity and obliquity that is in sinne therefore it cannot sufficiently convince of the Guilt of sinne which is a Resultancie therefrom and is ever proportionable thereunto In which respect the Iudgements of God are said to be unsearchable Rom. 11 33. And the wicked know not whither they goe 1. Ioh. 2. 11. cannot have any full and proportionable notions of that wrath to come which their sinnes carry them unto Secondly wee may note that there is a Twofold Conviction of this Guilt of sinne A naturall Conviction such as was in Cain Iudas Spira and other despairing men which ariseth from two grounds First the Present sense of Gods wrath in the first fruits thereof upon their consciences which must perforce beare witnesse to Gods â—…ustice therein and this is that which the Apostle calls Torment 1. Ioh. 4. 18. which though it may arise from naturall principles for wee know even heathens have had their Laniatus and Ictus as the Historian speakes their scourges and rendings of Conscience yet is it
much set forward by the Word because therein is made more apparant to the Soule the Glory and the Power of God therefore the Two Prophets are said to Torment the inhabitants of the Earth and the Law is said to make men guilty and to kill to hew smite and destroy those whom it deales with all Secondly such a faith as the Divels have begotten by the Word and assented unto by the secret suggestions of the heart witnessing to it selfe that it hath deserved more then yet it feeles and this begets a fearefull expectation of being devoured surpriseth the heart with horrid tremblings and presumptions of the vengeance to come which the Apostle calls the Spirit of bondage and feare But all this being an Assent perforce extorted for wicked men confesse their sinnes as the Divels confessed Christ more out of Torment then out of Love to God or humiliation under his mighty hand amounts to no more then a Naturall Conviction Secondly there is a Spirituall and Evangelicall Conviction of the Guilt of sinne and the damnation due thereunto arising from the Law written in the heart and tempered with the apprehension of mercie in the new Covenant which begets such a paine under the Guilt of sin as a plaister doth to the impostumation which withall it cures such a Conviction as is a manuduction unto righteousnesse And that is when the Conscience doth not onely perforce feele it selfe dead but hath wrought in it by the Spirit the same affection towards it selfe for sinne which the word hath is willing to charge it selfe and acquit God to endite accuse arraigne testifie condemne it selfe meete the Lord in the way of his Iudgements and cast downe it selfe under his mighty hand That man who can in secret and truth of heart willingly and uncompulsorily thus stand on Gods side against sinne and against himselfe for it giving God the Gloâ—ie of his righteousnesse if he should condemne him and of his uâ—searchable and rich mercie that hee doth offer to forgive him I dare pronounce that man to haue the Spirit of Christ. For no man by nature can willingly and uprightly Owne damnation and charge himselfe with it as his due portion and most just inheritance This can never arise but from a deepe sense and hate of sinne from a most ardent zeale for the Glory and Righteousnesse of God Now then since the Conviction of sinne and of the death and Guilt thereof are not to drive men to despaire or blasphemie but that they may beleeve and lay hold on the righteousnesse of Christ which they are then most likely to doe when sinne is made exceeding sinfull and by consequence death exceeding deadly give mee leave to set forth in two words what this Guilt of sinne is that the necessitie of righteousnesse from Christ may appeare the greater and his mercie therein bee the more glorified Guilt is the Demerit of sinne binding and subjecting the person in whom it is to undergoe all the punishments legally due the reunto This Demerit is founded not only in the Constitution Will and Power of God over his owne Creatures of whom hee may justly require whatsoever obedience hee giveth power to performe but in the nature of his owne Holinesse and Iustice which in sinne is violated and turned from and this Guilt is after a sort Infinite because it springeth out of the aversion from an Infinite Good the violation of an infinite Holynesse and Iustice and the Conversion to the Creatures infinitely if men could live ever to commit adultery with them And as the Consequence and reward of obedience was the favour of God conferring life and blessednesse to the Creature so the wages of sinne which this Guilt assureth a sinner of is the wrath of God which the Scripture calleth Death and the Curse This Guilt being an Obligation unto punishment leadeth us to consider what the nature of that curse and death is unto which it bindeth us over Punishment bearing necessarie relation to a command the trangression whereof is therein recompenced taketh in these considerations First on the part of the Commander a will to which the Actions of the subject must conforme reveal'd and signified under the nature of a Law Secondly a justice which will and thirdly a power which can punish the transgressors of that Law Secondly on the part of the subject commanded there is requir'd first Reason and free-will originally without which there can be no sinne for though man by his brutishnesse and impotency which he doth coÌ„tract cannot make void the commands of God but that they now binde men who have put out their light and lost their libertie yet originally God made no law to binde under paine of sinne but that unto the obedience whereof hee gave reason and free-will Secondly a debt and obligation either by voluntarie subjection as man to man or naturall as the creature to God or both sealed and acknowledged in the covenants betweene God and man whereby man is bound to fulfill that law which it was originally enabled to observe Thirdly a forfeiture guilt and demerit upon the violation of that Law Thirdly and lastly the evill it selfe inflicted wherein we consider first the nature and qualitie of it which is to have a destructive power to oppresse and dis quiet the offender and to violate the integritie of his well being For as sinne is a violation offered by man to the Law so punishment is a violation retorted from the Law to man Secondly the Proportion of it to the offence the greatnesse whereof is manifested in the majestie of God offended and those severall relations of goodnesse patience creation redemption which he hath to man in the quality of the creature offending being the chiefe and lord of all the rest below him in the easinesse of the primitive obedience in the unprofitablenesse of the wayes of sinne and a world of the like aggravations Thirdly the end of it which is not the destruction of the creature whom as a creature God loveth but the satisfaction of justice the declaration of divine displeasure against sinne and the manifestation of the glory of his power and terrour So then Punishment is an evill or pressure of the Creature proceeding from a Law giver just and powerfull inflicted on a reasonable Creature for and proportionable unto the breach of such a Law unto the performance and obedience whereof the Creature was originally enabled wherein is intended the glory of Gods just displeasure and great power against sinne which hee naturally hateth Now these punishments are Temporall Spirituall and Eternall Temporall and those first without a man The vanitie of the Creatures which were at first made full of goodnesse and beautie but doe now mourne and grone under the bondage of our sinnes The wrath of God revealing it selfe from heaven and the curse of God over-growing the earth Secondly within him All the Harbingers and Fore-runners of death sicknesse paine povertie reproach feare and
naturall man there is a power and prevalencie of sinne which yet may lie undiscovered under some generall moralities Thus as the Serpent in the fable had a true sting while it lay in the snow though it shewed not it selfe but at the fire so there may be a regall power in sinne when upon externall reasons it may for a time dissemble it selfe Ahab and Ieroboams wife were as truely Princes in their disguise as in their robes and a Sow as truely a Swine when washed in a spring of water as when wallowing in a sinke of dirt The heart of man is like a beast that hath much filth and garbage shut up under a faire skinne till the Word like a sacrificing sword slit open and as it were unridge the Conscience to discover it All the wayes of man saith Salomon are cleane in his owne eyes but the Lord weigheth the spirits He is a discoverer of the secrets and inâ—…rals of every action For the more paâ—…ticular opening of this point it will be needefull to answere some few questions touching the raigne of some particular sinnes which haply are seldome so thought of And the first is Touching smallsinnes whether they may be said to be raigning sinnes unto which I answere That it is not the greatnesse but the power of sin which makes it a king We know there are reguli as well as reges kings of Cities and narrow territories as well as Emperours over vast provinces Nay many times a sinne may be great in Abstracto as the fact is measured by the Law and yet in Concreto by Circumstances it may not be a raigning sinne in the person committing it and on the contrary a small sinne in the nature of the fact may be a raigning sinne in the commission as in a Corporation a man not halfe as rich as another may bee the chiefe magistrate and another of a farre greater estate may bee an underling in regard of Governement As a small stone throwne with a strong arme will doe more hurt then another farre greater if but gently laid on or sent forth with a fainter impression so a small sinne committed with a high hand with more security presumption and customarinesse then others will more waste the conscience then farre greater out of infirmitie or sudden surprizall As wee see drops frequently falling will eare into a stone and make it hollower then some few farre heavier strokes could have done or as water powred into a Sieve with many small holes or into a bottomlesse vessell is equally cast away A Ship may as well perish upon sands as rockes Dayly small expences vpon lesser vanities may in time eate out a good estate if there be never any accompts taken nor proportion observ'd nor provision made to bring in as well as to expend so a man otherwise very specious may by a course of more civill and moderate sinnes runne into ruine The second Question is Whether privy and secret sins which never breake forth into light may raigne To which I answere That of all other sinnes those which are secret have the chiefest rule such as are privy pride hypocrisie selfe-justification rebellion malitious projects against the Word and worship of God c. The Prophet compares wicked mens hearts to an Oven Hos. 7. 6 7. As an Oven is hottest when it is stopp'd that no blast may breake forth so the heart is oftentimes most sinfull when most reserv'd It was a great part of the state and pride of the Persian kings that they were seldome seene by their subjects in publicke and the kingdome of China at this day is very vast and potent though it communicate but litle with other people so those lodging thoughts as the Prophet cals them which lie stifled within may be most powerfull when they are least discover'd First Because they are ever in the throne for the heart is the throne of sinne and every thing hath most of it selfe and is least miâ—…ed and alter'd where it first riseth Secondly because they are in the heart as a stone in the Center freest from opposition and disturbance which breaking forth into act they might be likely to meete withall And this may bee one of the depths and projects of Sathan against the soule of a man to let him live in some faire and plausible conformitie for the outward conversation that so his rule in the heart may be the more quiet both from clamours of conscience and from cure of the Word The third Question is Whether sinnes of ignorance may be raigning sinnes To which I answere That it is not mens knowledge of a king which makes him a king but his owne power Saul was a king when the witch knew not of it For as those multitudes of imperceptible stars in the milkie way doe yet all contribute to that generall confused light which wee there see so the undiscernâ—…d power of unknowne sinnes doe adde much to the great kingdome which sinne hath in the hearts of men A letter written in an unknowne language or in darke and invisible Characters is yet as truely a letter as that which is most intelligible and distinct so though men make a shift to fill their consciences with darke and unlegible sinnes yet there they are as truely as if they were written in capitall Characters Saint Pauls persecution was a sinne of Ignorance that was the only thing which left roome for the mercy of God so he faith of himselfe I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly through unbeliefe Which words we are not to understand causally or by way of externall motive to Gods mercy as if Saint Pauls ignorance and unbeliefe had been any positive and objective reason why God shewed him mercy but only thus I was so grievous a persecutor of the Church of Christ that had it not beene for my ignorance onely I had beene a subject uncapable of mercy If I had knowne Christs spirit and beene so conuinc'd as the Scribes and Pharises to whom hee used to preach were and should notwithstanding that conviction have set my selfe with that crueltie and rage against him as I did there would have beene no roome for mercy left my sinne would have beene not onely against the members but against the Spirit of Christ and so an unpardonable sinne His persecution then was a sinne of ignorance and yet we may know what a raigning sinne it was by the description of it That he made havocke of the Church and haled men and women into prison And indeed Ignorance doth promote the kingdome of sinne as a thiese with a vizard or disguise will be more bold in his outrages then with open face For sinne cannot be reproved nor repented of till some way or other it be made knowne All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light The fourth Question is Whether naturall concupiscence may be esteemed a raigning sinne To which I answere That as a
so that sin being once committed there must be a double act to justification the suffering of the curse and the fulfilling of righteousnesse a new Vnto a double apprehension of Iustice in God there must answere a double act of righteousnesse in man or in his surety for him To Gods punishing Iustice a righteousnesse Passive whereby a man is rectus in curia againe and to Gods commanding Iustice a righteousnesse Active whereby he is reconciled and made acceptable to God againe The one a satisfaction for the injury we have done unto God as our Iudge the other the performance of a service which we owe unto him as our Maker Secondly In Christ as a Mediator there is a merit likewise belonging unto both these acts of obedience in Him by vertue of his infinite person which was the Priest and of his Divine nature which was the Altar that offered up and sanctified all his Obedience By the redundancie of which Merit after satisfaction thereby made unto His Fathers Iustice for our debt there is further a purchase made of Grace and Glory and of all good things in our behalfe He was made of a woman made under the law First toredeeme those that were under the Law which is the satisfaction and payment He hath wrought Secondly That we might receive the Adoption or the inheritance of Sonnes which is the Purchase He hath made for us Thirdly there is the Intercession of Christ as our Advocate which is the presenting of these his Merits unto his Father for us whereby He applyeth and perpetuateth unto us the effects of them namely our deliverance and our Adoption or Inheritance So then the life of righteousnesse consists in two things First The remission of sinne and thereupon deliverance from the Guilt of it and curse of the Law against it which is an effect of the satisfaction of Christs Merit Secondly Adoption or the acceptation of our persons and admittance into so high favour as to be heires of Salvation and Happinesse which is the effect of the Redundancie of Christs Merit there being a greater excesse and proportion of vertue in his obedience then of malignitie or unpleasingnesse in our disobedience To consider both these together wee are delivered First from Sinne and the Guilt or Damnation thereof There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus their sinnes are blotted out and forgotten and cast into the depth of the Sea and done away as a cloud or mist by the heate of the Sunne they are forgiven and covered and not imputed unto us they are finished and made an end of they were all laid upon Christ and Hee hath beene a propitiation for them and his flesh a vaile betweene them and his Fathers wrath and in opposition hereunto His obedience and righteousnesse is made ours Hee is made unto us righteousnesse and wee are the righteousnesse of God in Him we are cloathed with Him and appeare in the sight of God as parts and portions of Christ himselfe for the Church is the fulnesse of Him that filleth all in all Secondly wee are consequently delivered from the Law so farre forth as it is the strength of sinne and are constituted under another and better regiment which the Apostle calls Grace or the Law of Faith First we are delivered from the Law as a Covenant of righteousnesse and expect Iustification and Salvation onely by faith in Him who is The Lord our Righteousnesse Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousnes We are righteous by the righteousnesse of God without the Law that is not that righteousnesse by which God as God is righteous but by a righteousnesse which we have not by nature or in our selves or from any principles of our creation which Saint Paul calls Mans own righteousnes but from the meer grace gift of God Secondly hereupon consequently wee are delivered from the rigor of the Law which consisteth in two things first it requireth perfect obedience secondly perpetuall obedience Wee must doe all things that are written in the Booke of the Law and we must continue to doe them Now from this we are delivered though not as a Dutie yet as such a necessity as brings death upon the faile in it When a mans conscience doth summon him before Gods tribunall to bee justified or condemned he dares not trust his owne performances because no flesh can be righteous in Gods sight Though the Gospell both command and promise and worke holynesse in us yet when wee goe to finde out that to which we must stand for our last tryall by which wee resolve to expect remission of sinnes and inheritance with the Saints there is so much pollution and fleshly ingredients in our best workes that we dare trust none but Christs owne adequate performance of the Law whereby wee are delivered from the rigor and inexorablenesse thereof That inherent and habituall exactnesse which the Law requireth in our persons in supplied by the merit of Christ that actuall perfection which it requireth in our services is supplyed by the incense and intercession of Christ. And though wee are full of weaknesse all our righteousnesse as a menstruous cloth many ragges and remnants of the old Adam cleave still unto us and we are kept under that captivitie and unavoydable service of sinne which hee sold us under yet this Priviledge and Immunitie we have by Christ that our desires are accepted that God spareth us as Sonnes that Christ taketh away all the iniquitie of our Holy things that when we faint he leads us when we fall he pitties us and heales us when we turne and repent he forgives accepts welcomes and feasts us with his compassions Thirdly we are delivered from the curse of the Law Christ being made a curse for us and the chastisement of our peace being laid on him From punishments eternall He hath delivered us from the wrath to come and from punishments Temporall as formall punishments When we are judged of the Lord we are chastened but wee are not condemned they are for declaration of Gods displeasure but not of his fury or vengeance they are to amend us and not to consume us blowes that polish us for the Temple and conforme us unto our Head and weane us from the world not tastes and forerunners of further wrath They are like Iobs dunghill set up to see a Redeemer upon And besides this as Sons of promise we are blessed with faithfull Abraham have interest in that pretious vertue of the Gospell which makes all things worke together for the best to those that love God Lastly we are hereupon consequently delivered from those effects of the spirit of bondage which come along with the Law And they are principally three First To manifest to the Conscience that a man is in a desperate and damnable condition in stead whereof there comes along with Christ
Hee shall change our vile bodies into the similitude of his Glorious bodie When Hee comes we shall meete him and be ever with him Hee is ascended to his Father and our Father to his God and our God and therefore to his Kingdome and our Kingdome His by personall proprietie and hypostaticall union ours by his purchase and merit and by our mysticall union and fellowship with him He is gone to prepare a place for us In Earth Hee was our suretie to answere the penaltie of our sinnes and in Heaven He is our Advocate to take seifin and possession of that Kingdome for us Our Captaine and Forerunner and high Priest who hath not onely carried our names but hath broken off the vaile of the Sanctuary and given us accesse into the Holyest of all And hee that hath the Sonne hath this life alreadie in three regards First in pâ—…etio he hath the price that procured it esteemed his It was bought with the pretious blood of Christ in his Name and to his use and it was so bought for him that he hath a present right and claime unto it It is not his iâ—… Reversion after an expiration of any others right there are no leaseâ—… nor reversions in Heaven but it is his as an inheritance is the heires after the death of the Ancestor who yet by minoritie of yeeres or distance of place may occupie and possesse it by some other person Secondly Hee hath it in promisso He hath Gods Charter his Assurance sealed with an oath and a double Sacrament to establish his heart in the expectation of it By two immutable things faith the Apostle namely the Word and the Oath of God wherein it was impossible for him to he we have strong consolation and great ground of hope which hope is sure and stedfast and leadeth us unto that place which is within the vaile whither Christ our Forerunner is gone before us Thirdly He hath it in primitijs in the earnest and first fruites and hansell of it in those few clusters of grapes and bunches of figges those Graces of Christs Spirit that peace comfort serenitie which is shed forth into the heart already from that Heavenly Canaan The Holy Spirit of Promise is the earnest of our inheritance untill the Redemption or full fruition and Revelation of our purchased possession to the prayse of his Glory The Graces of the Spirit in the soule are as certaine and infallible evidences of Salvation as the day starre or the morning aurora is of the ensuing day or Sunne-rising For all spirituall things in the Soule are the beginnings of Heaven parcels of that Spirit the fulnesse and residue whereof is in Christs keeping to adorne us with when he shall present us unto his Father But this Doctrine of the Life of Glory is in this life more to be made use of then curiously to bee enquired into O then where the Treasure is let the heart be where the body is let the Eagles resort if wee are already free men of heaven let our thoughts our language our conversation our Trading be for Heaven Let us set our faces towards our home Let us awake out of sleepe considering that now our salvation is neerer then when we first beleeved If wee have a hope to be like him at his comming let us purifie our selves even as hee is pure since there is a price a high calling a crowne before us let us presse forward with all violence of devotion never thinke our selves farre enough but prepare our hearts still and lay hold on every advantage to further our progresse Since there is a rest remaining for the people of God let us labour to enter into it and to hold fast our profession that as well absent as present we may be accepted of him Secondly since we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens Let us feele the burden of our fleshly corruptions and groane after our redemption Let us long for the revelation of the Sonnes of God and for his appearing as the Saints under the Altar How long Lord Iesus Holy and Iust. Thirdly let us with enlarg'd and ravish'd affections with all the vigor and activitie of enflamed hearts recount the great love of God who hath not onely delivered us from his wrath but made us Sonnes married his owne infinite Maiestie to our nature in the unitie of his Sonnes person and made us in him Kings Priests and Heires unto God Beloved what manner of Love How unsearchable How bottomlesse how surpassing the apprehensions of Men or Angels is the Love of God to us saith the Apostle that wee should be called the Sonnes of God Lastly if God will glorifie us with his Life hereafter let us labour as much as wee can to glorifie Him in our lives here It was our Saviours argument who might have entered into Glory as his owne without any such way of procurement if his owne voluntarie undertaking the office of Mediator had not concluded him Glorifie me with thy selfe with the glorie which I had with thee before the World was for I have gloryfied thee on Earth I have finished the worke which thou gavest mee to doe If we are indeede perswaded that there is laid up for us a Crowne of righteousnesse we cannot but with Saint Paul resolve to fight a good fight to finish our course to keepe the faith to bring forth much fruite that our Father may be glorified in us And now having unfolded this threefold Life which the faithfull have in Christ wee may further take notice of three attributes or properties of this life both to humble and to secure us and they are all couched in one word of the Apostle your life is hid with Christ in God It is in Christs keeping as in the hands of a faithfull depositary and it is a Life in God a full Life a derivation from the Fountaine of Life where it is surer and sweeter then in any Cisterne Here then are three properties of a Christians Life in Christ first Obscuritie secondly Plentie thirdly safetie or Eternitie First it is an obscure life a secret aâ—d mysterious life so the Apostle calleth Godlynesse a Mysterie As there is a mysterie of iniquitie and the hidden things of uncleannesse so there is a Mysterie of Godlynesse and the hidden man of the heart The Life of Grace first is hidden totally from the wicked A stranger doth not intermeddle with a righteous mans joy The naturall man knoweth not any things of Gods spirit Saint Peter gives the reason because he is blinde and cannot see a farre off Now the things of God are deepe things and high things upward they have too much brightnesse and downeward they have too much darknesse for purblinde
God beleeve and all this strength and comfort is thine leane not upon thine owne wisedome trust not thine owne righteousnesse arrogate nothing to thy selfe but impotencie to good no strength of thy selfe but against thy selfe and Gods Grace no power but to resist and withstand the Spirit But rest only upon the Promises and Power of Him who is Alpha and Omega the Author and Finisher of thy Faith Who is a Head to take care of his weakest members When thou art as weake as a worme in thine owne sense yet feare not O worme Iacob be not dismaide O Men of Israel saith the Lord for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will helpe thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse that is with the strength of my Truth and Promises How shall I give thee up Ephraim It is spoken to backsliding Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim That is How shall I make mine owne Church as the cities of Sodome My heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together and marke the reason of all I am God and not man Though you are Men subject to many changes and miscarriages yet I am not a Man that I should repent of my goodnesse and therefore I will not turne to destroy Ephraim But now as men who looke upon the Sunne when they looke downward againe upon darker objects can scarse see or distinguish any thing so ought it to bee with us our looking up unto God should make us see nothing in ourselves but matter to be humbled by and driven backe unto him againe If once the strong man beginne to glorie in his strength or the wise man in his wisedome If our prosperity and security make us resolve with David that we shall never be moved If because we finde our corruptions wounded and mortified wee beginne to insult over them more with our pride then with our faith How easie and just is it with God to let in Satan upon us to remove his hand from under us to overshadow and withdraw His countenance from us to set on our very wounded corruptious upon us to burne up our citie and peradventure to plunge us in the guilt of some such fearefull sinnes as at the very names and first suggestions whereof wee would haply before have beene startled and amazed Alas what are wee to David and Peter to Salomon and Hezekiah men of such dayly communion and intimate acquaintance with the Almightie And yet notwithstanding what fearefull testimonies have they left upon record for all posteritie to take notice what a fraile and inconstant creature man is when once Gods Spirit departs from him That the strength of the greatest champions in the Church of God is but like the strength of Sampson of whom in all his great exployts the Scripture saith that The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and when hee was overcome that the Lord was departed from him We should therefore labour to rejoyce in the Lord with trembling to worke out our salvation with feare to pray that wee may be delivered from our selves and from the traines of Satan that wee may never know by our owne fearefull experience into what an incredible excesse of sinning our flesh though otherwise mortified would breake forth if God should a little subduct his hand and give us over a while to the violence of our owne passions to the treacherie of our owne hearts Wee should be very watchfull and cautious against our selvees that wee presume not to sinne because Grace hath abounded How shall wee that are dead to sinne live any longer therein saith the Apostle What a monstrous perverting of the grace and mercie of God is this to build straw and stubble upon so pretious a foundation Surely wee would esteeme that man prodigiously foolish and contumelious unto nature who should spend his time substance and industrie to finde out a perverse philosophers stone that should turne all the gold it touched into lead or drosse how injurious then and reprochfull are they to the grace of God who extract their owne presumptions out of His mercie and turne the redundancie of divine Grace into an advantage and priviledge of sinning As if Gods mercie had no other use then a dogges grasse or a drunkards vomit or a Papists confession to his Priest to absolve us for some sinnes that there might be roome made for more Surely Grace teacheth men to make other conclusions from Gods mercie Deale bouâ—…tifully with thy seruant that I may keepe thy Word was Davids inference from Gods favour And Saint Paul assures us that none but hard and impenitent hearts despise the goodnesse and riches of Gods patience and forbearance not knowing that the goodnesse of God should lead them to repentance It is the worke of grace to re-imprint the image of God in us to conforme us unto Christ to bend and incline the heart to a Spirituall delight in the Law to remoove in some measure the ignorance of our mindes that wee may see the beautie and wonders of Gods Law and the difficultie and frowardnesse of the fleshly will against grace that Gods Commands may not be grievous but sweete unto us These are the branches and properties of that Life which we have from Christ. And wee have them from Him at the Sonne as a middle person betweene us and his Father First because the Sonne hath His Fathers Seale Hath Iudgement Power libertie to dispose of and dispense Life and Salvation to whom He will Labour for the Meate that endureth unto Eternall Life which the Sonne of Man shall give unto you for Him hath God the Father sealed Secondly because the Son is in his Fathers bosome hath His heart His eare His affections and therefore He is heard alwayes in whatsoever Hee desireth for any of His members and this interest in His Fathers Love was that by which He raised Lazarus unto Life againe Lastly he that hath the Sonne hath the greatest gift which the Father ever gave unto the World Hee cannot denie Life where He hath given the Sonne He cannot with-hold silver where Hee hath given gold and Diamonds If He spared not His Son but delivered Him up for us all how shall He not with Him freely give us all things Now our life is conveyed from Christ unto us First by Imputation of His merit whereby our persons are made righteous and acceptable unto God Secondly by Infusion or communion with His Spirit which sanctifies our nature and enables us to doe spirituall services For though we exclude workes from Iustification formally considered yet we require them of every Iustified man neither doth any Faith Iustifie but that which worketh by Love though it justifie not under that reason as a working Faith but under that relative office of receiving and applying Christ. Thirdly by
or holinesse so that the meaning is The spirit shall convince men that they are unrighteous and unholie men held under by the guilt condemnation and power of sinne shut vp in fast chaines unto the wrath and iudgement of the great Day unauoidably cast and condemned in the Court of Law because they fled not by faith unto that office of mercie and reconciliation which the Father hath erected in his beloved Sonne All sinnes do of themselues deserve damnation but none doe de facto inferre damnation without infidelitie This was that great provocation in the Wildernesse which kept the people out of the Land of Promise and for which God is said to have beene grieved fortie yeeres together How long will this people provoke mee How long will it bee ere they beleeve in me they despised the holy Land they beleeved not his word they drew backward and turned againe in their hearts into Egypt The Apostle summes vp all their murmurings and provocations for which they were excluded that type of heauen in this one word They entred not in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of their vnbeliefe If there bee but one onely medicine against a deadly disease and when that is offered to the sicke person he refuse it and throw it vnder his feete the state of that man is infallibly desperate and remedilesse There is but one name but one sacrifice but one blood by which we can be saved perfected and purged for ever and without which God can have no pleasure in us how can wee then escape if we neglect so great salvation and trample under foote the blood of the Covenant It is a fruitlesse labour and an endlesse folly for men to use any other courses be they in appearance never so specious probable rigorous mortified Pharisaicall nay angelicall for extricating themselues out of the maze of sinne or exonerating their consciences of the guilt or power thereof without faith Though a man could scourge out of his owne bodie rivers of blood and in a neglect of himselfe could outfast Moses or Elias though he could weare out his knees with prayer and had his eyes nail'd vnto heaven though he could build hospitals for all the poore on the earth and exhaust the Mines of India into almes though hee could walke like an Angell of light and with the glittering of an outward holinesse dazle the eyes of all beholders nay if it were possible to be conceiv'd though he should live for a thousand yeeres in a perfect and perpetuall observation of the whole Law of God his originall corruption or any one though the least digression and deviation from that Law alone excepted yet such a man as this could no more appeare before the tribunall of Gods Iustice then stubble before a consuming fire It is onely Christ in the bush that can keepe the fire from burning It is onely Christ in the heart that can keepe sinne from condemning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without mee that is separated from mee yee can doe nothing towards the iustification of your persons or salvation of your soules or sanctification of your lives or natures No burden can a man shake off no obstacle can hee breake through no temptation can hee overcome without faith shake off every thing that presseth downe and the sinne which hangeth so fast on and runne with patience namely through all oppositions and contradictions the race that is set before you saith the Apostle But how shall we do such unfeasible works Hee shewes that in the next words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looking of from our selves unto Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith When a man lookes inward upon his owne strength hee may as justly despaire of moving sinne from his soule as of casting downe Mountaines with one of his fingers but he who is able to give vs faith is by that able to make all things possible unto vs. The world tempts with promises wages pleasures of sinne with frownes threats and persecutions for righteousnesse If a man have not faith to see in Christ more pretious promises more sure mercies more full rewards more aboundant and everlasting pleasures to see in the frownes of God more terror in the wrath of God more bitternes in the threats of God more certainty in the Law of God more curses then all the world can load him withall impossible it is that he should stand under such assaults for this is the victory which overcommeth the world even our faith Satan dischargeth his fierie darts upon the soule darts pointed and poysoned with the venome of Serpents which set the heart on fire from one lust unto another if a man have not put on Christ do not make use of the shield of faith to hold up his heart with the promises of victory to hold out the triumph of Christ over the powers of death and darkenesse to see himselfe under the protection of him who hath already throwne downe the Dragon from Heaven who hath Satan in a chaine and the keyes of the bottomlesse Pit in his owne command to say unto him The Lord rebuke thee Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Ierusalem rebuke thee impossible it is to quench any of his temptations or to stand before the rage and fury of so roaring a Lion Whom resist saith S. Peter stedfast in the faith Our corruptions set upon us with our own strength with high imaginations with strong reasonings with lustfull dalliances with treacherous solicitations with plausible pretences with violent importunities with deceitfull promises with fearefull prejudices with profound unsearchable points and traines on all sides lust stirs workes within us like sparkles in a dried leafe sets every faculty against it self The mind tempts it self unto vanity the understanding tempts it selfe unto error and curiosity the will tempts it selfe unto frowardnesse and contuinacie the heart tempts it selfe unto hardnesse and security If a man have not faith impossible it is either to make any requests to God against himselfe or to denie the requests of sinne which himselfe maketh It is faith alone which must purifie the heart and trust his power and fidelity who is both willing and able to subdue corruptions In vaine it is to strive except a man strive lawfully In prayer it is faith which must make us successefull in the word it is faith which must make us profitable In obedience it is faith which must make us cheerefull in afflictions it is faith which must make vs patient in trials it is faith which must make vs resolute in desertions it is faith which must make us comfortable in life it is faith which must make vs fruitfull and in death it is faith which must make us victorious So that as he said of water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so may I of faith It is of all things the most soveraigne and pretious because it is of universall use in the