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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96661	Mount Ebal levell'd or Redemption from the curse. Wherein are discovered, 1. The wofull condition of sinners under the curse of the law. 2. The nature of the curse, what it is, with the symptomes of it, in its properties, and effects. 3. That wonderful dispensation of Christs becoming a curse for us. 4. The grace of redemption, wherein it stands, in opposition to some gross errors of the times, which darken the truth of it. 5. The excellent benefits, priviledges, comforts, and engagements to duty, which flow from it. By Elkanah Wales, M.A. preacher of the Gospel at Pudsey in York-shire.	Wales, Elkanah, 1588-1669.	1658 (1658)	Wing W294; Thomason E1923_1; ESTC R209971	189,248	382

Oh this would be incredible if the word of the Lord did not put it out of question Sect. 5. Other three Priviledges by Redemption 5 BY personal interest in the grace of Redemption we become the Lords freemen We were perfect slaves before now we are brought into a condition of liberty so that although we do not enjoy the whole length and breadth of it at present yet we are free-men in right and actually also in good measure The Son hath made us free therefore we are free indeed Joh. 8.36 Being ransomed out of slavery into the dignity of children we are accounted no longer strangers and therefore we are free Matth. 17.26 Although in reference to Christ our Redeemer we are servants he having all the right of power over us yet considered as now actually partakers of this glorious benefit we are his free-men 1 Cor. 7.22 The Natives of a Kingdome are free by their birth-right and so are those that are naturalized by special favour or by a summe of money We are not free-born but by a vast summe paid out of Christs stock we are naturalized and so made Spiritual freemen This Gospel-liberty might be exemplified in sundry things as 1. Whereas in our old sinful condition we were wholly locked up in our spirits from God and so clogged that we could not walk one step with him in his wayes now the heaviest of our bolts being knocked off we may walk yea run in the way of Gods Commandements and not faint Psal 119.32 Isa 40.31 32. 2. Our hearts were altogether shut up from h m so that we could not pray to him being insensible of our needs yea and the gate of heaven was fast barred against us that our petitions could not enter now the Throne of grace is set open for us and a spirit of liberty is put into us through the blood of Jesus that we may draw near with boldness and confidence Eph. 3.12 Heb. 10 19-22 Our Redeemer assures us of speeding on his account Joh. 14.13 14. 3 We had forfeited the right to the creatures which God gave us in the day of our creation now we have our Charter renewed and a full assurance of the free use of them by a more honourable title even the right of Christ our Lord Redeemer whom God hath appointed Heire of all things Heb. 1.2 and by him all things are ours even things to come as well as present 1 Cor. 3.21 c. 4. We were subject to the traditions and impositions of men we bowed down our backs and suffered them to ride on our consciences and to make us their vassals now we are delivered from that servitude by the price which Christ hath paid for us 1 Cor. 7.23 So that although we must needs bee subject to the powers ordained of God even for conscience sake Rom. 13.5 yet not so as to have dominion over our faith but onely in the Lord. Briefly as no earthly freedome can prejudice Christs interest in us as his servants so neither can any earthly obligation hinder us from having our share in this honour of being his free-men Beloved Christians take notice of this for your selves Liberty is a thing very desirable all men would be free This you have by Christ in a most excellent manner All other liberty in comparison of this is no better than pure villanage Oh that we could admire it and improve it to advantage All the promises of God belong to the Lords Redeemed in a special manner They are primarily intended for them and made unto them they are authentick onely in and through him 2 Cor. 1.20 and therefore claimable onely by those that have interest in him yea all the marrow and goodness of them shall be given in unto them and laid in their bosomes onely as their proper portion 1 Promises of spiritual blessings the love and favour of God acceptation of their persons and services pardon of sin power against sin an heart of flesh heavenly wisdome sufficiency of grace preservation from falling away all these and many the like great and precious promises whereby we are made partakers of the Divine nature do properly belong unto those which have obtained the precious faith of the Elect through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ and shall be made good unto them onely 2 Pet. 1.1 4. 2 Promises of temporal good things are theirs also Indeed we finde sometimes promises in Scripture both made and accomplished to the men of the world which live in sin Gen. 17.20 ●7 39 40. 1 King 21.29 and are strangers to the grace of Redemption as to Ishmael Esau Ahab But these are not properly called Promises they are rather declarations of Gods willingness and purpose to do something for them which they need or desire And the performance of them is not so much the fulfilling of a promise as the indulgence of his general goodness who as a good house-keeper makes provision for his whole family for his servants as well as his children according to their several conditions and qualities or rewards for some temporal good service done for him as in the case of Jehu 2 King 10.30 and of Nebuchadnezzar Ezek. 29.17 18 c. The promises even of these inferiour good things are fruits of the Lords special good will and therefore proper to the Redeemed The Old Testament promises pertained to the Israelites and severed from the rest of the world Rom. 9.4 all others being strangers to them Eph. 2.12 And the promises of the New Covenant belong to the Lords Redeemed as severed from all the servants of sin therefore they are called Heirs of Promise Heb. 6.17 When the Lord saith those that seek him shall want no good thing Psal 34.10 and he will with-hold no good thing from them that walk uprightly Psal 84.11 he fixeth the propriety in the persons so described as those onely that can groundedly claime them and this right to the promises ariseth upon the account of his giving his Son to death for us this being infinitly the greater favour and therefore he will not stick to give us the lesser Rom. 8.32 And now dear brethren which are now partakers of the great benefit of Redemption much joy may you have in this sweet priviledge In the volume of Gods book you have a treasury of promises which is able to afford you a rich supply whatsoever your needs are Oh that we were so wise as to get acquaintance with them and to make them familiar to our selves that we may know where to finde every Jewel and every Ear-ring and every Bracelet to deck our souls with on all needful and convenient occasions 7 By the grace of Redemption we come to have a peculiar interest in the providence of God Our Apostacy in Adam deprived us of our best safety for thereby we provoked the Holy One to leave us to shift for our selves and not to take care of us any more but to say as Jer. 15.1 2. Cast

of the thing Page 109 The Doctrine 1. Cleared by shewing what Redemption is name and thing ib. 2. Confirmed by Scripture-grounds ib. 1. The fitness of the person to undertake being true God and true man Page 114 2. The efficaciousness of his sufferings Page 116 Whereby he hath 1. given abundant satisfaction to justice ib. 2. broken the Serpents head c. Page 118 An Objection If by Ransome then not by Rescue Answered by 3 Considerations in reference to 3 persons with whom the Redeemer had to deal Page 120 1. God the soveraign Lawgiver being wronged by man's sinne the chief thing to be done was to satisfie Justice by paying of a Ransome ib. 2. Sathan into whose hands man is delivered to be his Jailour or executioner being man's deadly enemy doth oppose his deliverance and holds him captive still therefore he must be rescued by conquest Page 122 3. Man's slavery is voluntary in respect of himself and his heart is averse from deliverance therefore the Redeemer must put forth an Almighty power to subdue him and make him willing to accept of liberty Page 125 Another Objection It might have been done in an easier way answered Page 126 1. This was the good pleasure of his will ibid. 2. Most agreeable to his holy nature 1. Sutable to his soveraign ends and setting forth the glory of his 1. Justice 2. Truth 3. Wisdome 4. Goodness Page 127 CHAP. V. 1. USE Confutation of enemies to this grace Page 131 1. Papists which adde several parcels to make up the price of Redemption Page 132 2. Socinians which teach that Christ's becoming a curse for us was not for satisfaction but onely for an example of imitation Page 134. CHAP. VI. 2. INformation in sundry branches Page 143 1. The love of God and Christ is unspeakable ib. 2. The work Redemption is a very costly peice Page 144 3. The grace of the Gospel is very precious Page 145 4. God will have a Church Page 146 5. The Church is very dear to Jesus Christ Page 148 6. The condition of the invisible Church is incomparably happy discovered Page 149 1. In three excellent properties of Redemption It s 1. Free and gracious ibid. 2. Full and plenteous Page 150 3. Eternal and without period Page 151 2. In rare spiritual benefits which flow from it Page 153 154 155 4. Adoption Page 160 5. Sanctification Page 162 6. Final Redemption Page 163 7. Full Glorification Page 166 3. In seven precious priviledges attending on Redemption Page 169 1. It makes us truly blessed Page 170 2. And the Lords peculiar people Page 171 3. The Redeemer is at Gods right hand carrying on the work Page 172 4. He hath purchased the gift of the Spirit to bestow on the elect Page 175 5. By personal interest in it we become the Lords free-men Page 177 6. All the promises are ours Page 179 7. We have a special interest in Gods providence Page 181 Four priviledges more common Page 186 1. Redemption opens a sluce for the waters of life to run among the Gentiles ibid. 2. It is the foundation of the general Covenant made with mankinde Page 187 3. By the merit and vertue of it the Jewes shall be called Page 189 4. It overflows to the bettering of the whole Creation Page 190 CHAP. VII 3. COnsolation against the annoyances Page 193 1. Of sin 1. In our old estate ibid. 1. The hainousness Page 196 2. Multitude ibid. 3. Long continuance Page 196 4. Advantage by neglecting the offer of grace Page 197 2. In our new condition Page 200 1. It s presence ibid. 2. It s prevalence Page 212 3. Advantage by frequent neglects and swarvings Page 214 2. Of terrors by new guilt Page 216 3. Of cursing and reproaches Page 208 4. Of temporal afflictions especially Page 209 1. Persecutions for righteousnes Page 211 2. Sufferings in innocency Page 212 3. Punishments for sin Page 213 Quest Whether the evils which the Redeemed suffer may properly bee called curses answered by a distinction Page 214 CHAP. VIII 4. EXamination Actual interest in Redemption tried by sundry evidences Page 216 1. Dear love of the Redeemer which is incorrupt if it be 1. Single Page 217 2. Superlative Page 219 3. Invincible Page 220 4. Accompanied with self-jealousie Page 222 2. Weariness under the bondage of sin past and present Page 224 3. Sincere resolution and actual endeavour to abandon all sin Page 227 4. Separation from the world c. Page 229 5. Walking after the Spirit Page 230 6. Purity of heart and life Page 233 CHAP. IX 5. EXhortation 1. To sensless sinners which lye secure under their slavery Page 235 Advice in five particulars ibid. 1 Give way to the Law to convince you ibid. 2. Resolve not to abide in this condition but take counsel from Gods Ministers Page 238 3. Fall down before the Lord in an humble and full confession Page 239 4. Still take notice of this Ransom and of the feaseableness of deliverance by it study it and bee affected with it Page 241 5. Walk in the way which God hath limited forgetting an actual share in it Page 242 Which is 1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Repentance from dead works Page 243 Motives to set upon this way Page 245 1. No possibility of deliverance in any other way Page 247 2. Else Christ will glorifie his justice in leaving thee a prisoner to the Curse for ever Page 248 3. Now the Lord offers this mercy in the Ministry by his Spirit Page 249 4. The welfare and comfort of Gods Ministers depends much upon this ibid. CHAP. X. 2. TO sensible sinners which are burdened with the Curse Page 251 Counsel to thee in three particulars Page 252 1. Ponder the weight and strength of this great design ibid. 2. Continue instant in prayer Page 253 254 3. Learn self-denial abandoning thine own wisdome sense c. Page 255 5. Objections of an humbled soul Page 256 1. I know not whether I be redeemed or not 2. Christ never meant to redeem all Page 257 3. Onely the Elect are redeemed but I know not that I am elected Page 264 4. I have neglected so long that my day is past ibid. 5. I do not see that it is my way thus to beleeve I do not I cannot beleeve Page 267 All these answered severally Page 269 10. Encouragements to accept of Redemption Page 273 1. The name of God is most sweet ibid. 2. It is a clause in the Mediators Commission that he shall proclaim liberty ibid. 3. The termes are reasonable and easie Page 274 4. Faith engageth Christ to relieve a soul in extremity Page 275 5. This is the way to self-abasement Page 276 6. And to exalt Jesus Christ Page 277 7. It s the best part of thy thankfulness Page 278 8. And the most commendable self-love ibid. 9. A blessed thing to beleeve when all things perswade the contrary Page 279 10. Thousands of captive sinners have gone this way

accursed through sinne it 's a wonder that the first and second death have not fallen pel-mel upon them all and devoured them at once it s a wonder that the curse hath not dashed us all to peices and brought the whole world into a Chaos long agoe This is from the wise and good providence of God who for the preservation of the whole frame and for the comfort of his owne people doth snub restraine and moderate the curse and keepes it within certaine bounders as the Sea within its banks that it cannot overflow and destroy the earth We see that the horse the Ox and other such like creatures have not quite renounced mans service but are easily brought into subjection Yea the most savage creatures are not invincibly rebellions but God affords to man both skill and power to tame them Jam. 3.7 And 2. What a mercifull dispensation is this that such swarmes of curses should flie abroad in the world and yet so very few of them in comparison should touch us That so few are born blind deafe maimed idiots That nature is sustained in health strength vigour yea that we live upon the earth and enjoy the influence of heaven That the heaven over our head is not brasse and the earth under our feet iron yea that we are in any estate short of hel who might justly have been stript of all at once and made the common Butt of all his curses And further Isa 3. What a sweet providence is it that when the Lord inflicteth evils or judgments which are properly and in themselves the bitter fruits of the curse he doth not alwayes inflict them meerly as curses in reference to the sinnes of the persons but sometimes onely praeventions of sinne and the miseries which follow it as 1. Cor. 11.32 Or as exercises of patience as in the famous example of Job or as meanes which his divine wisdome is pleased to use for the manifestation of his owne glorie in some way or other Whereof we have a notable instance in the man which was blind from his birth Jo. 9.1.2.3 The disciples ask our Saviour whose sinne was the cause of that judgment his owne or his parents He answers neither of both but that the works of God should be made manifest in him his meaning is this you think this man is thus marked out for some notorious sinne either of his owne Or his Parents but you are mistaken for although sinne be an universal cause of all judgments ⸫ See Piscator and Gualter on the place yet in this case the Lord did not look upon the sinnes of either of them as the adaequate or next mooving cause of inflicting this blindness but he intended hereby the manifestation of his works the work of justice and severitie in afflicting him so sadly and so long the work of goodnes and mercie in bestowing the blessing of sight upon him and cheifly that this miracle wrought by me saith Chirst may be a cleare and undeniable demonstration that I am the Son of God seeing it could not possibly be done by any other hand ⸫ ab v. 32. To shut up this use let us not reckon our selves the lesse miserable because of these and the like providences but rather ascribe them to the indulgence of mercie and adore the glorie of his dispensations who suffereth us not to be so accursed as we deserve 4ly Hence I inferre that there is no justification to be had no nor any possibilitie thereof by the works of the Law It is a vaine thing once to expect it The Law curseth sinners how then doth it bless them but if it justifie them it blesseth them All men are under the curse of the Law therefore no man is under the acquittance and absolution of the Law This is one of the Apostles arguments in the verses before to look for justification and blessing from the Law is not onely to lose our labour but also to bring upon our selves more mischeif It s the way to inwrappe us more in the folds of the curse to implunge us into a deeper Sea of guilt yea to seale up the curse against our owne soules and to make it sure to our selves Observe what is the conclusion which the Apostle would prove from the text alledged out of Deuteronomie vers 10. before It is that those which are of the works of the Law are under the curse that is not onely those which break the Law or doe not keep it perfectly but those that depend upon it and reckon of justification by the works of it even these also are accursed so Rom. 3.19.20 The Law chargeth all men with sinne and thereby stoppes every ones mouth and makes all the world subject to the vengeance of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whence it followes unavoydably that no flesh shall be justified by the deeds of the Law Therefore the Apostle professeth that he would by no meanes be found having his owne righteousnes which is of the Law Phil. 3.9 As if he should say If I should appeare before Gods judgment-seat clothed in that habit he would abhorre me and I were utterly undone So then there is no justification to be had by the Law No man can possibly reach that conformitie to the Law of God either inward or outward in the frame of the heart or cariage of the life which will be able to plead his justification in the sight of God It is not any good qualitie within us or any goodwork that comes from us or both joyned together though never so excellent for kind or degree that can set us right in the court of heaven There is nothing at all which a man hath nothing at all which he doth or can doe for which God will pronounce him righteous but when he hath done all and is got up to the highest pitch the Law will tell him to his face that he is still Accursed This is needfull to be urged for not onely the world but the churches of Christ are full of justitiaries which carve unto themselvs an imaginary self-righteousness according to the Law Oh that these persons would open their eares to this truth and take it down Of these I observe 4 sorts I meane such as seek a Blessedness by the Law which they shall never find 1. Professed Papists which submit unto and hold fast the establish'd doctrine of the Church of Rome especially as it is set forth in the councell of Trent where they determine thus The alone formal cause of the Justification of a sinner before God or that which gives being to it is Righteousness implanted or a new qualitie of grace or frame of holines wrought in the soule which what is it else but personall and inhaerent conformitie to the Law of God They tell us further of a first justification whereby of unrighteous a man is made righteous and secondly whereby of unrighteous he is made more righteous The former if I mistake not they hold incompleat