of the bridegroom and as Nazianzen I thank God I have a little learning to sacrifice to Christ. such a Precedent is worth the printing Thirdly that had not this course been taken a worse might have befallen directly contrary to the will of the godly Bishop For some of these notes were in the hands of divers persons who were much taken with them and much desired and it was feared might have endeavoured a private printing of them more imperfectly then now you have them That faithfull Minister mentioned in the frontispiece whose Latine Epistle is prefixed having with much adoe got this Copy out of their hands thought as the rest who have attested it 't was much better to publish these as now you see them then to indanger the creeping out of a more surreptitious Copy The general subject of these Sermons is of Conversion and so mightily did the Lord blesse them not only to the Edificationâ— and Consolation of very many but also to the Conversion as we have good cause to judge of some I will say no more the Name of Doctor Usher by which he is more known to some and the Name of the most Reverend and Learned Father of our Church Doctor James Usher late Arch Bishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland by which he is more known to others not onely in these our Kingdomes but in forreign parts his great and good Name I say every where as oyntment poured forth prefixed before this Book though with some allay is enough to raise high Expectation of whatsoever cometh after these words and is argument enough to invite the Reader to look within and read them over and then he will find the least filing of this Master workmans Gold very precious Good Wine they say needs no bush and if this Wine was so sweet at first running I presume whosoever tasts it now though he have it but at the second or third hand will find it hath not altogether lost its strength nor will he repent his labour in reading what was taken after him if he be one that desires to profit his soul more then to please his Palat. That out of the ashes of this Phoenix the Lord would raise such successors as may by Pen Life and Doctrine do as this burning and shining Light hath done before them is the prayer but scarce the belief of him that prayeth for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem and therein hopeth to have his share in the Concurrent prayers of every Godly Reader Stanley Gower Dorchester October the third 1659. Speedy Conversion the onely means to prevent imminent Destruction Heb. 4.7 Again he limiteth a certain day saying in David to day after so long a time as it is said to day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts I Have enter'd on these words in the other Vniversity on a day of Publique Humiliation as being suitable to the occasion the chief matter of them being the Doctrine of the Conversion of a sinner Forasmuch as Gods judgments are abroad upon the earth and hang over our heads the only means to prevent and remove both temporal and eternal is our speedy conversion and return unto God Else he will whet his sword bend his bow and make it ready to our destruction Psal. 7.12 God did bear a deadly hatred against sin in the time of the Psalmist and so he doth still for his nature cannot be changed If we return not we are but dead men The eternal weight of Gods wrath will be our portion both here and in the world to come if we repent not In the words there are three observable Points 1. Continuance in sin brings certain death Or For sin Gods judgments are on particular Nations and persons 2. If particular Nations or persons turn away from their evil courses no hurt shall come near them God takes no delight in the death of a sinner nor that he should despair of his mercy but would have us turn out of the broad way which leads to destruction 3. It behooves every one speedily to set about the work of conversion Nor esteem this a vain word I bring you those things whereon your life depends Obeying it you are made for ever neglecting it you are undone for ever Unless you embrace this message God will bend his bow and make ready his arrows against you Know therefore 1. That continuance in sin brings certain death There will be no way of escaping but by repentance by coming in speedily unto God The words of this Text are taken from Psal. 95. Harden not your hearts as in the provocation and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness If when God calls us either to the doing of this or leaving that undone yet we are not moved but continue in our evil wayes What 's the reason of it It 's because we harden our hearts against him The Word of God which is the power of God to salvation and a two-edged sword to sever between the joynts and the marrow The strength of the Almighty encounters with our hard hearts and yet they remain like the stony and rocky ground whereon though the Word be plentifully sown yet it fastens no root there and though for a season it spring yet suddenly it fades and comes to nothing We may have a little motion by the Word yet there 's a rock in our souls a stone in our hearts and though we may sometimes seem to receive it with some affection and be made as it were Sermon-sick yet it holds but a while it betters us not why because it 's not received as an ingrafted word Therefore saith St. James Receive with meeknesse the ingrafted word Jam. 1.21 Let the word be ingrafted in thee one sprig of it is able to make thee grow up to everlasting life Be not content with the hearing of it but pray God it may be firmly rooted in your hearts this will cause a softning To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts against Almighty God If you do expect him also to come against you in indignation Hearken what he saith by his Prophet I will search Jerusalem with candles and punish the men that are setled on their lees that say in their heart the Lord will not do good neither will he do evil Zeph. 1.12 Mark I will search Jerusalem and punish those that are setled on their lees When a man is thus setled and resolved to go on in his sins to put the matter to the hazard come what will come there 's a kind of Atheism in the soul. For what do's he but in a manner reply when God tells him by his Minister that he is preparing the instruments of death against him do you think us such fools to believe it What does this but provoke God to swear that we shall never enter into his rest What 's the reason of this It 's because men are not shifted they have no change they
is so bad with them Therefore take this home to your selves think no better of your selves then you are for thus you are naturally Therefore consider if thou wert now going out of the world what state thou art in a child of wrath a child of Belial or the like Set about the work speedily goe to God pray and cry earnestly give thy self no rest till thou know this to be thy condition Let not thy corrupt nature deceive thee to make thee think better of thy self then God saith thou art Now that we may the better know to whom these things belong know it is thou and I we all have been or are in this estate till we have supernatural grace and therefore we are declared to be children of wrath and children of disobedience till regenerated Why It 's because it 's thy nature it belongs to all Now we know the common nature alwayes appertaines to the same kind There 's nothing natural but is common with the kind If then by nature we are children then certainly it belongs to every Mothers son of us for we are all sons of Adam In Adam we all die Rom. 5. That 's the fountain whence all misery flowes to us As thou receivedst thy nature so the corruption of thy nature from him for he begat a son in his own likenesse This therefore is the condition of every one The Apostle in 1 Cor. 15. speaks of two men the first was from the earth earthy the second was the Lord from heaven What were there not many millions and generations more True but there were not more men like these men of men two head men two fathers of all other men There were but two by whom all must stand or fall but two such men By the fall of the first man we all fell and if we rise not by the second man we are yet in our sins If he rise not we cannot be risen We must rise or fall by him He is the Mediator of the second Covenant If he rise and we are in him we shall rise with him but if not we are dead still So it is in the first Adam we all depend on him he is the root of all mankind It 's said in Esay 53. Our Saviour should rejoyce to see his seed His seed that is to say he is the common father of all mankind I mean of all those that shall proceed from him by spiritual generation He shall present them to his father as when one is presented to the University Behold here am I and the children that thou hast given me So in Adam he being the head of the covenant of nature that is the Law if he had stood none of us had fallen if he fall none of us all can stand He is the peg on which all the keyes hang if that stand they hang fast but if that fall they fall with it As we see in matter of bondage if the father forfeit his liberty and become a bondman all his children are bondmen to a hundred generations here is our case We were all once free but our father hath forfeited his liberty and if he become a slave he cannot beget a free-man When our Saviour tells the Jewes of being free-men We were never bond-men say they though it be false for even Cicero himself could tell a Jew that he was a slave genus hominum ad servitium natum although they had a good opinion of themselves But our Saviour saith you are bond-mâ—n unto sin and Satan For till the Son make you free you are all bond-men but when he makes you free then are you free indeed So that we see our condition here set down 1. We are dead in trespasses and sins that is there is an indisposition in us to all good works A dead man cannot walk or speak or do any act of a living man so these cannot do the actions of men that are quickned and enlivened they cannot pray with the spirit they cannot love God c. they cannot doe those things that shall be done hereafter in heaven There 's not one good duty which this natural man can do If it should be said unto him Think but one good thought and for it thou shalt go to heaven he could not think it Till God raise him from the sink of sin as he did Lazarus from the grave he cannot doe any thing that is well-pleasing unto God He may do the works of a moral man but to do the works of a man quickned and enlightned it 's beyond his power For if he could do so he must then have some reward from God for however we deny the merit of good works yet we deny not the reward of good works to a man that is in Christ. There 's no proportionable merit in a cup of cold water and the Kingdom of heaven yet he that gives a cup of cold water to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple shall not lose his reward Here then is the point The best thing that a natural man doth cannot so relish with God as that he should take delight in it or reward it whereas the least good thing that comes from another root from a quickned spirit is acceptable and well-pleasing to him Consider for this end that which is set down Prov. 15.8 Take the best works of a natural man his prayers or sacrifice and see there what is said The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. It is said again Prov. 21.27 where there are additions The prayers of the wicked are an abomination to the â—ord how much more when he brings it with a wicked mind Suppose there should come upon this man a fit of devotion where he hath or should have some good motions is it then accepted no it is so far from being accepted that it is an Abomination to God how much more then if he brings it with a wicked mind That is if he bring it not with a wicked mind it is an abomination how much more with it See the case set down in Haggai 2.12 13 14. If one bear holy flesh c. shall he be unclean And the Priest answered no. Then said Haggai if an unclean person touch any of these shall it be unclean And he said it shall be unclean Then answered Haggai so is this people so is this nation before me saith the Lord and so is every work of their hands it is unclean A man may not say prayer is a sin because it is so in them no it 's a good duty but spoil'd in the carriage He marrs it in the carriage and therefore in stead of doing a good work he spoils it and so in stead of a reward must look for punishment 1 Tim. 1 5. The end of the Commandement is love out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfeigned Let the things thou doest be according to the Commandement look what thou doest be according to the middle end and
forsaken the fountain of life art liable to everlasting death And for this see some places of Scripture Rom. 6.2 3. The wages of sin is death Consider then first what this wages is Wages is a thing which must be paid If you have an hireling and your hireling receive not his wages you are sure to hear of it and God will hear of it too James 5.4 He which keeps back the wages of the labourer or of the hireling their cry will come into the eares of the Lord of Sabbath As long as hirelings wages are unpaid Gods eares are filled with their cries Pay me my wages pay me my wages So sin cries and it is a dead voice Pay me my wages pay me my wages the wages of sin is death And sin never leaves crying never lets God alone never gives him rest till this wages be paid When Cain had slain Abel he thought he should never have heard any more on 't but sin hath a voice The voice of thy brothers blood cries unto me from the ground So Gen. 18.20 the Lord saith concerning Sodom Because the cry of Sodom is great and their sin very grievous therefore I will goe down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come up into mine eares As if the Lord had said It 's a loud cry I can have no rest for it therefore I will goe down and see c. If a man had his eares open he would continually hear sin crying unto God Pay me my wages pay me my â—ages kill this sinful soul And though we do not hear it yet so it is The dead and doleful sound thereof fillâ— Heaven it makes God say I will goe down and see c. Till sin receive its wages God hath no rest Again see Rom. 7.11 Sin taking occasion by the commandement deceived me and by it slew me I thought sin not to have been so great a matter as it is We think on a matter of profit or pleasure and thereupon are enticed to sin but here 's the mischieâ— sin dâ—ceives us Iâ— is a weight it presses down it deceâ—â—es men it 's more then they deemed it to be The committing of sin is as it were running thy self upon the point of Gods blade Sin at first may flâ—â—ter thee but it will deceive thee It 's like Joabs kisse to Amasa Amasa was not aware of the spear that was behind till he smote it into his ribs that he died When sin entices thâ—e on by profits and pleasures thou art not aware that it will slay thee But thou shalt find it will be bitternesse in the end A sinner that acts a tragedy in sin shall have a bloody Catastrophe Rom. 6. What fruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed Blood and death is the end of the Tragedy The end of those things is death The sting of death is sin 1 Cor. 15. What is sin It 's the sting of death Death would not be death unlesse sin were in it Sin is more deadly then death it self It 's sin enableth death to sting enableth it to hurt and wound us So that we may look on sin as the Barbarians looked on the viper on Pauls hand they expected continually when he would have swollen and burst Sin bites like a snake which is called a fiery serpent not that the serpent is fiery but because it puts a man into such a flaming heat by their poyson And such is the sting of sin which carries poyson in it that had we but eyes to see our uglinesse by it and how it inflames us we should continually every day look when we should burst with it The Apostle James 1.15 useth another metaphor Sin when it is accomplished bringeth forth death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Original sin goeth as it were with child with death The word is proper to women in labour who are in torment till they are delivered Now as if sin were this woman he useth it in the faeminine gender 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So is it with sin sin is in pain cries out hath no rest till it be delivered of this dead birth till it have brought forth death That is sin growes great with child with death and then it not only deserves death but it produceth and actually brings forth This is generally so Now consider with your selves death is a fearful thing When we come to talk of death how doth it amaze us The Priests of Nob are brought before Saul for relieving David and he saith Thou shalt surely die Ahimelech And this is your case you shall surely die death is terrible even to a good man As appeares in Hezekiah who though he were a good man yet with how sad a heart doth he entertain the message of death the newes of it affrighted him it went to his heart it made him turn to the wall and weep How cometh it to pass that we are so careless of death that we are so full of infidelity that when the word of God saith Thou shalt die Ahimelech we are not at all moved by it What can we think these are fables Do we think God is not in earnest with us And by this means we fall into the temptation of Eve a questioning whether Gods threats are true or not That which was the deceit of our first Parents is ours Satan disputes not whether sin be lawful or not whether eating the fruit were unlawful whether drunkennesse c. be lawful he 'l not deny but it is unlawful But when God saith If thou dost eat c. thou shalt die he denies it and saith ye shall not die He would hide our eyes from the punishment of sin Thus we lost our selves at the first and the floods of sin came on in this manner when we believed not God when he said If thou dost eat thou shalt surely die And shall we renew that capital sin of our Parents and think if we do sin we shall not die If any thing in the world will move God to shew us no mercy it 's this when we slight his judgments or not believe them This adds to the heigth of all our sins that when God saith if thou dost live in sin thou shalt die and yet we will not believe him that when he shall come and threaten us as he doth Deut. 29. when he shall curse and we shall bless our selves in our hearts and say we shall have peace though we goe on c. The Lord will not spare that man but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against him It is no small sin when we will not believe God This is as being thirsty before we now adde drunkennesse to our thirst That is when God shall thus pronounce curses he shall yet blesse himself and say I hope I shall doe well enough for all that There are two words to that bargain Then see what follows The anger of the Lord and his
rather and they have expressed it to be torn in pieces by wild horses so they might be freed from the horrours in their consciences When the conscience recoyles and beats back upon it self as a musket o're charged it turns a man over and over And this is a terrible thing This sometimes God gives men in this world And mark where the word is most powerfully preacht there is this froth most rais'd which is the cause many men desire not to come where the word is taught because it galls their consciences and desire the Masse rather because they say the Masse bites not They desire a dead Minister that would not rub up their consciences they would not be tormented before the time They would so but it shall not be at their choise God will make them feel here the fire of hell which they must endure for ever hereafter This is the sensible blow when God le ts loose the conscience of a wicked man and he needs no other fire no other worm to torment nothing else to plague him he hath a weapon within him his own conscience which if God lets loose it will be hell enough 2. But now besides this blow which is not so frequent there is another more common and more insensible blow God saith he is a dead man and a slave to sin and Satan and he thinks himself the freest man in the world God curses and strikes and he feels it not This is an insensible blow and like unto a dead palsie Thou art dead and yet walkest about and art merry though every one that hath his eyes open seeth death in thy face O this deadnesse this senselesnesse of heart is the heaviest thing as can befal a sinner in this life It is the cause the Apostle speaks of in the Rom. when God delivers up a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a reprobate mind And so in the Epistle to the Ephes. 4.19 declares such a man to be past feeling Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousnesse to work uncleannesse even with greedinesse Although every sin as I told you before is as it were the running a mans self on the point of Gods sword yet these men being past feeling run on on on to câ—mmit sin with greedinesse till they come to the very pit of destruction they run a main to their confusion When this insensibleness is come upon them it is not Gods goodnesse that can work upon them Who art thou that despisest the riches of Gods goodnesse not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth unto repentance It is not Gods judgments that will move them they leave no impression as Rev. 9.20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands that they should not worship Devils c. brass nor stone and wood which neither can see nor hear nor walk They repented not though they were spared but worshipped Gods which cannot see not hear noâ— speak so brutish were they to be led away by stocks and stones I think the Papist Gods cannot doe it unlesse it be by couzenage yet such is their senselesnesse that though Gods fury be revealed from heaven against Papists such as worship false Gods yet are they so brutish that they will worship things which can neither hear nor see nor walk They that made them are like unto them and so are all they that worship them as brutish as the stocks themselves They have no heart to God but will follow after their Puppets and their Idols and such are they also that follow after their drunkennesse covetousnesse c. Who live in lasciviousness lusts excess of riot 1 Pet. 4.2 that run into all kind of excess and marvel that you do not so too They marvel that ye that fear God can live as ye do and speak evil of you that be good call such hypocrites dissemblers and I know not what nick-names This I say is a most woful condition it 's that dead blow When men are not sensible of mercies of judgments but run into all excesse of sin with greedinesse and this is a death begun in this life even while they are above ground But then comes another death God doth not intend sin shall grow to an infinite weight His Spirit shall not always strive with man but at length God comes and crops him off and now cometh the consummation of the death begun in this life Now cometh an accursed death 3. After thou hast lived an accursed life then cometh an accomplishment of curses First a cursed separation between body and soul and then of both from God for ever and that is the last payment This is that great death which the Apostle speaks of Who hath delivered us from that great death So terrible is that death This death is but the severing of the body from the soul This is but the Lords Harbinger the Lords Serjeant to lay his Mace on thee to bring thee out of this world into a place of everlasting misery from whence thou shalt never come till all be satisfied and that is never First Consider the nature of this death which though every man knoweth yet few lay to heart This death what doth it First It takes from thee all the things which thou spentst thy whole life in getting It robs thee of all the things thou ever hadst Thou hast taken paines to heap and treasure up goods for many years presently when this blow is given all is gone For honour and preferment it takes thee from that pleasure in idle company keeping it barrs thee of that Mark this is the first thing that death doth it takes not onely away a part of that thou hast but all it leaves thee quite naked as naked as when thou camest into the world Thou thoughtst it was thy happinesse to get this and that Death now begins to unbewitch thee thou wast bewitcht before when thou didst run after all worldly things thou wast deceived before and now it undeceives thee it makes thee see what a notorious fool thou wast it unbefools thee Thou hadst many plots and many projects but when thy breath is gone then all thy thoughts perish all thy plottings and projectings goe away with thy breath A strange thing to see a man with Job the richest man in the East and yet in the evening we say as poor as Job He hath nothing left him now Now though death takes not all things from thee yet it takes thee from them all all thy goods all thy books all thy wealth all thy friends thou mayst now bid farewel now adieu for ever never to see them again And that is the first thing 2. Now death rests not there but cometh to seize upon thy body It hath bereaved thee of all that thou possessedst of all thy outward things that 's taken away Now it comes to touch his person and see what then It toucheth him it rents his soul
forgettest thy Maker You have seen the main the ring â—â—aders which are these fearful faithlesse dastardly unbelieving men Now see what the filthy rabble is that followeth after and they are Abominable Murtherers c. Abominable that is unnatural such as pollute themselves with things not fit to be named but to be abhorred whether it be by themselves or with others They are the abominable here meant such as Sodome and Gomorrah who were set forth to such as an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire Jude v. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such are abominable being given up to unnatural lust Let them carry it never so secretly yet are they herâ— ranked amongst the rest and shall have their portion in the burning lake After these come Sorcerers Idolaters Lyars Though these may be spoken fairly of by men yet cannot that shelter them from the wrath of God they shall likewise have their part in this lake when they come to a reckoning If there be I say a generation of people that worship these say what you will of them when they come to receive their wages they shall receive their portion in that burning lake with hypocrites Those that make so fair a shew before men and yet nourish hypocrisie in their hearts these men though in regard of the outward man they so behave themselves that none can say to them black is their eye though they cannot be charged with those notorious things before mentioned yet if there be nothing but hypocrisie in their hearts let it be spun with never so fair a web never so fine a thred yet they shall have their portion in the lake they shall have their part their portion c. Then it seems these of this black guard have a peculiar interest unto this place And as it is said of Judas Acts 1.25 that he was gone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to his proper place So long as a man that is an enemy to Christ and yeilds him not obedience is out of hell so long is he out of his place Hell is the place assigned to him and prepared for him he hath a share there and his part and portion he must have till he come thither he is but a wanderer The Evangelist tells us that the Scribes and Pharisees went about to gain Profelytes and when they had all done they made them seven times more the children of hell then themselves filios Gehennae So that a Father hath not more right in his son then Hell hath in them He is a vessel of wrath fill'd top full of iniquity and a child of the Devils So that as we say the gallows will claim its right so hell will claim its due But mistake me not all this that I speak concerning Hell is not to terrifie and affright men but by forewarning them to keep them thence For after I have shewn you the danger I shall shew you a way to escape it and how the Lord Jesus was given to us to deliver us from this danger But if you will not hear but will try conclusions with God then you must to your proper place to the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone A Lake 't is a River a flaming River as Tophet is described to be a lake burning with fire and brimstone a Metaphor taken from the judgment of God on Sodome and Gomorrah as in that place of St. Jude before mentioned as also in 2 Pet. 2.6 where 't is said God turned the Cities of Sodom into ashes making them an example to all them that should after live ungodly Mark the judgment of God upon these abominable men the place where they dwelt is destroyed with fire and the situation is turn'd into a lake full of filthy bituminous stuff called Lâ—cus Asphaltites which was made by their burnings And this is made an instance of the vengeance of God and an Embleme of eternal fire therefore said he you shall have your portion with Sodome Nay shall I speak a greater word with Christ and tell you that though they were so abominable that the Lake was denominated from them yet it shall be easier for Sodome and Gomorrah then for you if you repent not while you may but goe on to despise Gods grace But can there be a greater sin then the sin of Sodome I answer yes For make the worst of the sin of Sodome it is but a sin against nature But thy impenitency is a sin against grace and against the Gospel and therefore deserves a hotter hell and an higher measure of judgment in this burning pit But what is this second death 2. Sure it hath reference to some first death or other going before A man would as it is commonly thought think that this second death is opposed to that first death which is the harbinger to the second and separates the soul from the body but it 's far otherwise That alas is but a petty thing and deserves not to be put in the number of deaths The second death in the Text hath relation to the first Resurrection Rev. 20 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath his portion in the first resurrection on such the second death shall have no power The first death is that from whence we are acquitted by the first resurrection and that is the death for that is a kind of death as S. Paul speaking of a wicked and voluptuous widow saith she is dead while she liveth and the time shall come and now is when they that are dead shall hear the voice of the Son of man and they that hear shall live And again Let the dead bury their dead So that the first resurrection is when a man hearing the voice of the Minister is rouzed up from the sleep of sin and carnal security and the first death is the opposite thereunto So that the death of the body is no death at all for if it were then this were the third death For there would be a death of sin a death of the body and a death of body and soul This death of the body is but a flea-biting in comparison of the other two This second death is the separation of the body and soul from God and this death is the wages of sin and God must not will not lie in arrear to sin but will pay its wages to the full All the afflictions a wicked man meeteth withal here are but as Gods press money and part of payment of that greater summe But when he dies the whole summe comes then to be paid Before he did but sip of the cup of Gods wrath but he must then drink up the dregs of it down to the bottome and this is the second death It 's called death Now death is a destruction of the parts compounded a man being compounded of body and soul both are by this death eternally destroyed That death like Sampson pulling down the pillars whereby it was sustained pulled down the house draws down the tabernacles
some shew of Religion in it He whipt both out not only those that had residence there but those that passed through he would suffer none but those that could justifie what they did by the Law Now as God would not have sin lodge make its abode in the soul so he would not have it made a thorow fare for sin he would not have vain thoughts come up and down in the hearts Now By the Law comes the knowledge of these secret sins Reason is a glasse much to be esteemed for what it can shew but it is not a perfect glasse sometimes it shewes a sin but mâ—ny times diminishes it that we cannot see it in full proportion The Apostle makes this use of the Law that by it sin became exceeding sinful Thou mayst see sin to be sin by natural reason but to see it exceeding sinful this morality comes short of thou must have this from the Law of God 5. There is another false glasse when the Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light when he preacheth Goâ—pel to a man Beware of â—he doctrine when the deceiver preacheth This may be his doctrine He that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved From this by Satans cunning delusion the natural man thus concludes A meer heathen shall be shut out of Heaven gates but I believe in the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost therefore I am in a good condition Why then should I trouble my self any further there is no man can accuse me and my own good works will testifie unto me that I do enough Strâ—ctnesse in Religion is troublenesse and it is an unreasonable thing to do more but this is but a meer delusion of Satan for there is nothing more quiet and satisfies a man then Religion there 's nothing in the world more reasonable then the service of God First then know thy disease and then apply those sweet balms It is no easie matter for a man to believe we block out the strait wayes of God if we think it an easie matter to believe of our selves It must be done by the mighty power of God It 's as great a work of God as the Creation of the world to make a man believe It 's the mighty power of God to salvation Such a one must not receive Christ as a Saviour but as a Lord too He must renounce all to have him must take him on his own terms He must deny the world and all looking before hand what it will cost him Now for a man to take Christ as his Lord denying himself the world and all to resolve to pluck out his right eye cut off his right hand rather then to part with him and account nothing so dear to him as Christ is no small matter Thou canst not be Christs Spouse unlesse thou forsake all for him Thou must account all things as dung and drosse in comparison of him and is not this a difficult thing is this an easie task Easily spoken indeed not as easily done it must be here as in the case of mariage a man must forsake all others yea the whole world else Christ will not own him Observe the speech of the Apostle Eph. 1.19 What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward that believe c. Mark is to believe so easie a matter think you why unlesse the mighty power of God be engaged for it with that strength as it was engaged in raising Christ from the dead it cannot be When thou art to believe and be united unto Christ the agreement is not that thou shalt take him as thy wife and thou shalt be his husband No he must be thy husband and thou must obey him Now for a man to be brought out of his natural condition and to take Christ on any termes so he may be saved by him in the end is not so easie Canst thou think there is no more required but onely the outward Baptism or that there is no more in Baptism but the outward washing of the flesh No He 's not a Jew that is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is in the flesh but he 's a Jew that is so inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart Thou then entrest into Gods livery Mark this for by it I strive onely to bring thee back to thy self Thou entrest into covenant with him thou bindest thy self to forsake the world the flesh and the Devil and we should make this use of Baptism as now to put it in practice When we promised there were two things in the Indenture one that God will give Christ to us the other that we must forsake all the sinful lusts of the flesh this is that makes Baptism to be Baptism indeed to us The other thing required is that we forsake all Rom. 6.2 It is not confined to the very act but it hath a perpetual effect all the dayes of thy life I add it never hath its full effect till the day of our death till the abolition of the whole body of sin That which we seal is not compleat till then till we have final grace The water of Baptism quenches the fire of Purgatory for it is not accomplished till final grace is received We are now under the Physicians hands then shall we be cured Baptism is not done onely at the Font which is a thing deceives many for it runs through our whole life nor hath it consummation till our dying day till we receive final grace the force and efficacy of Baptism is for the washing away of sin to morrow as well as the day past the death of sin is not till the death of the body and therefore it s said we must be buried with him by Baptism into his death Now after death we receive final grace till when this washing and the vertue thereof hath not its consummation Let no man therefore deceive you with vain words take heed of looking on your selves in these false glasses think it not an easy thing to get Heaven the way is strait and the passage narrow There must be a striving to enter there must be an ascending into Heaven a motion contrary to nature And therefore it 's folly to think we shall drop into Heaven there must be a going upward if ever we will come thither EPH. 2.1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins where in times past you walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince that ruleth in the Aire the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Amongst whom also c. THe last time I declared unto you the duty that was necessarily required of us if we look to be saved that we must not onely take the matter speedily into consideration and not be deluded by our own hearts and the wiles of Satan but that we must not do it superficially or perfunctorily but must bring our selves to the true touchstone and not look
upon our selves with false glasses because there is naturally in every one self-love and in these last and worst times men are apt to think better of themselves then they deserve If there be any beginning of goodnesse in them they think all is well when there is no danger in the world then being but half Christians He thinks that if he hath escaped the outward pollutions of the world through lust and be not so bad as formerly he hath been and not so bad as many men in the world are therefore he is well enough whereas his end proves worse then his beginning This superficial repentance is but like the washing of a hog the outside is onely wash't the swinish nature is not taken a way There may be in this man some outward abstaining from the common grosse sins of the world or those which he himself was subject unto but his disposition to sin is the same his nature is nothing changed there is no renovation no casting in a new mould which must be in us For it is not a little reforming will serve the turn no nor all the morality in the world nor all the common graces of Gods Spirit nor the outward change of the life they will not do unlesse we are quickned and have a new life wrought in us unlesse there be a supernatural working of Gods Spirit we can never enter into Heaven Therefore in this case it behooves every man to prove his own work Gal. 6. A thing men are hardly drawn unto to be exact examiners of themselves Coelo descendit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Heathen himself could say to know a mans self is a heavenly saying and it 's an heavenly thing indeed if we have an heavenly Master to teach us The Devil taught Socrates a lesson that brought him from the study of natural to moral Philosophy whereby he knew himself yet the Devil knew morality could never teach him the lesson indeed All the morality in the world cannot teach a man to escape Hell we must have a better instructer herein then the Devil or our selves the Lord of Heaven must do it if ever we will be brought to know our selves aright St. Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel one of the learnedst Doctors of the Pharisees and yet he could not teach him this When he studied the law he thought himself unblameable but coming to an higher and better Master he knows that in him that is in his flesh dwells no good thing Rom. 7. By self examination a man may finde mâ—ny faults in himself but to find that which the Apostle afterwards found in himself to see the flesh a rottenness the sink of iniquity that is within him and to find himself so bad as indeed he is unlesse it please the Lord to open his eyes and to teach him he can never attain it Now we come to this place of the Apostle wherein we see the true glasse of our selves the Spirit knows what we are better then our selves and the Spirit shews us that every man of us either was or is such as we are here set down to be We are first natural before we can be spiritual there is not a man but hath been or is yet a natural man and tâ—â—â—efore see we the large description of a natural man before he is quickned before God which is rich in mercy enlivens him being dead in sins and saves him by grace in Christ. Thus is it with us all and thus must it be and we shall never be fit for grace till we know our selves thus far till we know our selves as far out of frame as the Spirit of truth declares us to be In this place of Scripture consider we 1. Who this carnal man is what they are which the Apostle speaks of to be dead in sins and that walk after the course of the world led by the Devil and have their conversation after the flesh children of wrath These are big words and heavy things Consider therefore first the subject of whom this is spoken Then follows the Pâ—aedicate or 2. What thâ— till newes is which he delivers of them We begin with the first 1. Who they are of whom this is spoken and that is you You hath he quickned who were dead and ye in the words following that in times past walked after the course of the world and in the third verse more particularly Among whom we had our conversation also in times past He speaks now in the first person as before in the second so that the subject is we and ye all Not a man in this Congregation but is or was as bad as the Holy Ghost here makes him But 2. To come to that which is delivered of him he is one not quickned dead in sins no better then nature made him that corrupt nature which he hath from Adam till he is thus spiritually enlivened Now he 's described 1. By the quality of his person 2. By his company Even as others Thou mayst think thy self better then another man but thou art no better never a barrel the better herring as we say Even as others thou art not so alone but as bad as the worst not a man more evil in his nature then thou art When thou goest to hell perhaps some difference there may be in your several punishments according to your several acts of rebellion but yet you shall all come short of the glory of God And for matter of quickning you are all alike 1. First then concerning their quality And this is declared 1. By their general disposition they are dead in trespasses and sins Dead and therefore unable and indisposed to the works of a spiritual living man Besides not onely indisposed and unable thereto but dead in trespasses and sins He lies rotting in his own filth like a rotten carkasse and stinkking carrion in the nostrils of the Almighty so loathsome is he all which is drawn from original sin Not onely dis-enabled to any good but prone to all sin and iniquity 2. By his particular conversation And that appeares in the verse following Where in times past ye walked How Not according to the word and will of God not according to his rule but they walked after three other wicked rules A dead man then hath his walk you see a strange thing in the dead but who directs him in his course these three the world the flesh and the Devil the worst guides that may be yet if we look to the conversation of a natural man we see these are his Pilots which are here set down 1. The World Where in times past ye walked after the course of the world He swims along with the stream of the world Nor will he be singular not such a precise one as some few are but do as the world doth run amain whither that carries him See the state of a natural man He 's apt to be brought into the slavery of the world This
is his first guide then follows 2. The Second which is the Devil The Devil leads him as well as the World According to the Prince of the power of the Aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience In stead of having the Spirit of God to be led by he 's posted by the Spirit of Saâ—an and the works of his Father the Devil he will doe He hath not an heart to resist the viâ—est lusts the Devil shall perswade him to When Satan once fills his heart he hath no heart to any thing else then to follow him 3. There remains the Flesh his guide too and that 's not left out v. 3. Amongst whom we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind So that you see the three guides of a natural man and he is as bad as these three can make him and till the stronger man comes and pulls him out in this condition he remains and in this natural estate he is a son of disobedience We see then the state of disobedience described to be wretchednesse 3. This further appeares by that which must follow which is cursednesse Rebellion and wretchednesse going before cursednesse will follow For God will not be abused nor suffer a Rebel to go unpunished Therefore saith the Apostle We are by nature the children of wrath Being the natural sons of disobedience we may well conclude we are the children of wrath If we can well learn these two things of our selves how deep we are in sin and how the wrath of God is due to us for our sins then we may see what we are by Nature Thus much concerning the quality of a natural man Next follows 2. His company Even as others By nature we are the children of wrath even as others That is to say we go in that broad wide way that leads to damnation that way we all naturally rush into though we may think it otherwise and think our selves better yet we are deceived For it is with us even as with others Naturally we are in the same state that the worst men in the world are so that we see the glasse of a natural man or of a man that hath made some beginnings till Christ come and quicken him Q. See we then who it is spoken of to be dead men that are rotten and stinking as bad as the world the flesh and the Devil can make them Who should these be A. I answer it 's you you hath he quickned And ye wherein ye walked c. But who are they The Ephesians perhaps that were in times past heathens I hope it belongs not to us They were Gentiles and Pagans that knew not Christ v. 12. Aliens to the Commonweal of Israel strangers to the covenant of promise having no hope without God in the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Text renders it Atheists and therefore they might well be so But I hope it 's not thus with me I was never a Pagan or Heathen I was born of Christian Parents and am of the Church But put away these conceits Look on the 3d. v. Amongst whom we also had our conversation and wherein ye your selves c. It 's not onely spoken of you Gentiles but verified of us also As if he had sâ—id here as Gal. 2. We who are Jewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles He paints out noâ— onely you the Gentiles in such ugly colours but we Jewes also we of the Commonwealth of Iâ—rael We before we were quickned were in the same state that you are described to be in Obj. Oh but the Apostle may do this out of fellowship and to avoid envy as it were making himself a paâ—ty with them as Ezra did cap. 9. that included himself in the number of the offenders though he had no hand in the offence O our God saith he what shall we say Our evil deeds c. and how shall we stand before thee because of this making a particular confession whereas he was not accessory to the fault but to sweeten it to them Sol. But here the Apostle doth not so he was not thus minded but it 's we all he puts universality to it So that it 's clear that before conversion and quickning by grace from Christ we all all of us are in as foul and filthy a condition as this which is here described and set down So that this is the point that it is not spoken of some desperate sinners but that it is the common state and condition of all the sons of Adam Doct. All men every man and woman in this place either is or hath been in the state that here the Apostle describeth him to be Therefore we have all need to examine our selves whether we yet remain in that condition or not The Apostle brings this description to testifie the truth of the point Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concludedâ— all under sin The whole current and course of the Scripture shewes the universality of it that it 's true of all See the Apostle speaking of himself and the rest Tit. 3.3 saith We our selves also not onely you of the Gentiles but we our selves also were foolish disobedient c. but after the kindnesse of God towards man appeared c. that is before the day-star of grace did arise in our hearts there 's not the best of us all but have been thus and thus Rom. 3.3 There the Apostle insists on the point expresly that every mouth might be stopped to shew the state of all men naturally having laid down a large beadrole of the iniquities of the Heathen cometh afterward to convince the Jews What are we better then they no we have proved that all are under sin there is none good no not one Obj. But though you bring many places to prove that all are sinners yet I hope the Virgin Mary was not Sol. An inch breaks no squares but All are sinners There is none righteous no not one The drift of the Apostle in this is to shew that these things are not spoken of some hainous sinners onely but there 's not one to be exempted and therefore in his Conclusion v. 19. he saith That every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God and that by the deeds of the Law no flesh can be justified from sin So that now having proved this so clearly to you consider with your selves how needful it is to apply this to our own souls Many men when they read such things as these in the Scripture read them but as stories from strange Countries What are we dead in sins not able to stir one foot in Gods wayes bad we are indeed but dead rotten and stinking in sins and trespasses what as bad as the world the devil and flesh can make us what children of wrath firebrands of hell few can perswade themselves that it
Power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his Name HHaving heretofore declared unto you the wofull estate and condition wherein we stand by nature I proceeded to the Remedy that God of his infinite Mercy hath provided for the recovery of miserable sinners from the wrath to come And therein I proposed two things that our Saviour that was to advance us and raise us out of this condition when we had lost our selves in Adam We having eaten sowre grapes he was to have his teeth set on edge we accounted him smitten of God and buffeted but we had sinned and he was beaten That when the Lord in his wrath was ready to smite us he underwent the dint of Gods sword and stood betwixt the blow and us the blow lighted on him that was equal with God and deserved not to be beaten Awake O sword against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow The sword was unwilling to strike him and thus being smitten he became a propitiation for our sins The chastisement of our peace was on him He offered himself a sacrifice Here are two things considerable 1. How Christ was offered for us 2. How he is offered to us First For us and so he offered up himself a Sacrifice a sweet smelling Sacrifice unto God Mark the point is he is not only the Sacrifice but the Sacrificer He offered up himself saith the Apostle He was the Priest and it was a part of Priest-hood to offer up himself The Sacrifices in the old Law that typified him were only sufferers The poor beasts were only passive but our Saviour he must be an Actor in the business He was active in all that he suffered He did it in obedience to his Fathers Will yet he was an Agent in all his Passion John 11.33 He groaned in Spirit and was troubled the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as it is in the Margent He troubled himself With us in our Passions it is otherwise we are meer sufferers Our Saviour was a Conqueror over all his passions and therefore unless he would trouble himself none else could trouble him unless he vvould lay down his life none could take it from him unless he vvould give his cheek to be smitten the Jews had no power to smite it Isa. 50.6 I gave my back to the Smiters and my cheek to them that pluckt off the hair and hid not my face from shame and spitting In all these we should consider our Saviour not as a Sacrifice only but a sacrificer also an Actor in all this business their wicked hands were not more ready to smite then he was to give his face to be smitten and all to shevv that it was a voluntary Sacrifice He did all himself He humbled himself unto the death And now by all this we see what we have gotten vve have gotten a Remedy and satisfaction for our sins That precious blood of that immaculate Lamb takes avvay the sins of the world because it is the Lamb of God under which else the World vvould have eternally groaned Object But doth this Lamb of God take away all the sins of the world Sol. It doth not actually take avvay all the sins of the vvorld but virtually It hath povver to do it if it be rightly applyed the Sacrifice hath such vertue in it that if all the World vvovld take it and apply it it vvould satisfie for the sins of the vvhole World but it is here as with medicines they do not help being prepared but being applyed Rhubarb purgeth choller yet not unless applyed c. Exod. 39.38 there is mention made of a Golden Altar Christ is this Golden Altar to shew that his blood is most precious We are not redeemed with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He is that golden Altar mentioned in the Revelation vvhich stands before the Throne He was likevvise to be a brazen Altar for so much vvas to be put upon him that unless he vvere of brass and had infinite strength he vvould have sunk under the burthen Its Jobs Metaphor Job in his passion saith Is my strength the strength of stones or is my flesh brass Job 6.12 If Christs flesh had not been brass if he had not been this brazen Altar he could never have gone through these now he is prepared for us a sacrifice for sin Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin for sin make a stop there condemned sin in the flesh This same for sin hath not reference to condemned To condemn sin for sin is not good sence but the words depend on this God sent his Son that is God sent his Son to be a Sacrifice for sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word is translated Heb. 10.6 a sacrifice for sin It was impossible the Law should save us not because of any transgression or failing in the Law but because our weakness is such as that we could not perform the conditions therefore God was not tyed to Promises by reason then of the weakness of our flesh rather then we should perish God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh in that flesh of his condemned all our sins we need not look that sin should be condemned in us when he bare our sins on the tree then were our sins condemned therefore it s said Isa. 53. When he had made his soul an offering for sin that is in the Original when he had made his soul sin then he saw his seed Isa. 57. We come now to the second thing if Christ be offered for us yet unless he offer himself to us unless any man may have interest in him it s nothing worth Here then stands the Mystery of the Gospel Christ when he comes to offer himself to us he finds not a whit in us that is to be respected nothing And that is the ground of all disturbance to ignorant consciences for there is naturally in men pride and ignorance they think they may not meddle with Christ with Gods Mercy unless they bring something unless they have something of their own to lay down This is to buy Christ to barter betwixt Christ and the soul but salvation is a free gift of God As the Apostle speaks Christ is freely given unto thee when thou hadst nothing of worth in thee Faith when it comes empties thee of all that is in thee To whom be the Gospel preached to the dead Now before Christ quicken thee thou art stark dead rotting in thy sins Here 's the point then when there is no manner of goodness in thee in the world In me saith St. Paul that is in my flesh there is no good thing When I have been the most outragious sinner I may lay hold on Christ. Christ comes and offers himself to thee Now when Christ offers the other
formerly No but his Light is greater his eyes are open'd and now he sees more clearly what sinne is When the Sunne shines and its rayes come in what a number of motes do we discover which before we saw not Not as if the Sunne-beames made them or the Sunne raised the dust no there are here as many motes and as much dust flying about as if the Sunne shined here What 's the matter then Why this the Sunne discovers them to us So that here 's the point Our sinnes in our souls are as motes in the ayre and are not more than they were before conversion but we cannot see them till the glorious beams of Gods Spirit shine upon us The sight of sinne and of the danger that comes by it is the work of Gods Spirit The Spirit discovers sinne unto us John 16.8 When the Spirit cometh he shall convince the world of sinne the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit shall convince them and the same word is used Heb. 11.1 where Faith is said to be the evidence of things not seene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heretofore we had a slight imagination of our sinnes but to have our mouth stopped and to be convinced is not a work of flesh and blood but of Gods Spirit Rom. 3.19 Till we are awakened by his Spirit we cannot see nor feele the mountains and heaps of sinnes that lie upon our souls Thou art dead in sinne Rom. 8. Thou art in bondage and to know it is a work of the Spirit not of nature The spirit of bondage what is that Why however we are all bondmen untill the Son hath made us free in a woful estate slaves to sinne and Satan yet till Gods Spirit convince us and shew it us and make us know it we sleep secure are not afraid but think our selves the freest men in the world and see not this to be a time of need This therfore is the first preparative when God brings his people by Mount Sinai Heb. 12.18 For you are not come unto the Mountain that may be touch't and that burned by fire nor unto the blacknesse and darkness and tempest so Gal. 4. Mount Sinai is made a figure of the Law which begets bondage Not that Mount which might be touch't and that burnt with fire where was the sound of the Trumpet and voice of words such a sound as never before was heard nor never will be till one day we shall hear the same The sound of the Trumpet which sounded at the delivery of the Law Exod. 19.19 where it is described for when the voice of the Trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder that Moses heard it was such a noise a great noise at first but it grew higher and and higher and at last it came to that heighth that it was almost incomprehensible then Moses spake And what spake he The Holy Ghost sets not down what he spake in that place Look in Heb. 12.21 So terrible was the voice that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Such a kind of lightning and loud voice this was the Lord commands such a voice as this Esay 58.1 Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and shew my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins When God shall sound with the voice of the Trumpet of his holy Word of his Law and shew thee that thou art a trayterous Rebel and that there is an Execution gone out against thee body and goods when God sounds thus to the deaf ear of a carnal man then cometh the spirit of bondage of necessity on him which shews that we have a time of need The Law must have this operation before thou comest to the Throne of grace None will flie to the City of Refuge till the revenger of blood be hard at his heels Nor any to Christ till he sees his want Thus the Lord makes us know our need by turning the edge of his Axe towards us Offenders when they are brought to the bar at Westminster for Treason have the edge of the Axe turned from them but when they have received the sentence of condemnation and are carried back to the Tower the edge of the Axe is turned towards them Thus is it here The Law turns the edge of Gods Axe towards us and therefore it 's said of St. Peters hearers Acts 2.38 That they were pricked to the heart The Law puts the point of Gods sword to our very brests as it were and brings us to see that we stand in great need of heaven This is the first preparative when God enlightens our minds to see our dangerous estate and then there must of necessity follow fear and desire to be rid of this condition for the will and affections alwayes follow the temper of the minde And hence when a man hath a false perswasion that he is in a good case that he is safe and well what works it but pride presumption confidence and security So on the contrary contrary effects must follow If a man be in health and jollity and on a sudden be proclaimed a Traytor that he must lose his life and goods is it possible it should be thus and he not wrought on nor have any alteration So when news comes from the Law that thou art a dead man and everlastingly must perish the Law then works wrath that is it manifests unto us the wrath of God When it is thus there follows a shaking and a trembling and it 's impossible but with Moses thou shouldst exceedingly quake and tremble 2. For all this there is a Throne of grace erected God hath not forgotten to be merciful though thy sins be never so great This is the next preparative for faith namely the discovery and acknowledgement of the Gospel of Christ Jesus We see in Ezra 10.2 We have trespassed against our God and have taken strange wives of the people of the Land yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing we have trespassed What then must we be the subjects of Gods wrath No Yet notwithstanding though we have committed this great offence there is hope in Israel concerning this thing What though we have provoked God to indignation must we be the matter for his wrath to work on No There is balme in Gilead Jer. 8. ult Is there no balme in Gilead Is there no Physitian there Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered What though then we are sick to death yet there is an help in time of need And this knowledge of the people that there is a Throne of grace is the first comfort comes to a miserable and sinful soul. A man that hath a deadly disease though the Physitian do him no good which he hath made use of yet this he comforts himself in when he sees a Physician that hath cured the same disease he sees then there is some hope Thus it is with a sinful soul. When the
this end he is content to part with his money the same minde had those in the Acts of the Apostles who in a storm cast their wares into the Sea with their own hands Acts 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 willingly and yet half unwilling for the saving of their lives they would part with these things yet it was with a great deal of repining and reluctancy As we read of Phaltiel when his wife was taken from him he followed behinde weeping till they bid him be gone and return back So these men forsake their sinnes and hate them but it is but imperfectly they part with them but they part weeping Well at this parting there may be a great deal of joy it may taste not only the sweetnesse of the Word of God but because they are in a disposition and way to salvation they may have some kinde of feeling of the joyes and taste of the powers of the world to come as the Apostle speaks Hâ—b 6.4 It 's impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakâ—rs of the Holy Ghost c. There 's a supernatural work wrought in them and they have tasted the good Word of the Lord they begin to have some hope and rejoyce in the glory of the world to come what 's the difference then here 's a tasting but as it is John 6. it 's not said he that eats my flesh and tastes my blood but he that eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall live for ever There is a difference betwixt tasting and drinking there may be a tasting without drinking and the Text saith Matth. 27.34 When they gave Christ vineger he tasted thereof but would not drink He that can take a full draught of Christ crucified he shall never thirst but shall be as a springing fountain that springeth up to everlasting life but it shall not be so with him that doth but taste The Vintner goes round the Celler and tastes every Vessel he takes it only into his mouth and spits it out again and yet knows by the tasting whether it be good or bad the wine goeth but to his palate it reaches not to the stomack So a temporary believer tastes and feels what an excellent thing it is to have communion with Christ and to be made partaker of his glory but he does but taste it Look in Hosea 5.15 where we have another instance of this temporary Believer Ye would think they sought God in a good sort and in as good a manner as one could desire well but how did they seek him it was only upon occasion in time of affliction I will go and return to my place untill they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early and again Hosea 6.4 the Lord complains of them notwithstanding They will in their affliction seek me early was not this a fair returning Come say they let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us c. What a deal of comfort did they seem to gather from the wayes of the Lord but see what follows Hosea 6.4 O Ephraim saith the Lord what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for your goodnesse is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away that is it is but a temporary thing wrought by affliction which will not abide As when a wicked man on his death-bed desires that God would spare him and restore him to his health and that he would become a new man all this comes but from the terrours of death for it oft proves that if God restores him he becomes as bad if not worse than ever he was before But that I may not hold you too long 2. Take this for another difference That Gods children can as earnestly desire grace as mercy The temporary desire mercy but never desire grace The believer desires grace to have his nature healed to hate his former conversation The temporary never had nor never will have this desire should one come to the temporary believer and tell him God will be merciful unto him you may go on and take your fit of sinne you shall be sure of mercy he would like this well and think it the welcomest news as could be because he only fears damnation self-love makes him only desire freedome from that but now the childe of God hates sinne though there were no Hell Judge nor Tormentor he begs as hard of God for grace as for mercy and would do so were there no punishment His nature being chang'd he desireth grace as well as mercy which the temporary never does 3. The last mark is from the words of the Apostle Neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Love and the new creature puts Gods children on work their hearts are first altered and changed by being made new creatures As the Scripture saith his flesh is circumcised he is a dead man deadnesse argueth impotency of doing those things which a living man doth he cannot walk c. The temporary will not sinne for fear of after-claps but this man cannot sinne his heart is changed he is dead to sinne we see how both abstain from sinne but the perusal and disposition is not alike The temporary sinner perchance commits not the sinne but he could finde in his heart to do it he saith not with Joseph How can I do this great wickedness and sinne against my God the other saith I could do this evil well enough but I will not Thou canst not bear those that are evil as in the Revel Now he that is born of God cannot sin there is that seed that spring in him that for his life he cannot sin but it turns his heart from it for his life he cannot tell how to swear lye c. or joyn with others in wickednesse but this must be understood of the constant course of their lives I speak not what they may do in afflictions when they are surprized but in the course of their lives they commit sinne as if they knew not how to do it the other doth it skilfully these coblingly and bunglingly they do it ill-favouredly thus it is with a wicked man in doing a good work he cobles it up Thy faith then must be a faith that worketh by love can'st thou do those good works thou doest out of love then my soul for thine thou art saved Get me any temporary that loves God and I shall say something to you Hast thou then a faith that causeth thee to love God a working faith and a faith that will not suffer thee to do any thing displeasing to him if thou hast such a faith thou art justified before God 2. And so I come now to the point of justification the greatest of all blessings Blessed is he saith David whose transgression is forgiven and whose sinne is covered blessed is
the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity it 's the most blessed condition as can be it is set down by way of Exclamation O the blessednesse of the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity For justification see what it is the Scripture in St. Pauls Epistles speaks of justification by faith and in St. James of justification by works Now it will be useful for us in this point to know whence justification comes it comes from justice Tsedeck as the Original hath it and to justifie so that justification and righteousnesse depend one upon the other for what is justification but the manifestation of the righteousnesse that is in a man and therefore in Gal. 3.21 they are put for one and the same thing For if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily righteousnesse had been by the Law that is justification had been by the Law Again If righteousnesse be by the Law then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2. that is also if justification had been by the Law c. justification is a manifestation of righteousnesse and as many wayes as righteousnesse is taken so many wayes is justification which is a declaration of righteousnesse so that if there be a double righteousnesse there must be also a double justification Beloved I bring you no new doctrine be not afraid of that but I shew you how to reconcile places of Scripture against the Church of Rome and those things which the Papists bring against us in this point It stands by reason seeing justification is a declaration of righteousnesse that there must be so many sorts of justification as there be of righteousnesse Now there is a double sort of righteousness Rom. 8.4 That the righteousnesse of the Law may be fulfilled in us see then there is a double righteousnesse there is a righteousnesse fulfilled in us and a righteousnesse fulfilled by us that 's walking in the Spirit The righteousness fulfilled in us is fulfilled by another and is made ours by imputation so we have a righteousnesse without us and a righteousnesse inhaerent in us the righteousnesse without us is forgivenesse of sinnes and pardon of them which is a gracious act of God letting fall all actions against me and accounting of me as if I had never sinned against him all my life time then there is a righteousnesse within me an inherent righteousnesse And if a righteousnesse then justification for that is but a declaration of righteousnesse And so that which the Fathers call justification is taken generally for sanctification that which we call justification they call forgivenesse of sinnes that which we call sanctification they call justification so that the difference is only in the termes Justification we must know is not taken only as opposed to condemnation which is the first kinde of righteousnesse Rom. 6.7 He that is dead is freed from sinne if you look to the Greek or to the Margent it is he that is dead is justified from sinne this is not took in the first sense as opposed to condemnation but in the other sense as it hath relation to final grace The perfection of sanctification is wrought in me for where there is final grace there is a supersedeas from all sinne so Rev. 22.11 Let him that is righteous be righteous still the Greek is let him that is righteous be justified still See then the difference between Saint Paul and Saint James Saint Paul speaks of that which consists in remission of sinnes as in comparing the Apostle with David will appear Blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven Saint James speaks of justification in the second acception You need not flie to that distinction of justification before God and justification before men think not that Saint James speaks onely of justification before men Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac on the Altar What justified by killing his son this was a proper work indeed to justifie him before man to be a parricide to kill his sonne though it were not so before God So Psal. 106. we read how God accounted the act of Phine as for righteousness thus you see how works are accounted righteousnesse in the second kinde of righteousnesse In the former righteousnesse we are justified by faith for in righteousnesse inherent there is a goodly chaine of vertues Adde to your faith vertue c. adde one grace to another Adde to vertue knowledge faith is but one part of the Crown Now this justification in the first sense whereby my sinnes are forgiven is called the righteousnesse of God because of Christ which is God because it s wrought by Christ Dan. 9. he is called an everlasting righteousnesse which continueth for ever world without end for do not think the Saints in heaven have onely the second kinde of righteousnesse for they have the same covering by justification by Christ in heaven that they had before God covers their sins not here onely but there also justification follows them for ever Quest. But now what parts hath justification in it we are wont to say that there are two parts one imputation of righteousness the other forgivenesse of sinnes Sol. I answer for my own part I think Justification is one simple act of God and that it is improperly distinguished as parts but rather as terminus a quo is distinct from terminus ad quem And this I shall shew unto you both by reason and authority that faith is but one act Let none say that I take away the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ No the bringing in of light and the expulsion of darknesse is not two acts but one but there is terminus á quo and terminus ad quem We are accounted righteous and that is we have our sinnes forgiven And the reason is this if sinne were a positive thing and had a being in it self then the forgivenesse of sin must be a thing distinct from the imputation of righteousnesse Scholars know the difference between adversa and privantia white and black are both existent but darknesse and light are not but only a privation one of another Darknesse is nothing of it self but the absence of light The bringing in of light is the suppression of it you must understand sinne hath no being no entity it 's only an absence of righteousnesse the want of that light which should be in the subject which want is either in our nature and then it 's call'd original or in our person and actions and then it s call'd actual transgression Sinne is an absence of that positive being which is as I said either in our nature or works Then thus I will resolve you in another point viz. If sin were a positive thing all the world cannot avoid it but God must be the Author of it for there is nothing can have a being but it must derive its being from the first being God Now how can we avoid Gods being the
not an instrument at all faith only is the instrument â—aith justifyeth me from sinne hereafter as well as before The case is this faith brings life The righteous shall live by his faith as the Prophet Habakkuk speaks What doth then new sinnes do There are two sorts of sinnes one of ordinary incursion which cannot be avoided these break no friendship betwixt God and us these only weaken our faith and make us worse at ease But there are other sinnes which waste a mans conscience A man that hath committed murder adultery and lives in covetousnesse which in the Apostles is Idolatry as long as a man is in this case he cannot exercise the acts of faith we must know faith justifieth not as an habit but as an act applying Christ to the comfort of the soul. Now a wasting sinne it stops the passage of faith it cannot act till it be opened by repentance Physitians give instances for it Those that have Apoplexies Epilepsies and the Falling sicknesse are thought to be dead for the time as it was with Eutichus yet saith Saint Paul his spirit was in him Every one thought him dead yet his spirit is in him however in regard of the operation of his senses it did appear he was dead So if thou art a carelesse man and lookst not to thy watch and to thy guard but art overtaken in some grosse and grievous sinne thou art taken for dead I say not a man can lose his life that once hath it but yet in the apprehension of others and of himself too he may appear to be so As in Epilepsies the nerves are hindred by obstructions so sinne obstructs the nerves of the soul that there cannot be that life and working till these sinnes be removed Now what is repentance why it clears the passages that as faith could not act before now it gives him dispositions unto it As a man in a swound cannot do the acts of a living man till he be refreshed again so here its repentance which clears the spirits and makes the life of faith passe throughout Now when repentance clears the passages then faith acts and now there is a new act of faith faith justifies me from my new sinnes faith at first and at last is that whereby I am justified from my sins which I commit afterwards But this forgivenesse of sinnes what doth it free us from In sinne we must consider two things the fault and the punishment Now consider sinne as it is in it self and as it respects the sinner as acted by him as respecting the fault of the sinner it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a transgression of the Law The punishment is death as it respects the sinner it is guilt The sin is not guilt but the guilt the sinners For instance a man that hath told a lye or sworn an oath the act is past but a thing remains which we call the guilt As if a man commit murder or adultery the act is past but yet if he sleep or walk or wake the guilt follows him If he live an hundred years he is a murderer still and an adulterer still the guilt follows him and nothing can take away the murder or adultery from the soul but the blood of Christ applyed by faith First God takes away the punishment There is now saith the Apostle no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit what nothing in him worthy condemnation God knows we are worthy of a thousand condemnations There are two Judges there is a double guilt when a man is brought to the barre first the Jury judge the fact and then the Judge that sits on the Bench he judgeth the punishment one saith guilty or not guilty the other saith guilty then he judgeth him Now when we are justified we are freed from both these guilts sinne when it is accomplish't it bringeth forth death You know the natural work of sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it labours with death now God will stop the acts of it that it shall not do that which it is apt to do which is as good as if the sinne were taken away when there were wilde guords sliced into the pot 2 Kings 4.31 it 's said the Prophet took that venemous herbe away i. e. though the thing were there yet it is as if it were not there it shall do no manner of hurt Bring now and poure out and there was no evil thing So in respect of us though there be an evil thing in punishment and if we had our due would bring condemnation yet when we are sprinkled with the blood of Christ it can do us no evil no hurt it 's said in the Scripture that the stars fell from heaven why the starres are of that bignesse that they cannot fall from heaven to the earth but they are said to fall when they give not their light and do not that for which they were put there so though I have committed sinne yet when God is pleased for Christs sake to pardon it it is as if it were not there at all This is a great matter but I tell you there is more we are not only freed from the guilt of the punishment but which is higher we are freed from the guilt of the fact I am now no more a murderer no more a lyar when I have received a pardon from the blood of Christ he frees me from that charge the world is changed with me now Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect If the Divel lay any thing to thee thou mayst deny it Such a one I was but I am justified but I am sanctified A man hath committed High Treason against the King and the King gives him a pardon for the Treason if I call him a Traytor he can have no remedy against me for he is one the pardon takes not away the guilt But if his blood be restored unto him by Act of Parliament then if I shall call him Traytor he may have remedy against me because he is restored fully and is not lyable to that disgrace This is our case though our sinnes be as red as scarlet yet the die shall be changed it shall not be so bloody Thou hast the grace of justification and this doth not only clear thee from the punishment but from the fault it self See in Jer. 50.20 the place is worth gold In those dayeâ— and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sinnes of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve what is the matter what a sinful man and no sinne what when there is search made for sinne in such a man shall it not be found you will say this is meant of the grace of sanctification no I will pardon them that pardoning of sinne makes the sin not to be found What a wonderful comfort is this
forgive thus Alas no! forgivenesse is without a man I have an action against you perhaps an action at Law I will let fall my suit my charges I will forgive this is forgivenesse God justifieth who shall condemn Though God has just cause to proceed against me as a Rebel yet he is content to let fall his action to fasten it upon the Crosse of his Sonne there to fix the Chirographum the hand-writing against us He will let fall that which was the ground of a suit against us all that he could say against us That you may understand the thing the better there are two things two kinds of righteousnesse the one of justification the other of sanctification The Holy Ghost distinguisheth them by several terms 1 Cor. 1. ult Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who is made unto us wisdome righteousness sanctification and redemption You see here are two distinct graces righteousnesse and sanctification they make them but one sanctification and remission of sinnes Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified Here justification and sanctification is nothing else but justification and glorification Saint Paul speaks of a thing past not of the glory to come i. e. sanctification which is inchoate glory For what is the glory we shall have in heaven but the inlargement of those inherent graces God begins in this world Here is the seed there is the crop here thou hast a little knowledge but there it shall be inlarged now thou hast a little joy there thou shalt enter into thy Masters joy here some knowledge but there thou shalt have a full knowledge and a full measure Here glory dwelleth in our Land but there we shall with open face behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord and be changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 i. e. we are more and more conformed to the image of Almighty God by â—â—edience and holy qualities infused into us that we grow from one degree of sanctification unto another And so you see how these are distinguished by their termes Justification and glorification justification and sanctification There is another place in Saint John an hard place but yet as I take it these two righteousnesses that have the same name to be distinct in their termes It is said Joh. 16.8 That when the Spirit shall come he shall reprove or as we should translate it he shall convince the world concerning sinne righteousnesse and judgment Thus I say it should be translated for 't is no sense to say that God shall reprove the world of righteousnesse on what occasion this was spoken we must not stand to speak but righteousnesse and judgment is justification and sanctification And the drift of the place is this when the Spirit shall come how not upon me or thee but the Spirit here spoken of is that Spirit that should come upon the Apostles it shall begin at the day of Pentecost and these 1. should set forth like twelve Champions to conquer the world and to bring them unto the Scepter of Christ. He shall convince the world i. e. when the Spirit shall come on you and your tongues be tip't with that spiritual fire which shall be active it shall convince the world concerning three particulars of sinne righteousnesse and judgment Oâ— the point of humiliation for sinnes the point of justification by righteousnesse imputative and the glory of sanctification in judgment and righteousnesse inherent This method Saint Paul useth in the Romans to stop every mans mouth First He convinceth the Gentile which was easie to be done after he convinceth the Jew that there is righteousnesse to be had in another though none in my self He shall convince the world c. As if he should say To be shut up under unbelief is to be convinced of all sinnes Now consider what is the nature of unbelief it is to fasten all sinnes upon a man and when I have faith all my sinnes are put out of possession they are as if they were not but if we are shut up under unbelief we are dead The second work of Gods Spirit is the Ministry of the Word He shall convince the world that there is righteousnesse to be had by a communion with another though we are guilty in our selves yet he will set us free and the reason is because I go to my Father As if he should say though you be convinced of your sinnes that you are wholly dead in trespasses and sinnes and have no means in the world to put that away yet notwithstanding the second work of Gods Spirit is to convince of righteousnesse that there is a righteousnesse to be had in Christ because he was our surety arrested for our debt he was committed to prison where he could not come out till he â—ad paid the utmost farthing There is a justification to be had in me I go to the Creditor I have made no escape not like one that brake the prison and run away but I am now a free-man I have not made an escape before the debt is paid then I might be brought back again but the debt is discharged and therefore I go to my Father to maintain my place and standing I was given unto death for your sins but I am risen again for your justification and I now sit at my fathers right hand this is the second thing But is there not a third thing that the work of the Ministry must do Yes to convince the world that there is judgment or righteousnesse inherent There is a hard place I shall speak of it it is usual in Scripture to joyn righteousnesse and judgment together The words of the Lord are righteousnesse and judgment And the integrity of a mans heart which is opposed to hypocrisie is called judgement as God liveth who hath taken away my judgment Job 27.2 How did God take away his judgment is it meant that he had taken away his wits no but but he hath put his heavy hand on me that hath put a conceit in the minde of my friends that I am an hypocrite and therefore he falls on him ver 6. My righteousnesse I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live His judgment was taken away i. e. the opinion they had of his integrity and this will expound another place in Matth. 12.20 A bruised reed shall he not break and smoking flax shall he not quench untill he send forth judgment unto victory what is that untill he send forth judgment This judgment signifies nothing but those inherent graces those infused qualities that God sends into the heart of a Christian. In a mans first conversion there are but beginnings of grace what is faith hope patience and fear it is like a smoaking flax i. e. like the smoaking wick
preached before the Gospel p. 80 * 366 Men are under the Law till they come to Christ p. 84 how fearfull a thing it is to be under the Law p. 84 85. the difference between the Law and the Gospel in three particulars p. 86. Love of God twofold p 415. No temporary beleever loves God p. * 396. To be given up to our own Lusts a more fearfull thing then to be given up to Satan p. 108 109 M WAnt of Meditation one cause why most beleevers have so little joy in God p. 430 431. Mistakes in judging our spiritual estates See Judging Morality too much trusted to p. 49. It 's insufficient to bring men to heaven ibid. N NAtural reason not to be trusted to p. 49 Too short to convince of sin thorowly p. 51 Mans condition by Nature described p. 59. The Natural man dead in sin p. 67. His best works cannot please God and why p. 68 69 The Curses attending a Natural man in this World p. 120 c. Two blowes that God gives a Natural mans soul in this life the one sensible p. 127 the other insensible p. 128. The Curses attending him at Death p. 130 c. O CHrists active Obedience mixed with his passive p. 372. Wherein his active Obedience consisted p. 375. c. Wherein his passive p. 378 Partial Obedience a false glasse to judge our estates by p· 48 To designe only our Old age for God is dishonourable to him p. 22 23. Old age most unfit for Repentance p. 25 27 Men apt to have too good Opinion of themselves p. 41. The causes of it p. 43 c. Men deceived in judging of their estates by the good Opinions of others p. 44 P PArtial Obedience see Obedience Passive Obedience see Obedience Peace a fruit of faith p. * 441 * 447. Why many Christians want the sense of it p. * 442 443. * 450 451 The differences between a true and a false Peace p. * 448 c. The Causes of a Carnal Peace p. * 449. * 452 Christ is our Peace p. * 454 Spirit of Prayer what p. * 377 378 1. The Importunity and efficacie of it p. * 379 380 Why a person already justified may and must Pray for the forgivnesse of sins past p. * 413 414 R NAtural Reason see Natural To Receive Christ what p. 399. What Reformation may be in a natural man p. * 390 392 Repentance prevents ruine p. 7 Repentance not in our own power but in gods gift p. 13 14. The sinfulnesse of deferring it p. 11 c. Death-bed Repentance the hindrances of it p. 30 Not to be trusted to p 31. Hard to prove it sound p. 32 Superficial Repentance is vain p. 57 Repentance in what respects necessary to justification p. * 417 Remission of sin See Forgiveness Resting or Relying upon God a proper Act of Faith p. 425 Righteousnesse two fold p. * 397. * 409 Imputative Righteousnesse what it is p. * 402 * 410. Impossible to be justified without it and why p. * 410 411 S. Sanctification a distinct thing from Justification p. * 423. p. * 429 Satan See Devil A difficult thing to be Saved p. 53 Sealing a distinct thing from Faith p. * 428 The Causes of Security p. * 449 Self-Examination necessary to Conversion p. 39.57 a mark of a sound believer p. * 407 Self-flattery See flattery Self-Love how it deceives men in judging their estates p. 43. Sin continued in hastens Gods judgements p. 3 4 5. Sin compared to a weight p. 26. to Cords p. 27. Sin gets strength by continuance p. 28. The Sinfulnesse of Sin set forth in 6. considerations p. 90 c The dreadfull fruits and consequences of Sin It pollutes the Soul p. 100. It makes men loathsom to God p. 104. It brings the Devill into the heart p. 106. It calls for wages p. 110 The greatness of Sin should be no barr against believing in Christ p. 401 406. No Sin overtops the value of Christ's blood ibid. Encouragemets for Sinners to come to Christ page 401 c. Sin not discovered thorowly but by the spirit p. * 364. Sin may be cast away and yet no true Conversion p. * 392 Sin is only a Privation and no positive being p. * 399 * 400 Sins not pardoned before they be committed p. * 403. The guilt and punishment of Sin taken away in Justification p. * 418 c. Spirit of Bondage what p. * 365 Spirit of Prayer see Prayer T A Temporary Faith how far it may go p. * 388 c. How to know it from true faith p. ibid Temporary beleevers desire Christ only in affliction p. * 388 389 They do but only tast of Christ p. * 393. They desire mercy but not grace p. * 394. They do nothing out of love to God p. * 395 The sinfulness of thoughts p. 102 103. The end of Gods Threatnings p. 7. U UNregenerate Men See Natural Our unworthiness should not keep us from coming unto Christ p. 397. W THe Will wrought by God as well as the deed p. * 371 The Will more then the Deed 372. How God takes the Will for the Deed p. * 374 He that hath a Will to receive Christ hath a warrant to receive him p. 404. God alone inclines the Will to receive Christ ibid. A wofull thing to be suffered by God to have our own Wills in this world p. 355. Our Wills must be crossed here or for ever hereafter ibid. The Willingness of Christs sufferings rendred them the more meritorious p. 374 The Word presented to our faith under a double respect viz. 1 as a true Word p. 403 2 as a good Word p. 424 Works spiritually good cannot be performed by an unregenerate man and why p. 67 68 71. In what sense we are said by James to be justified by Works p. * 398 Wrath a Consequence of sin p. 98 Y YOuth the fittest time to Repent and break off sin in p 25 22 29. FINIS Male dum recitas c. * Lord in special forgive my sins of omission see Dr. Ber. Life and death of the Arch. Bp. of Armagh p. 110 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Sheffeild in Yorkshire· James Meath Anagram I am the same See Dr. Bernard page 52. See Dr. Ber. Epist. to the Reader in his life and death c. * See the Reduction of Episcopacy to the form of Synodical Government Received in the Antient Church published by Doctor Bernard in a Book entituled The Judgement of the Late Arch Bishop of Armagh c. * 2 Sam. 1.22 * Isa. 50.4 * 2 Cor. 3.2 * Acts 11.21 * Dan 12.3 * Heb. 2.13 * Tim. 4.12 * Mark 6.20 * Acts 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Mat 7.29 * 1 Cor. 2.4 5. 1 Cor 14.24 25. * Acts 18.24 Collatis scripturae locis Probans nempe sicuti solent artifices aliquid Compacturi singulas partes inter se comparare ut inter se alia aliis ad amussim quadrent Bez. In Act. 9.22 Efficere condescensionem ut sic dicam id est argumentis propositis efficere ut aliquis tecum in eandem sententiam descendat Mr. Leigh Critic sacr In verb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Ser. before K. James Wansted June 20. 1629 page 34 35. * Ecl. 12.10 11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * John 16.5 * Psal. 16.3 * Acts 13.12 * Psal. 119.63 * Math. 11 29. * Mal. 2.4.5 6 7 8 9. * Esay 43.27.28 * 1 Sam. 2 30. * Deut. 33 11. * Math. 5.12 and 10.25 * Math 21.44 * Rev. 11.11 * 2 Sam 6.22 * Calvino illustri viro nec unquam sine summi honoris prefatione nominando non assentior Bp Andrews De Vsuris * 3 John 12. * Declarat what books are his what not Dr. Ber. page 20 l 21. * See Dr. Ber. Loc. Citat * See their Epist to the Reader Ibidem * See Mr. Cottons Epist. to Mr. Hildersams Book on John 4. * See Capt. Bell. Narat before Luth. Mensal Colloq * Liber ille â—onvivalium sermonum non est Lutheri nec Luthero approbante aut etiam vivente editus sed est Rapsodia sine Judicio Intellectu consarcinata Polan syntag de canonic Authorit script page fol. 45. * Heb 11.4 * Bp. Andrews serm 7. of Rep. and Fast. * John 3.10.19 Obs. Obs. Obs. Obj. Sol. Obj. Sol. 1. Order of outward things 2. The nature of sin Sin is compared to cords To defer repentance hardens the more The folly of those that defer their repentance till death Obj. Sol. Impediments to repentance on our death-bed Trust not to death-bed repentance It will be hard to prove death-bed repentance to be ound Gen. 6.3 What use to make of Election and Reprobation It 's our wisdom to arm against Satans fallacy and hearken to God in his accepted time 1 Glass Self-love 2 Glass Others good opinion 3 Glass When a man compares himself with others 4 Glasse Partial Obedience· Obj. Sol. Another false Glasse The Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light Superficial repentance will not change the nature of man No morality nor external change of life will do without quickning grace and a new life wrought Quest. Ans. Obj. Sol. Doct. Obj. No natural man doth judge himself so bad as he is The best works of a natural man cannot please God Look to the oginal of duties Look to the end of duty It 's necessary to preach the Law before the Gospel This is the 1 Instance 2 Instance 3 Instance Noâ—e Well Our Remedy or our Redempâ—ion by Christ. Christs humiliation in life and death The second degree of his humiliation that he might become a servant Christ accounted as a bâ—ndman Exam. Joseph for the calcu 14400000. drachms (x) Which were 120000. (z) Have the quotient 120 Drachms Four Drachms went to a Shekel so divide 120. by 4. your quotient is 30. shekels for each man which was the ordinary rate c. Gen. 9.25 John 13.21 Now this Obedience is two fold 1. Active 2. Passivâ— 1. For his active obedience in the whole course of his life 2. For his active Obedience after his Death