flesh of our flesh he might become unto us a meet Saviour And the verity mysterie of his Incarnation is plainly recorded in this Chapter Which divides it self into two generall parts 1. A Genealogy of Christ from the beginning of the Chapter to ver 18. 2. The History of his Nativity from thence to the end of the Chapter In which that I may clear the way to the Text consider with me these few particulars 1. Mary's Conception She was found to be with child v. 18. 2. Josephs false-Conception or misapprehension concerning it which made him afraid to take his espoused wife and this caused 3. His Resolution to put her away privily ver 19. but before the Execution of his purpose behold 4. Gods timely prevention feare not to take unto thee Mary thy Wife c. ver 20. In which yet more particularly consider how God teacheth Joseph 1. By whom Mary had conceived viz. By the Holy Ghost 2. What she should bring forth She shall bring forth a Son v. 21. 3. What he should name him thou shalt call his name Jesus 4. The reason of the name For he shall save his people from their sins In this worke of Salvation according to the words in the Text consider 1. The Efficient Cause or person saving Jesus 2. The Subject or person saved his people 3. The evill from which from their sins 1. The person saving is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Saviour from the Hebrew root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to save The reason of the name then is from the nature of the worke he takes in hand 2. By his people which are the persons saved we understand not the nation of the Jews adaequately as if they all and onely they were his people here spoken of They were indeed his people 1. by nation and his naturall relation as man unto them himselfe being of the seed of Abraham as appeares in his Genealogy 2. They were his people by outward profession for they professed faith in and waited for the promised Messias yea and to them onely was he at first sent for saith Christ Mat. 15.24 I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel But the generality of them did not imbrace him for when he came to his owne his owne received him not Joh. 1.11 Therefore by his people the nation of the Jewes is not here understood 2. Neither by his people d Apostolus ait Conclusit enim Deus omnes in infidelitate ut omnium misereatur Quos omnes nifi de quibus lo quebatuâ— tanquam dicens vos illos Deus ergo Gentiles Judaeos quos praescivit praedestinavit conforme fieri imagini fiâ—i sui omnes in infidelitate conclusit ut de amartiudine infidelitatis suae paeuitendo confusi ad dulcedinem misericordiae Dei credendo conversi clamarent illud in Psal Quam multa multitudo dulcedinis tuae Domine quem abscondisti timentibus te perfecisti autem sperantibus non inse sed in te Omnium itaque miseretur vasorum misericordiae Quid est omnium Et eorum scilicet quos ex Gentibus â—â—um quos ex Judaeis praedestinavit voâ—avit juscificavit glorificavit non omnium hominum sed istorum omnium nominem darenaturus Aug. de Civ Dei lib. 20 cap. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est sibi datum à Patre ut ipse loquitur John 17. Periphrasis electorum Piscat in loc doe we understand all Mankinde as some would have it Aâ—l of all nations are not his people but some out of every nation according to that new song Rev. 5.9 Thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and Nation Yea the words themselves his people are restrictive and intimate not an extension to all men but a limitation to some onely 3. By his people therefore we understand those that are his by donation those that were given him by the Father Joh. 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me Thus saith the Lord also to Paul concerning Corinth Act. 18.10 I have much people in this City The evill from which they are saved is their sins and doubtlesse from their sufferings too but as their sins onely are expressely mentioned as that from which they should be saved and this the reason why Christ should be named Jesus so doubtlesse this is that that Christ primarily and chiefly intended to save his people from their sins even from sin it selfe at which I mainely aim in this Discourse Whence observe That the great work of Christ our Saviour is the saving of his people from their sins Even from sin it selfe For our more cleer proceeding I shall lay down these following positions 1. Man is fallen from God and by nature lyes under two great evills 1. Sin 2. Wrath for sin 2. It is the work of Christ to save his people from both these 3. Our Salvation by Christ from the wrath of God due for sin is a mercy so farre beyond our ability to deserve or requite that if we had the tongue of men and Angels we could never sufficiently praise God and Christ our Redeemer for this unspeakable mercy 4. Yet the work of our Salvation from Sin it selfe is a greater mercy to us and this is the Master-piece of what Christ our Saviour hath undertaken for us 5. By Salvation from sin I doe not understand a bare removall of corrupt qualities but a procuring and bestowing of good instead thereof for we are redeemed as we are called from uncleanness to holinesse And the privation of morall good in man is a sin as well as the position of morall evill and in this latitude the Apostle defines sin in that one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the transgression of the Law 1 Job 3.4 Which consisteth both in Affirmative and Negative precepts and the not being and doing what is commanded is a transgression as well as being and doing what is forbidden The Doctrine being thus stated I proceed to the proof of it 1. by Scripture 2. by Argument There are divers Scriptures that speak to our purpose amongst many take these few First heare what Christs harbinger speakes yea see how he points him out Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the World And Iohn saith that he was manifested to take away our sins 1. Joh. 3.5 And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 that he loved and washed us from our sins in his owne blood Rev. 1.5 In all these texts we see that sin onely is expressed and I believe that which is specially intended although I know that the guilt and fruit of sin is also included Thus Paul tells us that Christ loved his Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it Eph. 5.25.26 thus likewise
intima quadam mirabu◠operatione regenerat quafi de novo ereat infundendo spiritum vivificantem omnes animae facultates novis qualicatibus imbuendo Christ in saving of a Soule from sinne workes powerfully and irresistibly overcoming all opposition whatsoever whether within or without us 3. i Thes 2. Ad hoc ipsum opus regenerationis habet se homo passivè neque est in potestate voluntatis humana impedire Deum sic immediatè regenerantem In Christs first worke of Grace upon the Soule the Soule is passive 4. k De Conversione qua denetat actionem bominis c. Pradictam conversionem sequitur haec nostra conversio actualis Deo proliciente ipsum actum credendi convertendi ex mutata voluntate quae acta à Deo agit et ipsa convertendo se ad Deum et credendo hoc est actum suum vitalem eliciendo Man by his fall into a State of sin hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spirituall good accompanying Salvation So as a naturall man being altogether averse from that good and dead in sin is not able by his own strength to convert himself or prepare himselfe thereunto When God converts a sinner and translates him into a state of grace he freeth him from his naturall bondage under sin and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to doe that which is spiritually good Conf. of Faith by the late Assemb at Westminster cap. 9. Yet no man is converted or sanctified against his will but Christ worketh upon the soul by inclining the will of unwilling making it willing Ps 110.3 5. When Christ drawes effectually the Soule comes presently and infallibly yet not by compulsion but willingly Cant. 1.4 Draw me we will run after thee 6. Drawing is Christs word coming is the Soules act done in the power of Christ effectually moving Obj. If man be meerly passive in the work of conversion and no man be able in the use of any meanes to convert himselfe but Grace is of the Lords immediate infusing to what purpose is it to heare the Word or use any other meanes to attaine Grace more than to sit still and doe nothing at all And to what purpose doe Ministers preach the Word Answ 1. The preaching of the Word is Gods ordinary meanes for the converting of Soules Psal 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Rom. 10.17 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God And God who hath ordained the meanes hath bound us to the use of them for as the Word and Mans indeavours can availe nothing without the Spirit so the Spirit will not worke where the Means is rejected It is God onely that gives the increase but his Pauls and Apollo's must be planting and watering Concerning the sowing the seed of the Word we may say as Solomon in another case Eccles 11.6 In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening withhold not thy hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be alike good Ministers are Gods Husbandmen and People are Gods Husbandry or as the field in which this seed is sown 1 Cor. 3.9 it is the Ministers worke to sow and Gods to make the ground fruitfull Ans 2. The lesse able we are to work grace in our own souls the more careful we should be to wait upon the Lord of grace in the use of the meanes of grace The blind and deaf and dumb in the Gospell waited the more diligently upon Christ for help because they could not have help any otherwise than by his speciall divine power they waited in the way that Christ came and so must the soul that would have spirituall help wait upon Christ in the way that he comes which is the way of his Ordinances Obj. But is not the outward teaching to be layd aside Is it not said Jer. 31.33 34. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward paths And they shall teach no more And doth not the Author to the Hebrewes interpret it of the dayes of the Gospel and say expressely they shall not teach Heb. 8.10 11. Must we not then wait only for the inward and immediate teaching of the Spirit of God Answ 1. The Lord intended not the laying aside of outward teaching for Christ himselfe went up and downe preaching the Gospel before his passion he taught his Disciples also after his resurrection as appears Ma. 28.18 Mar. 16.14 ad 19. Luk. 24.36 to 51. He gave a new Commission to his Disciples to goe teach all Nations Mat. 28.19 20. and promiseth to be with them and with those that should succeed them in the work of the Ministery to the end of the world And he who is the chiefe Sheepherd committed the feeding of his flock to them John 21.15 16 17. The fruit of his Ascention was the giving of Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Eph. 4.11 12. and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry And we must not be so absurd as to thinke that Christ by his owne practise and commssion to others contradicted the Prophesies I came not to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill saith Christ Mat 5.17 Answ 2. The teaching of this Doctrine is a self confutation to the Teachers for if no man must teach another then they that are of this opinion must not teach it others but must leave God to teach them that as well as other things Answ 3. But to inquire more strictly into the sense and meaning of the place we must note that the Author of this Epistle comparing Moses and Christ together preferres Christ in all things above him and comparing the internall efficacy of Christ with the external administrations of the Law shews that Christ was the substance of those shadowes in the Ceremoniall Law and that from Christ onely was Grace derived to obey sincerely the Moral Law according to those words Ioh. 1.16 17. Of his fulnesse have all we received and Grace for Grace For the Law was given by Moses but Grace Truth came by Iesus Christ Which being well understood would be a good Commentary upon a great part of the Epistle to the Hebrews The great error of the Jews was their resting in themselves and the Letter of the Law They had the Ceremonial Law and resting in those types and shadows looked not with an eye of Faith to Christ the Antitipe who was the end and scope of the Law and alone able to take away sinne as pertaining to the Conscience They had also the Morall Law written in tables of stone and rested in their own strength according to the Letter of the Law and thought to expiate their defects by those carnall offerings as Paul plainly and largely declares if we compare Rom. 9.31 32 33. with the
of the happiness we shall enjoy hereafter the spirit of sanctification is therefore called the earnest of our inheritance Ephes 1.14 Now the earnest is not a meere signe of a bargain but a part of the summe and what a man receives in earnest so much he hath toward the summe he is to receive So much then as thou hast of sanctifying grace so much thou hast of thy heaven upon earth Thus when Peter exhorts us to adde grace unto grace and one degree of grace unto another he useth this among many other motives 2 Pet. 1.11 For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The more holinesse we obtaine the further we get into heavens happinesse while we are here upon earth Thus I conceive we may understand the exhortation of Paul Phil. 2.12 Work out your salvation with feare and trembling Consider the foregoing words As ye have alwaies obeyed not as in my presence onely but now much more in my absence Work out your salvation c. As if he should say as he hath begun in the assistance of his grace who worketh in you both to will and to do so go on to work out your salvation to wit in obeying to the end O consider what motives here are to holinesse 1. It is your salvation By the habits of grace you are delivered from the state of sin and by every act of obedience you are saved from the contrary evil of disobedience I beseech you consider it well there is something of salvation in every act of obedience to God Mistake me not I do not say that any or all our obedience deserves ought from God but in every duty the Lord inables you to perform you are saved from the contrary neglect In every temptation you resist you are saved from that evil of sin you were tempted to and sin is the worst of evils Thus Joseph by withstanding the temptations of his Mistress was saved from the sin of uncleannesse and this was a farre greater deliverance than his enlargement from the dungeon he was afterward cast into And in this sense well sayes Solomon Prov. 19.16 He that keepeth the commandement keepeth his own soule And Christ is called Heb. 5.9 the author of eternall salvation unto all them that obey him For he saves his people by ruling them and making them obedient to his will The second motive here used by the Apostle ver 13. is this For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Ye have the assurance of Gods special grace which is sufficient for you strive therefore in the strength of grace I might here use divers arguments to presse you on to holy obedience but I shall onely desire at this time that this one may be well considered and you will finde it weighty to wit that sanctification is salvation Consider the reasons of the Doctrine and let thy soule be convinced of this that sin is the worst of evils that God is most honoured and thy self most happy in thy being saved from sin according to the Doctrine That the great work of Christ our Saviour is the saving of his people from their sins And then methinks I need say no more to perswade you to hate sinne and fall in love with the wayes of holinesse And here before I passe let it be considered that properly and immediately we cannot either principally or instrumentally pardon our sins or justifie our soules that belongs wholly to God It is God that pardoneth and justifieth it is Man that is pardoned and justified yet is it our duty to beg and sue for pardon but in the sanctification of our soules 1 Pet. 1.22 1 Joh. 3.3 we after the first grace received are immediately instrumentall in our own salvation as you have already heard we are never commanded to pardon or justifie our selves Jam. 4 8. 1 Pet. 1.15 Tit. 3.8 Heb. 12.4 Col. 3.5 Phil. 2 12. but to purge our hearts and cleanse our hands to walk in holinesse to maintain good works to strive against sin to mortifie our earthly members and therein to work out our salvation And what have we else to do while we are here but to glorifie God in seeking the salvation of our souls from sin And here let me tell you also there is something of destruction x Omnes â—â—im quoties peccamus totâ—es peâ—imus quantum ad nos attineâ— Deus forsitan meliora salubriora nobis providet at quoties peccamus per nos non fiat quin pereamus Quod à peâ—ditione vindicamur ex me a est Dei misericordia peccata etiam multo graviora prepter Châ—istum condonantis nosque ad resipiscentiam perducentis Interea pâ—râ—nâ—s non fiat quin pereamus quoties peccamus Twis vind gra l. 2. crim 4. Sect. 2. in every sin you do commit every sinne is as a wound to the soul And although the Lord will perfectly cure it in those that are his yet methinks a sober man should carefully keep himselfe from wounds notwithstanding he hath a skilfull Chirurgeon at hand that is able to heale him When the Apostle saith Rom. 14.15 Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died He did not mean that it was in the power of any man finally to destroy him whom Christ hath effectually redeemed but destroy not that is mischief not him by causing him to commit sin which is in its own nature destructive to the soul That saying of Philosophers vehemens sensibile destruit sensum A violent object destroyeth the sense is true although every loud sound doth not make a man stark deaf nor every dazling light quite put out a mans eys the senses are impaired by violent objects though not immediately destroyed by one such object As Solomon saith of one sinner so we may truly say one sin destroyeth much good Eccles 9.18 Thus the soul though not utterly destroied is very much damnified by sinful practises yea every sin is in its own nature a mortall wound and although the Lord doth not suffer his people to die yet when they have sinned greatly he hath caused them to feel so much tormenting pain of such wounds that they have roared out and groaned long sometimes in the bitternesse of their soules before they have felt the cure wrought Psal 32.3 4 5. When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of summer I aknowledged my sin unto thee and my iniquity have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Consider therefore how much thou art concerned to look to thy heart and waies to mortifie sin and perfect holinesse in the feare of God I shall now proceed to give some directions for the saving
SALVATION FROM SINNE BY JESVS CHRIST OR The Doctrine of SANCTIFICATION which is the greater part of our SALVATION founded upon CHRIST who is both the Meritorious and Efficient cause of Sanctifying Grace purchasing it for working perfecting it in his people Applied as it was specially intended for the better information of our Judgements and quickning of our Affections in holiness wherein our everlasting happiness chiefly consisteth Preached in the weekly Lecture at Evesham in the County of Worcester By GEORGE HOPKINS M. A. Minister of the Gospel there JOHN 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world LONDON Printed by J. G. for Nathanael Web and William Granâ—ham at the black Beare in Paul's Church-yard neere the little North doore 1655. To the people of my special charge in the Burrough of Evesham Both Magistrates and others Dearly Beloved I Know not to whom I may better dedicate this little Treatise than to your selves to whom I have dedicated my self under Christ in the work of the Gospel from my first beginning to be a constant Preacher of the Gospel And I have accounted it my priviledge to succeed such faithfull Ministers who for many yeares continually instructed you in the wayes of holinesse The first of them was Doctor Baily who preached unto some of you yet living the Practice of Piety which he after published And during the time of my continuance among you I have not ceased to preach according to my talents the Doctrine which is according to godlinesse As Paul required Timothy to charge some that they preach no other Doctrine So I charge you as having received the charge of you that ye receive none other Doctrine than what is according to godlinesse Be not hasty to heare such as bring contrary Doctrine run not with men of itching eares after such as are admired for teaching meer Novelty Wandring starres to which such teachers are compared in Scripture sparkle more than the fixed starres of greatest magnitude And one Comet or Blazing starre though it portend mischief is more wondred at than all the Starres of Heaven yea than the Sun in the firmament But be you carefull with the wise men to follow such starres whose motion tends to the place where your Saviour is And although you finde him here not clad in soft rayment nor deckt with tapestry but as in his infancy laid in straw yet think not much to bow down and worship him and offer your gifts your whole selves spirit soule and body of far greater value than gold frankincense and myrrhe as due to him who offered his soule a sacrifice for you Beware of being intangled with the profits and pleasures of the world which as I have lately shewed you are the two great barres that hinder soules from coming to Christ Think it not much to attend once in a week upon a Lecture sermon Those that will not leave their ordinary worldly businesse to attend upon the Word of Christ for one hour when they may return to it again will be loath to forsake all to follow Christ if they should be called to it and without this you cannot be his true Disciples Oh be not like the murmuring Israelites that despised the heavenly Manna because it fell daily at their tent doores and lusted after flesh Be not like the multitude of unthankfull poore that wax wanton in this time of plenty Lest the Lord by sending among you a famine of hearing the Word cause it to become precious But while you have the Ordinances of grace wait diligently upon Christ who is the fountain of grace in them Pray and labour for sanctified hearts and lives considering that Holinesse is your reall Happinesse as I have more largely taught you in these following Sermons Never feare that my pressing you or your pressing on to holiness or good works will in the least derogate from the freenesse of Gods grace for they are not your own work but Gods work in you and by you neither by them do you adde any thing to God but God to you you doe not increase his glory but he augments your happinesse so that what good you doe being done in the strength of his grace and tending to the perfection of your own soules makes no Recompence to God but makes you the greater Debtors to him The more holy and abundant you are in good works the more you have received from God and the more you owe to God And you have no more cause to glory in your selves for what good you do than to glory in your selves for the free pardon and remission of your sinnes These Sermons were not preached neither are they now published without my unfeigned prayers to God for a blessing upon them to your soules As I have been at the paines to compose preaâ—h and publish them in which I have found Gods assistance and direction for your sakes so be you at the paines to read them carefully and practise them diligently which that you may be enabled to doe pray earnestly that so glory may redound to God advantage to your own soules and comfort to Your unworthy but faithfull Minister of Christ Geo Hopkins HOlinesse being the very Image of God upon the soule and the blessed perfection in which we were Created to the reparation whereof we are Redeemed by Christ renewed by the holy Ghost conducted by the Word and furthered by all Gods Ordinances and in which so much of our everlasting Blessednesse will consist It is no wonder if it have many Adversaries in the world and if Satan and all ungodly men do imploy their wit and power to extinguish it subtill Hereticks secretly undermine it and bring in Doctrines which if practically entertained would destroy it The Libertines more plainly slight and contemne it and the profane do openly deride and persecute it No man but the Son hath seen God at any time but in the glasse of his Word and Works must we here behold him One of these Glasses is the Church and its sanctified Members here do the wicked see the holinesse of God and hate it here do the just behold the holinesse of God and love it It is as neglecters and despisers of Christ in his holy ones that the wicked are condemned as lovers of Christ in his holy ones that the righteous are rewarded in the judgement that is before us Mat. 25. All Doctrines and Practises therefore that derogate from Sanctification do tend to Damnation and are enmity against God The usuall wayes by which the Deceiver and his Instruments attempt this work are these foure 1. By denying the necessity and true ends and uses of holinesse and perswading men that it is necessary no otherwise than as an evidence of some better thing or as a point of gratitude onely for salvation received when as it is part of our salvation it self and a necessary meanes to the rest which yet remaineth 2. By setting Justification and Sanctification in opposition as
in his Epistle to Titus c. 2. pressing the duties of severall ages sexes and orders of people to ver 11 useth this with other weighty arguments that Christ gave himselfe for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purify unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good works ver 14. Thus also Peter exhorting the elect to be active in the wayes of holinesse not fashioning themselves to their former lusts 1. Pet 1. from ver 10. to v. 18. useth this as a most forcible argument among others ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your Fathers but with the precious blood of Christ Arg. 1 The First Argument is drawn from Gods honour that is the chief work of Christ our Saviour wherein God is most honoured but God is most honoured in the saving his people from their sins therefore is this the chief work of Christ c. That that is the great or chief work of Christ wherein God is most glorified will need little proof for that must needs be the greatest work that most effectually atteineth the highest end And what end higher than the glory of God which was the supreme end of all Christs undertakings Joh. 17.4 That God is most glorified in the saving his people from their sins is manifest by its contrary God is most yea onely dishonoured by the sinnes and not all by the sufferings e As a cause or occasion given of his dishonour although the wicked take occasion to blaspheme God when his people are brought low Psal 79.10 12. of his people Gods people by their holinesse glorifie him and he is much honoured in the midst of their sufferings whereas Sin dishonours him in the midst of ease and abundance of mercies Gods honour Will well agree with the sufferings of his people but Sin is directly injurious to his glory though by accident he gets himselfe glory by it as he at first produc'd light out of darkness Thus God is much honoured by the great sufferings of Job while he sinneth not Job 1.20 21. yea God is so much honoured that he makes his boast against Satan of his Servant Job cap. 2 3. And the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause And on the contrary how much is God dishonoured by our sinfull ease and prosperity yea most dishonoured by it in those that are redeemed from the guilt and punishment of sinne The grosse miscarriages of Gods people give occasion to the Enemies of God to blaspheme his name and wayes Thus when David had foulely offended saith the Lord by his Prophet Thou hast given great occasion to the Enemies of the Lord to blaspheme 2 Sam. 12.14 The crimes of Professors are ever the most scandalous yea the sins of Gods dearest children are most offensive to God himselfe because they are also committed against the greatest mercy and loving kindness The Lord in this case is ready to say with the Psalmist Psal 55.12 It was not mine Enemy that reproached me then I could have born it But when a Sinner is saved from his sins God is much honoured both before Angels and Men. Arg. 2 The second Argument is drawn from the greatnesse of the evill of sin above suffering That must needs be the greatest work in our Salvation whereby we are saved from the greatest evill but sin f It is better for a man to be cast into the torments of Hell among the Damned than to be overcome with any Sin Hookers Souls Prepar pag. 16. See Master Burroughs his Treatise of the Evill of Evills is the greatest evill and therefore our Salvation from it must needs be answerable That sin is the greatest evill is evident for many reasons 1. It is the procuring cause of all other evills and therefore must needs it self be the worst of evills The cause is ever more eminent than its effect whether for good or evill a good cause is better than its effect and an evill cause is worse That sin is the onely procuring cause of all evills is without controversie for as sin entred in the world death entred by sin and death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5 12. And the wages of sin is death saith Paul Rom. 6.23 Death temporall with all the evills of life as sicknesse wounds sorrowes and whatsoever else tendeth to Death and Death eternall All the horrour of hell is the fruit of sin the foundations of Hell are laid upon sinne Hell the worst of torments was built meerly for sinners therefore sin must be the worst of evills And because that sin is the Souls greatest evill and unhappinesse it is that when God comes to deliver a Soul out of meer pity and bowels of compassion his Eye chiefly pities them and his Bowells yerne over them because of their misery in sinne it selfe as you may read at large Ezek. 16. the former part of the Chapter And the saving mercy that he sheweth his love in is opposed to hardning in sinne rather than damning for sinne Rom. 9.18 He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth And the punishment of sinne with sin we account the greatest judgement 2. Sinne is Mans greatest evill because it hinders him from the enjoyment of the greatest good which is God himselfe It is sinne onely that separates between God and the Soule this is the onely partition wall Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you 3. Sinne is the greatest evill because of all things it is most displeasing to God the chiefest good yea there is nothing displeasing to God but sinne primarily and this is an abomination to him and therefore Sinnes are called in Scripture abominations Ezek. 9.4 And the Lord said unto him goe through the midst of the City through the midst of Jerusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the Abominations that be done in the midst thereof Prov. 15.9 The way of ths wicked is an Abomination unto the Lord. And God doth so loath sinners for their sinne that he will not abide them in his sight The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity saith David Psal 5.5 But the evill of suffering is not at all in it selfe displeasing unto God Yea he himselfe who is infinitely good is the Author of it and there is no evill of suffering but what comes from him as the principall efficient Can there be evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3.6 As by being saved from sinne Arg. 3 Man is
That grace and glory in this agree I know will be easily granted but how heavenly peace and joy should depend upon perfect sanctification as I conceive it doth may be more doubted For the clearing of this therefore I shall speak of these two later the more largely Peace which is the second part of glory is three-fold 1. with God 2. with our own Consciences 3. with Saints and Angels 1. Peace with God is two-fold 1. Procured 2. Continued 1. Peace with God procured is I confesse from a work wrought without us to wit the satisfaction of Christ on our behalfe according to what the Law required and depends upon Gods gracious acceptation of us in Christ yet is holinesse a necessary condition or qualification of the person that shall enter into peace as the Prophet phraseth it Isa 57.2 The righteous is taken away from the evil to come he shall enter into peace 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God 2. Peace with God continued depends upon a work of Christ within us to wit the work of Sanctification for being perfectly Sanctified in Heaven we do the will of God perfectly and displease him no more so that the peace formerly made is no more broken 2. Peace of Conscience must needs be perfect when a man comes to be perfectly holy and to enjoy perfect peace with God yea it were a contradiction to think otherwise For to have Conscience accusing for doing well were a sinfull error of Conscience and contrary to perfect holinesse Conscience is a Judge and to clear the guilty and condemn the innocent is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 17.15 and how can holinesse be perfect unlesse Conscience be perfect also Doth not Conscience belong to the practicall understanding and if this be perfected is not the perfection of Conscience included in it Or if you will make Conscience to be a distinct faculty of the Soul it matters not in this case so that we make it any thing belonging to the Soul for if the Soul in Heaven be perfectly good every power and faculty of it must be perfectly sanctified amongst which Conscience will finde a place m Conscientia humana est judiciū hominis de semetipso prout subjicitur judicio Dei Ames de Cons p. 1. Conscience as Doctor Ames defines it is Mans judgement concerning himselfe as it is subject to the judgement of God Therefore when God speaks peace perfected Conscience as it is in Heaven must needs speak so too and that Conscience cannot be perfectly good which is not quietly good Some distinguish of foure sorts of Consciences 1. A Conscience good but not quiet Such is the Conscience of a child of Light walking in Darknesse Such was the Conscience sometime of David and other of Gods Children Secondly A Conscience quiet but not good Such a Conscience as cryes peace peace to the sinner while he goes on in the stubbornesse of his own heart 3. A Conscience quiet and good Such is the Conscience of a Child of God when he walkes in Gods wayes and in the light of his Countenance 4. A Conscience neither good nor quiet Such is the accusing gnawing Conscience of a wicked Man such was the Conscience of Iudas after he had betrayed Christ But after this life the two first of these will be taken away 1. For when a man is perfectly sanctified as he shall be in Heaven there will be no room for Conscience to be unquiet because it will have no matter for which to accuse but will be perfectly quiet as the state of the Soule is perfectly good 2. The Conscience of the damned in Hell as it is perfectly evill so it is as restlesse and unquiet the worm as it never dyeth so it alwayes worketh 3. Perfect peace with Saints and Angels is but the perfection of the grace of love mutually exercised The third part of Heavens happinesse is perfect joy now joy is an affection of the Soule and the Soule being perfectly sanctified in glory this affection must be perfected as well as Love and the rest of the Affections which must all be taken in to make up the perfect sanctification of the Soule Perfect joy requires two things to its morall as well as its naturall perfection 1. That it be fixed upon God the chiefest good which is the onely satisfactory object And our joy here is therefore sinfully imperfect because we fixe it upon creature-comforts which are not perfect But God who is perfectly good is to be the onely object of our joy and other things are to be rejoyced in onely in subordination to him 2. Perfect joy requires a perfect rejoycing in this perfect object and in this life the joy of the Saints is therefore imperfect because though it be fixed upon God yet it is but imperfectly exercised Thus in both these respects our joy here is sinfully as well as naturally defective But in Heaven we shall perfectly rejoyce in God our perfect good and I hope none will deny but it is our duty to rejoyce in God forever with the most intense degree of joy and it were our sinne to doe any lesse What is this part of our happinesse then but a most necessary part of our perfect holinesse And in all these we see that perfect Holinesse is Heavens happinesse Another argument proving the great work of Christ our Saviour to be the saving of his people from their sins Arg. 4 may be drawn from the main scope and current of Scripture That must needs be the great work of Christ our Saviour which Scripture that is the word of salvation chiefly points out unto us But it is our salvation from sin or sanctification that Scripture chiefly points out unto us Eph. 1.13 Col. 3.16 Therefore this is the great work of Christ c. The Gospel is called the Gospel of our salvation because it shews us the way of salvation And it is called the Word of Christ not onely because it was endited by the Spirit of Christ but also because Christ is the subject whereof Scripture chiefly treats Joh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye think to have eternall life and they are they that testifie of me saith Christ Christ is the subject of Moses writings and of all the Prophesies of the holy Prophets and the New Testament is called the Gospel or joyfull message of Jesus Christ because therein is brought unto us news of our salvation by Christ yea the will of Christ revealed in his Word being the instrument or means of our salvation must needs concur with Christ the principall Efficient of our Salvation Now Scripture mainly insists upon the doctrine of Sanctification which is our salvation from sin which will easily appeare if we take a generall view of Scriture thus Scripture contains 1. Precepts or Commands 2. Threatnings 3. Promises 4. Examples First The Precepts of Scripture command Holinesse and teach us how to eschew evill and
in his Lusts which caused him sadly to bewaile his sinne and pray earnestly Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation Psal 51.12 Were we but as sensible of spirituall as we are of bodily injury our sinnes we fall into would be unto our Soules as so many wounds and bruises are to our bodies causing pain and griefe But the remainder of corruption in the best of Gods Servants doth much dull their spirituall senses whereby they are not so clearly exercised to discerne between good and evill yet the faithfull Servants of God have so much spirituall sense of the evill of sinne at leastwise after some time of recollection that they feel their foule miscarriages paining them to the purpose They are unto them like so many putrified wounds broken bones or bones out of joynt as David complains Psal 38.3 5. There is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sinne My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishnesse Blessed are the pure in heart saith Christ for they shall see God Mat. 5.8 to wit comfortably here as well as joyfully hereafter if purity qualifies the Soule so as that it may the more cleerly see God then impurity of Heart and Life must be as a thick cloud interposing betwixt the Soule and the light of Gods countenance so that it cannot be refreshed with the beames of his favour as formerly till by serious repentance the cloud be removed 3. This will likewise informe us whether we may in the avoiding of evill and doing of good propose the escaping of Hell and obtaining salvation as the end of so doing Our sins dishonour God by our sanctification we glorifie him and he commands us to read hear pray c. for the subduing of sin and increase of grace and must we not presse on still forwards towards perfection continually growing in grace till we come to glory which is the highest degree of grace This is our salvation to be saved from sinne and towards this all the means of grace and duties of piety tend the Word that we hear is the sword of the Spirit for the slaying of sinne we pray against sinne watch against sinne strive against sinne and may we not doe it to be saved from sinne nay can we rightly or rationally use the meanes without minding this end Doth not Heavens happinesse consist in the enjoyment of God in holinesse and is not God most glorified by us when his glorious Image is compleated in us And may we not make this state the end of our endeavours May we not make the escaping of Hell also the end of our duties if we doe but in any measure understand what Hell is without being Legallists That Hell is a place of intollerable torment I doubt not for it is set forth by fire brimstone and unquenchable fire in Scripture and 't is called outer darknesse where the worm never dies the fire never goes out And Rev. 14.10 11. 'T is said of those who worship the Beast and his Image and whosoever receive the marke of his name which shall be the condition of all the damned The same shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoake of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night But certainly as the torment is there the greatest so sinne there is at the highest where the damned never cease to blaspheme God Can Gods honour be deare unto us and we not fear to blaspheme him can we make Gods glory our end without solicitous care to avoid that state wherein we should never cease with the Devil and his Angels to blaspheme the most High When men have framed a Heaven and Hell according to the modell of their owne braine no mervaile if they deduce strange consequences from it 4. This likewise informes us that Christ died not alike for all men m See Ball of the Covenant of Grace from pag. 203. to pag. 264. under this head Christ the Mediatour of the New Testament for whom he died and rose again For he came to save his people from their sins all are not his people as I have shewed you before neither are all saved or to be saved from their sinnes The Doctors of the Doctrine of equall Universall Redemption tell us that Christ dyed and dyed alike for all men as much for Cain Esau Judas c. as for Abel Jacob Peter or any of the glorified Saints And this they boast of as the onely way to exalt the riches of Grace One of them publickly excepted against a godly Minister now with the Lord because he onely invited sinners to repent and believe that they might be saved and did not tell them that Christ dyed intentionally to save all This Objector called it clipt truth as if if it had been a detracting from the truth of Christ Egregiam verò landem A rare commendation indeed of the grace of Christ that teacheth that Christ hath no more for the glorified in Heaven than for the damned in Hell that Abel Jacob Peter are no more beholding to Christ than Cain Esau Judas which must needs follow if he did no more for the one than the other And that when the Apostle asketh 1 Cor. 4.7 who made thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received The Believer must answer I have made my self to differ Christ hath done no more for me than for the vilest reprobate he died and did alike for all men and put all mankinde in a like capacity for salvation and wherein I differ from the worst of sinners it is onely from my self This is plainly the sense of their doctrine This they boast of also as the onely way to comfort afflicted consciences and call the contrary uncomfortable doctrine Do but well consider it and it will prove about as comfortable to a troubled Soule as it is honourable to the riches of Christs grace The perplexed soule cries out I have sinned grievously against the Almighty and just God he hath set my sins in order before me my conscience is more than a thousand witnesses against me I see my self to be a damned wretch divine vengeance hangs over my head This Comforter answers Be of good cheer Christ died as much for thee as for any How doth that appear He died for every man alike therefore as much for thee as for any To whom the troubled soule may easily reply If he died for all men alike then no more for me than for Cain Esau Judas and the rest of the damned in hell And how shall I be assured that I shall be priviledged above them for I cannot believe What this miserable Comforter can answer
and to be called into fellow ship with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ Here is matter of admiration indeed Stand here and pause a little see whether you have not more cause than before to cry out O the breadth length and depth and height of the grace of Christ The soule that is betrothed to Christ in holinesse may much more say in this case what David said when he was advanced from a mean family to great dignity Lord Who am I and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto Here may we likewise say with the Psalmist Psal 8.4 What is man Lord that thou art mindfull of him and the Son of man that thou so visitest him And are not they to be esteemed the most faithfull preachers of the Gospel who shun not to reveale unto the people both parts of the Counsell and Grace of Christ but shew forth the glory of his sanctifying as well as of his justifying work Beware then I beseech you of the dangerous way of admiring grace against grace which is indeed to destroy grace Take heed of hearkning to them that so much contemne the doctrine of Sanctification by Christ under pretence of exalting Chrâ—st The Doctrine of the grace of God which bringeth salvation teacheth us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly justly and godly in this present world Tit. 2.11 12. Paul teacheth us that it is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ came into the world to save sinners but not to save them in their sins that were a contradiction but to save them from their sins There is in him plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Psal 130. ult and he saves them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Hebr. 7.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the perfection of all And were it so that Christ should save us from wrath and not from sin he would be but an imperfect Saviour for it would be but a halfe salvation nor so much neither But Christ doth not leave his work imperfect those that are his redeemed ones are compleat in him Col. 2.10 he justifies them he sanctifies them and so saves them And he that will be a faithful Minister of Christ must preach justificatioÌ„ sanctification which are inseparable It is no marvell if Antinomian teachers carry the multitude after them When they shall teach them that there needs no sorrow for sin no repentance no such care to please God that God takes no notice of their sins nor is displeased with them for sin it is no strange thing if those that are in love with their lusts do folow applaud approve them when they cannot bear the plain dealings of a faithfull Minister of Christ who tells them they cannot have Christ and their lusts too That the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men That the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God That if they will be saved by Christ they must be content to have their iniquities destroyed they must be saved from their sins for they and their sins cannot be saved together It is no marvaile I say to see those loose sort of Teachers gain a multitude of imaginary Converts How easie a matter is it to make a Proselite of a worldling if he may have Christ and his Mammon too or a voluptuous man if he may have Christ and his carnall pleasuers too And who would not have Christ when he shall be taught to deny or part with nothing not so much as a beloved lust for Christ Such clawing teachers are fit to please men of itching ears and such rotten doctrine hath undoubtedly made so many unsound Professors as we see of late How many Antinomian pretenders to more than ordinary Christians have attained to do we see that give way to intemperate drinking lascivious jesting defrauding and many other evils If Solomon when the two women pleaded their cause before him concluded that she was indeed the Mother of the Child whose yerning bowels pleaded against the dividing of it knowing that was the ready way to destroy it Let the wise discern betwixt us and our Antinomian Adversaries which of the two is upright in his cause and whether a divided Christ be like to prove a living and quickning Saviour We may here with the Apostles of Christ lift up our voice to God with one accord Acts 4.24 to 29. and say Lord thou art God which hast made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things The Kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ For of a truth against thy holy child Iesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel had determined before to be done But this thou in mercy hast ordered to the saving of thy people But now behold a combination of Antinomians Familists and licentious Libertines with evil hearts and wicked hands have what in them lies divided and separated the saving work of thy Son Jesus Christ contrary to the revealed will to the ruine and destruction of many thousand soules And grant unto thy servants that they may with all boldnesse speak thy word not dawbing with untempered mortar but plainly telling Iudah of her sins and Ierusalem of her transgressions that so they may through thine effectual grace be instruments of recovering many from this snare of the Devil who are now led captive by him at his will 7. If the great work of Christ be the saving of his people from their sins this wil further inform us who they are that are the best Christians that have most interest in Christ even those that are the most saved from their sins that have their corruptions most mortified that are the most meek humble self denying obedient Christians and not they that are most in shew and outward appearance This I speak because I see most judge by a wrong rule both of themselves and others in point of Christianity I have heard some highly applauding such as talk and seem to know much while they complaine of their own ignorance want of expression inability in comparison of them calling the other able Christians And we see in this talkative age those that talk much to be renowned among many while the modest humble hearted are little set by I have sometime seen a Gallant in gold and silver lace strutting in great state and perhaps not so much worth in all the world beside as the clothes upon his back To this man many do reverence ignorantly apprehending him to be some honourable person when they regardlesly pass by another man in plain habit
that may be worth some thousand pounds So is the esteem of most concerning the worth of Christians he that talks most and wordeth it best in all company is the onely man when a weighty serious Christian of fewer words and meaner outside is of no account But the worth of a Christian lies not in a few good words nor in plausible performance of duties but in true and real sanctification from sinne A sincere humble-hearted Christian is worth his weight in gold and I doubt not but one such Christian will weigh down a hundred vainglorious talkers in the balance of the Sanctuary Think not the highest Mountaines are the most fruitfull Land because they overlook the lower Valleys the mountains indeed are most in shew especially at a distance but the lowest valleyes bring forth fruit most abundantly Gifts and Grace compared There is a great deale of difference between Gifts and Graces as I shall instance in three particulars There is the gift of knowledge and the grace of knowledge the gift of faith and the grace of faith the gift of prayer and the grace of prayer There may be oft times is a large gift of all these where the true grace of them is wholly wanting No doubt but Iudas and divers others lawfully set apart to the work of the Ministrie were indued with a large measure of the gifts of knowledge faith and utterance both for preaching and prayer But how farre were they from the grace of either Our Saviour Christ himself gives us an account of many Mat. 7.22 that will say at the last day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderfull works and then will he professe unto them I never know you depart from me ye that work iniquity But true sanctifying Grace is precious in his esteem the grace of knowledge is more precious than any thing in all the world Prov. 3.13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdome and the man that getteth understanding For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver the gain thereof than of fine gold she is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her Happy indeed are they that have the grace of knowledge when many that are endued with great gifts are and shal be eternally miseable Hel it self is full of large gifts yea the Devils there have greater knowledge than all the Saints on earth The gift of knowledge through the corruption of man puffs up as we see by woful and abundant experience when the grace of knowledge makes a man more humble The mere gift makes a man wise in his own eyes and while he takes himself to be a knowing man he knowes nothing as he ought 1 Cor. 8.7 Seest thou a man that is wise in his own eyes there is more hope of a foole than of him saith Solomon Prov. 26.12 A foole in Solomons usuall sense is one that is wicked and verily there is more hope of a profane person than of him that is well conceited of himself The Gospel took better effect among Publicans and Harlots than with the Scribes and Pharisees for to them saith Christ the Publicans and Harlots enter into the kingdome of God before you Mat. 21.31 And the reason is evident for a profane person is more easily convinced of his sin which is a good step toward conversion and a necessary antecedent to it A self-conceited proud person resisteth God in his message and motions and God resisteth him so that there is as it were an antipathy between them The Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the counsell of God Luke 7.30 and God resisteth the proud James 4.6 but he giveth grace to the humble And the grace of knowledge makes a man humble little in his owne eyes and low in his own esteem shewing him his ignorance wants weakness and the more a man truly knowes the more he sees what he knows not and dare not rashly adventure upon things above his reach Ps 131.1 Lord my heart is not haughty nor mine eyes lofty neither do I exercise my self in great matters or in things too high for me There was likewise the gift of Faith even to the working of Miracles which was nothing in the Lords esteem without sanctifying Grace 1 Cor. 13.2 Thogh I have faith so that I could remove mountaines and have no charity I am nothing But the grace of faith in all that are indued with it is precious 2 Pet. 1.1 And the triall of this grace is said to be much more precious than of gold 1 Pet. 1.7 There is also the gift of Prayer and this furnisheth a man with words and apt composure as to the outward form but the grace of Prayer furnisheth the heart with the sense of its wants and apprehension of the worth of grace and fills the soul with sighs and groans when it wants words to speak its minde There was more of the grace of prayer in that short Petition of the self denying Publican God be mercifull to me a sinner than in many of the Pharisees long prayers and their fastings to boot The Pharisees prayed by measure and the Papists pray by number but a gracious spirit prayes by weight and such prayers are most prevalent Jam. 5.16 The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Regard not then so much how long thou prayest or what are thy expressions in prayer as what are thy sighs and groans and what the serious sense of thy heart in prayer and supplication The speciall help of the spirit lies in framing the heart with the affections not the tongue with words for prayer as is evident Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Measure not then the quantity of thy gifts to know what thou art in point of Christianity but try the quality the sincerity and growth of thy grace A little grace with little gifts is of farre greater value than the greatest gifts without grace A small vessel laden with Gold from the Indies is of more value than the greatest ship laden with Coales Salt or such like Commodities Grace lies not meerely in the head but chiefly in the heart and in the feet also of a Christian to wit the habit of grace in the inward affection and the exercise in the outward conversation or course of life together with the actings of the inward faculties 1. In the heart or inward affections Thus according to the tenour of the new Covenant the true grace of knowledge rectifies the heart Jer. 31.33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts And 't is the
of their sin before they be also condemned to the same pit of hellish howling CHAP. V. FIrst let me exhort you in generall to get your hearts deeply possessed with the consideration of this truth 1. Use of Exhortation That the great work of Christ our Saviour is the saving of his people from their sinnes This will be of great concernment to the glory of God and the good of your own and others soules as will more fully appeare in the following discourse The not understanding and want of consideration of this is the cause of great contentednesse in sinne among profane and earnall persons They look onely upon judgement as the great evill they are liable unto as for their sinnes they love and delight in them as if there were no evil in them So little do most consider of the evill of sinne that were it not for fear of the judgement annexed to the Law and denounced against sinners they would have no thoughts of ever-leaving their sins the Language of many poore carnall soules declares as much Tell a profane person of his evill courses so as to convince him of his sinne he will answer he hopes he may repent hereafter and God may have mercy on him at the last The example of the Thief on the Crosse much takes with him but for present reformation he hath no minde to it Tell me plainly thou that livest in known sinnes being convinced in conscience of the evill of them and that yet there is no saving work wrought upon thy heart Tell me I say and let Conscience answer when thou hast had good motions upon thy heart from the Spirit of God in thy solitary seasons or when thou hast been plainly shewed by some powerfull Sermon what thy state is how sinfull and damnable Hath not thy deceitfull heart wedded to corruption silenced the voice and quieted the workings of conscience by telling it this work of turning to God and seeking his grace is indeed necessary to salvation but this is a work that may be done hereafter and so it be done any time t is well enough though in sickness or old age And doth not this plainly shew that thine ey is only upon the evil of suffring for sin not upon sin it self for were sin accounted a greter or as great an evil as suffering yea were it accounted an evil of any moment at all there would be no pleading for a little more slumber a litle more folding of the hands to sleep in sin Were sinners as sensible of the evill of sin as of the pain of scorching flames oh how would they awake and rouze up themselves plead no longer for the flesh to delight it self in sensual pleasures Is it not ignorance in this point that is the cause why so many in these times will not account a Sermon of repentance or holinesse worth the hearing and that the Preacher that spends much time upon such subjects is esteemed no better than ignorant of the mysteries of the Gospel Is not ignorance of this doctrine the cause why so many self-conceited self-sending teachers meddle so little with the propheticall and kingly office of Christ and insist almost wholly upon his Priestly office and handle that but by the halves too They are much upon the satisfaction which Christ hath made to God for sinne by his fulfilling the Law and suffering for us but the purchase of sanctifying grace is little taken notice of Verily every office of Christ is very necessary to the saving of his people His Propheticall office is necessary to their teaching and enlightning in the waies of holinesse his Kingly office is necessary for the subduing of rebellious lusts and affections for the conducting of them and leading them on in the paths of righteousnesse and his purchase as he is our Priest of sanctifying grace is as necessary as his obtaining pardoning grace for us The not laying of this to heart is surely the cause of so much slightnesse and remissnesse even in many of the children of God themselves in their whole spirituall course Tell me truly thou that fearest God and dissemble no longer to thy own injury and Gods dishonour Hast thou not many times said thus in thy heart I am verily perswaded my estate is good before God that I have true grace and an interest in the precious merits of Jesus Christ and though I be not so carefull watchfull and spirituall as I might be though I give way to such and such lesser evils and neglect such and such smaller duties yet having an interest in Christ who is able to save me to the uttermost all these will be pardoned and done away in the day of account and being not under a covenant of works but of free-grace for the remission of sinnes I need not be so very scrupulous Whence now comes such evill and carnall reasonings in thy heart but from hence that thou little considerest that the great work and care of Christ is to save thee from thy sinnes Thou lookest upon suffering as the greatest evil and upon sinne as little in comparison of it thou thinkest free-grace is chiefly yea almost wholly if not onely to be admired in the remission of sinnes and magnified in the justification of Gods Elect diminishing his grace in their sanctification O how exceedingly is God dishonoured not onely by wicked men but even by his own children also for want of rightly considering wherein their salvation lies O learn now if thou hast not hitherto considered it that it is the great work of Christ to save his people from their sinnes And to that end weigh well the arguments confirming the Doctrine And to the end thou maist be further helped in thy understanding of this truth of so great importance study againe and consider better very many Scriptures that speak of the work of salvation by Christ and see whether thou hast not exceedingly straitned the sense and meaning of them by conceiving them to speak of salvation from the fruits of sin onely when they specially intend salvation from sinne onely Did not these words in the text He shall save his people from their sinnes and these words Behold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world seem to thee to be meant onely of the guilt and punishment of sinne O learn now more clearly and fully to understand the sense of Scripture concerning Gospel-grace and know that Christs saving his people by sanctifying them as well as justifying them is the very stream both of the old and new Testament And here that I may help your understanding a little I shall instance 1. In the Sacraments and Types 2. In the Promises 3. In the Prophesies of the old Testament 4. In the Sacraments of the new Testament 5. In the Gospel-invitations together with some other texts of Scripture Sacraments ordinary 1. For the Sacraments which were ordinary in the old Testament Circumcision of the flesh signified circumcising that
is the sanctifying of the heart Circumcision Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou maist live Rom. 2.29 He is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Consider the foregoing verses On the contrary evil and unsactified hearts are called uncircumcised in Scripture Lev. 26.41 If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled Jer. 9.25 26. Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will punish them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised Egypt and Iudah and Edom and the children of Ammon and Moab and all that are in the utmost corners that dwell in the wildernesse for all these nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and eares ye doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost as your fathers did so doe ye Circumcision then as you see was not onely a seale of the righteousnesse of faith The Passover The Passeover or Paschall Lamb Exod. 12. was a Type of Christ the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world as it hath been explained before The sprinkling of the blood upon the doore-posts signified the sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon the heart and soule for removing of the filth as well as the guilt of sin which was also signified by other sprinklings and washings of the Law as I shall shew you anon Sacraments extraordinary The Baptism in the cloud and in the red Sea figured the same which is now signified by our Baptism under the Gospel of which I shall speak in its due place The Manna in the wildernesse was a type of Christ who is the bread of Life upon whom whosoever feedeth by faith hath a spirituall life in Christ he dwelling in Christ and Christ in him to wit by the graces of his spirit Christ himself thus expounded what the Manna signified as you may read at large Ioh. 6.48 to 59. Types The Brazen serpent Numb 21.9 with Iohn 3.14 15. was a type of Christ restoring spirituall life as well as delivering from the death of condemnation As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wildernesse even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And this is life eternall that they might know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 The Laver Exod. 30.17 typified our sanctification by the Blood of Jesus Christ Eph. 5 25 26. Even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word We read of the Laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renuing of the holy Ghost The blood of the Sacrifices sprinkled signified the blood of Christ in its sanctifying vertue Heb. 9 1◠14. For if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heighfer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serve the living God! chap. 10.22 Let us draw neer with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water The Promises 2. Let us consider the Promises even of the covenant of promise Jer. 31.33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people Ezek. 36.26 27. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them Here you see how large a part of this Covenant consisteth in the promises of sanctifying grace Prophecies 3. Let us consider the Prophesies Zach. 13.1 In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse It is the uncleannesse of sin that is washed away by this Fountain of Grace Isa 61.1 2 3. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. This freedom here spoken of is from a state of thraldome in sin from the bondage of corruption as well as from the obligation to punishment for it is said ver 3. the latter part That they might be called trees of righteousnes the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified The like we have chap. 42. 6 7. I the Lord have called thee in righteousnesse and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and give thee for a covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles to open the blind eyes and bring out the prisoners from the prison them that sit in darknes out of the prison-house Here we see that the opening of blinde eyes is spoken of and what is that but the grace of saving knowledge and what the prison is you may gather out of my foregoing words upon the former text Mal. 3.2 3. He to wit Christ is like refiners fire and like fullers sope And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousnesse Sacraments of the N.T. 4. The Sacraments of the New Testament signifie the same sanctifying grace Rom. 6.4 We are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father even so also we should walk in newnesse of life 1 Cor. 6.11 But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified Here you see the washing of Baptism signifies the sanctifying as well as the justifying vertue of the blood of Christ John 1.35 He that sent me to baptise with water the same said unto me Vpon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remain on him the same is he which baptiseth with the holy Ghost See also chap. 5.3 Except a man be born of water and of the
pathetically declared and complained of the wilful wickednesse of Israel Isa 1.2 3 4. notwithstanding his tender dealing with them he being still unwilling of their ruine saith to them ver 18. Come now and let us reason together So let me say unto thee on the behalf of God and thy own soul Come and let us reason together before we part and see whether it be not possible to prevail with thee to be willing to the salvation of thy own soule And here let me put a few Queries to thee 1. Hast thou not lived all thy dayes in the light of the Gospel and under the meanes of Grace the Lord yet still offering unto thee his saving help wooing intreating beseeching thee to accept of him that thou maist be saved And will not all these meanes and mercies thou now injoyest rise up in judgement against thee in the great day of thy account Mat. 10.14 15. And whosoever shall not receive you nor heare your words when ye depart out of that house or city shake off the dust off your feet Verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that city Chap. 11.21 2â— 23 24. Woe unto thee Corazin wo unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long agoe in sackcloth and ashes But I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgement than for you And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven shalt be thrown down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained untill this day But I say unto you it shall be more tolerable c. Hence let me propose to thee a second Querie 2. Dost not thou account Heathens Infidels persons in a most forlorne and miserable condition and wouldst thou not account it a reproach to be called Heathen or Infidel and is not thy condition farre worse than theirs they have but the light of Nature the book of the Creature to read God in and know not what a Bible meanes thou hast the light of Scripture wherein the will of God is fully revealed The light of Nature may discover much of mans misery but Scripture revealeth it more fully and sheweth the effectual remedy and that plainly and clearly Now consider this that as thou enjoyest greater light thy condemnation will be the more heavy if thou continue to sin against it for thou wilt have no cloak for thy sin Joh. 15.22 3. When thou readest or hearest the History of the rebellious Israelites how they sinned against God after he had wrought for them great deliverances and they had seen his wonders and been instructed out of his Law Art thou not ready to condemn them for their great wickednesse and is not thy sinne greater than theirs If thou believest Scripture to be the word of God thou hast the same miracles to convince thee and all that were wrought by Christ and his Apostles too but that which is of greater consequence is that all the Types Prophesies and Promises of the Law wherein they could see but darkly through a veile of grace that was to be revealed t Praesens autem in carne ipse Mediator beati ejus Apostoli jam Testamenti novi gratiam revelames apertius indicarunt quae aliquanto â—e ultius superioribus sunt significata tempopo ibus Aug. de Civ Dei l. 10. c 32. are now fulfilled and in fulfilling and we are called under the Gospel to behold as it were with open face the glory of the Lord and the cleare light that now shines discovers more fully by many degrees the way of life than all the doctrine and miracles of Moses And now wherein thou judgest them dost thou not more deeply condemn thy selfe If he that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment shalt thou be thought worthy who hast trodden under the foot the Son of God and despised his Gospel of grace Consider also the words of the Apostle Heb. 1.1 2. with ch 2. 1 2 3. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip For if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence and reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which began at first to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him 4. When thou readest of the Jewes that refused Christ when he came among them preaching unto them and instead of accepting him persecuted him and when it was put to their vote whether Christ or Barabbas should be released they saved Barabbas and delivered Jesus to be crucified Doth not thy heart even rise against them Yea is not the name of a Jew therefore become odious among us And art not thou worse than they Most of them although they sinned greatly herein yet they did it ignorantly they did not believe that Jesus was the Christ but looked for another and therefore did not persecute him as Christ but as a Deceiver for said the chief Priests and Phariâ—ees unto Pilate Sir We remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive After three dayes I will rise again Mat. 27.62 63. For if they had knowne it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 But thou believest that Jesus is the Christ and knowest that salvation is not to be had in any other yet thou receivest him not but daily sinnest against him and provokest him with hardnesse of heart And how oft hath the Lord put it to thy vote whether thou wouldst have Christ or sin to live and rule over thee and thou hast still given a reall voice for the life of thy base corruptions far more mischievous than Barabbas and choosest to live under the power of sinne and Sathan and crucifiest Christ afresh by thy daily transgressions offering despight unto the spirit of grace Thou art therefore inexcusable O man whosever thou art that judgest those Christ-murdering Jewes for wherein thou judgest them thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest dost the same or worse things And thinkest thou this Ro. 2.1 3. that thou shalt escape the judgement of God 5. Art thou content as thy security seemes to maintain to die in a state of sin and perish as one that wilfully refuseth grace offered and to receive the saddest condemnation If thou dost indeed believe that there is a heaven of unspeakable joyes and a hell of intolerable torments methinks thou shouldst not be willing to lose heaven and fall
This Objection is very satisfactorily answered by Mr. Baxter in his method for peace of conscience Dir. 9. Prov. 21. â— Let not the Devil delude thee with that vain objection The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord therefore thou must not pray If thou art obstinately resolved to go on in thy wickednesse then hearken to his voice and forbear to pray but if thou seest a necessity of salvation and thy heart be by all these or other arguments inclined to seek after it forbear not to cry mightily to thy God for help Suppose I should say unto thee thou must not plough for Solomon saith the ploughing of the wicked is sin thou must not sow or labour in thy calling for being an unbeliever it is impossible for thee to please God in it Thou must not eat or drink because thou dost not do it to the glory of God Wouldst thou not answer I must follow my calling or else I must be a beggar and utterly undone I must eat and drink or else I shall soon be famished no man but he that desperately careth not for his life would refuse his necessary food Is not the case alike as to thy spirituall condition No man but he that is desperately set to lose his soule methinks can be perswaded from praying to the Lord for help When Jonah had preached the destruction of Nineveh if another had come and told them they might save their labour for fasting and praying their prayers would be but an abomination to the Lord and do them no good Would they have hearkned to such counsel Nay did not the Lord give a gracious returne to their prayer Suppose the Lord should smite thee with some violent incurable disease and death should stare thee in the face one of our Novelists should come and tell thee thou hast been hitherto a wicked creature and it is but in vain to pray thy prayer will be but an abomination to the Lord wouldst thou not loath to look upon him that should speak thus to thee and account it devillish counsell wouldst thou hot say I must pray or perish And if a man that hath been wicked may yea concludes he must pray and cannot be at peace unlesse he pray when the judgements of God are upon him or hang over his head why may he not set himself to seek God while he hath health liberty and a free injoyment of the meanes of grace for his help Was it not to the wicked that the Lord said Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is neere See ver 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him And is it not charged upon the workers of iniquity as their greater sin that they call not upon the Lord Ps 14.4 How oft did the Lord call upon the wicked Israelites to humble their soules and seek his face and how oft did he heare and deliver them from their distresse Hast thou not read of Ahabs Humiliation and what successe he had Make not thy self worse than a wicked Ahab lest he rise up in judgement against thee and lest the men of Nineveh rise up in judgement against thee for they fasted and prayed and humbled their soules at the preaching of Jonah and behold a greater message than that of Jonah is sent unto thee It is easie to prove by many texts of Scripture and arguments from Scripture that it is a wicked mans duty to pray and unlesse any man will undertake to prove that it is his duty to continue in his wickednesse he will speak but little to the purpose against it Some can say by experience that the first speciall work of God that ever they perceived on their hearts was while they were praying unto him and though they began to pray formally yet they were brought to pray seriously before they ended the same prayer And if by blind guides thou wilt be perswaded to forbeare praying let the character of a wicked sot remain upon thee Psal 14.4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge who call not upon the Lord. And let the portion of the wicked be reserved for thee Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God The second branch of the use of exhortation I shall direct to such of you as are spirituall Labour in the use of such means as God affords you to save your souls from sin This is the great work of Christ and this must be your great work also in subordination to him Whosoever thou art that effectually called thou art called to holiness God hath given thee a principle of grace to this end that thou mayst warre against corruption and walk in a holy conformity to his will O remember that sin is thy greatest misery and holinesse thy reall happinesse The godly mans happinesse consisteth in the remission of sins and sanctification of the soul Thus the blessed man is described in Scripture by both these parts of his blessedness 1. Remission of sins Psal 32.1 2. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity 2. By sanctification Psal 1.1 2. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsell of the ungodly c. Ps 119.1 2. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart These are not meere qualifications of the persons to whom blessednesse doth belong but are reall and most considerable parts of blessednesse it self Sin as I have shewed you is your great misery therefore holinesse is your great happinesse O how happy is a holy life Well might Solomon say Prov. 12.26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour even as much as spiritual liberty is more excellent than Satans slavery O then labour in the feare of God to walk uprightly before him in all holy obedience as thou desirest to be blessed Jam. 1.25 Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed w Signifiâ—cat in ipsa actione sitam esse beaâ—tiud neÌ„ non in auditione frigida Calv. in loc I do not say blessed for his deed meritoriously but blessed in his deed really It is contrary to the glory of Gods grace to make our holinesse and works meritorious of our future happinesse and it is a diminishing of Gods mercy to us and our own happinesse here to make our graces and sincere obedience meere signes and evidences of our good estate here and our title to heaven hereafter They are indeed signes but I say not meere signes for they are the chief part of our happinesse here and a part
close to the rule of Gods Word when temptations are strong and cause thee highly to prize the Word as David did and take counsell from it Thus when Davids straits were great he fearing sin consults not with flesh and blood but with the word of God Psal 119.23 24. Princes also did sit and speak against me but thy Servant did meditate in thy statutes Thy testimonies are my delight and my Counsellours And he had much comfort from it in his distresse This is my comfort in my affliction saith he for thy word hath quickned me ver 50. not Gods word of promise onely which was comfortable but his word of precept also See ver 51. The proud have had me greatly in derision yet have I not declined from the law This was his comfort that he had the precept of God to direct him in his duty that being kept from the evill of sinne his spirituall adversaries might not get advantage against him Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee ver 11. For had he escaped his enemies by a sinfull shift it would have been a remedy worse than the disease To be kept close to God and to have communion with him in a time of affliction and distresse is a very great and most desirable mercy Therefore David in deep distresse of persecution and affliction prayes Psal 143.10 Teach me to do the will or thou art my God c. Yea this is a far greater mercy than to be delivered from the affliction it selfe 9. Prize and frequent the Communion and society of the Saints and servants of God and thou shalt find thy hands much strengthened by them Embrace all their counsels admonitions exhortations and whatsoever other helps they afford thee with much thankfulnesse Learn to accept of a friendly reproof as a great kindnesse Psal 141.5 Let the righteous smite it shall be a kindnesse and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyl This I the rather mention because reproofs are hardly born by most Suppose a friend should save thee from perishing by fire or water wouldst thou not take it kindly though he catch thee out hastily and handle thee roughly Know that the danger of sin is greater and a sharp reproof for the safety of the soul must be kindly taken although it seem harsh 10. Lastly Be constant in the use of all meanes for thy Salvation Satan is still watching and thy corruption is daily and hourly working and thou canst not be negligent any time without sustaining some injury by them Having spoken to such as are Carnall and to such as are spirituall I shall now direct my speech to such as are at great uncertainties what their condition is whether Carnall or Spirituall And such I would Exhort diligently to inquire whether they have any actual interest in this great saving work of Christ or not You cannot discerne what your interest is in the other part of Christs saving work but by this Pardon of sin Justification Adoption which are Relative changes cannot be discerned but by the Reall change which alwayes accompanies them Would you know then whether you are in a state of Salvation inquire whether you are in a state of Sanctification or not Herein lies the greater part of your Salvation as you have heard and the other parts are discovered by this It is a Devilish subtilty of Satan tending to keep men in presumptuous carnall security to perswade them not to try themselves by marks and Signes of what God hath wrought in them to know what God hath further wrought for them I know not how a Child of God shall discerne himself from a Child of the Devil if the difference be only Relative and not Reall Neither can a Christian have more grounded hope or comfort of his Salvation than a Jew Turk or Heathen if the work of grace upon his heart will not evidence his good estate I will not now stand upon this question but will lay downe some few marks whereby you may try and discerne whether your estate be good or not and they shall be onely such as fall directly from the point in hand and may be deduced from what hath beene already spoken upon it First If you are in a state of Salvation you will look upon Sin as the greatest evil or if for want of due consideration you have esteemed Wrath a greater evil yet you will esteem Sin so great even in it self as that you will groan under it and long to be delivered from it though there were no other evill following it Let me put this question to thee and consider well what answer thy conscience will make Suppose it were possible for thee to go on freely in sin without danger of punishment that there were no penalty to be executed upon the impenitent transgressors of the Law that there were no such thing as everlasting condemnation or temporal judgement couldst thou then be contented to go on and take thy course in sin without serious seeking to be delivered from it If thou couldst thy heart is not yet right in the sight of God thou art in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity and not in a state of salvation For to fear sin meerly for fear of punishment is not properly to feare sin at all but wrath onely and this is but a servile or slavish fear I doubt not but the judgment threatned on the one hand and the reward promised on the other hand are motives needfull for our help but the very evill that is in sin it selfe is esteemed so great that the consideration of that alone worketh strongly in all that truly believe He that could think himself well enough with profits pleasures honours if he might have a continued enjoyment of them without ever being called to an account before Gods tribunal is as yet but an unhappy man for as yet he doth not hate sin as sin or for it self nor out of any true love to the wayes of holinesse The Scholler that would be willingly playing all the day long but leaves his sport a while and learneth a little for feare of his Masters rod onely is no enemy to Idlenesse or true lover of Learning Inquire then diligently what thy affections are towards sin considering it as abstracted from punishment 2. Secondly and consequently he that is saved from a state of sin and hates sin as sin a A quatenus ad de omni valet argumentum Neque vi◠bonus merito dicitur qui scit quod bonū est sed qui diligit Aug. de civ Dei l. 11. c. 28. a hates every sinne Thus saith David Psal 119.104 I hate every false way ver 101. I have refrained my self from every evil way And he that loves grace as grace loves every grace and every gracious action having respect to every part of his duty Psal 119. ver 5 6. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Then shall I not be
ashamed when I have respect to all thy commandements I do not say that hatred of sin or love of holinesse is gradually perfect in all or any of the Saints in this life but it is prevalent in all of them Inquire then what is the prevalent or overpoising frame of thy heart Is it against every sin and for the whole service of God I say the prevalent or overpoising frame for a carnall person may and usually hath many grudgings of conscience against sin and some approbation of the wayes of holinesse When the rich young man in the Gospel came to Christ inquiring what he should do to inherit Eternall Life and at his second question asked Christ What lack I yet Christ plainly discovered by his answer that he wanted more love to his spiritual than to his temporall happinesse And in this example is confirmed what Christ told his Disciples to wit that he that loved any thing more than him is unworthy of him and cannot be his Disciple Luke 14.26 Mat. 10.37 Doubtlesse Judas had some kinde of love to his Master upon whom he had waited so long But the thirty pieces of silver weighed Christ down in the ballance of his affection I say also it is the frame of thy heart that thou must inquire after for it is hard judging by some particular inclinations onely A bad man may sometimes be in a good minde as at the hearing of some rouzing Sermon or under some great Affliction or the like but this goodnesse is but as the morning cloud Hosea 6.4 and as the early dew that soon vanisheth away The young man forementioned was in a good minde while he was coming to Christ but it was but of small continuance A good man also may sometimes be in a bad minde as when he is under a prevalent temptation So was David when he fell into the sins of Adultery and Murder and Solomon when he declined to Idolatry Now if a wicked man should judge of himselfe by what his inclination was while he was in a good minde for a little season he may judge himselfe to be godly as I doubt many do and so deceive his own soule Or if a godly man should judge of himselfe by what he hath observed in himselfe while he was under the power of some great temptation he may take himself for a very reprobate I adde against every sin and for the whole service of God Because a wicked man may have a prevalent constant hatred of some sinnes and a constant predominant love to some vertues even very Heathens have been constant haters of injustice intemperance c. and have been great lovers of temperance justice and such like vertues And we see by experience that many meer civil persons are stedfast haters of swearing drunkennesse whoredome and such like open profanesse and lovers of truth honesty and sobriety Inquire then what is the prevalent frame of thy heart against every sin so far as thou knowest And this requires a serious and frequent observation of thy heart and wayes if thou wilt make a clear discovery Let me ask thee then Hast thou well observed the frame of thy heart and dost thou find it to be against every sin so as not to be contented with secret sins heart-sins most pleasing sins common infirmities even such as may and doe ordinarily consist with a state of grace Canst thou say with David Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts Psal 18.22 23. All his judgements were before me and I did dot put away his statutes from me I was also upright before him and I have kept my selfe from mine iniquity For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point to wit habitually willingly and out of indulgence he remaineth guilty as a transgressour of the whole law James 2.10 3. As a further consequent He that is saved from a state of sin feareth sin and followeth after holinesse What a man looks upon as evil he hateth and what he hateth he feareth if he be in danger of it and the greater he apprehendeth the evil to be the greater is his feâ—re of it And what a man accounteth good and so loveth he hopefully seeketh the injoyment of if it may be attained and the better he esteemeth it the more diligently he seeketh after it Thus to our purpose speaketh Solomon Pro. 28.14 Happy is the man that feareth alway but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe To feare judgement with a love to sin is a servile feare but to feare sin as a most sad evill in it selfe is from a true filiall fear of God who hath forbidden sin and in the words we see it is such a feare as is opposed to hardning of the heart And we have Paul's example for earnest pressing after the good he loved and hoped for Phil. 3.12 13 14. I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Jesus Christ Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before I presse towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus My soul followeth hard after thee saith David Psal 63.8 Ask thy soul then Art thou bold and adventurous in thy waies without feare of falling into sin or art thou fearfull and carefull in all thy undertakings lest thou transgresse Dost thou say as Joseph did when a temptation ariseth How can I do this wickednesse and sinne against God Gen 39.9 And dost thou in doubtful cases consider and inquire what the will of the Lord is that thou maist keep his way 4. Hence followes care to avoid the evil obtain the good in the use of such means as tend to the accomplishment of it Let me ask thee then What care and diligence dost thou use in hearing reading meditating praying conferring and watching over thy heart A meere Hypocrite may do most of these as to the outward act with some kinde of diligence But dost thou doe all these carefully setting this as the end thou proposest that hereby thou maist the more prevaile against every evil and make a progresse in all good and thereby glorifie God thy Saviour But alas what is it that the most do they sit out a Sermon kneel out a Prayer in publick say over their prayers in private some perhaps doe this and more meerly to get knowledge to obtaine a good esteeme with men or to satisfie the voice of an enlightned naturall Conscience or for some other by-end But if all endeavours do not chiefly refer to this end to wit to glorifie God in eschewing every evill and doing good it is but lost labour 5. Lastly hence also followes a mans joy and delight in that which is good and sorrow when the contrary evil overtakes him What a man loves desires and seeketh after as good he delights in the enjoyment of What a
mercy and say Satan with the world and my own corrupt flesh have handed themselves together and assaulted my soul with greatest violence They came upon me furiously to swallow me up quick and I was unable to withstand them for they were stronger than I. Then cried I unto the Lord in my distresse I said thou art my refuge I fly to thee for help Save me O my God and deliver my soule from the hand of mine enemies I have no power or might against them but mine eyes are upon thee In the day that I cried the Lord answered me and strengthned me with strength in my soule He saved me from my cruel enemies he set my feet upon a rock and established my goings He hath put a new song into my mouth even praise unto our God I will love thee O Lord my strength The Lord is my rock my fortresse and my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will trust my buckler the horn of my salvation and my high tower I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised As for God his way is perfect the word of the Lord is tried he is a buckler to all them that trust in him Who is God save the Lord and who is a Rock save our God My spirituall enemies conspired against me with one consent they communed of laying snares privily for my soule saying Who shall see them They took crafty counsel against me to take me unawares and my feet were almost gone my steps had well nigh slipt I was almost taken in their net But the Lord was my helper he preserved my soule Blessed be the Lord who hath not given me up as a prey to their teeth d Gratias tibt ago piissime Deus qui me de multis angustiis triâ—ulatienibus calamitatibus usiseriis infirmâ—tatibus de multis foveis laqueis peccatis da multis infidiis visib lâ—um invâ—sibilium mimicorum de multis malis opprobriis adversitatibus corporis animae bactenus liberare dignatus es dirigens miscricorditer marabiliter vitam meam inter adversa prospera ita ut nec adversa me valde dejicerent nec prospera elevarent Posuisti enim propietate bonitate froenum tuum in maxillis meis non me dercliquisti penitus in manuarbitrii mei habens curam mei paterna pictate non permittens me amplius tentari supra id quod potuerim sustinere Ubi erat locus peceandi non crat voluntas quando voluntas erat non fuit locus Sit itaque tibi laus benedictio sit gratiarum actio c. Aug. Cons Theo. par 2. c. 17. but hath delivered my soule from death mine eyes from teares my feet from falling My soule is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler the snare is broken and I am escaped Blesse the Lord O my soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Thus consider I say what particular deliverances of this kinde thou hast received Hast thou been set upon by violent temptations to Atheisme Blasphemy or the like and hath the Lord preserved thee Hast thou been allured by pleasing baits to Lust Pride Covetousness or such like Evils hath the Lord withheld thee from them O consider what abundant cause thou hast to be thankful spiritual deliverances are not to be slighted And know that the more thankfull thou art for such mercies already received the better shalt thou be able to resist future temptations Exh. 6. Use this as an argument with thy self to make thee willing to leave this unhappy inticing world and thy sinful condition here for so it is in great measure at the best for that happy condition wherein sin shall be no more but thou shalt be perfectly saved from it O check thy self for being so busie in building tabernacles on earth and saying in thy heart It is good to be here Was it not thy sin alone that made thee miserable was it not this that defaced the Image of God in thy soule and cast thee from the Paradise of God to the very Brink of Hell Did not Christ come into the world live a wearisome life and die a miserable death to save thee from thy death in sin was not sin the burden of thy soule and the sorrow of thy heart under which thou groanedst when the Lord first awakned and rouzed thee out of thy carnal security Did not thy sin cause thee to cry mightily to God for salvation and deliverance when thou sensibly perceivedst thy lost condition And was not this the work that Christ took in hand when he called thee effectually to himself Hast thou complained of sin and professed to hate it thus long How comest thou now to plead a forbearance for thy mortall enemy Sure thou canst not dream with the dreamers of this age of a state of perfection here in the body Doth not experience tell thee that corruptions arise daily and hourly in thy heart which is a continual spring of sin Thou canst not walk work or go about any worldly businesse but sinful vanities are still flowing from that fountaine within thee Thou canst not hear pray or perform any part of Gods worship but this cursed carnal inmate calls away thy heart to other objects Check thy heart for gadding recall thy thoughts from wandring and how soon will they be gone again though thou make it thy daily work to watch pray and strive against sin thou canst prevent it but in part though thou daily weedest out the rambling tares and choaking thistles that hinder the growth of the good seed yet thou canst not rid thy field of them but they spring up afresh every morning If thou art negligent for a while what head do they get and how hard is it to bring them under again Is not this thy sad condition and art thou unwilling to be delivered from it Is sin so delightful a companion If it be so to thy flesh it cannot be to thy spirit or else thou art not spirituall Didst thou rejoyce when thy Redeemer brought thee out of thy worse than Egyptian bondage and art thou unwilling to enter into the heavenly Canaan of rest Is it better to be alwaies wandring e Cui peregrinatio dulcis est non amat patriam Si dulcis est patria amara est peregrinatio Aug. in Ps 86.7 in the wildernesse of sin wa st thou glad to see the foundation of thy happinesse laid and art thou loath to see the superstructure reared and completed Did it revive thy spirit when Christ first drew thee out of thy sinfull state and art thou afraid at last lest he should perfect thy deliverance Death is indeed in it self an enemy to nature and a part of the curse due for sin and therefore cannot be desirable for it self But learn to look beyond it unto Christ thy Saviour whose presence is most desirable as Paul did having a desire to depart and