more thorow humiliation but in private Children and Ideots are to be exempted Secondly Novices and unexperienced Christians are not to fast in private such were Christs Disciples then when exception was taken at our Saviour because they fasted not whom he excuseth not onely for that it was unseasonable to fast in a time of joy while he the Bridegroom was with thē but because they were not able to beare so strong an exercise they being like old vessels and old garments which would be made worse rather than better by the new wine or new cloath of fasting Strong physick is good but not for babes There is not the same reason why they may fast in private as in publike because the Minister by teaching them by praying with them and for them taketh from them the greatest part of the burden of the fast in publike Thirdly all such as are not in their owne power are not to keepe a private fast when those under whose power they are shall expresly contradict it For the husband might disallow the vow of his wife even that wherewith she had bound her selfe to afflict her soule by fasting Wherefore none may fast against the will of those which have full power to command their service and attendance Publike Fasts are to be kept as oft as Authoritie shall see cause Private as oft as a man shall have more then ordinary cause of seeking unto God either for others or himself for removing or preventing imminent judgements from the Church and Common-weale or for the procuring their necessary good for subduing some head-strong lust for obtaining some necessary grace or speciall blessing for preparing himselfe for some speciall service of God or the like Though I cannot but justly complain of Christians seldome fasting yet I dare not allow you to make this extraordinary exercise of Religion to be ordinary and common for then it will soone degenerate into meere Forme or Superstition but wish you to observe it as you shall have speciall occasion and when ordinary seeking of God is not likely to prevaile It is indifferent which of the six daies you set apart for fasting according as shall best sute with your occasions As for the Lords day though it cannot be denyed but that if the present necessitie require you may fast upon that day neither can I utterly denie servants and such as are under the power of others if they can have no other time sometimes to make choyce of that day yet because the Sabbath is a day of Christian Chearefulnesse And for that Heretikes have heretofore made the Sabbath their Fasting day and so it may be a scandall to Religion and because Fasting is somewhat of the nature of a free-will-offering I thinke you shall doe best to set such a day apart to your selfe for Fasting which is more your owne and not the Lords day The Scripture hath not determined how long a continued fast should be kept We have examples that some have fasted a longer time as Three dayes some a shorter but none lesse than one day In hotter Countryes they could without impeachment of health abstain from food longer then wee can who live in a colder but the body cannot be sufficiently afflicted through want of food in lesse time than one day Thus I have proved Religious Fasting to bee a Christian dutie And have shewed what it is also the parts and kindes of it Who should and may fast when and how long It remaineth that I shew you how you may keepe a Fast acceptably to God and profitably for your selfe which is the principall thing to be regarded in a fast And this I doe the rather because many wel-affected Christians have importuned mee thereunto who have professed that they would gladly set about the dutie but ingeniously confessed that they knew not how to doe it and in particular how to bee intentive and spiritually imployed for want of matter for a whole day together But of this in the next Section SECTION 2. BY way of preparation to a religious Fast doe thus Take but a moderate supper the night before for if a man glut himselfe over night hee will be more unfit for the duty of humiliation the next day and it differeth in effect little from breaking of fast next morning When you commend your selfe to God alone by praier that night as every good Christian usually doth then set the time alloted apart for that holy work setting your selfe in a special sort to seek the Lord as the Saints of God in the beginning of their fasts have done propounding to your selfe the end of your intended Fast Remembring this that if the chiefe occasion and end be your owne private good that you forget not others nor the publike or if it be the publike yet minde also your owne private For untill you have made your owne peace with GOD your fasting and praying will prevaile little for the publike And God having joyned the publike with our private good in prayer we must not disjoyne them in our fasting Resolve with your selfe to the utmost of your power to keepe a religious fast unto God according to his will For this cause in those your prayers adde serious petitions to God in that behalfe When you awake that night let not your thoughts bee upon worldly businesse much lesse upon any wicked thing but let them be holy such as may tend to the furtherance of the holy actions to be done the next day Fourthly if necessitie hinder not Arise early the day of your fast It agreeth wel with a fasting day whereon your flesh is to be tamed that you give not your selfe to so much sleep as at other times It is probable that for this cause some lay on the ground others in sackcloth in the nights of their fasts not onely to expresse but to further their humiliation by keeping them from sleeping over-much or oversweetly Your body being emptie if withal your soule continue earnestly bent upon afflicting it selfe these will keepe you from drowsinesse that day When the day is come Be you strict in observing the outward Fast To this end First forbeare all meat and drinke untill the set time of the Fast be ended which usually is about Supper time A generall Councell in the Primitive Church decreed that totall abstinence should be observed untill Evening prayer was ended In case of necessitie that is when totall abstinence shall indeed disable you from doing the maine duties of that day you may eat or drinke for in such cases GOD will have mercy rather than sacrifice but then it must bee a small refection onely such and so much as may remove the impediment to the spirituall performance of the duties of that day Secondly Abstaine from all other worldly delights as so farre as will stand with comelinesse from fine and best apparell also from all sports and pleasant musicke
questioning the truth of his being and of his Word denying his Providence Power or some other of his Divine Attributes Have I not been ignorant of God and of his will and erroneous and mis-beleeving if not hereticall in my conceits concerning God the Father Sonne or holy Ghost Have I not beene over-curious in prying into the nature and secret counsels of God beyond the rule of the revealed wil of God Have I not set up false Deities or put my selfe or any other creature in the place of God through pride preferring and resting upon mine owne way and will before Gods or by making my selfe mine utmost end professing God and his Religion onely to serve mine owne ends or by seeking to the creature as to Angell Saint Devill or Witch instead of the Creator Have I not beene forgetfull of God and of his will Is not my Conscience impure blinde deluded or seared and my will perverse obstinate impatient and murmuring against God and ful of dissimulation Have I not set mine affections upon the World rather than upon God loving that which is evill hating that which is good yea God himselfe if not directly yet in his Holines shining in his Ordinances and in his children or as hee is a severe inflicter of punishment Fearing man more than God trusting in the Creature making something besides God my chiefe joy Have I not presumed when I had cause to despaire and despaired after that I had cause to hope Have I not â—empted God many wayes And have I not in the matters of God beene either cold lukewarme or blindely or preposterously zealous Hath there not beene a pronenesse in my whole outward man to rebell against God The second Commandement concerneth all such lawfull worships of God which he onely hath appointed whereby he communicateth himselfe to man and man againe maketh profession of him forbidding under one kinde all such as are not by him ordained Thinke thus Have I worshipped God in spirit and truth in all the kindes and parts of his Worship publike or private ordinary or extraordinary as by hearing reading and meditating of his Word by praying praising and giving thankes to him by a right use of his Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper and by Religious Fasting Religious Feasting and making of vowes according as I have had speciall occasion And have I done what did belong to me for the setting forth and maintaining of Gods true Worship and have I according to my place executed aright or submitted unto the government and discipline of the Church Or besides the omission of the former duties Am I not guilty some way or other of Idoll-worship conceiving of GOD in my mind or representing him to my sense in the likenes of any creture Have I not added to or detracted from any part of Gods Worship Have I not run into the appearances and occasions of Idolatry as by presence at Idoll-service by marriage and needlesse â—amiliarity with Idolatrous persons by reserving undefaced monuments of Idolatry At least is â—ot my heart guilty of not hating but rather lingering after Idolatrous worship Have I not been guilty of superstition or Will-worship c. The third Commandement concerneth the glory of Gods holy Name shining forth in his Titles Attributes Religion Word Ordinances People or any thing that hath in it any print of his holinesse or excellency forbidding the taking of it in vaine and that in all actions religious or common Have I glorified God by answering my holy profession with an holy and unblameable conversation by performing all holy duties with due preparation knowledge and devotion also by thinking and speaking of the Names and holy things of God with holy reverence and in particular by fearing an Oath Or have I not caused the Name Religion and People of God to be ill thought of and dishonoured by my evill course of living or at least by committing some grosse sinâ— Am I not guilty of rash unprepared heedlesse forgetfull and fruitlesse reading hearing receiving the Sacraments or performance of any other the worships of God Have I not thought or spoken blasphemously or contempiuously of God or of any the things of God Have I not used the Name of God needlesly rashly wickedly or falsly in swearing or lightly in my Salutations Admirations or otherwise in my ordinary communication Have I not abused the Name of God his Scriptures his Ordinances and Creatures using them for other purposes then hee alloweth as for sports spels charms or any sorcery luxury or the like Have I not passed by the great workes of Gods power mercy and judgements without due observation and acknowledgement of God therein The fourth Commandement concerneth the ordinary solemne time of the service and worship of God requiring that the seventh day now our Lords day be kept with an holy rest Have I upon the six dayes Remembred the Lords day that I might dispatch all my worldly businesse and prepare my heart that when it came I might keep an holy Sabbath to the Lord according to the Commandement Did I according as my health would permit rise early on that day Have I performed my daily both morning and evening exercises of Religion alone and with my family that day in private Have I caused all under my authority according to my power to rest from all manner of workes and worldly sports also my selfe not onely from the labour of my body but of my mind in all worldly businesse except about the things that concerne common honestie and comelinesse workes of mercy and such workes of necessitie as could not be done before or stay to be done afterwards Have I alwayes prepared my heart before I went into the house and presence of God by meditation of Gods Word and Workes and in particular by examination and reformation of my wayes also by prayer thankesgiving and holy resolution to carry my selfe as in Gods presence and to heare and obey whatsoever I should bee taught out of the Word of God Have I caused my family to goe with me to the Church And did I with them come in due time and being there did stay the whole time of prayer reading and preaching of the Word singing of Psalmes receiving and administring the Sacraments even that of Baptisme when others are Baptised and did attend diligently and joyne with the Minister and the rest of the Congregation in all those holy exercises Did I spend the day after the Morning and Evening Prayers Sermons or Catechisings in meditation and as I had opportunitie in conference and repetition of what I had heard also in visiting the sicke and other workes of mercy and so from the beginning to the end of the day have beene imployed in holy thoughts words and deeds and all this with spirituall delight Or Am I not guiltie of forgetting it before it came and of neglecting and prophaning it when it came as by meere idlenesse or by taking opportunity of leisure from busines of my calling to be
meditation holy exercises and workes of mercie excepting onely necessary repasts and a generall providence over their estate should be thought as it is by some to be meerely â—ewish and to be onely the private opinion of some few Zelots more nice then wise Know that in all things wherein weâ— are tyed by a commandement common to us and the Iewes to observe that as the Iewes did by vertue of that commandement is not to bee Iewish as to forbeare to kill and to commit adulâ—erie and such like The same reason is for keeping the fourth Commandement which as hath beene proved is one of the Motals Besides know that the observing the Lords day by vâ—rture of the fourth Commandement and the change of the 〈…〉 day unto the Lords day to â—e by divine institution and that it should bee kept strictly holy as I have shewed you is the professed doctrine of this our Church of England And I would that all would know and see that the taking away of the morality of the fourth Commandement unloosing the conscience from the immediate bonds of Gods Commandement and tying the conscience to observe a day for Gods solemne worship only by humane constitution doth overthrow true Religion and the power of Godlinesse and opens a wide gap to Atheisme proâ—anenesse and all licentiousnesse As daily experience doth shew in those Countries where the moralitie of the Sabbath is not maintained and in such places where the Lords Day is not holily and duely observed CHAP. VII Shewing how to end the day with God VVHen you have walked with God from morning untill night whether on a common day a day of Fast or on the Lords Day according to the former directions it remaineth that you conclude the day well when you would give your selfe to rest at night Wherefore First looke backe and take a strict view of your whole carriage that day past Reforme what you finde amisse and rejoyce or be grieved as you finde you have done wel or ill as you have gotten or lost in grace that day Secondly sith you cannot sleep in safetie if God who is your keeper doe not wake and watch for you and though you have God to watch when you sleepe you cannot be safe if hee that watcheth be your enemy Wherfore you shall do wel if at night you not onely conclude the day with your Family by reading some Scripture and by prayer but you must alone renew and confirme your peace with GOD with prayer with like preparation therto as you received directions for the morning commending and committing your selfe to Gods tuition by prayer with thanksgiving before you goe to bed Then shall you lye downe in safety All this being done yet while you are putting off your apparell when you are lying downe and when you are in bed before you sleepe it is good that you commune with your owne heart If other good and apt meditations offer not themselves some of these will be seasonable 1. When you see your selfe stript of your apparell consider what you were at your birth and what you shall be at your death when you put off this earthly Tabernacle if not in the meane time how that you brought nothing into this world nor shall carry any thing out naked you came out of your mothers wombe and naked shall you returne This will be an excellent means to give you sweet content in any thing you have though never so little and in the losse of what you have had though never so much 2. When you lye downe you may thinke of lying downe into your winding-sheete and into your grave For besides that sleepe and the bed doe aptly resemble death and the grave who knoweth when he sleepeth that ever he shall awake againe to this life 2. You may thinke thus also If the Sunne must not goe downe upon my wrath lest it become hatred and so be worse ere morning then it is not safe for me to lye downe in the allowance of any sinne lest I sleepe not onely the sleepe of naturall death but of that which is eternall for who knoweth what anight wil bring forth Now it is an high point of holy wisedome upon all opportunities to thinke of and to prepare for your latter end 4 Consider likewise that if you walke with God in uprightnesse your death unto you is but to fall into a sweet sleepe an entring into rest a resting on your bed for a night untill the glorious morning of your happy Resurrection 5. Lastly if possibly you can fall asleepe out of some heavenly meditation Then will your sleepe be more sweete and more secure your dreams fewer or more comfortable your head will be fuller of good thoughts and your heart will be in better plight when you awake whether in the night or in the morning Thirdly being thus prepared to sleepe you should sleepe onely so much as the present state of your body requireth you must not be like the sluggard to love sleepe neither must you sleepe too much for if you doe that which being taken in its due measure is a restorer of vigor and strength to your body and a quickner of the spirits wil make the spirits dâ—l the braine soâ—tish and the whole body lazie and unhealthy And that which God hath ordained for a furtherance through your sinne shal become an enemy to your corporall and spirituall thrift Thus much of walking with God in all things at all times CHAP. VIII How to walke with God alone SECTION 1. THere is no time wherein you shall not be either alone or in Company in either of which you must walke in all well-pleasing as in the sight of God Touching being alone First Affect not solitarinesse be not alone except you have just cause namely when you set your selfe apart for holy duties and when your needfull occasions do withdraw you for out of these cases two are better then one saith Salomon and woe be to him that is alone 2. When you are alone you must be very watchfull stand upon your guard well armed lest you shall fall into manifold temptations of the Divell For solitarinesse is Satans opportunity which he wil not lose as the manifold examples in Scripture and our daily experience doth witnesse Wherefore you must have a ready eye to observe and an heart ready bent to resist all his assaults And it will now the more concerne you to keep close to God and not lose his company that through the weapons of your Christian warfare you may by the power of Gods might quit your selfe and stand fast 3. Take speciall heede lest when you be alone you your selfe conceive devise or plot any evill to which your nature is then most apt And beware in particular lest you commit alone by your selfe contemplative wickednesse which is when by feeding your fancy and pleasing
heaven Meere Oratory in some patheticall Preachers when they speake of matters dolefull and terrible will move the affection and draw teares from some hearers Likewise a plaine powerfull downright conviction of the certainty of Gods wrath denounced and sense of some just judgement of God may wring forth some teares some humiliation yea some kind of reformation Did not Felix tremble when Saint Paul reasoned of Righteousnesse Temperance and Iudgement to come Did not Ahab humble himselfe when the Prophet denounced Gods iudgements against him and against his house Did not the Israelites oft when they were in distresse and when God did not onely warne them with his Word but smote them also with his rod returne and seeke earely after God And whereas they say they tasted of the heavenly gift of the good Word of God and of the powers of the world to come they may know that such is the sweetnesse of Gods promises and such is the evidence and goodnesse of Gods truth in the glad tydings of Salvation that the common gift of the Spirit going with it all the forementioned feelings may be wrought in men altogether destitute of saving grace For did not the seede sowen in stony and thoâ—nie ground goe thus far Did not those mentioned in the Hebrewes who notwithstanding all this might fall away irrecoverably attaine to thus much Now if men not in state of grace may goe so farre as hath been proved then it must not be marvelled that even such with Herod may also reforme many things For an hypocrite may have not onely a kinde of illumination but a kinde of sanctification which may for the time worke a kinde of change in him so that hee may leave many evils and may doe many good things hee may forsake bad company and keepe good yet this man may be in no better estate then hee out of whom the evill spirit did goe which returned with seven other more wicked than himselfe or then the Sow that was washed A Pharaoh also and a Simon Magus in their feare may desire a Moses and a Peter to blesse them and pray for them That cursed Balaam could wish that hee might dye the death of the righteous he would seeme not to transgresse for an house full of gold and though faintly telleth God that if it did seeme evill in his eyes hee would goe backe againe Yea further it is possible for a man without saving grace even out of meere selfe-love either when hee smarts or is ashamed for some foule sinnes or is afraid of Hell or when by the sweete allurements of the Gospell hee is affected with an admiration of heauen and heavenly things I say it is possible for him not onely to wish freedome from punishment and enjoyment of eternall glory as the end but may desire power against sinne and grace to doe well as the meanes but how onely as from a flash of lightning suddenly come and as suddenly gone like the sluggards longing but when he commeth to be taught the mystery of godlinesse and is put upon the spirituall workes of holinesse as the cutting off the right hand and the denying himselfe for Christ then he will none of it he conceiveth like those Discipies in Iohn that they are hard sayings Who can heare them For their good wishes were not from a setled deliberate will out of true hatred of sinne and out of love to God and goodnesse therefore they were but slight and unconstant Moreover the best men yea the best Ministers may have a very good opinion of an hypocrite David esteemed highly of Achitophel the Disciples never suspected Iudas For they seeing a good outside being also charitable and not able to see the heart doe alwayes judge the best and thinke men to be changed renewed when sometimes it proveth otherwise They mistake when they say they are changed and reformed if still they retaine any bosome and beloved sinne as Herod did To change-sinnes one sinne into another is no change of the man for hee that changeth the prodigality of his youth into Covetousnesse in old age remaineth a notorious sinner before God as well now as then conceive the like of all other likewise to forbeare the act of any sinne because they have not the like power occasions temptations or meanes to commit sinne as in former time this is no change sin in these respects hath left them not they it For true conversion and repentance doth consist of a true and through change of the whole man as well in one part as another whereby not onely some actions are changed but first and chiefly the whole frame and disposition of the heart is changed and set straight to God ward from evill to good as well as from darknesse to light And whereas naturally a man is earthly minded and maketh himselfe his utmost end so that either he onely mindeth earthly things or if hee mind heavenly things it is in an earthly manner and to an earthly end as did Iehu if this man have truely repented and is indeede converted he becommeth heavenly minded he maketh GOD and his glory his chiefe and furthest end in so much that when he hath cause to minde earthly things his will and desire is to minde them in an heavenly manner and to an heavenly end If you would judge more fully and clearely of this true change See at large the description and signes of uprightnesse before delivered Chap. 12. Last of all there are many presume that although as yet they have no saving faith in Christ nor sound repentance that God will give them space and grace to repent and beleeve before they dye Whence it is they have peace for the present These must give mee leave to tell them that they put themselvs upon a desperate hazard and adventure First who can promise unto himself one minute of time more than the present sith every mans breath is in his nostrils ready to expire every moment Besides the Spirit saith God doth bring wicked men to desolation as in a moment And againe Hee that being often warned hardeneth his necke shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy 2 Suppose they may have time yet whether they shall have grace to beleeve and repent is much to be doubted For the longer repentance is deferred the heart is more hardned and more indisposed to repentance through the deceitfulnesse of sinne And it is a just judgement of God upon such as are not led to repentance by the riches of Gods goodnesse forbearance and long-suffering that he should leave them to their impenitent hearts that cannot repent so treasuring up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath Custome in sinne doth so root and habituate it in man that it will be as hard for him by his owne will and power to repent hereafter hee neglecting GODS present call and
â—ffer of grace as it is for the Blackmoore to change his skin or â—he Leopard his spots It cannot be denyed but that God is free and if he please may open a doore of hope and gate of mercy unto the most obstinate sinner who hath deferred his repentance to his old age wherefore if such a one finde his heart â—o bee broken with remorse for his other sinnes and is troubled inconscience for this his sinne if not accepting of Gods grace when it was offered I wish him to humble himselfe before God and conceive hope For God hath promised pardon to the penitent whensoever they repent And though no man can repent when he wil yet such a one may hope that God is now giving him repentance in that he hath touched his heart and made it to be burdened with sinne Yet for all this hope which I give to such a man know that it is rare and very seldome to be found that those that continued to despise grace untill their age did ever repent but God left them justly to perish in their impenitency because they despised the means of grace the season in which he did call them to repentance and did offer them his grace whereby they might repent GOD dealeth with all sinners ordinarily as hee said he would doe and as he did to Iudah Because I would have purged thee saith he that is I tooke the onely course to purge thee and bring thee to repentance and thou wast not purged therefore thou shalt not be purged from thy filthinesse any more till I have caused my fury torest on thee Thus I have endevoured to discover and remove the false grounds and misapplication of true grounds whereby the Conscience is deluded and brought into a dangerous quiet and false peace In the third place he that would not be gulled with a false peace in stead of a true must beware of obstinacie delight and senslesnesse of sinne For this seares the Conscience as with an hot iron Now a seared conscience is quiet with a false peace not because there is no danger but because it doth not feele it Great care must be had therefore lest the Conscience be seared being made thicke skinned brawny and senslesse for then it doth altogether or for the most part forbeare to checke or accuse for sinne be it never so hainoâ—s This searednesse is caused by a witting and customary living in any sinne but especially by living in any grosse sinne or in the allowance and delight in any knowne sinne also by allowed hypocrisie and dissimulation in any thing and by doing any thing contrary to the cleare light of nature planted in a mans own brest and head or contrary to the cleare light of grace shining in the motions of the Spirit in the checks of conscience and in the instructions of the Word Keepe therefore the conscience tender by all meanes 1 By hearkning readily to the voyce of the Word 2 By a carefull survay of your wayes dayly 3 By keeping the conscience soft with godly sorrow for sinne 4 By harkening to the voyce of conscience admonishing checking for sinne Either of these three kinds of conscience viz. the blind presumptuous and seared conscience will admit of a kinde of peace or truce rather for a while while it sleepeth but what God said of Cains sinne must bee conceived of all sinne If thou doest not well sinne lyeth at the doore And upon what termes soever it bee that it lie stil and trouble not the Conscience for a time yet it will awake in its time and then by as much as it did admit of some peace and quiet it will grow more turbulent mad and furious and if God give not repentance this false peace endeth for the most part either in reprobate minde or a desperate end even in this life besides the hellish horrors in that which is to come Now to the end that no man should quiet his hart in this false and dangerous peace whether it proceed from the aforementioned causes or from any other â— would advise him to try his Peace whether it bee not false by these infallible markes First is any man at peace with Gods enemies allowing himselfe â—n the love of those things or persons which hate God and which are hated of God such as are the world and the things of the world whereby he denyeth the power of godlinesse living wittingly and delighting in any evil company or in any grosse sin as vaine or false swearing open prophanation of the Sabbath Malice Adultery Theft Lying or in any of those mentioned 2 Tim. 3 2 3. or in any knowne sinne â—ith allowance The holy Ghost saith of such that the love of God is not in them therefore the peace of God is not in them and whosoever maketh himselfe a friend to his lusts and to the world maketh himselfe an enemy of Gods As any man is at peace with the flesh the world and the Devill hâ— is not at true peace with God noâ— God with him If any such expecâ— peace and should aske is it peace answer may be made like to thaâ— which Iehu made both to thâ— servants and king of Israel Whaâ— have you to doe with peace Whaâ— peace so long as your notorious sinne and rebellions wherein you delight are so many For he that careth not to keepe a good conscience towards GOD and towards men cannot have true peace of conscience For there is no true peace but in a good conscience Secondly Is any man not at peace but at warre rather with GODS friends and with the things which God loveth being out of love with spiritual and conscionable prayer hearing the Word good company of Gods people and the like if any man despise the things God commandeth and loveth certainly God and he are two and whatsoever his forme of godlinesse be GOD holdeth him to be yet in state of perdition For whosoever saith he knoweth GOD but yet loveth not and keepeth not his Commandements he is a lyar And if any man love not his brother whatsoever shew of peace and friendship is betwixt God him I am sure God saith hee that doth noâ— righteousnesse is not of God neither hee that loveth not his brother he is a childe of the Devill and therfore hath no true peace with God Thirdly He whose quiet of heart and Conscience is from false peace is willing to take it for granted that his peace is sound and good and cannot abide to looke and to enquire into his peace to try whether it be true and whether it be well grounded or no being as it seemeth afraid lest stirring the mud and filth that lyeth in the bottom of his heart he should disquiet it And for this cause it is that such a one cannot endure a searching Ministry nor wil like that Minister which will dive and rake into the
them runne not long and in time may quite be dryed up But the saving graces of the regenerate receive their light warmth and life from the Sunne of righteousnesse therefore can never be totally or finally Eclipsed And they doe rise from that Well and Spring of living water which cannot be drawn dry orâ—o dammed up or stopt but that it will runne more or lesse unto eternall life As the regenetate man doth not sinne in such sort as the unregenerate with all his heart so neither is hee when he hath sinned in the same state and condition which the unregenerate is in Hee is in the Condition of a Sonne who notwithstanding his failings abideth in the house for ever but not as the other who being no sonne but a servant is for his misdemeanor turned out and abideth not in the house for ever Although the regenerate as well as the unregenerate doe draw upon themselves by their sinnes the simple guilt of eternall death yet this guilt is not accounted neither doth it redound to the person of the truly regenerate as it doth to the other because Christ Iesus hath so satisfied and doth make intercession for his owne that his death is made effectuall for them but not for the other Their Iustification and Adoption by Christ remaine unaltered although many benefits flowing from thence are for a while justly suspended they remaine children still though under their Fathers anger as Absolom remained a sonne uncast off not dis-inherited by David when yet his Father would not let him come into his presence This spirituall Leprosie of sinne into which Gods Children fall may cause them to bee suspended from the use and comfortable possession of the Kingdome of God and from the enjoyment of the privileges thereof untill they bee cleansed of their sinne by renewed faith and repentance Yet as the Leoper in the Law had still right to his house and goods albeit he was shut out of the City for his Leprosie so the truly regenerate never loose their right to the Kingdome of heaven by their sinnes For every true member of Christ is knit unto Christ by such everlasting bonds whether we respect the relative union of Christ with his members by faith to Iustification which after it is once made by the spirit of Adoption admitteth of no breach or alteration by any meanes oâ— whether we respect the reall union of the Spirit whence floweth Sanctification which though it may suffer decay and admitteth of some alteration of degrees being not so strong at one time as at another yet can never quite be broken off as hath beene proved these bands â— say are so strong and lasting that all the powers of sinne Satan and Hell it selfe cannot sever the weakest true member from Christ or from his love oâ— from Gods love towards him in Christ This strength of grace that keepeth men from falling totally or finally from CHRIST doth not depend upon the strength or will of him that standeth but on the Election and determination of him that calleth And whereas it may bee demanded why a man being at his highest degree of holinesse that ever he attained at which time hee had most strength did yet fall backe more than halfe way may not as well or rather fall quite away I answer It is not in respect of the nature of inherent holinesse in him for Adam had holinesse in perfection yet fell quite from it There is nothing in the nature of this grace and holinesse excepting onely in the root whence it springeth but that a man may now also fall wholly from it But it is because grace is now setled in man upon better termes For the little strength we receive in regeneration is in point of perseverance stronger then the great strength which the first Adam received in his Creation Adam was perfectly but changeably holy Gods children inregeneration are made imperfectly but unchangeably holy This stability of grace now consisteth in this for that all that by faith and by the holy Spirit are ingrafted and incorporated into Christ the second Adam have the spring and root of their grace founded in him and not in themselves as the first Adam had They are stablished with their brethren in Christ Wherefore all that are actuall members of CHRIST cannot fal from grace altogether For as Christ dyed to sinne once and being raised from the dead dyeth no more so every true member of Christ having part with him in the first resurrection dye no more but live for ever with Christ For all that are once begotten againe unto a lively faith and hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible are kept not by their owne power unto Salvation but by the power of God through faith in Christ Iesus Now that a man effectually called can never fall wholly or for ever from state of grace I in few words reason thus If Gods Counsell on which mans Salvation is founded be sure and unchangeable and if his calling be without repentance If Gods love be unchangeable and altereth not but whom God once loveth actually him he loveth to the end If Christs office of Prophet Priest and King in his teaching satisfying and making intercession for and in his governing his people bee after the order of Melchisedecke unchangeable and everlasting he everliving to make intercession for them and if his undertaking in all these respects with his Father not to lose any whom he giveth him cannot be frustrate If the Seale and earnest of the Spirit be a constant Seale which cannot be razed but sealeth all in whom it dwelleth unto the day of Redemption If the Word of truth wherewith the regenerate are begotten be an immortall seed which when once it hath taken a conception and hath taken roote doth live for ever If God be constant and faithfull in his promise and omnipotent in his power to make good this his word and promise saying I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turne away from my people and children to doe them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Then from all and from each of these propositions I conclude that a man once indeede a member of Christ and indeede in state of grace shall never totally or finally fall away The patrons of the doctrine of falling from grace when they cannot answer the invincible arguments which are brought to prove the certainetie of a mans standing in state of Salvation they make a loud cry in casting in certaine popular obiections such as are very apt to take with simple and unstable people They first come with suppositions and aske this and like questiona If David and Peter had dyed in the act of their grosse sinnes whether should they have beene saved