rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 And to shew the immutability of God Therefore it is said of God That whom he loves he loves to the end for he is unchangeable in himself for according to his promise whether Condition aâ—or Absolute he never first with-draws from any And therefore Châ—…st saith If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide 〈◊〉 my live Joh 15.10 ERRATA Page the â—4 is wâ—…ting in the last â—re hest thou that thou diâ—st not receive And p. 75. l. 25. Psa 90.23 Chap. I. This is to prove when and at what time the Believer is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law THAT it is at the Believer's first Resignation of himself to Christ in a willingness to take his Yoke upon him so as to render his sincere Obedience to him then is Christ's Righteousness imputed to him for his Justification This being according to what St. Paul saith concerning the Churches at their first Reception they being brought out of sin darkness and errour Therefore he saith of them Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sins that are past In these words he fully shews it was their sins which were committed before conversion which upon their conversion and resignation of themselves to Christ they received remission for those past sins Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16 Therefore the Apostle concludes that a man was justified by faith without the deeds of the Law Gal. 2.16 that is as before said at his first resignation of himself to Christ to yield him his love and sincere obedience he is then justified by Christ without the deeds of the Law from all his past sins Therefore he saith Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that justifieth for upon their conversion they received remission so as none of their past sins should be laid to their charge for God had then justified them by the imputation of Christ's Righteousness and therefore he saith Rom. 10 4. Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth the which belief must be in Christ and his VVord in which he requires our love and sincere obedience in all things as in Mat. 28. v. 20. and then is Christ the end fulfilling or comâ—…eating of the Law for their Justification for they are no sooner thus justified by Christ but they must live unto Christ and then he will persist to fulfil and compleat the end of the Law in them who continue to walk in sincere obedience to him And so the Apostle clearly explains these words where he saith Rom 8 4. That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Here he shews what us these are to whom the Law is thus fulfilled That it was to as many of them as walk not after the flesh but after the spirit And he also saith verse 6. For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace v. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God For it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Now tho' the carnal mind is at enmity against God yet the Man is no longer at enmity against â—…od than he retains that carnal mind So neither is the believer any longer a believer than he retains a mind and will in Subjection to the Law of God For he saith Chap 6.16 His Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of Sin unto Death or of Obedience unto Righteousness Now whereas the Apostle saith to the Church of Ephesus Eph. 2.10 We are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God had afore ordain'd that we should walk in them VVhich shews they were no sooner justified and set clear from the guilt of sin by the imputation of Christ's Righteousness but it was also fore-ordained of God that they should live in Good works and therefore Christ saith The Tree is known by its fruit Mat. 7.17,20 And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 10.9,10 That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness and with the Mouth confession is made unto Salvation VVhich shews if the belief in us does not produce a Righteous life then it is altogether unavailable And whereas St. Paul saith Tit. 3.5 It is not by works of Righteousness which they had done but according to his mercy he saved them by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost This also shews when they were thus saved from their Sins That it was at their first conversion and resignation of themselves to Christ And he further shews how they were saved That it was by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost which was shed on them abundantly This was only at the establishing of the first Christian Churches for it is evident that there was no such abundant pourings forth of Spirit upon believers afterwards Therefore these places of Scripture are not fitly applicable to us who are born Children of the visible Church and have the Call of the Gospel from whom is expected an improvement of the season of Grace that God hath put into our hands For altho' the Gentiles that had not the knowledge of God were taken into mercy without works of Righteousness yet the Jews who had the knowledge of God were then excluded his mercy because there was not good works found in them as God by all the Prophets and Christ himself declareth Matth. 23.23,24,25,26,27 Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye pay Tithe of Mint and Anise and Cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law judgment mercy and faith these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone Here these that had the knowledge of God and the Law the Practical part was first requir'd of them as justice and mercy before any ground for a true faith to take place And whereas the Apostle saith in Galatians c. 3. v. 21,22,23,24,25 Is the Law against the promises of God God forbid for if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily Righteousness should have been by the Law But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe But before faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed Wherefore the Law was our School-master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith But after that faith is come we are no longer under a School-master Now whereas he saith the Law was their
ye be led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law That is not under the condemning power of the Law For such as be led by the Spirit yield their sincere obedience to the Moral Law Accordingly he saith Rom. 2.13 For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified And also 1 Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and Uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping the Commands of God And St. John saith chap. 5.3 For this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous And Christ saith Matth. 19.17 If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments And also in John 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandments By all this we see we are as much obliged to keep the Moral Law as ever Israel was But whereas the Apostle saith By the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sin That is by the Law we are all sensible that we do not live up to it as thereby to become justified by it and therefore by it all have knowledge that they sin for hone can live up to that perfection as to become justified by it without the merits of Christ But when Israel did walk blamelesly in it according to the capacity in which God had put them the Righteousness of Christ was imputed for their Justification And of Zechariah and Elizabeth it is said Luke 1.6 They were both righteous before God walking in all the Commands and Ordinances of the Lord blameless So if we render our sincere obedience to all God's Commands and Precepts we may then look to Christ with boldness for our Justification For tho' the Churches that first trusted in Christ were saved without the deeds of the Law or visible works of Righteousness yet not without an inward work which was in the change of their wills and affections as being the foundation to all good works which afterward they accordingly walked in all that remained stedfast in the Faith And also the Apostle Paul gives charge that they should be rich in good works 1 Tim. 6.18,19 That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life By these words he fully declareth that good works are a foundation for us to build our hopes of Salvation upon as well as the merits of Christ for it is a conditional Covenant And also from these words of the Apostle we are to take notice there is another time to come before Eternity in which the Saints will be blessed And he saith Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him This is the Faith that stirs us up to all good works whereby we come in as Heirs to the promised mercy For Christ is the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 Who will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory honour immortality eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the Truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile Rom. 2.6,7,8,9,10 For we must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or had 2 Cor. 5.10 For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Rom. 2.13 And God hath ingaged himself by his promise to be the rewarder of good works Prov. 19.17 Matth. 10.39,40,41,42 Matth. 5.7 The merciful shall obtain mercy And the Lord saith Rev. 22.12 Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be Therefore upon the promise of God St. Paul saith God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which ye have shewed towards his Name in that ye have ministred to the Saints and do minister Heb. 6.10 And whereas the Apostle saith If he had all Faith 1 Cor. 13.23 That is Faith in God and in the Righteousness of Christ with a belief also that good works are required and he knowing God And therefore if he did them not in love to God and love to his Neighbour it would profit him nothing for it is we have turned this Word into Charity which in the Original is Love But this he speaks to shew that God requires our Love in all our actions And accordingly he saith It is a faith that worketh by love which is required Gal. 5.6 And there is no such obedience as that wherein the heart is concerned But as for them that know not God and therefore love him not they shall also be judged according to their works So the Believers will be judged according to their actions done with their affections For it is not only our believing in the Righteousness of Christ for our justification will stand us in stead but how we have believed in Christ as to obey the Doctrine of Christ which will make us blessed in that day Whereby we see that tho' the Gentiles were at first called in and justified by his grace yet afterwards all that were not immediately after their Conversion taken away by death were to be judged according to their deeds done in the body from the time of Conversion For Saint Peter saith to the Church If ye call ou the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work pass the time of your sojourning here in fear 1 Pet. 1.17 That is the Believers will be judged according to their deeds from the time they were brought into the true knowledge of God and others how they have improved their day and season of grace in refraining that which is evil and in ordering their conversation according to the Gospel So all will be judged according to their deeds done in their body whether they have been good or evil For though we can do nothing of our selves without God's assistance yet it is required of us to improve the advantages and seasons of grace which he giveth us and to take to the Way and Rule that he hath set before us in which way he hath promised his assistance and it is such will be blessed Chap. IX What we ought to fear and what we ought not to fear Jude v. 12. These are spots in your Feasts of Charity when they feast with you feeding
Wherefore because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone That is they sought it by the righteousness of the works of the ceremonial Law which consisted in sacrifices washings and often purifications Of which the Apostle saith Heb. 10.1,2 For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect For then would they have ceased to be offered because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sin Now this was the Law to which Israel trusted to take away their sin Of which Law or Statutes God saith Ezek. 20.25 they were not good Because as it is said in the Hebrews they were but a shadow of the good things to come and therefore could not make the comers thereunto perfect But had Israel employed their utmost diligence in their obedience to the moral Law they had not been left to stumble at that stumbling stone as God by the Prophets hath declared And also Christ himself saith Matth. 23.23,24 Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone Ye blind guides which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel And again he saith Matth. 19.16,17 One came and said unto him good Master what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life And the Lord said unto him if thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments And again Luke 10.25,26,27,28 Another came unto the Lord saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life He said unto him What is written in the Law how readest thou And he answering said thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy neighbour as thy self And he said unto him Thou hast answered right this do and thou shalt live And St. Paul saith Rom. 10.6,7,8,9,10,11 The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation For the Scripture saith whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed The which word of faith mentioned in the 8. v. comprehends all that is contained in the Gospel relating to man's salvation Wherein is declared Christ coming from Heaven his rising again from the dead with the conditions on which Christ and Salvation is offered The knowledge of which he saith was in their mouth and in their heart it being that which he had preached to them And whereas he saith in the 9. v. Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Now this verse as they have parted the words is a contradiction to all the Scripture but the words that go before and the verse that follows after explain the Apostles meaning Where he saith in the 10. v. Rom. 10.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness The which we no sooner are converted but we resign up our selves to him desiring in all things to walk suitably to him the which if we so do we may believe that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us For it is only the sincerity of the heart as to the truth of their belief which will produce a holy life according to the will of God For it is said Heb. 11.12,14 Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Now what the Apostle here said in the 9. v. was to the Church that he had before instructed and of whom he had had proof of their sincerity and therefore incouraged them to go on in the open acknowledging and confessing of the Lord although they were but a few People amongst a multitude of Heathens And that their faith might not flag as to God's raising Christ from the dead he lets them understand it was a great point of their Salvation according to what he saith 1 Cor. 15.14,16,17 If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain For if the dead rise not then is not Christ raised and if Christ be not raised your faith is vain ye are yet in your sins By which we see it is one of the material points of our Salvation And St. Paul saith Rom. 10.12,13,14 There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Here we see in these verses he speaks in general to all but in the 9. v. he speaks to a particular People or Persons to whom he wrote Now in the 12. v. Whereas he saith there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek That is salvation was alike common to all that did alike call upon him And whereas he saith in the 13. v. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved I hope that you do not here apprehend that it was only with a vocal voice that if they so call that they shall be saved No it is the voice of the heart that there may be a suitable frame of Spirit whereby we may call upon God as is required for it is the tongue that expresseth but the meaning or voice of the heart and the tongue is not the man but a small member of him And had we no tongue to express our desires yet the sincerity of our heart in our affections towards God and being sensible of our own unworthiness is that voice which the Lord will hear And like unto this was the voice of the Malefactor that was crucified with Christ who in the sence of his own unworthiness and of Christ's righteousness called on the Lord for mercy Luk. 23.40,41,42,43 faith in him being strong when the Lord was most afflicted and eclipsed which made his believing on him at that time more wonderful but it was the Lord look'd in upon his heart he not before
and Obedience of him The which St. Paul speaks to this effect in Phil. 2.2 to the 8. v. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves Look not every man at his own things but every man also to the things of others Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God But made himself of no Reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of men And being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the Death of the Cross Now it was with the Spirit of Love and this submissive Spirit that was in Christ which is required to be in us The which wholly brings us into Obedience to the will of God And St. John saith to the like effect 1 John 2.5,6 Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the word of God perfected whereby know me that we are in him He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked These forementioned places do fully evidence to us what is that Spirit of Christ that is required to be in us And not that it is required or given to us the working of Miracles the giving of the Holy Ghost or speasting with Tongues Neither that we should expect the Spirits teaching of us so as to speak expresly to us as it did at the Establishing of the first Christian Churches As to which St. Paul saith in Gal. 1.11,12 I certify you brethren that the Gospel which was Preached of me is not after man For I neither received it of man neither was I taught it but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ Now the first Churches being thus wonderfully established by the mighty Power of God in the pouring forth of his Spirit upon them for the furtherance of the Gospel unto part of which St. John wrote this first Epistle Which persons were well instructed in the Word after which they received the Holy Ghost which is the anointing which he here speaketh of And as to what he here saith concerning the Word I shall begin at 1 John 2.24,25,26,27 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning if that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you ye also shall tontinue in the Son and in the Father And this is the promise that he hath promised us even eternal Life These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is Truth and is no Lie and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him Here by these Words we are first to take notice that if the Word of God which they heard from the beginning did remain in them they should also continue in the Son and in the Father so as to have Eternal Life Now these things he wrote to them because there were some that went about to seduce them therefore he doth admonish them that if the word did remain in them that then they should continue in the Son and in the Father Now whereas he saith the Anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you all things But by the forementioned Caution that if the word did remain in them that then they should abide in the Father and the Son By which it does appear that if they neglect or slight the word that the Spirit would soon withdraw his teaching and comfortable presence from them Therefore he saith in 1 John 2.28,29 And now little Children abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming By which we see that although they had the gifts of the Holy Ghost with the Teachings of the Spirit yet they may so grieve the Spirit of Grace as to tempt God to leave them Now when the wonderful pourings forth of the Spirit which was in the Apostles time with the working of Miracles and speaking with Tongues ceased then did this evident Teaching of the Spirit cease also Now St. John writing to the Saints which had the Anointing of the Spirit which was that they had received the Holy Ghost the which was given for the Establishing of the Gospel He saith unto them in the 1 John 3.2,3,4,5 Behold now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is And every Man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Now if we have this Hope and do not purify our selves it will prove but a vain hope to us And whereas he saith in the 4. v. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law for sin is the transgression of the Law And ye knew that he was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no no sin That is he was manifested to take away original Sin and the Sins of the truly Penitent upon their Conversion and afterwards those sins that are not wilfully and presumptuously committed therefore St. Paul saith 2 Cor. 5.19,20,21 That God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him We here see that this invitation and the not imputing their iniquities was before their Conversion so as to have tasted the good word of God and the Powers of the World to come And St. John saith 1 John 3.6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him Whereas he saith he that abideth in Christ sinneth not That is sinneth not wilfully and presumptuously and sins after conversion if not wilfully committed are not imputed But he that sinneth presumptuously hath neither seen him nor known him savingly And St. John saith in v. 7. Little Children let no man deceive you he that doeth righteousness is Righteous even as he is Righteous This is no otherwise than as to the sincerity of their Wills and Affections upon which they are accepted as perfectly Righteous in Christ Jesus for then it is his Righteousness is imputed to them for it is said Col. 2.10 We are compleat in him And St. John also saith 1 John 3.8 He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the
was one of those who then upon his conversion had his iniquities forgiven and his sins covered yet he said Wo be to him if he preacht not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 Whereby he sheweth he must yield his obedience or else vengeance would overtake him Heb. 10.30 And also after that Abraham had been obedient in leaving his Countery and his kindred the Lord again appeared to him Gen. 17.1 and said I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect The which shews God requires our continuance in our obedience to him The which in being sincere therein is man's perfection And after God further tryed and proved Abraham whether he would obey in all things even to that in which the desire of his Soul was set upon which was in the offering up of his Son Isaac And that God commanded him to do without a promise of reward but afterwards for his willingness to be obedient therein God redoubled his promise to him For God's promises are generally attain'd and retain'd in the way of our love and obedience And St. Paul saith Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness By these words the Apostle puts it out of all dispute clearly shewing that we are his Servants to whom we do yield our selves Servants to obey And the Apostle saith to the Church in the following verse That they were the Servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered you Now the form of Doctrine was that they should observe all things whatsoever Christ had commanded This being the last charge Christ left with his Disciples promising such as did accordingly obey that he would be with them to the end of the world Matth. 28.20 Rom. 4.2 If Abraham were justified by works be hath whereof to glory but not before God That is not before God as tho' he had by his good works merited all those great blessings that God had promised him No this is quite contrary to truth and contrary to the understanding that still remains in us that he or we by our poor endeavours when at the best should for them deserve an everlasting inheritance and an eternal weight of glory and that procured by the Sacrifice of the Son of his love No so to think is an offence to God And also the Lord Christ saith When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say ye are unprofitable Servants Luk. 17.10 For God needed not us for his eternal blessedness would not have been diminished if we had eternally perished For he would have remained eternally blessed without us altho' we should have remained eternally miserable without him For a poor Soul before God has no more reason to glory than a poor condemned Malefactor that a great Prince had taken pity of therefore paid his ransome taken him into his Service withal promising him as long as he kept to the Rule or way that he had set him and did not wilfully depart from it he would be with him to carry him through all difficulties and that if he so continued to do he would not leave him nor forsake him and that for the short time that he should set him if he therein was found faithful to his service he then would adopt him his Son and give him an inheritance as a Son of his Now should this Servant boast and glory before his Prince and say I think for the small time of service that thou requirest of me I deserve all that thou hast done or hath promised to do for me this would immediately disinherit him of his Princes favour But on the contrary if this Servant's heart is drawn out in love and obedience to his Prince for the great kindness received and for the future promises made to him he having a sense how infinitely above any thing that his deservings could be his Prince had promised to reward him And therefore he resolving to do his utmost endeavour that he might be found faithful in his service he having strong confidence and faith in his Prince that if he was found diligent in his Service his Lord would not only be willing but had power according to his promise to reward him His Prince also giving him orders that he should come to him upon all occasions for fresh supplies whereby he might be enabled to do him service This Servant observing diligently all the orders his Lord gave him therefore at the appointed time receives the promised reward But not as tho' he had merited these great things but that his great benefactor had promised such great rewards to all his Servants that should be found faithful in his Service So Christ of his free grace and mercy hath paid the ransom for sinners for all that will yield to him their love and sincere obedience And at the time he takes them into his Service he then clears them of all their past sins and for the time to come promises his assistance whilst they keep the way which he hath set them and do not willingly depart from it And if they should be overtaken in a fault against their wills they then shall not be utterly cast down for Christ remains an Advocate for them And if they accordingly continue faithful to the death hath promised then to give them the Crown of life but not as tho' their service had merited so great a reward but that of his great mercy and rich grace he hath promised such great rewards to all that are faithful in his Service Accordingly God said to Abraham That he would be his exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 Thereby shewing that God would reward him for what he did and exceedingly above what he deserved So Christ is said to be the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory honour and immortality eternal life Rom. 2.7 Now tho' Abraham or any other cannot have whereof to glory before God yet they may rejoyce in that they have walked in sincere obedience to him whereby they at last become accepted of him as to have the reward of the Crown of life For whosoever renders their sincere obedience to God and Christ comes in as an heir to the promise of life For he shall have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him for his justification Acts 10.35 whilst others thro' their unwary walking go out of the way that God hath set them whereby they fall away and so lose that Crown which otherwise they might have had Rev. 3.11 and 2.10 And those that by their wary walking have kept the way tho' they have not to glory before God yet for their so doing they shall have praise of God 1 Cor. 4.5 And tho' St. Paul saith in the 7. v. Who maketh thee to differ
from another and what James saith c. 1. v. 17. Every good and perfect gift cometh from above Yet by the words of Christ in the parable it is plain that some improved the Talents they had received and some improved not their Talent Matth. 25. And Israel was cast off of God for their not improving their day of grace Matthew 23.37 Rom. 4.11,12,13 And he received the Sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe tho' they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed unto them also And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the Circumcision only but also walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham which he had being yet uncircumcised For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed thro' the Law but thro' the righteousness of Faith Now what was the steps of that Faith that our Father Abraham walkt in being uncircumcised It was that he staggered not at the promise of God but believed that he should have it according to the word of the Lord in the way of his obedience that he thereby should be made the Father of many Nations and heir of the world which carried him thro' all difficulties and caused him to tread in the steps of Righteousness according as the Lord required of him Gen. 17,1,2 I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect And I will make my Covenant between me and thee and will multiply thee exceedingly These words shew that God required of Abraham his sincere obedience that thereby he might be the heir of this promise Accordingly St. Paul saith verse 13. For the promise that he shoulld be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the Law but through the righteousness of faith Which was through the righteousness which this his faith produc'd the which Circumcision was afterward given him as a Seal of this his righteousness by faith And whether circumcised or uncircumcised whosoever treads in the steps of our Father Abraham in looking for the performance of the promise in the way of their obedience shall also become heirs of life Rom 4.14,15,16 For if they which are of the Law be heirs faith is made void and the promise made of none effect because the Law worketh wrath for where no Law is there is no transgression Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all Now the Law expected the perfect performance of the thing required before they could become justified by it but then under the Law through mercy they that did render their sincere obedience thereunto it was accepted of them so as they had the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them for their Justification But hereby it sheweth that Justification was not to be attained by the Law but that Justification and Righteousness is to be attained by Faith that draws out the heart in love to God and Christ with an assent to yield obedience to him Such are made partakers of his grace and so by the Righteousness of Christ become justified And where this complying frame of spirit is it was and is the seed to whom the promise belongs whether under the Law or Gospel and unto such as these that tread in Abraham's steps he is a Father For all are his servants to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 6.16 Rom. 4.21,22 And he being fully persuaded that what God hath promised he was able to perform And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness That is Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able to perform what he had promised him which drew out his heart to yield that obedience which God required of him He thus believing it was imputed to him for righteousness And whereas the Apostle saith verse 23,24,25 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification That is if we believe in him that raised up our Lord from the dead that the purchased Salvation by Christ is to be imputed according as he in his Word hath declared and so accordingly we lay hold of the promise of Life then Christ was delivered for our offences as well as for theirs and likewise rose again for our Justification as well as theirs if we according as these Romans had done to whom he wrote have obeyed from the heart the Doctrine of the Gospel then also we by Christ are made free from the condemning power of sin and are become the servants of Righteousness Rom. 6.17,18 But we are no sooner set clear from the condemning power of sin by the free grace of God purchased by the Blood of his Son but we are immediately thereupon listed Souldiers of Christ to fight under his Banner against the World the Flesh and the Devil and all our corrupt Affections and Inclinations and bringing down every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 Chap. III. The Election of the first Churches EPhes 2.8,9,10 For by Grace are ye saved thro' Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of works lest any man should boast For we are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them By these words the Apostle also clearly sheweth that by good works standing alone without the merits of Christ no man can be justified in his sight And therefore all boasting is taken away from man in the sight of God But whereas he saith in v. 10. For we are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Here the Apostle hath his peculiar reference to the first Churches who were brought out of darkness sin and errour And as he saith in verse 12. Ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenant of Promise having no hope and without God in the World Now at that time God did not only abound in his mercy towards them of the first Churches in all wisdom and prudence Ephes 5.8 in shewing his mighty power in them and in calling them as the Apostle saith out of darkness into his marvelous light 1 Pet. 2.9 and thereby bringing over the consent of their wills to his Laws he did then freely justifie them by his grace but also when God had done this
Light of the Heaven as the Sun and Moon And as for the Elements we know that man's body is made up of the Four Elements Now St. Peter in his way of speaking doth make it a figurative Speech as to the burning the Heavens and Earth And when we can bring several places out of holy Writ to prove it to be so and places of Scripture to prove our assertion then we go upon good grounds but when we make figurative Speeches or Allegories where there is none and where there is for them to make an Assertion of that which they cannot bring good Proof for out of the Word is of very dangerous consequence and as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 3.16 wrest the Scripture to their own destruction But this of St. Peter is easily proved a figurative Speech not only by his own manner of speaking but also by the Three Evangelists wherein our Lord makes no mention of the burning of the Heavens and Earth when he comes to judge the World Nor St. John in Rev. 6.14 mentions not any such thing as to the burning of them Neither in any of the Epistles of St. Paul is there any mention made of their being destroy'd at the coming of the Lord Nor doth any other place of the Bible speak of their being burnt but St. Peter And whereas the Apostle Peter makes mention of fire it is to set forth the fierce Anger of the Lord against sinners For as there is nothing so terrible to our Natures as fire so there can be nothing so insupportable as the Anger of the Almighty Lord and therefore he is said in 2 Thes 1.8 to come in flaming fire to take Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ The weight of Whose Anger being more intolerable than we are able to imagine it Therefore God saith Jer. 23.29 Is not my Word like as a fire saith the Lord and like a Hammer that breaketh the Rocks in peices And therefore it is a usual Phrase in Scripture to express the Anger of the Almighty God by Fire Zeph. 1.18 where God himself saith with the Fire of my Jealousie And it is said of God Deut. 4.24 That he is a consuming Fire That is he is an unresistable Power Heb. 12.23 And as the Thorns cannot resist the Powerful Flames neither can we his ireful Judgments when he doth inflict them on the sinner And here had St. Peter in the plain Letter of the Word pronounc'd those Judgments against the Powers and People the then present Age could not have born it neither indeed the succeeding Generations And as for the Beast or Pope he found so much in the Scriptures against himself and his Crew that he made it Death for the Laity to read them that thereby his Falshood and Villany might remain undiscovered to the people Now the Pope did not rise till several hundred years after the Apostles And St. Paul in 2 Thes 2,3 Declareth that the day of the Lord shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition v. 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he is as God sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God v. 9,10,11,12 Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonder v. 10. And with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved 11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lit 12. That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but have pleasure in Vnrighteousness By which we may plainly see that God never leaves a people till such time as they forsake him by taking pleasure in Unrighteousness And therefore as to what hath been said of the Beast and the seven hill'd City and of the Reign of the Beast has been in a figurative way For the Pope's Design with his Crew being wholly to deceive the Will of God is that they might be deceived And it is said in Rev. 13.2 when the Beast arose The Dragon gave him his power and his Seat and great Authority And now as the Apostle saith 2 Thes 2.4 he opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped So that he is as God sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God And now he sitting in the Temple of God and takes the Power of a God to him in that he saith the revealed will of God is no farther to be accounted of than to what he approves of in it And also he with his pretended Keys le ts into Heaven those whom God by his Word shuts out and them out of Heaven whom God by his Word permits in Thus they are filling up their Iniquity that they may come to their deserved end And little better success must no Sect or Church expect that has used the Word of God deceitfully nor their hypocritical Hearers As for this Babylon and Countries adjoyning to it is figured our to us in the former Idumea or Edom For Esau looking on himself as the Elder brother therefore his Envy was always towards Israel although he sinfully and foolishly did sell his Birthright unto shis Brother in the time he was distressed being faint for want of Food he then said if I die for hunger what good then will this birth right do me And so not regarding the promises of God and therefore in the day of tryal parted with his birthright for a mess of pottage And almost all this world being like unto him that in the day of tryal either for some lust or some profit or to deliver themselves out of some trouble they part with the blessing which God in Christ has promis'd which is eternal salvation if they walk according to the rule God has set before them And so for these uncertain momentary injoyments like Esau embrace this present world And when the time comes for the righteous to inherit the blessing these worldlings will then like Esau be rejected although they may then seek the blessing earnestly with tears as he did yet was rejected But as it is in our days the more emptiness and want of knowledge the more pride and malice So was it with the seed of Esau for it is said of him in Obed. 1. v. 3.4,8,10 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the Rock whose habitation is high that saith in his heart who shall bring me down to the ground 4. Tho thou exalt thy self as the Eagle and the thou set thy nest among the Stats thence will I bring thee down saith the Lord. Verse 8. Shall I not in that day saith the Lord even destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out
Maker 〈◊〉 Heaven and Earth and all things â—…rein contained whether visible or inâ—…ble and that out of the Gen. 2.7 dust of the â—…und God created Man and breathed inâ—… him the breath of life and thereby â—…n became a Gen. 28. living Soul and was plac'd 〈◊〉 God in Gen. 1.26,27 Eden the Garden of God in â—…oly happy blessed State and God â—…ve them Power over the Fish of the 〈◊〉 the Fowl of the Air and the Beast 〈◊〉 the Field and over all the Earth and over every thing that creepeth on the Earth And Man should have so continued in this blessed and happy State Gen. 2.17 never to have known decay sickness forrow or death had he not there sinned against his great Creator and his most liberal Benefactor Gen. 3.4,5 in that they did adhere to the Enemy of God which is the Devil and believed what he said and did not believe the God of Truth for which they were turn'd out of Paradise Gen. 3.23 and became more vile and miserable than all Creatures that have their Being upon Earth and so 't would have succeeded to his unborn Posterity Job 14.4 Psal 51.5 Job 4.8 for now their Natures became corrupt so as Righteousness and Holiness and Wisdom which was the Image of God stampt upon them now had left thâ—m and was quite defaced in them and they became 〈◊〉 like the Prince of Darkness which is â—…e Devil who for his Pride and Rebelâ—â—n against God he and his Adherents were cast out of Heaven and from glorious Angels became Devils in Hell and are kept in Chains of Darkness unto the Judgment of the Great Day of God who are to be punished eternally in Hell-fire Joh. 3.44 Joh. 3.8 Jude 6. 2 Pet. 2.4 But God looking on Mankind in their forlorn and miserable Condition with an eye of pity and compassion gave them a word of Comfort which was That the Gen. 3.15 Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's head which is the Devil and God said that he would put enmity between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent And in that God had compassion on Mankind rather than upon the fallen Angels so as to send them a Saviour Luk. 2.11 Mat. 1.21 There was this reason the fallen Angels were the principal and alone Causes of their own Rebellion but Mankind was stirr'd up to it through the subtil Insinuations and Lyes of the Devil Gen. 3.1 and therefore Mankind had a Tender of Grace offered them if we receive it according to the condition as it is offered us which is with Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ with Love and Obedience to him to whom all the Prophets bear witness â—…aring he should be born of a Virgin 〈◊〉 speaking of his Sufferings and of his Death and of his Rising again Act. 20.21 Act. 4.12 Act. 3.23,26 Isa 7.14 Isa 53. Ps 16.10 Act. 2.24 13.34 I believe in this Lord Jesus Christ â—hat he is the onely begotten Son of God who gave himself to satisfie Divine Justice and to make Reconciliation for poor â—ost and undone Creatures which were dead in Trespasses and Sins through that â—f Adam's Transgression Joh. 1.14 Joh. 10.15,18 Eph. 2.1 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 3.5 Gen. 6.5 Rev. 3.17 Rom. 7.15 Job 4.20 Isa 30.33 2 Pet. 2.4,5 whereby our Nature became so corrupt that we have â—est us neither Strength to stand 〈◊〉 Willâ—… striâ—… nor 〈…〉 〈…〉 in which woful condition we should have spent some few Days here and after which been plunged into Hell it self for ever and there to have been tormented with the Devil and damned Spirits Luk. 16.32 Jud. 7. Isa 5.15 Deut. 32.22 Joh. 1.1,2,3 without any redress had not the Son of God the second Person in the Trinity who to fulfil his Fathers promise and for the wonderful Love he bare to his Creatures he left the Throne of his Fathers Glory where he had been from all Eternity and did vouchsafe to take upon him the means of our Flesh and therein was conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin Mary Matt. 1.20,21 Luk. 1.30,31,32 but born of her without sin and when he came into the World he then suffered the Miseries of this Life the Wrath of God and the cursed Death of the Cross that through Death he might destroy him that had the Power of Death which is the Devil and deliver them who through the fear of Death were all their Life-time subject to bondage Luk. 23.35,36 Luk. 23.33 and 44 45 46. Heb. 2.14,15 and the Lord of Life was buried descended into Hell and continued under the Power of Death till the third Day Luk. 24.6,7 in which he rose again from the Dead as a triumphant Victor over Sin Death and Hell and after his Resurrection he was seen oâ— all his Apostles 1 Cor. 15.5,6 and of above 500 Brethreâ— at once and remained upon the Earth for the space of forty Days and then he went to Mount Olivet with his Disciples and more Witnesses Act. 1.3.9,10,11,12 and from thence he ascended up into Heaven and now sitteth at the Right-hand of God the Father and there maketh intercession for the Saints according to the Mind of God Heb. 1.3 Joh. 12.41 Rom. 8.34 Heb. 6.7.25 I believe also that assuredly there is Life and Salvation to be had through our Lord Jesus Christ if we come to him by faith and repentance so as to confess and forsake our sins and believe in him and his word so that we unfeignedly love and fear to offend him we shall be beloved of him and made eternally blessed by him through his perfect Righteousness which shall be imputed to us who is able to preserve us in time and in Eternity I believe in the Holy Ghost that he is the Sanctifier of our Natures whereby our Wills are renewed so as to desire to serve the living God in truth and in sincerity and also in time of trouble he doth often administer comfort and consolation to the Saints Acts 20.21 and 3.19 John 14.21 Joh. 8.31 Jer. 23.6 Rom. 8.14 1 Cor. 3.15 Gal. 5.16 1 Cor. 1.22 Joh. 5.26 I believe there is a Holy Catholick Church a member of which is every sincere hearted Christian throughout the World that worships the Lord in spirit and truth for our blessed Lord saith John 4.23,24 that the Father seeketh such to worship him I believe there will be the Resurrection of the Body and Life everlasting for the Righteous and eternal Damnation for them that go on in their wicked Ways I believe also that the Lord will come in the last Day in the Clouds of Heaven to render vengeance to his Adversaries and those that know not God and will not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.21,22 Joh. 5.28,29 Col. 1.18 Matt. 25.46 John 11.24 Acts 1.11 2 Thess
1.7,8,9,10 Heb. 9.28 but unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation and so come Lord Jesus Amen A Definition of a true Soul-saving Faith according to the Rule of God's Word which the Lord requireth of us to interest us in himself is this FIrst that all those that come to God must believe that God is and that he is such as he hath declared himself to be in his Holy Word three Persons Father Son and Holy Spirit these Three to be but one God from everlasting to everlasting Isa 40.27,28 Isa 40.23,24 Jer. 23.24 1 Joh. 5.7 Psal 90.2 Rev. 1.8 Psal 90.2 Ps 41.13 John 10.38 of one Will one Mind one Power and one Glory and dwelleth in that light that no mortal Eye is able to approach unto and beyond the Apprehension of Man to comprehend the height of his glorious Excellency this is that God blessed for ever from all Eternity to all Eternity and he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him and that through the alone Merit and meritorious Satisfaction and Intercession of the Lord Christ Jesus Heb. 11.6 2 Cor. 5.18,19 Rev. 1.5 1 Pet. 1.18,19,20,21 Mark here what the Apostle saith It is he that diligently seeketh the Lord is promised the reward and he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Heb. 11.6 Prov. 28.13 1 Joh. 3.3 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 5.17 this is the Faith which the Apostle saith purifieth the Conscience from dead Works to serve the living God for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked as much as in us lies 1 Joh. 2.6 Mat. 7.17 Luk. 6.44 Gal. 5.6 2 Tim. 1.10 1 Joh. 4.18 for the Tree is known by its fruit saving Faith worketh by Love and draweth out our hearts and affections after the Lord in the apprehensions of his bringing us to life and immortality which removeth from us the slavish Fear and the Lord hath bidden us take hold of his strength for of our selves we are not able to overcome the Evil of sin the Snares of the World the Wiles of the Devil nor the Treachery of our own Hearts Isa 27.5 Joh. 15.5 Therefore the Lord hath invited all them that are weary and heavy laden to come unto him and he will give them rest Matt. 11.28 Isa 41.3 promising that he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax therefore in and through Christ we have boldness to the throne of grace through that new and living way the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 4.16 Heb. 10.29 Heb. 12.24 Heb. 13.20 Col. 1.10 whereby the Lord hath made reconciliation in nailing our sins to his Cross and justifying us if we have an interest in him with his righteousness Isai 53.4.5.12 1 Pet. 3.18 2 Cor. 13.5 but be sure let us take the advice of St. Paul with us in that he bids us examine our selves and prove ourselves whether we have the fruits of the Spirit as love joy peace long-suffering temperance meekness gentleness brotherly-kindness charity being easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits doing to others as we would they should do unto us for he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit and therefore whether you have given up your will to the will of God in sincerity to be guided thus by him and to order your course of life thus for him for it is the love and the heart God requireth and if he has that he will never leave us nor forsake us when we leave all this World it is our love will lanch with us into eternal happiness and bring us into the injoyment of that God beloved of us and there we shall be put into a capacity never to offend him and ever to sing Hallelujah to him Gal. 5.22.23 2 Pet. 1.5,6,7 Jam. 1.22,25,26,27 Jam. 3.17 Jam. 4.7,8 Mal. 7.12 1 Cor. 6.17 1 Cor. 19.20 1 Cor. 8.3 Mat. 10.37 Luk. 10.27 2 Cor. 4.14 Joh. 14.21 Joh. 12.26 Joh. 14.2 Rev. 14.13 Rev. 3.12 Rev. 22.7.12 A Covenant made with God MOst great and glorious Lord my God in all thy attributes infinitely above what I am able to apprehend or comprehend of thee who art glorious in holiness rich in grace transcendent in loving kindness and mercy although a severe judge to the incorrigible sinner but unto the repenting sinner that loves and fears thee Lord thou hast promised to shew thy salvation and therefore in the sence of my own unworthiness and misery I lay hold on the offer of thy mercy according as Lord thou hast tendred it in thy Gospel which is by faith and repentance love and new obedience and accordingly thereunto I here unfeignedly resign up to thee my whole heart with its will and affections my Lord and God to be guided and governed by thee begging Lord that thou wilt graciously accept me and make my heart thy habitation by the indwelling of thy Spirit in me so as I may be enabled by thee to love all that thy Majesty loveth and hate all that thou my Lord hatest and also desiring more strength of thee whereby I may be enabled by thee O my God to walk more suitably to thee in all things so putting my whole trust and confidence in thy mercy herein resting upon thy word that Lord thou wilt not forsake the Soul that puts her trust in thee therefore my God leave me not nor forsake me neither leave me so as to forsake thee the fountain and foundation of my eternal happiness but as I here in truth and sincerity do resign up my self my God to thee to be thy servant and spouse in the way of thy Gospel covenant let this Lord be registred in Heaven with thee so as I may be washed in thy Blood from all my filthiness and that I may be covered over with the garment of thy righteousness and here fully regenerated by thy Spirit so as I may find eternal acceptance with thee my God through thy beloved and that my interest in thee my Lord may be more and more clear'd up to me day by day so as I may be brought more into the knowledge of thy love which passeth knowledge and enabled by thee my Lord to live in the flames of love with thee who wilt be glorified in thy Saints and admired in those that do believe and O my God that thou wilt uphold me by the right hand of thy righteousness through this valley and shadow of tears and keep me in or from the hour of temptation and give me a part with thee in the first resurrection O my God be not angry with me for the largeness of this my request since thou hast bidden us open our mouths wide and thou wilt fill them therefore my Lord and God say Amen to these Petitions of thy Unworthy Servant Of a false Faith and Instructions as to the true one THere is a new found
having slighted his mercy Therefore this is no incouragement to us that live under the call of the Gospel to deferr repentance For the day of grace and the day of life have not one and the same date For if we will go on frowardly in the ways of our own hearts God will leave us to blindness of mind and hardness of heart Now God said that David was a Man after his own heart and why because his heart immediatly answered the call of God by his Word or Messengers as the Psalmist saith Psal 27.8 When thou saidst Seek ye my face my heart answered unto thee thy face Lord will I seek This is the voice which God requires of us The which he found not in Israel As saith St. Paul Rom. 10.21 To Israel he saith all the day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying People And also in Proverbs Prov. 1.24,26 Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh By this we may plainly see God complain'd of them because they were wanting to themselves in not improving the season of grace which he had put into their hands Therefore God saith in the 32. v. Prov. 1.32,33 The turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them But whosoever shall hearken unto me shall dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil What is here spoken is to the foolish and wise Christians and of the near approaching time to come Now the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul sent presently after their conversion when as dayly there were new converts brought over to the Church for their comfort to let them understand that if they should immediatly after their conversion be taken away by a natural death or a violent one upon the account of their faith that they should no ways be startled or dismayed because they had not time after their conversion to do any good action even so much time as to be baptized but only believed as the Thief did and thereupon called upon the Lord for mercy and so departed this life yet they should be saved upon which occasion they were baptized for the dead as the ancients say and of which St. Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 15.29 What shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead Now that they that call upon God so as to have salvation his following words make out where the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed By which we see their calling is insignificant without believing and if they savingly believe it must be according to the tenor of the Gospel Which requires of us repentance from dead works and love to and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and if we live amendment of life for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked 1 Joh. 2.6 And as St. Paul to the Romans saith Rom. 8.1,8 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit 6. v. For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace By which we may plainly see St. Paul's meaning was not that they might remain in their own natural state and so call upon God and be saved but that his meaning was as I before shewed you for what is set down here and what is set down in the 10. Ch. was writ at one and the same time being one and the same Epistle And the Jews wisely tell us that we must look to the words which go before and the words that follow after if we intend to come to a right understanding of the Scripture Now God by the Prophet Jeremiah makes mention of the miscarriage of Judah and how she did but feignedly call upon him as in the 10. v. Jer. 3.10 And yet for all this her treacherous Sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly saith the Lord. And the Apostle saith Rom. 6.16,17,18 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you Being then made free from sin ye became the Servants of righteousness The which is an evident token that we have no share in Christ's righteousness if we our selves walk not in the ways of righteousness And also we sin our sins over again if we do but delightfully think on them And the Apostle relates to Titus what they were before they were converted Titus 3.3,4,5,6,7,8 For we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour That being justified by his grace should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life This is a faithful saying and these things I will that you affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works The Apostle having here set down what they were before the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared And whereas he said Not by the works of righteousness which they had done but according to his mercy he saved them by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost Here we see was an inward change wrought in them from whence did arise their hopes of salvation And whereas he said that the Spirit was shed on them abundantly it was for the establishing the Gospel And as to what he saith as to their being justified by his grace they should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life That is as I before told you upon their first conversion and resigning themselves up to Christ to be wholly guided and governed by him according to the rule of his word then it is the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them whereby they become justified in sight of God And whereas he saith I will that they affirm constantly that they that have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works The which he said to let them understand that if they did not persevere in a holy life they might be cast off According to what the Lord saith Joh. 15.2.6,8,9,10,14 Every
the hearers of the law are justified before God but the doers of the law shall be justified That is as I tell you they were upon their first conversion and resignation justified by their faith in Christ but after we are converted and justified by faith then whilst we have life we must use our diligence to walk in obedience and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. And here we see he acknowledges the moral law to the greatest height and tells us that we must be judged by it and the Gospel 2 Cor. 7.1 For he saith in the 16. v. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Therefore as St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 3.14 We must be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless And the Apostle saith again 1 Pet. 1.13,14,15 Wherefore gird up the loyns of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ As obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation That is endeavour to be holy in all your conversations And as it is said in Heb. Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. By which we see nothing but a close walking with Christ will keep us in the love of Christ for if we sin willfully after we have thus received the knowledge of the truth I find no hope of mercy for the greater light we sin against the greater condemnation we fall under as witness when the Lord was in the Camp of Israel the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day was utterly cut off from the Congregation of the Lord. Rom. 15.29,30,31,32,35 Because he despised the word of the Lord therefore was he cut off in his iniquity and was stoned to death So also underneath the evident manifestations of the Spirit of God in the Apostles time we see in the Acts by Ananias and Saphira his Wife Acts 5.1,2,3,4,5 that having joyned themselves to the Church and in that they hypocritically would appear in the sight of the Apostles more devoted to the interest of the Church then really they were therefore St. Peter tells them they had not lyed unto man but unto God for he saith likewise whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thine own power why hast thou conceived this in thine heart thou hast not lyed unto men but unto God And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the Ghost By which we see of what dreadful consequence it is for us to pretend to be more holy than we really are Therefore let this be a warning to us to be better than we pretend to be for 't is God that knoweth the heart and tryeth the Spirits of men And also God saith Ezek. 33.12 Therefore thou Son of man say unto the Children of thy people the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression as for the wickedness of the wicked he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth And the Apostle saith Heb. 6.5,6 that if they willfully sin after they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the World to come they cannot be renewed by repentance For if we are only of the outward Church we fall short of Salvation and must have our share in the threatned misery and if we deferr repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit we thereby lose the day of grace and so are left of God And if we go to hear the word and do not benefit thereby we are like the Earth which drinketh in the rain Heb. 6.3 yet bearing thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned And if we are willfully ignorant It is said it is only the Fool hates knowledge Pro. 1.22 And God saith my People are destroyed for lack of knowledge Hosea 4.6 And whereas the Lord saith John 5.20,21,22,23,24 For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth and he will shew him greater works than these that ye may marvel For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickneth them even so the Son quickneth whom he will For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son By this we may plainly see that Christ spake this for the time to come in which he will jduge the World for when he then came it was to teach and to suffer and now as he is at the right hand of God it is said he sits there as an Advocate with the Father but when he comes again he is then our Judge therefore this is spoken for that time when all judgment shall be given to him The Lord saith That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father he that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Now the Jews and Turks honour him not as they do the Father therefore spoken for time to come And he saith Verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life That is when the Lord again cometh that them which he then findeth thus will have everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but then will be passed from death unto life And he saith John 5.24,25,26,27,28,29 Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself By all the foregoing words it doth evidently appear to be the first resurrection the which will be at the coming of the Lord and here spoken in the usual way of Scripture speaking in mentioning that which is to come as though it were already come Now although the wicked are termed to be dead in sin yet in the foregoing words there was made no mention of them but of the judgment that was committed to Christ Neither is the voice of Christ after his Ascension said to call home any but St. Paul And the Holy Ghost was not given till after the People were brought home by the voice of his Messengers in the call of the Gospel Therefore this must needs be meant of the first Resurrection which will be when Christ again cometh And the Lord saith Joh. 5.27,28,29 And
hath given him Authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of God We see all along here that the Lord speaks of his power and judgment when he again comes And again he saith Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice And shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Here the Lord speaks in the Scripture way of speaking in that he so nearly joyns his coming to judge the World with that last judgment like that of his joyning the destruction of Jerusalem and of the World together according to which all the Scripture is so joyn'd Now these two judgments are clearly to distinct things for in the first it is said the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and it was those that did hear did live therefore this is at the first resurrection when the Lord again comes at which time all the promiss'd Elect shall be call'd in whom he hath promised mercy and with the dead Bodies of the Saints shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live And the other is the eternal judgment which is spoken of in the Revelations where it is said the Sea and Death and Hell delivered up the dead As to what the Lord saith in John 5. from the 20. v. to the 29. v. The Lord there speaks of the two judgments as I have elsewhere proved to you and therefore what he saith in the 24. v. is concerning them that are believers at his coming that they have everlasting life and that they shall not come into condemnation but where the Lord saith John 6.47 Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life And the Apostle also saith 1 John 5.11,12,13 This is the record that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life That is God hath renewed us in Christ and given us eternal life by him if we are true Believers and what that belief is that is required of us I have elsewhere proved to you But the everlasting life that is given the Believer is as it was given Adam in Paradise the which was as long as he continued in his obedience And so it is with us the which the words of the Lord doth fully explain where he saith John 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see death And Christ saith again John 15.9,10,11,12 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you By all this we plainly see that the eternal life given the Believer is theirs no longer than they persist in their obedience So Adam's eternal life that he had given him in Paradise was lost by his offending for had he persisted in his obedience he had never dyed And as I have already proved to you that if we are regenerated so as our wills are brought over into an intire resignation of our selves to God and Christ then we are accepted of him and then is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us but it is afterward there comes a day of trial either by temptation or affliction or a cloudy dark day may overtake us and therefore it is best for every true Christian to arm themselves for the worst that they may be able to stand in the evil day so whilst we continue in our obedience the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to us and then as the Apostle saith are we complete in him and afterward what sins are not willfully committed will not destroy us because Christ is our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 but let him that standeth take heed lest he fall And St. John saith 1 John 3.6,7,8 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him That is they give themselves no liberty to sin and what is not willingly committed is not imputed Little Children let no man deceive you he that doeth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous That is if we continue in well-doing as I before shewed we have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us for it is said we are complete in him He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifest that be might destroy the works of the Devil That is he that willfully committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil committeth no sin but what he committeth willfully And the Apostle saith 1 John 1.6,7,8,9 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin This is that which makes us appear clean and white in the sight of God But he saith again If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us For we cannot live without sin as sins of infirmity and sins of ignorance and too often overtaken in the sins of Negligence and sometimes overtaken with the Sins of Surprisal Therefore he saith in the 9. v. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteouness That is all our unrighteousnesses upon our Conversion are forgiven if we seek to God by Confession and Contrition And whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 5.46,47,48 For if ye love them which love you what reward have ye do not even the Publicans the same and if ye salute your Brethren only what do ye more than others do not even the Publicans so Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect That is be you perfect or sincere in your Love to others as God was sincere or perfect in his Love to you in that he gave the Son of his Love for you according to his Promise And in Luke 17.5,6 And the Apostles said unto the Lord increase our Faith And the Lord said if ye had Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed you might say to this Sycamine Tree be thou pluck up by the Root and be thou planted in the Sea and it should obey you
it is this World to come that he has been instructing the Church in And also in Ephs 1.17 he saith to the like effect in that he saith The eyes of their understanding being inlightned that ye may know the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the Glory of his Inheritance in the Saints V. 19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his Power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty Power V. 20. Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the Dead and set him on his own right hand in Heavenly places V. 21. Far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this World but also in that which is to come Now what can be this world to come Heaven cannot be said to come which was from all Eternity and we all have held the Saints are to go thither and altho Christ was at that time in Heaven yet the Apostle then speaks of the Power that Christ should have in the World to come by all which we may plainly see that it is that World which is not yet manifest and since it is to come it must be here manifested and David speaking of the Glorious Time Psal 96.10 Say among the Heathen the Lord Reigneth the World also shall be established that it shall not be moved He shall Judg the People Righteously and Govern the Nations upon Earth Now St. Paul speaking of Israel in Heb. 4.3 saith Altho their works were finished from the Foundation of the Word The question is whose works were these that were finished from the Foundation of the World To which I answer It was those whose Carcases fell in the Wilderness because of their unbelief that they murmured and would not Fight for that Kingdom which God had promised them they being then chosen for the Foundation of the World to come Therefore St. Paul saith to them in Heb. 3.9 When your Fathers tempted me proved me and saw my works forty years V. 10. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation and said they do always Err in their Heart and they have not known my ways V. 11. So I sware in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest Now how could the great God say he was grieved if he had determined their Destruction before the Material World was or do we think the Infinite God a deceiver like our Selves But the Apostle in the following verse le ts the then Church understand they stand upon no other terms than Israel then did Therefore he bids them in v. 13. Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the Deceitfulness of sin V. 14. For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end V. 15. Which is said to day if ye will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts as in the Povocation By which we see that our Promises are but conditional Promises as Israels was for he here speaks of himself and the Church in V. 14. Wherein he says we are made partakers of Christ with a proviso That they are not so in but that they may be cast out again And therefore in his following words he says if we hold the beginning of our Confidence stedfast to the end V. 16. For some when they had heard did provoke howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses V. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years was it not with them that had sinned whose Carcases fell in the Wilderness V. 18. And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his Rest but to them that believe not V. 19. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief Now we see they entred not in because of their unbelief And what was this unbelief It was in that they followed not the Lord fully They did believe that the Lord was the true God and that he had promised them a blessing but they were to ingage themselves into a War before they could obtain this blessing but the Enemy appeared too great for them to grapple with Now the Lord told them that they should overcome but they not willing to fight for the Blessing Their Carcases sell in the Wilderness underneath the Lord's displeasure So it is with us we believe there is a God and Christ and that he hath satisfied for sinners even for as many as come to God in and through his Name and this they say they believe and are well pleased with it But when they find it is only such a belief that will stand them in stead in which they must follow the Lord fully then they shrink at it and like it not for they no sooner so believe but they must immediately ingage in a War with the World the Flesh and the Devil And against their own Hearts Thoughts and inclinations Will and Affections or else the Promised Blessing is not to be had This sort of belief by no means they like not of and care not for it but it is so that if we will not wrestle for the blessing we must fall under the Condemnation of God which is Hell Fire And now in a more especial manner it behoves us to wrestle for the Blessing now we are at the brink of Eternal Happiness or misery for when the Lord comes which coming is just at hand and then we shall be judged according to his word which dreadful sentence to the wicked is Go ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels But as St. Paul saith Heb. 4.2.3 Let us therefore fear least a a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come shout of it V. 2. For unto us was the Gospel Preached as well as unto them but the word Preached did not profit them not being mixt with Faith in them that heard it V. 3. For we which have believed do enter into rest In this he speaks of that which is to come as though it were already done as he said As I have sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into my Rest although their works were finished from the foundation of the World As in Numb 14.28,29 Whereas the Lord saith unto them As truly as I live saith the Lord as ye have spoken in mine ears so will I do to you Your Carcasses shall fall in the Wilderness and all that were numbered of you according to your whole number from Twenty Years old and upwards which have murmured against me Doubtless ye shall not come into the land concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein save Caleo the Son of Jephunneh and Joshua the Son of Nun. But your little ones which ye said should be a prey them will I bring in and they shall know the Land which ye have dispised But you may say how could God be angry when he had
their eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth Of certain this is the Battle that is to be fought after Satan is loosed for it is after Christ appears upon Mount Olivet after the Mountain cleaved in the midst for a Receptacle for them that are saved whilst the Earth is renewing after the wicked are destroyed and after Jerusalem is again built After which it is said in the 11th verse There shall be no more utter destruction but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited because none shall make any attempt against them till after the Thousand Years After which Gog and Magog whom the Devil will gather together will come up against Jerusalem whom God will destroy as in the 38th Chapter of Ezekiel and in Rev. 20.9,10 and them that escape the Fire and Hail that comes from Heaven shall pine away as in Zachariah Now having fully proved how some became to be more estranged from God than other some the which was as St. Paul said of Israel that it hapned to them so may it be said of these that it hapned unto them first through the subtle Insinuations of the Devil to them and secondly by their own willful miscarriage when they were again restored to mercy by Christ and again renewed in him And in that Israel will have the preheminence it also was through the Faithfulness of Abraham in his service and in the patient waiting for his promise after the Lord had chosen him And also in that Abraham did offer up his Only Son Isaac for the doing of which the Lord did inlarge his promised blessing to Abraham which was That in him and his Seed all the Families of the Earth should be blessed Gen. 22.17 And had Israel walked in the steps of Abraham according to the Capacity God had put them in their Kingdom had never been destroyed Isa 48.18,19 Jer. 25.5 But God foreseeing they would be wanting to themselves in not keeping his Covenant therefore their destruction was foretold by the Prophets And also because David patiently waited upon the Lord till it was his time to bring him to the Kingdom bearing all his Afflictions till it was the Lord's time to bring him out of them And when he was on the Throne he persisted in his desire of Advancing the Glory of the Lord therefore God made that great Promise to him and his seed as in 2 Sam. 7.14 Now God likewise chose Jeroboam and Jehu to be Kings but they acting contrary to his Commands therefore they were Accursed of him And also they that suffer for God in well doing shall in time to come receive the greater Glory as those that have been most wicked shall receive the greater Punishment And whereas God saith Ezek. 33.13 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely Live If he trust to his own Righteousness and commit Iniquity all his Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Now God here saith when he shall say to the Righteous That he shall surely live yet if he upon the promise of God for Life and for his past Obedience does take a Liberty to do iniquity his past Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity he shall die And so is our Callings and Elections to Life and Salvation that are absolutely promised to us by God Yet if we are wanting to our selves they prove of no effect to us And the case stands so with the wicked For the Lord saith in the 14. v. Again when I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die If he turn from his sin and do that which is Lawful and Right 15. v. If the wicked restore the Pledg give again that he hath robbed walk in Statutes of Life without committing iniquity he shall surely Live he shall not die That is without wilfully committing iniquity By this we also see that if God doth say to the wicked Thou shalt surely die Yet that threatning was not of force no longer than the Man remained sinful of which the Lord in Jer. 36.3 It may be that the House of Judah will hear all the Evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin And also the Lord saith in Jer. 25. from the 3. to the 9. v. But as for those sinners who by their continued custom in sin God has left to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind they cannot come to amendment of Life And God saith in Ezek. 18.21 to the 31. v. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked shall die saith the Lord God and not that he should return from his ways and live Now while the Lord calls to a sinner to Repentance there is power in the sinner to turn from his ways and to seek to God that he may live 25. v. Yet ye say the way of the Lord is not equal Here now O House of Israel is not my way equal are not your ways unequal 30. v. Therefore I will judg you O House of Israel every one according to his ways saith the Lord God repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruin 33. v. Cast away from you all your Trangressions whereby ye have Transgressed and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die O House of Israel 32. v. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord wherefore turn your selves and live ye Now whilst God calls to a People to come to Repentance there is a door open to them for Mercy and then they are not left of God to hardness of Heart and blind ness of mind so as if they do but use their utmost diligence in indeavouring to forsake their sins and go to God by Prayer they shall not want his assistance Now whereas the Apostle saith Eph. 4.28 Let him that stole steal no more So for all other sins there remains a power in us to withstand and make resistance against till such time that through the often refusing obedience to his word and resisting the good motions of his Spirit God leaves them to hardness of Heart and blindness of Mind Now whilst the door of Mercy is open we may cast away all our Transgressions That is take up Resolutions against them and continually beg of God for his Assistance in our Performance And Cant. 1.4 cry out with the Church Lord draw me we will run after thee God hath left us a sure rule if we will take to the means therefore let us walk in the ways of God and keep to our constant duty in Praying and we shall never be
expired then will his Foes be made his Footstool And then as to what is said of the Glorious Kingdom of Christ in Psalm 89. will then be made manifest as in 27. to 37. v. Also I will make him my First-born higher than the Kings of the Earth My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my Covenant shall stand fast with him His Seed also will I make to endure for ever and his Throne as the days of Heaven If his Children forsake my Law and walk not in my Judgments If they break my Statutes and keep not my commandmandments Then will I visit their transgression with the Rod and their iniquity with Stripes Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Nor suffer my Faithfulness to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the things that is gone out of my Lips Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie unto David His seed shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before me It shall be established for ever as the Moon and as a faithful witness in Heaven Selah Here we see that these Promises hath only a reference as to the time of Christ's glorious Kingdom and in the former part of the Psalm it has a reference to David and Solomon and whether or no this promise now in this time hath any further reference as to the Natural Seed of David is uncertain but because of Manassah I am apt to think it might have a further reference to a Line in his Seed and the promise concludes in a single person in that it is said my loving kindness will I not take from him that is Not from David Solomon and Christ when he bore the sins of the World Now the Church is no where mentioned as He but always term'd a She they or them and so in this promise is neither included the Body of the Church in this time or in that time that is to come for then is Israel and as many of us as shall become new Creatures will then be put into such a capacity as never to offend any more and therefore to receive no more stripes but the promise is not so then to Egypt and Syrria therefore to them and others after the Thousand Years there is but upon their offending threatned a temporal punishment as in Zach. 14.17,18 And whereas St. John saith 1 John 5.18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not This he speaks of them whom Christ terms his very Elect who does not wilfully commit sin and who are so secured in Christ that they cannot fall away and also their diligence is so imployed in the ways of God as it is said of them They keep themselves so as the evil one toucheth them not accordingly it is said of them which are to be sealed for the glorious Tabernacle Rev. 14.4 That they followed the Lamb wheresoever he goeth And also 5. v. They were without fault before the Throne of God Therefore if we would know our Election and Calling let us examin our selves how closely we walk with God since it is those that securely stand that keep themselves as the evil one touch them not That is they improve all the grace that God has given them as they are not wanting to themselves but that we do not all so securely stand as I have fully proved by Christ and all the Apostles it being yet but a conditional Covenant but so if we will not be wanting to our selves God will never leave us nor forsake us but as for tryals we must expect But St. Paul saith If we once have the knowledg of the Truth and a belief and delight in the ways of God and then wilfully fall away he then saith There remains no hope Heb. 6.4,5,6 For it is impossible for those that were once inlightned and have tasted of the Heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost And have tasted the good word of God and the Powers of the World to come if they shall fall away to renew them again by repentance seeing they Crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame And also he farther saith in Heb. 10.26 to the 31. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sin But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries He that despised Moses's Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punshment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was Sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight unto the Spirit of Grace For we know him that said Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord. Accordingly it is said in 2 Pet. 2.20,21 The Sin against the Holy Ghost AS to the sin against the Holy Ghost in the Regenerate is one thing and in the unregenerate it is another thing Now we see by those Scriptures before mentioned that wilfully and presumptiously to Sin after we are once Regenerated as to have the knowledg of the Truth so as to tast the good word of God and the Powers of the World to come That is to have a belief in his Word and the experience of the love of God to our Souls after which to fall away and sin wilfully by the words of the Apostles it clearly appears to be the Sin against the Holy Ghost in that he saith They Crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh for which there remains no more Sacrifice for sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment in Fiery Indignation which shall consume the Adversary But to the Unregenerate or outward Church that have not had the saving Knowledg of God they have far larger extent before sin in them is termed the sin against the Holy Ghost which is as far as to the absolute renouncing God and Christ as Witches do or to do a thing in despight to the Spirit of Grace as Julian the Apostate did when he threw dust into the Air in despite and said thou hast overcome me thou Galilean And as to what St. Peter saith of the false Teachers they are in much the like condition for he saith in the 2. chap. 3. ver Through Covetuousness shall they with feigned words make Merchandise of you whose judgment now of a long time lingreth not and their damnation stumbreth not And if we continually check Conscience till it is mute that thereby God leaves them to blindness of Mind and hardness of Heart we have little reason to think that it will prove any other than the sin against the Holy Ghost Now there has been some that I have read of that has been drawn in to sell themselves to the Devil for some
whoever will is permited to come to Christ yet all they that come to him must take his Yoke upon them that is Live in Obedience to him for though Christ remains an Advocate with the Father for Sins of Ignorance and Sins of Infirmity and Sins of Surprizal yet wo be to them that willfully give themselves a liberty to sin Knowingly for Israel was termed the Reprobate Silver so likewise 't is the Christians that relinquish their Obedience is proved the Reprobate and the People of God's Curse to Judgment XII The Great Day of Salvation was when God was in Christ Reconciling the World to Himself which was when the Gentile Nations were first taken into Covenant he then not imputing to them their Trespasses but when they fell into Sin and had no love to the ways of the Lord they were then left to Delusion And therefore then it was not the great day of Salvation when they were all given up to worship the Beast but those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life from the Foundation the which were the Remnant chosen from among Israel from whom the Disciples of Christ sprang and of whom Christ said None should pluck them out of his hand and to whom he promised to be with to the end of the World and likewise that he would forsake none whilst they keep the way XIII Man was intrusted with the Word for his Posterity as Adam was with Eternal Life in Paradice for his and God accordingly laid his commands that they should not add to the Word nor diminish from it and the Lord likewise annexed those great Threatnings to those that should do either Rev. 22.18,19 And the Beast that has deprived the Nations of the Word by which God calls to his Creatures to walk in Newness of Life and he is the Afflicter of them that would yield Obedience to it therefore is the most severe Vengeance pronounced against him but the Elect Remnant was secured by a promise from Christ and by further pertaking of the Spirit of God that we are none of the Remnant that are thus Elected is as clear as the Sun in the Firmament because our Predecessors were all deceived by the Beast by whom the Elect Remnant were never deceived as by the word is proved XIV VVhereas the Apostle saith God worketh all things after the Counsel of his own Will The Apostle only had his referrence to the great works that properly belong to God in carrying on of Man's Redemption and aiso in Electing some and setting a door of Mercy open to others and in determining that the great Glory should be for the heirs of the world to come unto whom the Election did appertain for not only the Remnant and First Churches but Israel will then be the Lords Elect and likewise all them that are found in their Obedience though not Elected will come in by Christ as heirs with them to the promised Reward but the Electing or Fore-choosing was according to the will of God who according to his abundant Mercy to the heirs of Promise will in the time to come establish his Everlasting Covevenant and these are the Jacob that he Loved for Esau and Jacob were made the Representatives of the two Worlds Esau of this World and Jacob of that which is to come as is proved and they of this World generally sell their Birth-right for a mess of Pottage rather then they will wrestle with an Affliction or withstand a Temptation they will part with the hope for promised Reward which is the Crown of Life and therefore God said Jacob have I Loved and Esau have I Hated for all are in this time to wrestle with the Lord for the Blessing as Jacob did For tho' the Election was not attained by their Willing and Running yet the promised reward is to be attain'd by them that so doth whether Elect or not Elect for all that are found in their Obedience in this time comes in as heirs to the Promises But before Esau or Jacob had done Good or Evil God only said The Elder should serve the Younger And this was so ordered by the determinate Counsel of God that the Elder should serve the Younger That is all that does not come in as the seed of Jacob to be heirs to the World to come the rest that are then spared of this Elder World or Esau Generation are then given as Daughters and Servants to Israel and servants of them that are so as is proved Thus God as the Potter has power over his Clay to make one Vessel to honour and another to dishonour but not that God did make any Vessel to do Evil that thereby they might become a Vessel to Dishonour XV. And though God said That he will shew Mercy on whom he will shew Mercy and whom he will he hardneth yet his Will is guided as he is the fountain of all Reason with greater Reason than we can imagin For after God had chosen Abraham it was then according to his obedient walking that he became heir to the Promises for which Promise sake God did at the appointed time appear to deliver Israel and so he will again at the appointed time but then for Pharoah's Cruelty and inhumane slavery to Israel God did then for his Sin harden him in unbelief so as he should not believe the Miracles done by Moses that thereby he might shew his power on him by destroying him and his Army in the Red Sea and therefore as in the margent of the Bible it is said God made him stand That is Stand in the place of power that he was in till he himself came in the Clouds to destroy him in the Sea So likewise tho God Elected some of Israel and left a door of Mercy open to others and left others of them to Blindness yet it was those that were left to Blindness that was most wicked among them and such as had the greater power to promote the knowledge of the fear of â—…e Lord but none of them that were found in obedient waâ—king were left of him to Blindness for unto them was the word of this Salvation sent Acts 13.26 and it is those that refuse Obedience to the same that falls under the Eternal Judgment whilst others that does but ignorantly offend will be beaten with fewer stripes Luke 12.48 And there is a Redemption in the VVorld to come for some and none shall be punished in that body in which they never took pleasure to commit Iniquity Now whereas the Apostle saith God worketh all things the word all in Scripture doth not include the whole as I have els-where proved XVI And God is not the author of the evil of Sin although he is the author of the evil of Punishment but upon mans repenting and returning God hath often repented him of the Evil he thought to do unto them as by the word is proved Jer. 18.7,8,9,10 Joel 2.13,14 Jonah 3.9,10 Gen. 6.6,7 Ezek. 18.20,21,22,23,24 Ezek. 33.18,19