mans body especially his soule to communicate himselfe so farre to a piece of clay what meditation can equall it Fourthly it should teach vs much more to beleeue how Vse 4 admired he can make himselfe in all his Siants by his second creation especially at his second comming and the whilest in repayring of his Image more perfectly in those that beleeue faith beeing a greater excellency and tending to a neerer vnion then euer any perfection of Adam Oh! it should conuince vs of the goodnes of mercy and cast out that enmity of ours which cannot beteame God one good thought Fifthly it should teach vs the equity of Gods commands Vse 5 and iustice of his threats euen against our corrupt nature For the Lord lookes not at our inability but his owne goodnes in the enabling of vs once to obey And whereas some cauillers alledge that Adam had not faith giuen him therefore GOD cannot iustly require the punishment of vnbeleefe I answer yes for although Adam had not the grace he needed not yet he had such grace as enabled him to obey aswell in those charges which God should put vpon him which he losing by sinne is iustly punisht for it Lastly it should stop the mouth of all cauillers against God Vse 6 for not creating Adam with a confirmed nature to perseuere Rather let vs turne our selues to condemne Adam and confesse his iudgement was most iust that for so needlesse and so friuolous an addition of content to his appetite he would lose so vnspeakable a Iewell as he forfeited Q. But did Adam continue in this integrity Art 2 A. No. He fell from it by wilfull transgression Gen. 3.7 Rom. 5.12 Eccl. 7.29 Rom. 5.19 And this disobedience was the violation of the charge of God not to meddle with the Tree of Good and euill This sin was not a bare eating of the forbidden fruit but a compound and fardell of all sinnes in one A proud disloyall needlesse distrustfull reuolting discontented vnthankfull rebellious departing from the blessed God to a base creature euen when he was set in the midst of all perfection aboue all base obiects Q. But how could this be he beeing Gods Image A. He was actually so but not vnchangeably Therefore hauing his will left in her-freedome vnestablisht by gracious determining thereof to good Lo when a sensible obiect is presented by the Deuill first she as the weaker then he by her meanes freely chose to leaue God and to embrace the creature And hereby when hee was made able if hee would to stand although so as hee might fall he turned this voluntary might into a necessity of falling and an impossiblenes of returne by himselfe Q. How lay ye forth this sinne more fully A. By two things First The descriptioÌ„ of the Holy Ghost Secondly By the parcels of the sin For the first The Scripture calles Gen. 3.6 Rom. 5. 1. Tim. 2.13 14. it That disobedience That offence That transgressioÌ„ noting it to be the compound of all in one yea the roote of all most odious of all as beeing the first of all which durst enterfeer with the righteous nature and will of GOD. But especially Salomon Eccles 7. vlt. calls it a Finding out of inuentions No man can fynde out any thing that good is beyond God God had found out and bestowed vpon Adam and Eue all goodnes in perfection yet cut of a wearynes of welfare they would finde out beyond him be wiser then he supposing to better their estate but they found out nothing but their own findings sinne and sorrow as it was iust they should do who would go beyond GOD They found out indeed new occasion and worke which God neuer set them and theâ—â— deuised lyes and shifts but they found out misery to be their portion when all the rest vanished Q. How by the parcels of the sinne A. First by the circumstances Secondly by the fall it selfe The circuÌ„stances are as the persons belonging to it First The Serpent Secondly Satan Thirdly Eue Adam Touching the first The Serpent being the wisest subtillest creature fittest for Satan to worke by of least suspition both readiest to take fire froÌ„ hell to set Eue on fyer therewith is vsed Satan comes not we see without his tew and tackling but strong and well prepared heer was the mayne fight vpon which all his kingdome hung eyther now or neuer therefore now he vnites al his feates and forces strength cruelty subtilty diligence malice in one Is there any one wiser and apter creature to conuey temptation by a voice then other That he chuseth Is eyther of the two parties siâ—lier weaker to bee gulled then other Her he lights upon Is this woman at any odde time lesse her selfe weaker then weaknes it selfe Then hee comes Is there any way to eyther lay out the excellency of the obiect or to extenuate the attâ—mpt vrged to alay the charge or to traduce the Commander That hee lights on The second person is Satan who had bin an Angell of light 2. Cor. 11 â—uâ— as other Scriptures doe prooue beeing left iustly by GOD to the tempâ—tation of Ambition and aspiring to be as GOD fell to be discontent with their estate and to puffe vp themselues with pride Iude. 6. and to withdraw themselues from their place and forsooke their seruice for how should pride stand before a God of holines Oh! this clipt their wings of readines Psal 146. Then all cheerfull loyall seruiceablenes was gone By this meanes God cast them downe to Hell and there reserued them in chaynes they hauing lost that they had and that they desired turne their rage against God who had plagued them and their eâ—uâ— against man his fauorite neuer lâ—nning till they had also cast him out of Paradise The Third is Eue and Adam who did most immediately concurre to this their owne transgression Q. What things obserue you in their fall A. Things of two soâ—s First The remote causes Secondly The more neere and proper The former were these First changeablenesse of their will Secondly Vnarmednesse against the temptation Thirdly the peculiarity of the same For first Let vs not blame GOD but looke at man whose habituall holines wanting a confirmation of grace determining the will against the obiect then and thus offered was corrupted to a passiue capablenes of euill Beware heere of murmuring against God saying What was it to make them tâ—uâ— perfect wanting an Holy necessity of nature to stand Oh man whoart thou The Second was their vnarmednesse They meant indeed no euill but they vsed not that power to stand which God had put into them they watched not to keepe pure beeing made so it s not enough for a seruant not to purpose to go out of his Masters worke except he resolue also faythfully to dwell vpon it without vnsettling They knew good from euill in the speculation for they had heard the charge and threat of God both of not eating and of
is the chayn of the law and so are the words couched together that being by one and the same spirit ordained he that brakes one violates all as he that breaks any linke of a golden chaine breakes the coherence Men thinke otherwise But as hee who breakes his neighbours fence trespasses him aswel as if he ranged all ouer his ground because the bond is broken so heere It were strange to tell a drunkard he broke more then the seuenth Commandement But to tell him that he had broken all as indeed he hath were strange to him Not perhaps in actuall deed but yet in power and effect because he hath broken the bond of that God who hath made all the rest And yet there is a further thing in it then so for in a sort some actuall sinne breakes all As one hath described it in couetousnesse so might I doe it in drunkennesse For what drunkard makes not his cup and companions an Idoll what cares he for Gods worship daring to bee drunke in an Ale-house within the sound of the Preacher What conuersation toward man looks hee at in family neighborhood oathes vowes to God or men What Sabbaths doth he not breake What parents and Magistrates doth he care for but rather vndoes the estate of the one and contemnes the censure of the other What cares hee in his cups to breake the head of yea to stabbe his fellow What vncleannesse and bastardy is hee not guilty of What booty by the high way will he balke and perhaps with bloodshed to get money to drinke What lyes and slanders what colors and shifts to defend his villanies and couer his sin will he forbeare This is meet to thinke of to open the harmony of a law But howeuer this bee sure it is there is no sinner not onely grosse but euen secret who is not guilty of all the Law in the breach of any Commandement because his vndue carriage fights against the Lord of the whole Law The discouery of this light might bee as much as some mens soules are worth for what is the speech of men As for vnrighteousnesse I aske GOD no mercy As for stealing saith one or for adultery saith a second or slander or murther or vsury I neuer feare what GOD can alledge against mee Indeed such or such a sinne I aske him mercy for Well said but in the meane time it s no thanke to thee GOD and prouidence suffred thee not for thâ—â— wouldst haue broken all aswell as one thy heart was bad enough if hee had not limited thee Oh this light well receiued prepares way for conuiction Q. How thirdly A. The Law discouers it selfe to the soule in the point of her Royalty So Saint Iames cals it Chap. 2.8 That as a King is not prescribed against by the quality of any subiect offending why hee may not hold him guilty so in this No person is accepted with GOD in this kind Oh! it s a great discouery of errour the hearâ— of man is proud and soone exempts and dispenseth with it selfe by some priuiledge But this Royal Law is impartiall As a glasse will shew a Queene her spots aswell as a poore woman Paul labors this point Rom. 2. against the Iewes priuiledges No difference with God All both bond and free Barbarian Scythian Iew Gentile none excepted God hath shut vp â—ll vnder one disobedience Oh it s a great abating of a proud heart One sin one hell one wrath one Tophet for Princes for subiects for learned for idiots for noble and base for Pharises and Publicanes This cuts the combe of the sinner Psalm 149.8 He bindeth Kings in Cheynes and Nobles in fetters of yron Neither can the poorest scape at a little mash nor the richest at a great Againe his Lawes are no copwebs Apply this as it is the scope of the fourth Article supâ—Ã to thy selfe Q. How fourthly A. It discouers it selfe to the sinner in the point of integrity and soundnesse of her light That is opens sinne to the soule in one kinde aswell as another Such is the corruption of Adam that it will suffer much of the body of sin to vanish in the suruey If sinne bee either of knowledge or ignorance although knowledge shall bee of some note yet ignorance will vanish If other sinnes bee of omission or commission omission sinnes will faile in the reckoning If againe sin bâ—e of presumption or infirmity Sinnes of infirmity are nothing If presumptuous sins be either of particular presumption or or totall reuolt Particulars seeme nothing to a selfe-louing rotten heart But where God enlightens lo he discouers sin in all her sexes male and female strong and weake remembred forgotten ignorance or knowledge and in a word one and other And this also is a great discouery for want of which many a soule neuer comes to the bar of Gods conuiction But now this rule will not onely tell the soule the differences of these to wit that one is of greater crime then other one may both omit and commit sin and yet know neyther he may sin of knowledge yet not of presumption necessarily because he may be preuented by feare Satan violent lust and not voluntarily consent he may also presume with a different heart yet the least of these in their nature is damnable Q. How fiftly A. The Law reaches forth to the soule her key of knowledge in the poynt of her extent She who hath her Ladyes keyes knowes all and can fetch out of ech boxe So cannot the poor droile in the kitchin So this is the priuiledge of one that hath the Law to be hers It is a great piece of the light of the Law to extend it selfe in the soule to al parts and degrees of sinne First in poynt of Spiritualnes of the Law teaching vs not to rest onely in open grosse morall offences but to goe to spirituall wickednesses The Law is spiritually morall aswell as externally Thus Paul Rom. 7.12 The Law is holy and good I sold vnder sinne And 1 Tim. 1.5 The end of the Commandement is loue out of a pure heart good Conscience and fayth vnfeined Then it must be very spirituall and aswell meet with infidelity hypocrisy vnthankfulnes impiousnes profanenesse of spirit security hardnes of heart contempt of Word Sabbaths c. as open leudnes of life riot stealth or adultery And so also it enlarges the chiefe breach of a Law to all lesser degrees and steps to it As the seuench commandement reaches not onely to grosse incontinenty but to intemperancy drunkennes riot voluptuousnes of sences c. Secondly her Inquisition and Search For the Law Heb. 4.12 is very searching and piercing diuides betweene the ioynts and marrow dare and can go to any part of the whole man and fetch out any poizon out of any corner hath an vnlimited Commission from the Law-giuer to fetch out and bind any malefactor not onely seene and manifest words and deeds but also the most retyred and close
loues a cheerefull giuer So farre should they bee from censuring others who welter not as themselues vnder their bondage Hee is cast downe enough who is in case to heare of raising vp Secondly on the left hand those doe farre worse abuze this doctrine who being weary of terror and bondage as soone as they fall into it cast with themselues how they may shake it off pretending that this is no estate to serue GOD in And so they returne some to their sport and Pastimes some their Pleasures some their Profits some their old companions some prooue more desperate worldlings and others with Cain to build them Cityes and while out their time heere with singing sad thoughts away Let these know that the course they take is vâ—oâ—ent and much like to them who to stop the cry of their infants put into the brazen belly of Moloc did oppresse their eares with the noise of Pipes and Tabrets As their childrens cry preuayled to bring an heauy plague vpon them which no Pipes could still so when the sleepe of these Epicures is ouer they shall awake with such sad confuzion that all the noise of their Rattles shall not be able to still them And so much be spoken of this point of Consternation and of the three acts of the Law and the vses in speciall There is one generall vse to be added afterward Q. Before wee adde the vse of Terror in generall one obiection offers it selfe viz that Paul Rom 7.7 sayth When the Law came sinne reuiued how then is Terror the worke of the Law Paul doth in that place so affirme the former that he denyeth not the latter adding this But I dyed noting that both might stand together A. Both may be together in one vnregenerate man according to diuers parts For when the Law had slaine conscience then concupiscence reuiued And wee must distinguish betweene the naturall worke of the Law and the accidentall Terror is the proper worke of it and when it s wrought it is as it ought to be But when rebellion ariseth it s otherwise then ought to be When the Sunne reuiueth and sweetens the earth it workes properly when it drawes vp the noysome stench of a dunghill to poizon the ayre its accidentall comming from the loathsomnes of the dunghill So when sinne rebells she doth her kind for she doth as the deuill did when he went out he foamd raged and tyrannized first It proceedes from the fulnes of the stomacke of sin loth and disdayning to yeld to a new guest But howeuer sinne do her kind yet if the Law do set her selfe to do hers this rebellion shall not hinder the killing power of it It shall rather encrease it For when the soule comes to see how lothsome sinne hath made her that euen when the Law by her righteous good nature seeks to destroy sinne then shee most couets it cleaues to it and rushes her selfe vpon it to iustle it aside this makes her conclude her selfe out of measure wofull by sinne out of measure sinfull And when rebellion begins to bee tamed the heart growes more and more vnder feare Although nothing hinder why both may not at one time bee together Onely in the bad commonly it encreaseth till it haue cast out all terrour and so causes the soule to wax worse for the Lawes enlightning because the sweet of sinne hath so preuailed that with an high hand of rebellion it strengthens the iollity of sin and so reuiueth In the godly in whom God will vse the Law as a seed of regeneration and a way to a remedy the Lord will enlarge terror and conuictions so farre that rebellion shall not stand it out but stoop with confusion vnder the power of it It s certein many perish at this second rock of rebellion hauing shot the gulfe of ignorance Q. Cleere this obiection more fully A. To this end first we must cleere the Text. Secondly Lay downe the obiection and answere it First For cleering note That Paul by Sin meanes originall sin body and members By himself I died hee meanes the powers of soule and body these must bee well distinguished Secondly obserue that Paul compares Sinne and himselfe in this point viz The time before and the time after the lawes powerfull comming by conuiction and terror Before the comming of it thus Sinne was dead and Paul aliue What 's that Sinne was aliue in point of her stilnesse Peace and Qâ—ietnesse without any distemper why because either no Law came at all or else came not in her power Againe Paul was aliue What is that Merry iolly lusty secure without any feare Why Because there was none to oppose The death then of sin ere the Law was no true death for still her poizon remayned as the snakes in her cold hole The life also of Paul was no true life for hee was dead in poynt of misery a dead carrion to the life of God but alone onely in the matter or his â—oâ—lity and lustinessâ— Thirdly note Sinnâ—s death and Pauls liâ—e caused this deepe â—oâ—â—e 〈◊〉 betweene them both I laâ— her quietnes and their â—â—ll ty made them as câ—ose as buckle and thong for why sinne was glad to see Paul lusty and Paul was as glad to â—eâ— her quiet Thus it was between them ere the Law â—ame But how since Oh quite contrary Sinner u ued Paul dyed How Sinne perceyuing the Law resoluâ—d not to giue ouer till it had diuided her and Paul who had so long liued at peace together and traded with gaine and pleasure ech by other and to scoure her house of her guest whom she so corrupted the mind the will affections conscience and members of Paul beeing the creation of GOD begins to reuiue to be no longer quiet as before when her trade prospered but to fret rage and be vnquiet On the other side Paul also seeing the Law resolued to gaster him out of his wicked haunt what doth hee dyes is all a-mort forsakes his old mistresse concupiscence and begins to be weary of his trade I cannot open it better then by a Similitude There is some lewd huswife in an end way of a Towne that keepes a base Suckling house and there bee many lewd drunkards companions that sucken her Markes Ere the Constable come shee is still and quiet vtters no distaste at all followes her trade at ease and puts vp her wicked gaynes and the more quiet she is the more merry her guests be throwing all out at windowes and so both consent most inwardly to get her yea and perhaps while this league lasts although the Officer come yet at first she keepes her quiet and they their iollity and both out-face the Law But marke The Officer comes the second tyme vpon them and they vnderstand he is fully bent to execute the Law to pull downe the Alehouse and to diuide the keeper and the guests from ech other how then Then the Guests all turne iollity into feare they are all a-mort
soule is in chaynes the scope of this rage â—s rather in respect of that which is denied then at the Law simply as the Law Take an instance Act. 25.19 When Demetrius made an vprore against Paul the Iewes also tooke occasion to oppose him but how Demetrius looked at his gaines and if hee might haue them hee was quiet he oppozed not Paul in his preaching But the Iewes lookt at Paul as Paul a Preacher of Christ and in no by-respect So heere when the conscience lyes in chaynes and rebels not sinne hath lost her agent therefore she onely lookes at her selfe and at her trade if she might be as shee desires all were well But when the soule and she consented they both oppozed the Law as the Law not onely by a muttering within of secret selfeloue Ponder this Fourthly try it by this when rebellion comes from the soule it encreases ordinarily but when from sinne it decreases because the LORD more and more weakens her by terror of Conscience These and the like may serue for answer Q. New finish with some vses what are they A. Many there are But I will onely name the lesse principall and vrge the scope of the maine Vse 1 First Let vs from hence conceaue the wofull state of a wretch ere the Law comes in terror to him he and his sinne are in a cursed league and commit hidious villany together To thinke of this time of ignorance might alone breake any heart except as hard as a stone They were as Iob Iob. 17 14. speakes of his flâ—sh and the wormes euen two sisters As Simeon and Leui sworne brethren The cursed prankes which they plaâ—d in Shechem are not-so odious as those which sinne and Conscience did in secret ere the Law came They are not to be named Oh that the thought of such cheats would gaster men making them say My soule come no more into her counsell and consent How much better is the lawes little ease then such liberty of hell Secondly Let this teach Gods Ministers of the Law to Vse 2 ply their tooles God hath put a weapon into their hand able if well vrged to separate euen sinne and the soule Do not suffer this Law to perish for lack of execution Thou complainst that good Iustices and Iudges are so rare there can be no Law gotten against lewd houses Beware we lest we suffer a worse Inmateship and spy it not out I meane priuy sin and conscience Though we preach all our daies against morall offences drinking and the like yet wee shall neuer doe good if we vrge not the Law vpon these two and put a separation betweene GODS Creature and the brood of Satan Thirdly it confutes the worlds aspsieron vpon the powerfull Vse 3 Ministery of the Law they call it debate and raising vp strife as I said but oh yee lyers wee doe not enuy your peace nor lawfull consent but your close league in your lusts Wee would diuide you and your concupiscence that God might rule in that diuision whom yee barred out by your consent 2 Sam. â—0 21. I remember Ioabs speech to the woman of Abel who accused him for robbing the city of her inhabitants no saith he no such thing God forbid onely there is one Sheba a traitor heere and if yee cast his head ouer the wals lo I leaue all the rest to their liberty Oh that our Apology for our innocency might speed no worse then his Beware all such as nourish rebellion against the least in the Vse 4 point of her holy purenesse If this rebellion heere be odious vnder terror what is rebellion of sinne and conscience iointly Bâ—seech the Lord to vse any meanes rather then such rebellion should be nourished in thee Oh beg of God rather hee would deuide the sinne and thee by the hardest courses â—hen to rebell against the Word for doing her office Cleere the Law and say â—ts holy I am the slaue that is sold vnder sinne There is nothing more common now-a-daies then to sight against the officer of God his holy Law Wee know that it is compted a pore vantage to strike a Constable such are faine to pay sweetly for it Take heed the Lord leaue not the naturall rebellion to penall which would faine relent and yet cannot Vse 5 Let it be exhortation to all such as God hath thus humbled to blesse him that hee hath chosen to tame the soule by terror and stirring vp of rebellion rather then to leaue it to it selfe And let such bee comforted in all their feares of their owne rebellious hearts against the law of God that the rebellions committed vnder terror are none of hers but Sins worke within her which she abhorres Let her bee glad euen in her feares to consider how God hath begun to separate her from sin and that so early by the law making it to be an officer to gaster her from it Oh if the Lord begin to doe it thus soone what will he do in time when Christ shall set vp his Throne in her Meane while let all such comfort themselues in these rebellions of sins they are markes of good signes of the battering of Satans and sins kingdome Sin would neuer so rage if she were at as good peace as formerly Beware of clozing the second time with this harlot Beseech the Lord to nourish terror though it be not grace yet a seed of it pray him rather for a time to quash rebellion then to suffer rebellion to destroy it And bee of good cheare the Lord doth all this for good When hee hath cooled and rooted out rebellion hee will after a while roote out terror also and in due time bring thy soule out of all her aduersity turning both into a sight of the promise and hope of the remedy onely now he is laying the first stone of the building bee patient and hee who begun shall also perfect And this may serue for this doctrine Q. Now the doubt is taken away proceed to the generall vse of the former point of terror A. First it may teach vs to esteeme duely of sin according to her foule nature For must it not be a foule odious thing which should bring in such confuzion as to turne that Law of God which was giuen for comfort of conscience and rule of life to become the greatest terror and matter of vexation Who lookes vpon the Officer with feare saue a malefactor Let vs tremble to thinke what a disorder sinne hath brought in Q. To conclude then this last Article What is the vse of this second branch A. The first vse heerof is to discouer what sinne is in her kind when she may act her selfe vpon her owne stage of ignorance She is an hidious monster If that phrase of Paul I was aliue ere the Law came were vnderstood it would helpe vs to know it When Ezekiel was led to see those Iewes in their priuy houses of Idolls Tammuz and the like he was astonished to see
and in the regenerate partly to good partly to euill Onely not vnchangeably so not because as some dreame he must then haue bene as God for many Angels were created so and yet but creatures but because it pleased the Creator so farre and no further to impart himselfe vnto him for causes whereof base curiosity must not descant Q. What Image of God was in his person A. That which I spake of his bodily excellency for the instrumentalnes is much truer of his whole Person that it was an expresse image of God First in his most reuerend and awfull behauior as being vnder God the Lord of the Creatures Secondly In that honorable enterteynment vouchafed him by the Lord euen as a Prince into his Palace all the world beeing finished in her due parts and ornaments man is brought in as The royall Creature possessed of all the rich treasure of the Creation set therein as in a Theater of the workmanship of God that all should bee subiect to him But touching this and those 2 or 3 next Articles of which and in which there is lesse doubt and difficulty I will shorten my selfe vntill I come to ioyne issue with the practice of this first part viz. the vse of the Law Q. What vse then is there to be made thereof A. Manifold for although the crooked nature of man thinkes it but her misery to thinke how happy shee hath bene yet the Lord purposeth by this meanes to bring her backe to her first excellency if she wil be ruled by him Vse 1 First then this should teach vs to adore that deep workmanship of God which once enstamped such a liuely Image of himselfe in man as cannot be quite defaced no not by sinne it selfe I meane in respect of some Characters of it which by his mercifull prouidence hee hath left in common nature not onely in the Notions of the mynd but the Image of the person This poynt wil better sute the third Article here onely I bring it in to stirre vs vp to 2 meditations First If sin as defacing a blemish as it is yet could not so quite roote out that honour and Maiesty of God in man but still he hath reserued for vniuersall ends some reliques thereof for whence is it that the Lord hath denyed those vsefull creatures the horse and the Oxe and others to feele their owne strength and the curse of man so that they should quite renounce his seruice Do they not still feare the Shadow of Gods Image and are they not awefull nay do they not yeeld themselues to his taming and subduing power euen Lyons and Beares and the most sauage If then there be such a deepe Print of this Creating hand with an indelable character in his second Image in righteousnes enstamped by the Spirit of Christ who dare say that any thing can euer deface that lasting Image And Secondly what reuerend respect should we yeeld to this ruined Image of God in the Creature who should dare to mocke and disdaine those whom God hath doubly impayred his Image in euen the lame the blynd the deafe the impotent and crooked still there should be a due respect to the first copy and this deformity should rather cause vs wonder at that prouidence which suffers not all men in their birth to bring in the markes of this ruined Image of God then to scorne such as haue See Ioh. 9.34 But Thirdly especially it should smite a terror awe into vs of their persons to whom the Lord hath coÌ„mitted the gouernment of inferiors Magistrates Ministers Parents Superiors yea although vnsanctified but much more if renued by grace let vs behold God in theÌ„ preseruing his authority in theÌ„ thogh they haue raz'd it out by their sin If the despiser of the poorest not religious dishonor his Maker how much mroe such as disdaine the gifts of God in those that are learned experienced wise and of good comely carriage personage and behauior Fourthly Nay how feareful a confusioÌ„ do they bring in who adde a second defacing to this once defaced yet indulgently continued Image of God abusing their parts of Authority of Policy of Esteeme of Beauty good personage presence and behauior to the abominable mayntenance of sin profanenesse Atheisme whoredome oppression rapine flattery or the like Shall God giue them a toird restitution Secondly the recognisance of this first Image of GOD Vse 2 should occasion to vs that now by the Ministery of the Law are conuinced of our wofull losse first to shame our selues secondly to prouoke our selues Vse 1 To shame our selues first by the reflex of our odious degenerate qualities vpon our owne spirits Oh! that one created to immortality and vertue in the Image of his Creator should so deeply and far disguize and forget himselfe as to bow to an Idoll of wood and stone to grub heere in the pit of this world base pebbles dirt thinking the atteyning thereof to be an happines nay to grow to such villany as to destroy the Image of God by bloodshed cruelty would it bee thought that it were possible for any to decline so far froÌ„ that originall if they did but know it If that heathen thought it a reasonable speech what can seeme great in this world to him by whom the frame and demensions of the whole world are comprehended how much more here what wealth profits base pleasures riot drunkennesse can seeme sweet to whom that beautifull Image of God according to which he was first made is made himselfe knowne how should common sence shame such Vse 2 Secondly how should the thought hereof prouoke such as are not quite forlorne both to mourne that for so base obiects and lusts sake they haue despised so great graces as haue bin offred them and also excite their appetite as oft as they heare the Lord offer to restore them againe to their integrity to long after it and to grone vnder their inabilty to beleeue it saying Oh Lord I was borne to excellency and honor and shall not thy perswasions draw my heart to recouer my lost state If we had but lost a faire picture of our Father would we not hearken after it and should not ech day seeme ten to vs when we may regaine it till the Lord hath settled it againe in Christ vpon vs Vse 3 Thirdly this is Instruction to teach vs not onely the vnspeakable Excellency of the fountain it selfe a drop of which lighted vpon man as Dauid Psal 8. concludes but in particular also and especially the goodnes of this Maiesty who would communciate himselfe not onely to Angels but to a piece of earth and that in so strange a manner to make it capable of such perfection To see the skilâ— and workmanship of Bezaleel in brasse and siluer and wood was strange but to see the Lords face greater were it but in a leafe a lâ—lly a gnat which are aboue all Salomons glory But to behold his skill and curious worke in
death by eating but they feeling all well within for the present rested too much in it felt not their owne changeable will proue to hazzard all their pearles at one cast feared no hurt from withoutâ— and here they were caught The Third was the aptnes of the temptation the Diuell feared not their perfection hee makes it strong and alluring both in the blinding of their mind and bewitching of their heart Let it not bee imagined by you sayth he that it is sinfull or deadly to attempt God knoweth the contrary What shall it boot you to obey him that enuies your good A 〈◊〉 the hurt yee feare Lo by eating yee are sure of a better estate then yee are in Thus by the strong bayte of sweetnes hee attempts the affection and so corrupts the iudgement Q. Proceed to the more neere cause of their sinne A. It is threefold First Inward tickling of their affection Secondly Snaring Thirdly Secret consent For the First So excellent a creature could not haue bin suddenly surprized but by steps For why Sinne as yet was not it could not therefore be with them as with vs Iam. 1.5 Wee are first led away by concupiscence but they had none Therefore there must bee a strong moouing and drawing of their mindes a trauaile with this indetermined freedome of theirs to sway it and this supplyeth the roome of concupiscence Satan suspends the act of goodnesse in them brings them to a slacke remissenesse and corrupts their bent of spirit as if a man would suffer an enemy to come within gunshot of him when he â—ight haue kept him out and so liberty is questioned as iâ— a man would call in question whether his owne be his owne or not This was the first spawne of the sinne And this stood in foolish credulity curiosity and dallyance Creduâ—ity to secure her selfe of her owne welfare as if nothing could or would â—utcher whereas shee should haue bin suspicious of the least accident threatning her Curiosity to interchange talke and speach with a creature she beeing the Lady of all creatures and therefore should not haue admitted such a parlee but wisely haue thought This is no place for a seruant to intrude himselfe and to iangle with mee being vncalled Speech is not for a Serpentâ— it becomes not me to seek better content then I haue by an idle curious and vaine discourse which I know not what whence nor to what purpose But this her vaine iangling was her ruine Then Dalliance in bandying so many replies one after another who knowes how many and venturing to prate of so weighty athing as her happines not doubting that so mayne a point threatned her Ruine but hazzâ—â—ding all vpon her owne wit tongue conceits and answers as if shee could haue pluckt backe her score at her pleasure and preuented sinne in the very kindling I say what is this but bold venterousnes vpon the danger because she felt her selfe as yet vntouched These three brought foorth the second which was Snaring for by this tickling of her shee takes the Deuils snare into her will and thoughts so far that as a bird in a grin she could neyther go backeward nor forward but is limed and hampered with that which at the first she was free from her wings begin to be clipâ— and now shee is ready to tell where her great strength lyeth and now an vncâ—eane delight begins to defile her her freedome staggers shee admits a thought What if I venture and try what hurt can come of it Now heâ— directiue light begins to dazle her purenesse to bee defiled 〈◊〉 and false sweet to expell true And so ceases to bee in her owne power as the bowle rolling downe the hill And so thirdly succeeds Secret assent to the temptation and yeelds vp the inward weapon of her Innocencie to the Diuell rests in the thing offred as very good meet sweet delightfull standing vpon thornes till she do as shee is tempted What wonder when she refusâ—â— to be led by that inward light and grace she had receyued Therefore God leaues her to call good euill and euill good And so shee tooke it ate it gaue it her husband whâ— though hee were not first yet hee was last in the transgression and yeelded to doe as the Deuill had drawne her to doe and so both of them disobeyed Q. What consider you in the fall it selfe A. Not onely the act of the transgression but with it a fardell of abundance of foule corruptions of heart And those are of these two sorts eyther more speciall or more generall The speciall were Pride Security and Sloth Vanity Sensuality Discontent Sacriledge Cruelty and vnrighteousnes with the like More generall and fearefull Distrust of GOD. Rebellion against God vnthankfulnesse and Apostasy totally from God For the First Pride how fearfull was it for a creature made in Gods Image to aspire like Satan to be checkmate with his Maker Secondly Sloth and Security in a flacke neglect of so great a trust reposed in his custody Thirdly Vanity in so inconstant and vnsettled curiosity to pry into matters forbidden Fourthly Sensuality to affect a present contentment to the sence and appetite vpon so infinite hazard Fiftly Discontent with the present estate so excellent and so instantly vpon their enioying it Sixtly Sacriledge in profaning the ordinance if it be true that the fruit was Sacramentall and tye of God Seuenthly Cruell vniustice in casting away not themselues onely but all their posterity But especially the generall First Wofull distrust in ascribing no credit to God eyther in charge or threat but rather to Satans malicious slanders suffring themselues to bee pulled from the Simplicity of Gods Word 2 Cor. 11.3 enterteyning base thoughts of him to bee false enuious yea admitting a roote of bitternes and indignation against his loue Secondly Rebellion to dare so â—â—enly and with full butt to rush against the command of God and to prouoke him to try whether hee would do as hee had threatned fearing nothing And Thirdly Vnthankefulnes and a wearisom restlesnes in that state of happines eâ—en departing from God the Fountaine of liuing waters when they enioyed all in him that heart could wish euen needlesly in coole blood Lastly Apostasy vtter reuolting like trayâ—â—rs from that happines of theirs and the Lord the Author thereof to Satan sinnâ— and curse to tâ—llâ— and finally for ought was in themselues Q. What vse is there hereof doth it afford any instruction Vse 1 A. Yeâ— seuerallâ— first from the Serpent who by abusing his parts teacheth vs to boast our selues or rest in no outward gift of God for it selfe seeing if â—â—sancâ—ified it may be instrumentall to such villany and dishonour to God either in our publique or priuate places and so preiudiciall to our owne saluation as we should wish rather we had beene Idiots then so egregious Secondly from Satan We learne that he feares not to attempt the best and most godly hoping to prevaile for if he could bring
in sin where none was how much more increase it where he findes it Also to suspect him in his sweet enchantments and when hee attempts our Eue that is our sensuall part ouerthrowing our Adam and iudgement thereby then to handle him roughly knowing him by his messenger not to be far off Besides beware of an aspiring heart discontent with our portion and estate If Adam had argued thus To what a dignity hath my Creator raised me from the dust who am I poore earth earth earth he had stood firme but now looking about him and setting vp his bristles lo pride causes his ruine Oh! how safe are we while we are vnder And lastly from Eue and Adam Pro. 1â— 18 Vlt. let us learne not to trust our selues too farre in our privations that we intend no euill but be we armed also aswell against euill of all sorts lest it be with vs as if we had nothing at all in vs. Let vs beware of dalliance and admitting parlee with temptations of sensuality lest we fare as Samson by Delila and would faine get off the hooke Iudg. 16.16 but cannot being snared Thus men thinke it cannot be dangerous to admire praise and accompany beautifull women to thrust themselues into the company of fine fellowes in their pleasures and to rush our selues upon snares of deep worldly businesse They purpose not to be catcht they say til their wings be singed with their venturing so neer the brinke and then they struggle in vaine Better had it beene for them to haue beene birds with wings and so in vaine should the not haue beene spred for them And to end this vse how should the description of Adams sinne for euer feare us from slighting it We esteeme it by the outward act but that which makes it so odious is the Attendant fearefull circumstance of it To let fall a piece of coine into the diâ—tâ—is little but to throw it and stampe it vnder our feet in scorne is treason Not to giue all to the vse of the Church being ouâ—s is nothing but to withdraw it being Gods with a lye to the holy Ghost is mortal Oh the sin of Adam is inexcusable I committed in the full strength of grace in the fulnes of all Paradise contentment needlesly for a trifle when there was no sinne to draw them and the like Vse 2 Secondly Let it bee instruction to shew vs what little wonder there is to bee made that now in our corrupt estate the abundance of gifts blessings encouragements good helpes of nature education art nay holy ordinances of God granted vs for the better do not profit 1000 shillings nay turne to cuâ—â—upt Surely if Adam in all his excellency yet by meere absence of confirming grace could abuse his free will to so fearefull a fall we neede not wonder that in this state of his necessary misery hee profits so little by all helpes no wisedome or righteousnes of his could free him then and shall the want of both help him now Man is set vp by God and yet is a beast The Cat was once made a Queen but in her glory she hunts after a mouse Vse 3 Thirdly Blesse God that in his second grace by Christ he changed old Adams perfection into a better and surer from a selfe-subsistence in grace according to our owne freedome to a subsisting in another betrusting vs no more with our owne Treasure but keeping it vnder the locke and key of his owne power in Christ So yet looke what we come short of Adam in the measure of grace in this life wee go beyond him in the vnchangeablenesse for alas how little are we fit to be trusted with all but we would lauish it if vnder our owne keeping The Lord is fayne to humble vs rather vnder the burden of our infirmities and corruptions because we are not heere capable of any great matter Being so vnfaithfull in the smaller who should trust vs with the great treasure Lastly it teaches vs to esteeme highly of the grace of self-deniall as beeing the contrary grace to Adams corruption For he fell by too much trusting himselfe wee stand by the grace of selfe-renouncing And it s not amisse to consider how iustly the greatest penalty of man stands in the losse of his freewill and in the slauery of the will to sinne because this freedome abused caused his ruine So fearefull is the error of them that maintaine that man hath still free will in himselfe remayning to that which is good Art 3 Q. Was there no other thing to make vp his misery saue onely his fall A. Yes The effects of it caused him to be miserableâ— both the effects of sinne and punishment For sinne first his actuall brought forth originall his originall all actuall sins and both these procured all penalties And that thus God hauing threatned him death if hee sinned did iustly inflict sinne for sinne and gaue him ouer to his desire and concupiscence Seeing he would forfeit his Image for a trifle he left him to be as he desired a masse of corruption and rebellion As a pitcher dashing it selfe against a stone wall is iustly split to pieces So that by the wrath of God was inflicted vpon him the losse of Gods Image standing in righteousnes and true holines a depriuall of the Glory of God both in soule and body as if the LORD should say Seeing thou wouldst needes thus rebell fill thy selfe with it be so to the full Hence came that vtter impotencie of mind and members to purpose to wil or execute any good Nay an vtter auersnesse froÌ„ it an vtter incapablenesse of it a contrariety of spirit vnto it Ioh. 14.4 5.14 Psal 5.15 Rom. 7.23 24. many other For a taste take these originall darknes erroneousnes of iudgement captiuity thraldome of will insensiblenesse of heart impotency of the faculties enmity to al goodnes totall impurity of the whole spirit propension to any sin and vnaptnesse to any good occasioned seruilenesse of the will vnsubiectnesse of the outward man vnsauorinesse in a word the death of the grace of creation This for sinne So for the penalties a seed of vtter impenitency dedolency obstinacy apostacie and excommunication fâ—â—m God Eph. 4.18 From this fountaine proceeded both actuall sinnes and actâ—all peâ—alties sinnes of commission omission ignorance presumption inward habits as hypocrisie earthlinesse ignorance errours profanenesse vnthankfulnes hardnes of heart and outward acts as in both tables impiousnes vnrighteousnes intemperancy and the like of which see Rom. 1. and .3 2. Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. So penalties actuall as the impurity and curse of corcâ—pâ—ion and biâ—ch the losse of the right and dominion of the Creatuâ—es the curse vpon Gods blessings hellish terrours diseases pâ—uerty discredit imprisonmâ—nt feare of death guiltynes of iudgement and vtter misery of losse and sence in hell Q. You haue laid many things together and I consent to all Yet I desire a little more distinct order of them being
Church Commonwealth What obnoxiousnesse to Satan to his instruments temptations mischiefe bondage to the vngodly suites seruices dependances with hard conditions crosses streights pursuites losses forfeits death of friends imprisonment accidents and shrewd turnes bad tydings confusion in the state famine warre pestilence and a 1000. waies for him to goe wofully out who came but one way into the world Besides griefe of minde melancholy passions and distempers of the spirit bad conscience ill marriage lewd children ill successe Ruine of estate and at last a miserable death And yet the vpshot of all is worst after viz. A finall separation â—rom God and losse of his eternall presence with the sence of vnutterable intolerable vnauoidable wrath of God in Hell vpon the whole man for euer without the least hope of helpe or redresse Q I partly conceaue this view and mappe of the misery of the fall now conclude the Article with some vse of it A. First heere is confutation of all Papists who flatly deny this Article and tell vs that our Nature is indeed shrewdly Vse 1 may med and wounded much like him who fell among theeues betweene Ierusalem and Iericho Luke 10.30 and left halfe dead But as for vs that maintaine this dying the death this quite and cleane deadnesse in sins and trespasses they cannot abide No say they there be left euen in the vnregenerate such abilities and devotions as may congruously dispose God to pardon them And by some helpe of grace merit also full fâ—rgiuenesse Yea they boast themselues of their performances and dâ—ties whereas Paul tels vs that all boasting is cut off And tels vs Rom. 3.27 Baptisme washeth away all originall sinne which yet Paul grones vnder the burden of beiâ—g regenerate Also all P lâ—gians or their adherents who affiâ—me that old Adam is as one in a darke dungeon who by reason of darknesse cannot see but if he haue a light put in hath his eyes very quicke and can see any thing and so wee want but light and then wee are able to discerne and apprehend any truth put into vs of our selues Also such as blanch the matter with the color of Grace added to our nature for by that say they nature being holpen can put on the cordes as Ieremy in the dungeon and addresse himselfe to come forth What hath a dead man with all the light and helpe in the World to addresse himselfe to liue Vse 2 This also reprooues all Naturall Papists that dote upon their ciuill morall or religious duties and deuotions and cannot abide to heare that those who so duly pay all debts all dues who giue so many almes to the poore heare so many sermons keep so many Sabbaths read so many good books keep so much good company commend the Ministers and welcome them and maintaine them should yet bee as the Publicanes and sinners I doe not say yee are but I say this Except ye also deny your selues and behold this misery of your Natures yee will fate woâ—se in time euen by your righteousnesse then if yee had nonâ— for â—hy doe ye not graffe upon a rotten stock and guild a rotten post So also such as commend mens natures in the point of religion saying Oh such are so sweetly natured courteous loâ—ing mild and harmelesse that there is but little betweene them and Heauen Alas how many of these sweet creatures are as bitter enemies to Gods grace as friends to ciuility and faire carriage Also such as aime at religion onely thus far to colour their wings and tip their tongues or their outward dealings with some outside but as for that heart within and nature they suspect not And to conclude such as being told of their passions defend theÌ„ by their nature It 's my nature to be so hot I haue soone done why poore foole thinkst thou thy nature is more excusable then thy passion and yet what is so common with men to say then this If I were an adulterer or drunkard I were willing the Minister should thus sharply rebuke mee but to be so bitter for mens infirmities and against that which we cannot doe with nor heale and auoide and against vnbeleefe or the like me thinkes he might be wiser Oh God would faine draw thee from the open to the secret sins of thy heart lest thy freedome from the grosser should destroy thee He would euen weary and tyre thee by thy cursed nature when thou seest all thy other defences are but dawbings with vntempered morter Thirdly This should cause thee to look vpward and to gage the greatnesse of Christs loue which could finde in his heart to Vse 3 satisfie for such a misery and to fetch happinesse out of the depth of it Euen in this Article is layd the foundation of thy esteeme of Christ in the next pâ—rt of the Catechisme Christ will be little set by the height and depth of mercy cannot bee sounded till thou take measure of it by a Reede of thy misery Little sinne to forgiue will make Christ little loued As we see at the Assyses that base theefe that thinkes to conceale some of his robberies and is loth to haue all come out at once fearing the mercy of the Iudge when his inditements come to bee read the second time loses his life Let vs beware lest it bee so with vs. Let not vs lessen and minse our sinnes in hope of more easie pardon but if we would magnifie the grace of Christ let vs first magnifie and enlarge our sin to the vttermost if Christ see that we rather hope in our small sin then his great grace we are dead men The way to get pardon is to equall his price to all our misery Say thus If Lord my sin had beene onely a share in Adams eating and no more or in some actuall few euils or if in the meere priuation of some good things or in sin only and not in penalties or if in bodily only and not spirituall or if spirituall onely and not eternall somewhat might seeme to lessen thy loue but surely that loue that would satisfie for all rather then any should condemne me is of vnspeakeable dimensions Oh! learne by this how to esteeme the price of grace If each step of this first part if each of these Articles make thee not miserableâ— then other no Article of the second part shall be able to comfort thee Be confounded vnder the ruine of thy misery and vow with that good Iabez If the Lord will indeed rid me of all this great euill that it may not grieue me If he will enlarge my coast and bring me out of this heape of woe then he shall be my God and I will make songs of his mercy Oh! let all that haue beene sayd of this misery make thee goe as she Luke 13.11 bowed together vnder an intolerable burden Lay all together to make vp such a loade as may pinch thy shoulders and cry out Who shall deliuer me who could't thinke such
a weight as I haue heere described could be carryed with ease especially through so many Sermons of conuiction as many heare Oh! that any should sleepe in such deepe debt so banquerupt as they bee short with such an intolerable weight crushing them Surely except there were a plague of insensinblenesse added to all other misery it could not but affect men otherwise But till sin begin to be out of her element and feele her misery Christ and the soule can neuer be reconciled in one Vse 4 Fourthly this should cause vs to wonder at the goodnesse of Gods dispensation of this misery That both in the sin and in the penalty it should be so mitigated by the prouidence of that God who for vniuersall ends restrayneth the force and violence of this misery why should God so order it that he in whom the fountaine of all sin abideth should yet bee in his particular nature stinted and shortened within the compasse of some â—ew foule sins what hinders in vs why not all as welâ— any sin shouâ—d bee our beloued who much â—o appointed that in this plenty of Plagues the cause wherof of wee carâ—y about vs so few of these shoâ—ld light vpon vs Hâ—th not sinne made vs a dunghill of sinne and a sea of sorrow why then see wee so few blinde deafe lame dumbe maymed out of their wits poore aâ—d miserable crea uâ—es as wee doe Shâ—ll wee by this indulgence bee hâ—rdâ—ed to thinke our selues lesse wreâ—ched and miserable then wee are or rather admire that goodnesse that sâ—ffers vs not to bee so cursed as wee deserue Q What vse is to be made hereof A. First â—t may teach vs to acknowledge singuâ—ar patience in God to dispence so merciâ—ulâ—y and manifoldly with man huaing incurred this Promunire with the Lord that he did not quite destroy him but alâ—oweth him so many comforts encoâ—ragâ—ments and helpes of nature and life all which hee might b ue stript him of All saue hell being meere indulgence of mâ—rcy as the support of nature in heal h in strength with wits sences breath of ayre vse of Earth influ nce of Heauen marriage posterity wealâ—h credit gouernement c. more then hee â—ught to damned Rebels who might haue beene destroyed when borne Secondly to iudge aright of this sin not to slâ—ght it as Pâ—pists and prophane men doe To count our selues miserable by it to esteeme it aboue any actuall siâ—s to iudge of it not by the matter or act of it but by the villany of it against the Vnity of God his Crowre and dignity The little weigh ng of this hath caused men to make such small account of actuall sin to make it a merryment as Fornâ—cation they will say it is a tricke of youth c. And the truth is from the slender esteeme of sin comes that base esteeme of Christ with many Whereas except Christ had beene made sinne in the roote it selfe by imputation and satisfied for it all the imputation of actuall could not haue profited vs. Iâ— to raze the picture of a Prince bee such a crime what is it to deface the Lords Oh woefull wretches who dare say baptisme doth abolish that which all the grace of Christ cannot wash off till death All other sinnes are committed in a corrupt estate this in a pure one and therefore CHRIST that immaculate Sonne of GOD was faine to lay aside all his holinesse that hee m ght clense the slaine and the guilt thereof as a double dye out of our nature One of the miseries of orignall sinne is that its vncapable of the due conceiuing its owne woe but thinkes it selfe in good case as a drunkard forgets the sentence of death and dreames of great wealth And therefore wee had not need adde thirst to this our drunkennesse by esteeming it slight but desire the LORD rather that hee would awaken vs out of this delusion But more shall bee sayde of the vse of this in the sixt Article Q What is all this misery to vs who neuer sinned his sinne Art 4 A. It is ouerspred as a leprozie of the whole body ouer the whole nature of mankind all sorts sexes states degrees Not one free as all misery is in euery one so ouer all without exception Psal 14.1 2.3 Pro. 20.9 1 King 8.46 Eccl 7 22. Rom. 3.9 Iam. 3.2 1 Ioh. 1.8 Iob 14.4 and 15.14 Psal 51.5 Examine the texts All both Iew and Gentile Barbarian Scythian bond and free noble simple learned and idiots yea all who are to be For as they are in our loines so we were in Adams Adam not beeing a single person but in the whole stead of mankind before hee had issue Q. How doth this trueth appeare more clearly A. Both by the Scriptuâ—e and reason Paul sayth Rom. 5. that by the disobedience of one sinne entred into the world and by sinne death What is that Sin and curse ceazed vpon all he whole world as well as Adam and Eue. And the like proofes fâ—llow in all the verses as verse 14. Death reigned from Adam to Moses ver 17. By one mans offence death reigned by one ver 18. By the offâ—nce of one iudgement came vpon all to condemnation and ver 19 As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners So that this Article remoues all conceite of any man whatsoeuer I say meere man to be exempted from this masse of corruption No Rom. 3.12 All are gone out of the way not one doth good no not one All the sinne all the penalties of sinne belonging to Adam himselfe belong to vs wee may vse Peters choise word 1 Pet. 1.18 By the tradition of the fathers All these are conueyd to vs by the tradition of Adam not example but propagation no one of all these tokens miscarryed but as hee sent them to vs for a cursed memoriall what he had done for vs so were they all and each of them deliuered to vs wee faile not in the receiuing of the whole summe to the vttermost farthing Q. But in what order is this masse of euill deryued to vs A. In this That first the actuall sinne of Adam and Eue eating the forbidden fruit is conueyed and made ouer to vs then originall then actuall then penalties all hanging each vpon other as the lesser boates tyed to the great ship But yee will obiect that Paul himselfe Rom. 5. sayth That others sinned not after the similitude of Adams transgression I answer True not against a set law as Adam did but yet they were held guilty before GOD of Adams sinne as if they had knowne it So then marke although wee did not indiuidually and personally see talke with the Serpent put forth our owne hands and put the frâ—ite into our mouth yet wee did eate it as well as hee And why Because the sinne which Adam committed ere hee had be gotten a sonne or childe was the sinne of nature not of a Person As it is sayde Leui himselfe payde tithes in Abraham Heb. 7.9
so wee in Adam hee to GOD wee to Satan And that by the iustice of GOD who as hee would most iustly haue imputed the integrity of Adam to vs if hee had stood therein so might impute his sinne Wee were all in Adams loynes for better or for worse And as it was in the second Adam the Lord did impute our sins to him who yet neuer sinned after the similitude of ours against a law because hee looked at him in the nature hee sustained so hee doth impute Adams sinne to vs although wee in person sinned not because wee sinned in his nature And as our Lord Iesus had beene wronged if he had suffred for that sinne which was none of his and wee also were farre from Redemption if righteousnesse could not bee really settled vpon vs by imputation so except Adams sin were first made ours by imputation wee should bee wronged in sustayning the penalties thereof Imputation I grant differs in the manner and forme of it being in Christ onely by Gods account in vs inherent but still reall in both respects duely obserued And thus by partaking with him in the act wee also partake with him in all the consequents of sinne and penalties following If it be demanded as Paul doth there whether Heathens and Infidels that liued from Adam to Moses and so since were thus 〈◊〉 Theâ—â— sâ— cre is Yea Sin raigned both in the guilt and punishmentâ— â—lâ— that time among millions of sinners wasting and deâ—troying generation after generation onely the difference is Bâ—â—ore Moses there was little sence of it they were vnder the raigne of it the guilt the plâ—gues of it but still thâ— neuer saw the face of their King lust and coâ—â— pâ—â—cence old Adam the law of the membâ—â—s the sin and curse of Adam who hurt them they knew not onely felt the smart of a blind stroke neuer the further off from the misery but much further from cause or Remedy As for the Relique of that law they carried within them alas it was easily dazeled by forgetfulnesse or damped by strong lusts being dim in it selfe but as for the root of the disease that they neuer saw by that law as after in Art 5. shall be spoken Q. Is there any thing else to be said to open this A. Yea The Lord would resemble this contagion of sin from Adam to his posterity by that speech Gen. 5.3 that Adam hauing sinned begat a sonne in his owne Image who else should haue beene begotten in Gods Noting that with the generation the sin also was deriued And although this be a dead notion in the generall yet when we see how the Lord inflicts a sensible marke hereof euen still in our propagation as namely when some notorious vices of vncleannesse malice hollownesse intemperancy trechery cruelty choler and fury doe euen goe in a blood as in a streame ouerflowing not onely some families but euen some Countreis which are as by-words and reproches for their drunkennesse vanity pride and luxury surely by the actuall infection that appeares the other of originall may be discouered unto us Q That it is thus it appeares plainly but I desire to know by what meanes this conueighance is made for the difference of men iâ— this makes some doubt of it A. That shall not need All grant it And all must confessâ— that generally it is by Gods iust imputation which reâ—lâ—zâ—s the infection into the whole race of Adam But as touchâ—ng the way some thinking it to be by bodily generation others by Gods infusion of the soule stained with her bioâ— both being vnsafe this I would briefly say Man begets man not a piece of him and therefore in begetting man hee must needs beget sinfull man also How that is I may expresse thus Beside the bodily Traduction man begets man in his Receptiuenesse of the soule and in these bands and tyes which knit body and soule to wit those Spirits of Reasonable nature and by the infection of these spirits the soule is also corrupted For my selfe I confesse it decides all the doubt when I thinke of the realnesses of Gods imputing though I should know no more Q. What vse floweth from hence A. Still a good reade would be glad to apply each Article practically to himselfe for the better insight into the nature of his corruption Each Article shoâ—ld adde to the view of sinne And so doth this For what a depth of dye how festred a canker or leprosie how deadly a poison in this sin of Adam which could not be washt out in so many waters as it hath passed through in many hundred generations Nay the iron-moll and the staine of it is as fresh aâ—d will be to the worlds end as at the first and the fruits much fouler It s a true speech old Adam is not as other old men crazy with age his age is renued in euery new generation as the father in the son It must needs bee strong poizon which hath so present a dispersion of it selfe through the body into each veine and artery of the whole to make it like it selfe What then is it which God would teach vs by this leauen surely when we see how it hath leauened such a lump of mortality It should make vs lye downe with horror vnder the hugenesse of it and feele it to crush our Soules yet more sensibly It should take away all life and spirit in vs In stead of our priding our selues in our brats and their features It should make some of vs to tremble to thinke what we haue put into them euen a leauen which grace it selfe will neuer throughly purge them of in this world What ioy should be in our spirits while this thought abides in vs Especialâ—y how should we endure to thinke that some of vs doe suffâ—r our children thus already poizoned to ranne vp and downe the world to gather more and more actuall scurff to their naturall and we neuer restrein them from this riot I speake to such as haue great posterities of all others for although thou hast but one it concernes thee too for some one may haue as much poizon in him as some fiue or sixe let these looke to themselues thou hast dispersed old Adam and sowâ—e his seed at large take heed thou be as carefull to roote it out and plant the second Adam in the roome of it else thy posterity shall be thy greatest hell But to all this I say slâ—ght not this sin of Adam say not If I had not this sin imputed to me against my will I should neuer haue deserued it Nay rather except thou hadst deserued it it had neuer beene imputed taxe thy selfe say thus I was deceaved by the serpent ate and was cursed had I beene there I had done no lesse Oh so great and wide an infection should breed as large and deep a dâ—iection of spirit in euery one that beleeues it The common speech is Fornication is but a trick of youth If a man should
their elbowes thinking the law was giuen them to obey and not to enlighten or conuince oâ— sinne They had taken away foure or fiue sinnes from the Law as the Papists now doe the second Commandement as yee see in point of adultery and diuorce of oaths and periury of iustice and reuenge of loue and charity Mat. 5. ver 27 33 38 and 43. What was this but to call light darkenesse and darkenesse light If then Christ had meant to giue them true light hee would haue scattered those false and base conceits and corruptions as indeed his Sermon on the mount was chiefly to that purpose Secondly come lower to those that liue in the Church of GOD many are ignorant by meere want of meanes as thousands of Congregations at this day are though baptized I remember the speech of a Reuerend man that once on the Sabbath lighting vpon a Company as hee was going to preach neere-by who were some at foot-ball some dancing the Morris others quaffing in the Ale house asked them Sirs why doe yee thus prophane the Sabbath They answered him Alas good Sir wee know not that wee doe ill in our dancing or drinking which drew teares from his eyes If then GOD meane to enlighten such hee will giue them a Ministery of light to teach them what is good and what is euill So to come further put case a third soft hath some kind of light yet still mainteining a ciuill prophane or hypocriticall course what will the Lord doe to enlarge them with cleere knowledge Hee will take away their barres also Q. What are they A. These or the like First Their preiudice against the light and the meanes of light and instruments of light which hinders them from knowledge They haue perhaps a conceit that its a needlesse thing curious and vnprofitable a new fangled toy of some men or very difficult to get if not impossible These Ministers and their preachings are but noveltyes and might bee spared keepe people from their callings trouble the peoples braines and fill them with fancies These and the like false principles of preiudice Act. vlt. 22. The LORD will remoue Secondly Their custome in darknesse they haue liued as their forefathers and done wel enough new matters are yrksom also custome in profanenesse which holds them from comming where any light is for men are loth to know that which should vnsettle them in their loue See Ioh. 3.19 20. Men that loue darkenesse hate light lest their euils bee discouered Thirdly Their hardnesse of heart and purpose to liue in their lusts still For although order of law may compell them to Church yet when they see that knowledge robs them of their lusts they fare as a beare robbed of her whelpes and fight against the light of the Law as Pharaoh against the returning waters because their free-hold is toucht lose their lusts cosenage in buying and selling deceit lying pride reuenge they lose their life Fourthly That wofull dulnesse of edge and bluntnesse of spiâ—it by which they make themselues incapable of knowledge Heb. 5. Especially of any maine and material points Fifthly Generalnesse or slightnesse by which they please themselues to know the meer common sins which euery one may read in great letters runningâ— and through eâ—sâ— seeke no further because indeed knowledge is not their ayme but their policy to auoyd the shame of grosse ignorance A man that hath no more vse of a Map then to see the breadth or situation of Essex will content himselfe with the generall Map of that Shire but if a man would haue a due suruey of some Towne what breadth it hath what such a Lordship therein situate is what lands woods pastures hopgrounds hee will get a Draught of that Towne or a Suruey of those particulars So heere If God meane to enâ—ighten a carnall generall and formall professor or hee will take from him his generall Map and subtill generalities whereby hee detaines the truth in vnrighteousnessâ— and reach him a more speciall Map of sin to study vpon Sixtly He will remooue his sefeloue by which hee is loth to bee informed in truths his partiality and subtilty which suffers him not to heare such Truths as are like to oppose his personall precious and beloued euils whereby hee is loth to heare of any sins saue other mens not his owne and so he shunnes particular light of things which might prooue either against his luâ—ts ease credit or course in euil to vnderstand If a man bee a good Iustice hee is willing to know the Statutes and bee informed in them well that hee may be able to punish sinne to purpose If not hee is willing not to bee informed of them So is it heere but if the Lord will enlighten him hee will enlarge his Law to him and him to his Law that hee shall bee gladdest when hee meet vs with the most distinct and cleere light And so I might be infinite let this view be sufficient for this sormer Q How doth the Law giue light to the eies in knowing Actuall sins A. Both in themselues and in their penalties Q. In themselues how A. Sundry waies some of which and the cheefe I will note by them desiring the wise Reader to iudge of the rest First The Law doth present the soule with the authority of GOD in commanding and sets vp her selfe not in the sences or back parts of man but in his conscience the most priuy chamber of the soule This no law of man can doe No nor can any destitute of the law be truely seazed in conscience by any sinne But the Law sets vp the Lawgiuer in the conscience presenting him to her in all his Souereigne Iustice wisedome and Power that so she may esteeme of sin not as touching man but trenching vpon God in all his attributes This is a great discouery and causes sin to bee conceaued as it is not as the passing act seemes which begins and ceases with time but this is infinite in time merit extent and scope because against an infinite God For example An ignorant man hauing hurt his neighbour lookes at the sad consequent of the fact onely how hee hath hurt him in his name cattell wife goods and so the damage is the sin to him But the enlightned conscience lookes at the Lawgiuer knowing that not man but God hath made the Law against hurting man man is the next but God is the chief and last obiect of his sinne And therefore God must bee agreed with or else conscience will keep it vpon Gods record to appeare in due time And put case man would be appeased yea is satisfied yea perhaps mans Law is satisfied by the death of the offendor yet GOD still must be compounded with as chiefly offended Q. How secondly A. It presents it selfe to the soule in the coherence and consent of the law This no man can see except enlightned S. Iames cleeres this Iam. 2.10 Hee that breakes one is culpable of all Meaning that such
do fearfully lay forth this corruption to be that which men little thinke for For why What a tame still close and harmelesse thing seemes this sinne beeing yet if once stirred a raging Tyger and wild monster What do these termes imply â—â—ue that this sinne is the Doe-all in the soule as she will so it must be and in a word she is al sinne both the length and depth of it all that is in sinne is in her And therefore except the Lord Iesus had bene made siâ—ne note the word 2 Cor. 5.21 for vs aswell as sinfull he had neuer satisfied his expiation beeing chiefly for sinne in her Nature and for the Acts by Consequenceâ— in which respect he is truly called the second Adam made the sin of Nature by imputation that he might by his nature of Righteousnes suffring both satisfie for it the losse of Godâ— Image and then restore it Looke vpon these texts and meditate of them Secondly by comparison For when the soule hath had the view of actuall sinnes beâ—ore as most yrkesome and now comes to see greater abomination then these as the Lord tells Ezekiel Chapter 8.15 Oh! how out of measure sinfull seemes it to the soule how doth she cry out miserable man for market thus she speakes Although actuall sins were enough to sinke me into misery yet I see they were but euill in respect of their part but now I see a body of all parts and members a King in his throne I see now my selfe curâ—ed double and treble No sooner do I get out of one actuall sin or set good duties agaiâ—st bad with some hope of ease that way but the Lord beates me downe by my inward nature of sinne yea when I would faine comfort my selfe in my duties and suffring and prayers Lo then my very clothes this venomed shirt vpoÌ„ my skin Iob 9.31 defiâ—es me turnes al hony into the gall of aspes Indeed God hath freed mee from beeing a worldling whose hope is below from a covetous mizer Phil. 3.18 whose God is his Mammon I am free from open vncleanenesse and inward hypocrisy and profanenesse of heart but Oh LORD the nature of these things dogges mee sometimes the wolfe of my nature makes me feele small difference betweene my selfe and these vices The nature of louing pleasures more then God the nature sauor of a proud vaine heart of distrust of worshipping God vnsauourily and for forme of selfe-loue and ends doth so dogge me that its worse ten fold then the breaches themselues Yea and the more I seeme to affect the contrary the more Satan dogs me with them thoughts desires and endeauors after them if it be so be glad yea and selfe-loue with them so blindfoldes me that often they seeme to please me and make me be as I would be and by the suddainenesse of the darts and assaults preuent my armor and so foile mee and leade me captiue So that we see the sting of nature if duely weighed is farre greater then of actions Q. Proceed to the third How doth the Law present the properties of originall sin to the soule A. By ripping vp the body of this death and shewing it what is lust Rom. 7.7 c. First Shewing it to be sin in an eminency of being It s more sin then other sins whatsoeuer is in any of them is here more notoriously whatsoeuer filth and base quality may be spied in all sin or any as impudency vanity pride resolution disdaine is heere more singularly as light and heate is in our fire or the ayre or the Moone but eminently in the Sun the first subiect and seate of it That wherein a quality is first that is eminently worst As coldnesse in the earth drynesse in fire heate in the ayre and moysture in the water So when a Iudge is vniust in the place of equity hee is eminently vniust Euen so heere All ill qualities are first planted heere and its sinne in the Spirit in the place of excellency euen of Gods Image That whereby another thing is qualified so or so that it selfe is much more so qualified As we say Those wofull desperate Traytors in Gun-powder treason were so and so desperate rebellious cruell fierce but by whom were they made so by their father Garnet and grandfather the Pope Garnet and the Pope then must be much more so So all the poizon of actuall euils is seated in the originall after whose copy they write Secondly The predominancy of this sin both in matter of fulnesse and force for fulnesse it hath all sin vnder it and in it as the perfect body hath all the members so this dead rotten body containes fully all dead members of hypocrisie vncleannesse c. in it As the word vsed by Diuines prooves they call it the * Fomiteâ—â— Fewell meaning of the fire of sinnefull acts Great farmes haue and keep great fires because of the plenty of wood they haue to nourish them This is the fewell that maintaines all fires in the soule in hall kitchin and parlour sins of pride sins of common formality sins of base lust all are kept vpon the altar burning with this fewell which is set on fire it selfe by hell So of forciblenesse also therfore Paul cals it a Law Princes rule strongly by their lawes they are as a soule wholly in all and in each part Nothing so forcible there is a necessity in a law It breakes downe and carries before it all opposites word threats dangers all counsell perswasion cannot heare is incorrigible vnchangeable as the Law of Medes and Persians It carries the soule to her trade with courage force resolution and irresistiblenesse being the piller of Satans kingdome ruling as a strong man in sinners Luk. 11. â—1 and keeping all in deep peace Thirdly it is perpetuall Wee say The King hath a perpetuall patrimony that is not alienable so hath a sinner by his originall sin He may faile in his spending money as in his policy and strength and industry to oppresse to defile his body but his stocke and patrimony neuer failes If it bee so in the best of Gods seruants Luther himselfe little molested with couetousnesse yet he had this stock still within how much more is it true of each sinner Fourthly It s an ouerflowing and yet a cruell euill as necessary as it is as forcible Fyre water are ill masters but they burne and ouerflow naturally euen so here As in breaches of the Sea we see tops of Steeples and of Towers vnder water so this ouerflowes all the Image of God in vs This sinne goes in the haire and streame of nature and therefore it s called Concupiscence and Lust Iames 4.5 The spirit that is in vs lusts to enuy it pleases vs because it is naturalâ— and hath a self-louing perswasion which carries it smoothly and vnsuspiciously and by priviledge It is my nature to smite when I am angry iâ—s my nature to be soone hoâ— it s therefore
sit heere we are but dead men and wee can bee no worse by the Aramites then by famine So they made into their Campe. Thus doth a cast-downe troubled sinner resolue to doe If there bee a way of possible escape the matter is not now whether I shall find it but I know I shall surely perish without it and sure I cannot be worse then I am I may be better I will venture the triall The vse briefly is First To obserue how God preuents a sinner by this Wisedome For what is all the complaint of a poore soule when the promise is offred Oh it s true if I were loden I doubt not of ease Thou lyest against thy selfe thou dost doubt of ease by the promise for of the former thou canst not doubt hauing been enlightned cast downe and conuinced by the Law That then which is the more easie to grant the Lords workes first as part of the condition of Grace for euen legall bondage is the first part of it that is to be loden that when the harder comes to bee vrged that is Faith then the Condition already wrought might bee ready to comfort the poore soule Secondly Wonder therefore at this wisedome which by contraries most sitly to the soules condition doth euen worke by contraries life out of death and order out of confusion Thirdly and lastly in all the Ministery of the Word let the Minister and people of GOD still fixe their eye vpon the scope of GOD moouing onwardes with him and going euen pase with his ordinance for the effecting of his owne ends and the glory of his Grace in our saluation Let vs both so teach and so heare that still the Starre may guide vs and then our iourney shall not be tedious to vs. Q. Conclude with the extremities and abuses of this legall worke A. First for the extremities they are two legall presumption and finall despaire Touching the first I call it legall because there is another and more dangerous one by the Gospell Secondly this presumption is twofold One this when the sinner waxes bold and ventrous to shake off this yoke of the Law before his spirit be conuinced and cast downe And this is that solemne caueat Deut. 29. If any shall applaud himselfe hearing the curse and say I shall haue peace adding drunkennesse to thirst the wrath of GOD sâ—all smoke agâ—â—◠〈◊〉 man Such there are then yea surely bondage is of it seâ—fe yrkesome but when it meets with a bold heart and is not set home by the Law commonly it prouokes wearines and then seeing that GOD seconds not his Word alway with plagues and death and curses indeed the deferring of sentence sets the heart on gog to euill and perhaps worse then before Thus Psalm 50. the hypocrite growes to thinke God to be like himselfe This sinne made Adam and all vs cursed presumption against threats Oh when wee thus fall to our old trade the Deuill falls to his finding the soule thus swept returnes with seuen worse then himselfe Let vs tremble at it and learne to inure our selues to heare all threats with feare Learne to beleeue this doctrine which I haue at large described I speake not now of sauing faith but against presumptuous boldnesse against the Law To credit the Word to be Gods who cannot lye may fall into a supernaturall conuiction although not yet sauing The second presumption is When the consternation of the Law ceazing without the addition of the Gospell causes the soule to waxe confident of it owne welfare because it hath beene humbled and perhaps holds some impression of it still not daring to resist her light But this is rare and dangerous for its a signe that the heart is secretly false and vnpurged Rest in no checkes of conscience where conscience her selfe is not first purged both to check and also to excuse and comfort the soule in the Satisfaction of CHRIST Q. What is Desperation A. The other contrary offending as much on the left hand through the excesse of terror Thus Saul and Iudas And it commonly growes from the first Satan neuer seeking more to poizon with presumption and dallyance with the Law then where he meanes to snare with the contrary of despaire How oft was Saul conuinced of his malice and persecution But returinng to his vomit brought soule and body to a desperate end So Cain and Iudas by their hidious sinnes brought themselues to this that mercy and Christ were not able to doe them good their sinnes were growne beyond forgiuenes A wofull fruit of boldenesse And yet iust for he who will vndervalue grace in the worth thereof is iustly left to ouerualue sinne in the merit of it He that neuer can find season to beleeue the Word beeing offred is iustly left to seeke it with violence when the season is ouer And so eyther its neuer time with them as he spake of marriage or else past time Many compare these sinnes with great adoe but the wiser way is to preuent both and the latter in the former Doubtles it is the sinne of the damned to liue in the perpetuall despaire of release and in perswasion that Grace is vnable to do them good Let vs know farre worse sinnes then these may destroy let vs neuer presume to venture so farre as to dye by these Vse And for vse of the point learne wee dayly to roote this cursed Roote of bitternes out of vs by two â—hings eâ—suing First A spirit of humility and feare to keepe ouâ—selues vnder the bondage of ouâ— Schoole-master rather then to affâ—ct the liberty of presumers and in so doing to beseech the LORD o proportion out our stripes according to ouâ— strength aâ—d to keepe our despaire within the compasse of our seluâ—s and any thing in vs but to bee farre from the least thought of inlarging our basenesse aboue the infinitenesse of mercy Secondly To nourish in our hearts aboue all those Meditations of Mercy and Grace in CHRIST which may set vs vpon a Rocke about our selues and all fearefull distrust and carry vs in the streame thereof with holy irresistiblenesse Frequent holy and louing thoughts of God are the surest remedies against this hidious monster Q. What lastly is the abuse of this worke of the Law A. Double ech contrary to the other First On the right hand many not of the worst abuse it when they nourish themselues in a needlesse bondage whereas they know that they are in case to hearken after the remedy and will not pretending they haue not yet beene cast downe or troubled enough What madnesse is this to nourish a disease against Physick or to thinke that our trouble pleaseth GOD or to thinke that to bee of substance of Grace which onely is for preparation vnto it And yet many sullen and Melanchoâ—â—que ones are thus abuzed by Satan to thinke their Babel and captiuity yea their Hell another Heauen Let them rather hast themselues out of it when God calles them and know the Lord
to make God the Father the most free and soueraigne worker and applyer of this deliuerance to the soule For what else should it profit vs that hee hath deuised such a way as Christ and such meanes as the Gospell beleeued except hee tooke it vpon him to possesse the soule of it also And the Holy Ghost is frequent in Scripture to proue GOD the Father to be the onely free agent in this worke calling him the begetter of vs of his owne free will Iam. 1.17 Phil. 2.13 Heb. 10.23 the worker of both will and deede in vs of his owne good pleasure the faythfull beginner and finisher of his owne worke Especially that it is neyther of the willer or runner Rom 9.16 Ioh. 6.44 but meerely of his mercy that we be called effectually No man can come to Christ except God draw him God is as soueraigne in his applying as in the finding out of this way And why Surely because as in the way so in the working the soule to it hee seekes his owne glory and the deepe riches of his grace to bee magnified and himselfe to be adored in the ioynt meeting of his iustice mercy power and truth in one that through IESVS CHRIST praise may be giuen to GOD the Father and that as all things are from him Col. 3.17 and by him Rom. 11.36 so they all may bee to him and to the prayse of his glory This point well weighed would leade vs as by a thred through each branch or Article of this second part with light and sauour when we conceiue the Lord Iesus himselfe onely as a Seruant of this souereigne will of GOD who is therefore called Gods Christ 1 Cor. 11.3 read 2 Cor. 3. vlt. when we conceaue the offer of Grace his the benefits offred his yea and not onely fayth but also the conditions of it an humble and hungring soule his gift his preparations and so throughout all this second part looke vpon GOD as that free principle in whose meere will it is to enlarge or restreine the heart of a man as he sees good A point of speciall consequence and properly belonging to this place 2 Cor 5.17.18 hee beeing at the root of all and beeing in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing the sinnes till which great worke be effected this deliuerance is not effected in vs. And therefore Psal 32.1 the Lord is sayd to impute no sinne and 2 Cor 5.21 to make vs his righteousnes And although I refer the point of Imputation to the second Article of Christ as presupposing his merit of necessity yet for the Worker it s properly a consequent of this Article God doing all his workes perfectly and as I said freely for the attaining of his owne ends in vs that he who boasteth might boast of the Lord. Q Doeth this point tend to any vse A. Yea and that such as I wish euery good hearer and reader of the points following to lay it to heart For first this will teach vs to conceaue in what sence the Lord doth offer vs his Christ command vs to beleeue and promise to ease vs if we hunger mourne be poore in spirit To wit that he is farre from intimating any power or will in vs to concurre with him in any the least of these or to ascribe ought to him that willeth or runneth But rather to shew what those excellent graces are which he freely worketh in all whom hee will saue Hee for his honour sake will effect all these meanes in whomsoeuer hee hath appointed to the end it selfe of Redemption Sweet is that place 2 Thess 1.9 10. That he may be admired in all such as beleeue because they haue receiued our word in that day He saith not that al they may be admired who haue themselues beleeued but he admired in them For what Surely not for their working grace in themselues but for the works sake of God that hath wrought it Secondly this will helpe vs to iudge who those parties are in all likelyhood whom God wil concurre with assist in the vse of meanes tending to deliuerance Such is the base slauery of man that he distrusts him sooner in no one thing than in that wherein God offers himselfe to the soule As in Manoa's example and Gedeons appeares Iudg. 13.22 6.13 Oh saith a fearefull heart God is free and need not worke saue wheâ—e he list and therefore he is bound to none and I feare he will worke in 100. ere he worke in me Oh poore wretch hath hee not shewed his will in whom hee will worke Euen in those that seeke his end more then their owne in the vse of meanes If thou knowing what God only aymes at in all his Redemption viz. the glory of his rich grace and all his holy Attributes and not at thine or my saluation for our ends shalt yet goe to worke heere thine own way then know God neuer did or will crosse his owne ends nor blesse any such as set vp other ends of their owne against with or aboue his But this followeth soundly That all such as in meanes vsing doe fixe their eye vpon Gods purpose and abase themselues in the sight of their owne sillinesse to reach such a thing as deliuerance is and adore his free souereigne working as the onely able effecter hereof all such I say as thus worke with God and vnder God may know that the Lord will assist them for why he assists and seconds his owne way in them who seeke his glory aboue their owne saluation And although he be so free that he is tyed to none yet I say with reuerence hee tyes himselfe graciously to such as doe seeke him not themselues for else should he contradict his owne ends which is blasphemous And this point I desire to be marked For whoso they are who will not see this truth of Gods free working for his owne glorious ends I affirme its vnauoidable but either they must most murmuringly and repiningly reiect the way of God to Heauen as contrary to flesh which is the greatest signe of a castaway or else mixe themselues their wits wisedome policy and deuices in the getting of heauen with Gods grace and mercy and so make Christ onely a Stalking horse to their owne parts and to serue themselues Thirdly this point doth most liuely instruct vs how wee may so goe to worke in the vse of meanes as our owne Conscience may not accuse vs for taking Gods office of freedom and souereignty out of his hands It troubleth many to instance in one particular how they should so goe to worke in hearing praying and Sacraments for the attayning of the Condition of faith that is mourning and hunger c. that they might not seeke faith vpon their owne termes They see the Word full of promises of ease and comfort to such as do mourne and they would gladly seeke Heauen in Gods way onely they cannot see how a condition to faith can
our iustification and that else God cannot in Iustice acquite vs. They say The elect doe sustaine one person with Christ in all his acts and suffrings and they are all made theirs But thus they make Christ serue to no other ends but to become our owne Mediator and to destroy his owne The error of this conceit arose from a confounding of the valor or worth of this righteousnesse with the substance of righteousnesse it selfe For although wee cannot be iustified without imputation of the fulnesse of the merit yet wee are not capable of that which merited except wee will become infinite Branch 3 Thirdly it confutes those Sectaries who affirme that God seeth no sin in any of his if hee haue once imputed Christs righteousnesse to them This error arizes from not distinguishing these two Imputation of perfect righteousnesse and perfect imputing or accepting of imputed righteousnesse No man is iustified without the former but our faith fayling in the acceptance must needs bee looked vpon by God I confesse hee sees no sinne but hee pardons it to his in Christ vpon Faith and Repentance but hee punishes it for their good in mercy Againe what if we grant God sees no sinne in them in respect of their iustification Is therefore their sanctification perfect Why then did Dauids adultery displease the Lord Or why doe we pray Forgiue vs our debts or why saith our Sauiour Say when all is done yee are vnprofitable Fourthly it confutes all such as cut off the Actiue obedience Branch 4 of Christ from the satisfaction 2 Sam. 10.4 as they cut the garments of Dauids seruants by the middle I blame them not as Papists for denying Christ to bee our price but for their curious diuiding of one member of it from another It may bee granted them that the Passiue is the more immediate coÌ„summation of the satisfaction but to conclude the Actiue is most audacious They say Christ was bound to the obeying of the Law as a man made vnder it I answere Yea but except hee had beene so made purposely for vs hee needed neuer to bee so at all therefore his willing being so made the merit the greater and although being a man he must obey yet seing his being a man was that hee might obey for vs it must bee of greater desert Againe as the Passiue is the neerer merit in respect of the estate in which we stood accursed So the Actiue is as essentiall in respect of recouering that Image of righteousnesse which makes vs like GOD and in which wee were created Neither was it Hell could haue hurt vs without sinne Besides to say truth if Adam after his sinne had not beene accursed yet in sinning onely he had beene miserable It is therefore as essentiall to Iustification that hee bee made iust as rid of guilt and brought to Heauen as rid of Hell But of this before Q. Bee there any other vses bâ—sides confutation Vse 3 A. Yea. And first to teach all Gods people to abhorre the slauery of hypocrites who if they could shun Hell would neuer care for righteousnesse Gods people although they could sinne vnseene and vnpunished yet would loath it They take as deep thought for God as for their owne welfare 2 Sam. 14.30 When Absalon was pardoned yet he set Ioabs corne on fire because hee might not bee admitted to the Kings presence chuzing rather to dye then to hang in such suspence And shall a beleeuer rest in his pardon more then in the righteousnesse of God which may make them accepted and beloued Eph. 1.5 No the liuery they weare is The Lord our righteousnesse Oh till I be restored to my blood to my dignities to stand before the Lord to please him to feele his Spirit of peace ioy and righteousnesse and my Conscience purged to serve God in holinesse I can feele no comfort Vse 4 Secondly let it raise the price of the Lord Iesus his loue in the hearts of all his children Should he that was glory and holinesse bee content not onely to become a worme base and vile to his enemies but to lose the repute of holinesse and become sinne rather then sinne should not become righteousnesse and glory how great is this loue then and how deare should he be in the taking of our imputed sinne and blemish vpon him Vse 5 Thirdly to touch his Passion a little how should it teach vs to abhorre all enemies of the Crosse Atheists Papists Iewes and Pagans to whom it is eyther a stumbling block or foolishnesse yea all such as hold vpon a Christ in profession but farre from an humbled suffring and crucified Christ carrying themselues rather so in their haire fashions and oathes the loftinesse of their stomacks as if their Christ were rather some great Epicure Libertine or Champion of the world Fourthly If this death of the Lord Iesus be our satisfaction Vse 6 and the freedome from sinne and curse our pardon peace and Heauen where is the dwelling of our hearts vpon it the delight of our soules in it Commonly wee will weare our choise Iewell neerest our heart and why is this Iewell which cost the blood of the Sonne of God so farre off it Surely except this be our soules crowne more then the crowne of the aged are their children or the Ministers crowne his people or the husbands his deare wife not to speake of gold pleasures or outward welfare how can it bee well with vs If the perfection of loue be ioy and the perfecter the obiect is the greater the loue How is it that each base shadow of ioy can affect vs when this can not If our hope were heere onely in Christ of all others 1 Cor. 15.19 we were most miserable Nothing heere can keepe thee from misery what is then thy happinesse This satisfaction onely Let it be all in all to thee the seasoning of thy blessings supply of all wants if thou wert left as an owle in the desart Hab. 3.17 if no calf were left in the stall yet let God be thy saluation Let thy life be bound vp in it as Iacobs in Beniamin Fifthly and especially let the chiefe streame of this points Vse 7 vse be this To all Ministers to teach it and the people to apply it to themselues in all their feares yea the greatest agony yea death it selfe whatsoeuer thou forgoest hold this For Ministers let them remember their office as hee to Archippus and fulfill it Paul presses it compare 2 Cor. 5.21 with 20. Him that knew no sinne hee made sinne that wee might bee his righteousnesse And what of this We being Embassadors of God as if Christ by vs did entreate you so we vrge Bee reconciled to God Be no Idols non Preachers bee no Preachers of any thing before this Preach not with a veile as Moses stand with open face and hold this mirror to poore sinners that they may behold The Lord their righteousnesse 2 Cor. 3 1â— If the worth of a
soule were knowne by vs and the blood of soules prized and pitied hen the preaching declaring of this righteousnesse Iob 33. would bee the scope of our labours Wee are Ministers or the Law but onely so as seruing the Ministery of reconciliation Let vs mainly looke to this to saue our selues and them that heare vs if wee haue wrought the vse of the last Article of the former part vpon them learne the skill of this second and linne not with God till he say to vs Deliuer him Iob 33.24 Mat. 13.44 Gen. 29.20 I haue receaued a ransome If wee could find this veine and the treasure hid in this field all our worke would bee as Iacobs seuen yeeres for the loue of Rachel sweet and easie For people also secondly Consider yee who haue truly felt that Serpent of the Law sting ye mortally in the other part come apply the remedy in this looke vpon this brazen Serpent and liue and first I say feele the strength secondly take hold of it and make peace for the former know without a promise from God there is no peace vnto yee and promise there can bee none without this satisfaction This is the strength of an offer and a promise it s else as he spake of the Serpent Nehushtan and a piece of brasse As sinne is the strength of the Law so is this price of the blood of Christ the strength of the promise Thou hast to deale with the Father in the point of iustifying thee ponder well then this strength as thou wouldst try the waight of Gold in the ballance If thou canst feele this strenght so farre as to say Esay 27 4. or to heare the Lord say 2 Cor. 1.10 Anger is not in mee I am appeased thou beginst well Anger abides in God without this price and thou art but as the bushes and dry stubble before it Be assured then that no promise speakes to thy soule and to thy heart except it haue this strength of Christ in whom each one is yea Amen Looke vpon a promise if thou need it as it s furnished with this for hence comes all wrath to be turned to loue this will make God willing to offer faithful to performe els not That bottomlesse depth of mercy in thy Iudge enemy cannot be gaged without this bucket by this thou mayst reach it Againe as this is sufficient strength so it is that onely which can redeem thee Let that Mountebanke of Rome who would bring thee to the treasure of Saints merits be odious to thee Say thus Mica 6. What shall I giue the Lord for the sin of my soule My gold or pearles Oyle or wine or the first borne of my body No he hath shewed me the onely way to be his righteousnes He redeemed vs sayth Peter not with pearles but with the precious blood of his Lambe Wilt thou go to the holy ones in earth Alas they were as vile as thou but for this and they haue no more of it then will serue their turnes Wilt thou go to Heauen to Saints and Angels Alas Esay 63. Abraham knowes thee not What then Mat. 25.6 wilt thou go to thy duties performances grace Alas they haue no blood of expiation in them all these will say Satisfaction is not in vs. Where then Surely heere onely If so abandon all cling to this onely And that is the second branch Take hold of this sufficient onely sufficient strength as the Prophet bids thee Iob 9.15 1 Pet. 3.19 Carry it with thee to thy Iudge make supplication to him in this strength Peter calles it the answer of a conscience good in the resurrection of Christ What euer enemy pursue thee at the heeles this is thy refuge that heere thou mightst haue strong consolation in all feares against all enemies Fearest thou the sins of youth or age The Lord Iesus was conceaued in the wombe that the infant elect which neuer saw light might be saued by him youth notwithstanding her disobedience age for all her rebellion might be forgiuen Do thy morall sinnes of murther stealth vncleannes swearing distresse thee This Lord Iesus fulfilled all righteousnes for thee Do thy spirituall wickednesses oppresse thee and the penalties of them an vnbeleeuing secure hard heart by the contempt of the Gospell The Lord Iesus suffred the powring out of his blood to breake the heart of those that pierced him vpon the crosse Art thou poore Thy Satisfier was so Rich He was the Lord of all Are thy sinnes great He dyed for Noahs drunkennesse Lots incest Dauids adultery Small Lo euen thy least vaine word cost him his life-blood 2 Cor. 5. â—1 But perhaps not some sinnes but sinne it selfe and the body of death troubles thee He was made sinne that knew none Oh then whatsoeuer sinne can say yet go on to the throne of grace as Heb. 4.16 and looke to finde mercy in time of need Doth the Deuill the gates of Hell conscience or the iustice of GOD threaten thee They can not saue for sinne if they doe thy conscience hath her answere to God against all And so plead this thy pardon to the Lord. Say thus Oh Father euen thou cuttest off thy plea in giuing this price in accepting it in offring of it to mee I Lord am heere before thee pinched and damned by my sinne if thou do not reckon it vnto mee Oh Lord I put this blessed price betweene me and wrath LORD haue no power to deny it me Euen I if I were left with an orphans estate could not keepe it from him LORD I am fatherlesse my orphans stocke is in thy keeping thou tookest it to bestow it Lord let my soule haue strong consolation in her seeking refuge to thee because this price warrants mee If a debtor be in prison and be bid to come forth he will answer I am heere for debt I cannot but if vrged he will lay hold vpon this Strength Surely some Surety hath payd my debt and then his heart answers I will come out Oh! so let this strength be layd hold on by thee if thou looke for deliuerance In the end of this second part I shall adde somewhat touching faith Meane time let this be as the riuer leading to the Sea Q. But what is the word of Imputation so oft vsed by the Holy Ghost in the matter of Iustification A. I am glad you haue mentiond it in so good season I answer that as this whole righteousnes is the materiall so this act of God the Father is the forme and beeing of a sinners iustification And it s such an act of God as being satisfied takes this righteousnes and reckons it to the needing soule as her owne although not hers to put vpon her an estate of as full and perfect freedome acceptance as if she had neuer sinned or had fully satisfied For looke how he dealt with our Surâ—ty made him sinne for vs thâ—t is imputed it which imputation
stored and enriched by him This is that which the Apostle in Ephes 1.3 vrgeth Blessed bee God who hath blessed vs with all blessings in Heauenly places And Saint Peter Epist 2. chap. 1.3 His Heauenly power hauing supplyed vs with all things tending to life and godlinesse Q. But yet say somewhat in particular aboue these and first are all those benefits of one sort A. No. For though all are the water that floweth from this welspring yet for order sake wee shall doe well to helpe our conceit thereof with a distinction to avoide confuzion Some of these Benefits of Christ are concurrent with our first ingrafting with him and accompany our first conuersion and these I call benefits concerning a beleeuer in respect of that condition and estate of Grace whereto hee is called and in which hee is settled And these concerne this Article to handle Other are consequent vpon this condition as royalties and priuiledges following vpon it and stand not so much in the generall calling of a Beleeuer as in speciall belonging to it whether inward graces or outward blessings according to the seuerall promises in and by which God conueies them And I may well say The former sort doe conteine the full Right and Title of a Beleeuer to Christ himselfe the latter the possession of those good things which issue from him through the whole life and the diuers occasions thereof of which in three Parts Q. Name then those of the former sort that belong to the being or estate of a beleeuer A. The Holy Ghost in Scripture doth mention them according to the seuerall circumstances of our misery as that brought vs into an estate of guilt bondage and enmity with God so this brings vs by iustification to a contrary estate of peace by Redemption to an estate of liberty by reconciliation to amity with God and so of the rest All in substance are one recouery of an happy estate onely they differ in these respects Now for the naming of them the Holy Ghost doth it sometimes more briefly sometimes more fully briefly in 1 Cor. 1.30 He is made vnto vs wisedom righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption Morefully in the 1. of the Eph. from the 3. to the 17. verse reade it ouer and we shall be informed of them Q How many things consider we in this Article of the benefits of Christ A. Three First the Difference Sâ—condly the Order Thirdly the Nature and vse of them to our selues As touching the first there is a fourefold difference to bee noted of them First that some of them are beforetime others in time And in this respect Election differs from all the rest For iustification reconciliation and the rest presuppose Christ already theirs and issue immediatly from him but Election is before Christ himselfe and presupposeth nothing but the first cause of Gods good pleasure and will And yet its true that in Christ we enioy all onely with difference becauâ—â— we are not elected for Christ but we are adopted and reconciled for him Election being that act of God from all eternity whereby foreseeing the ruine of man hee purposed out of his free will to chuse some of those fallen ones to mercy and saluation So that we see its one of the benefits of the beleeuer in Christ yet not for Christs sake but the Fathers who gaue Christ himselfe to this end that he might be a foundation of that whereof himselfe was a first cause The second difference is in respect of the benefits that follow Christ In which respect Vocation differs from all the rest For vocation is no fruit of faith as the rest are but of election seeing whom God elected hee calleth to know it Calling then is a benefit whereby God brings the soule to be capable of all the rest through faith in the Gospel and therefore concernes the elect as they are so in God not to themselues as yet and serues to this end to make them to know it by faith But none of the rest can be wrought in the soule without faith being the fruits of calling to faith as to be instified adopted c. The third difference is betweene those benefits of Christ which concerne vs in this life and those that reach to a better And the difference is great The former being such as releeue the necessity of our present condition in which wee are imperfectly conformed to Christ in his estate of Humility and beset with sinne Satan and enemies of this nature are our Iustification reconcialiation adopption and the like which all shall cease as faith hope and patience shall in respect of the euils they do heere conflict with although out of these relations the good of them shall abide as Sonship liberty amity and the like But faith in these benefits shall cease because all conflict with euill shall cease euill I say both of sinne and punishment Now for those that concerne the life to come in a perfect conformity to our Head they are of another nature and belong to that image of GOD renued in vs in righteousnes and holines which abide for euer begun heere in grace and perfected in glory These are in themselues the principall and faith howeuer heere it s all in all yet serues onely to settle this image vpon vs and hauing brought vs thereto shall cease The fourth and last difference is betweene the benefit it selfe which shall abide for euer and that will appeare if wee consider the difference betweene the state of an equall image of God to that which Adam lost and that which Christ hath purchased aboue it as an ouerplus If hee had onely purchased vnto vs the Image of God together with immortality hee had made vs as good as wee were created though wee had liued on Earth But because he being no creature but GOD tooke our flesh into himselfe that wee might bee as hee is and where he is therefore he hath cast in this ouerplus vnto vs that in stead of an Earthly Paradise with old Adam we shall enioy Heauenly mansions with CHRIST in the presence of God and there haue his Image and our immortality perfected But this note whatsoeuer difference there be in this all agree that they are the worke of the spirit of Christ settling all his benefits vpon the beleeuer Q. You haue spoken of the first Proceed to the second A. The second is the order of them Wherein although I see men to differ yet I will auoyd quarrels and for the good of the Reader speake my opinion Thus then I conceiue the first in order is vocation or regeneration as it concerneth the way and meane of begetting a soule to God the second is Vnion The third is Iustification the fourth is Reconciliation the fift is Adoption the sixt is Redemption the seuenth is Regeneration as it concernes the creation of Gods Image in a soule already borne and brought home to God the eyghth â—s â—anctificatâ—â—n immâ—â—â—â—â—ely issuing from it containing the mortifying and
to be difficult as especially the two latter for as I freely grant faith to be the gift God wrought by his Spirit so I would faine know what you meane by those two latter viz. The condition of faith and the relying of the Some vpon the offer of God Expliaine these A. I will endeauor it And for the former as before in the point of Vocation I shewed what I meane by the Condition of faith so briefly I answer it is such a Qualification as God requires of one who may beleeue the promise of reconciliation to belong to him True it is if wee looke at the power of God he could in a moment set a man in state of grace out of the state of corruption but in this wee must looke at his will reuealed and what is most agreeable to the spirit of Bondage The Lord knowes it is no easy thing to beate a man out of himselfe when the sence of his burden lyes vpon him therefore he so prepares him that he shall not deny but that he meanes him well euen when he deserues least And surely it ought not to seeme so strange a point if wee weigh the Scriptures which neuer speake in any other language We read in Zach. 12.10 and 13.1 that when the Lord would set open a fountaine to his Church for sin and transgression he first put into them the Spirit of grace and compassions or Supplications causing them to see him whom they had pierced and mourne bitterly If we see the fulfilling heereof in the Gospell wee shall find that this Spirit of mourning went before faith as a preparatiue Reade Act. 2.37 when those murtherers of CHRIST heard that he was the Lord of life who offred life vnto them by Peter they were pricked in their heart saying Men and Brethren c. Now the Apostle answers Repent and beleeue Read these seuerall conditions of fayth Mat. 5. Blessed are they who thirst they who are poore in spirit they that mourne for theirs is the kingdome they shall be satisfied and Mat. 11.30 Come to me all that are loden and I will ease you What thinke we are not these conditions of a thing as yet wanting to wit of beeing comforted eased and satisfied The like I may say of that Ezek. 36. touching Seeking God I will doe this for them pardon them yet I will be sought for it by them So that its playne that the Lord meaning to bring the soule to beleeue prepares it first Q. What is it which workes these preparations is it any other thing in the world then that which worketh fayth A. No doubtlesse The Spirit of grace accompanying the offer of GOD in the Gospell doth worke both in the soule howbeit by degrees the former at the first and the latter after and that according to the measures of enlightening perswasion which the soule is capable of As wee see in deepe Melancholy and Sorrow that which at the first seemes harsh and cannot be endured yet by degrees the Spirit is glad to embrace In the morning wee see there is more light comming from the Sâ—nne then that which followes the rising of it for it sends more and more light before it rize So here The offer of Christ to the soule and the goodnes oâ— the offrer doth imprint in the soule some steps and prints of it in a more remote degree as to see a possibility of mercy to stay the soule from faynting when yet it is farre from resting in it And as the Spirit addes more light and sauor of it so it workes the heart to the making more toward it if some barre of Satan or corruption let not as by mourning for that sinne which offended such a good GOD although yet I apply not this goodnes and so by desiring it to bee my portion and seeing all other things to be drosse to it and so of the rest The summe is the Lord by these meanes enlarges the heart more and more to thinke that mercy to belong to her which she feeles to be dayly presented in more orient colors and to be the offer of him that needed not to offer it and whereof she feeles more and more need so that as the purpose of God appeares more cleerly to it so the timorous soule makes neerer and neerer to it till it come to rely it selfe at last vpon it And who feeles not the experience of this in himselfe that as light encreases so the soule is bolder to venture and feeles eft one step eft another to be wrought of hope stay good affections of sorrow of desire when yet she dare not iudge such a Iewell as mercy to be her portion And to end this what our sence may conclude in the scattering of darknes by degrees in the aire vpon the approach of light although till the Sunne rise the day is not perfect the like may bee sayd heere in the wanzing of feares more and more by the approach of the promise when yet the day starre of righteousnes is not risen Q. But I obserue that many doubt of this for sundry causes first they obiect Nothing can please GOD without faith now its sure Godly sorrow and desire please God and therefore what need wee seeke a further way when Faith may be said to containe them all How answer you this A. I say this It pleaseth God that these steps toward Faith be wrought in the soule though I deny that they formâ—lly pâ—ease God as acts proceeding therefrom For there are three acts of the Spirit in them that heare The first a meere common worke which hypocrites may haue The second a gracious sauing worke as faith proper to the Elect. The third I take to be a middle worke which as it is not grace formally so neyther is it a common worke but such a worke of the Spirit as stands in order to faith certainly following and this is good in respect of that it produceth to with Grace it selfe which shall not bee hindred but perfited in due time And of this sort are these preparations Now to make these the worke of Faith is inconuenient for although a soule to bee conuerted hath a seed of Grace remotely cast in by the Spirit which shall be perfected yet how absurd were it to say That a man hath that which hee mournes for the want of or which hee desires to haue I say in that respect in which hee mournes and desires it otherwise I doe not doubt but where there is true Faith there may bee a mourning after more It is obiected Faith may be and not discerned I answer For a time it may and in some degree or temptation holding vnder but not in an habited and settled manner of absence Q. What say you to the second doubt This opinion seemes to crosse a truth That conuersion is wrought in an instant A. I deny it not by this assertion for as it is in the wombe that there are some preparations naturall in the fruit to
of desert though in the way of saluation much neerer And therefore she sayth with the Church Hos 14.3 Ashur shall not saue mee I will not ryde vpon horses but with thee the fatherles shall fynd mercy And heerein shee differs from all proud hypocrites who wanting this fire vpon their herth are faine to rest vpon the deeds and compasse themselues with their owne sparkles though they lye downe in sorrow Esay 50.11 Nay it s certaine a prepared heart is so farre from the boasting of a Pharise in his attempts that rather he is as Peter toiled and weary of himselfe so farre from sacrificing to his nets that he looks vpon them with abhorring and sayth Lord depart from mee a sinfull man And by this little I desire my Auditors to thinke of the rest I do not affirme that GOD doth alway proceed alike with all for matter of order sensiblenes manner or measure In some hee workes more at the first then in others some hee sooner calls then others in some one of these is more cleere then in others as in Lydia and Zacheus and commonly as the degrees of corruption haue beene so are the degrees of humblin g and as the obedience to meanes hath beene longer without breaking out so the measure of Terror is lesser The Lord is a most free agent tyed to none we speak onely of such preparations as experience sheweth to be most ordinary among hearers Q. Adde somewhat breefly for vse hereof ere we come to the latter branch of faith that so confuzion may bee auoyded A. The vses are these Vse 1 First this is terror to all that dreame their estate to be good when yet they lie in their sins whole men they thinke Christ is offred them barely Be reconciled to God be they what they will be And in this they are the more strengthened by the opinion of such Diuines as dislike these preparations I confesse then indeed this is a bad fruit of it and yet the best that I haue found to come from it But to passe by them to these I say Beware lest ye play the despizers of grace so long by turning it to wantonnesse while the LORD leaues yee to vanish and perish in your owne error and euils Secondly to all such as remaine blind and dead-hearted blocks in the midst of this grace of the Gospell They see no light nor feele any warmth therefrom but still are cold snakes and are neyther affected with good nor euill neither hope sorrow desire or estimation of this pearle will fasten on them At the heare-say of a bargaine at the noise of their pleasures and at their jigs and tales they can laugh but heere neither will good day mend nor bad paire them Where is the hope of your faith where no dram of the condition of it is wrought Consider at death ye shall heare God saying thus Lo the things which your hearts loued ye haue and if my grace and offer had beene as precious as a base pot of beere as a game at cardes as a long locke at your eares ye had also had that But now your knocking at my doore is too late who heard not my knocking 's at yours Thirdly all dallyers with the season of this grace and putters off this rich offer of God pind on their sleeue thinking that they might haue God tyed to them and because they haue tasted of his grace with the tip of their tongue therefore they may haue it at their command whereas hauing once despized it they grow further and further from it dayly They should haue learned that the condition of faith is the preparation to faith dally with the one and forgo the other Also all hypocrites that rest in some appearance of these preparations not wrought in them by the Spirit of grace but from their owne principles which appeares in this that if they be reprooued they cannot endure it dare not enter into the tryall of their mournings desires and prooue them to come from the Spirit of grace but loue their owne ease better then the rules of God while their owne pangs last who but they but when their owne sparkles be out then full of sorrow No constancy playnnesse felfedeniall can be found in them grace is nothing worth of it selfe except some mixture of their owne concu re with it A signe that they haue felt little sweetnesse in it and therefore are farre from beleeuing it Oh lose not your labour lay not out your mony for no bread chuse not to goe a mile with God for nothing rather then two for saluation let Gods glory bee aboue your selues and lose not all for a false heart but take his counsell that said 2 Iohn 8. Lose not the things yee haue swet for till yee haue got a full reward euen Faith to saue your soules Secondly lastly exhortation to poore soules whom God hath truly brought vnder the condition of faith to blesse him for that handsell I say first to acknowledge it great mercy although they haue many doubts and feares and distempers to hinder them and the Deuill to come between cup and lip that they might not drink of this cup of saluation Oh remember its mercy to be brought within these Suburbes of Heauen If ye desire say not It s nothing It was wont to be the answer of a discontented woman who had enough when shee was asked how she fared to answere We haue nothing c. This whining heart is in vs and hinders vs from much good Be thankefull for any thing especially a pledge of faith nay be humble and say Lord what euer is not Hell is from mercy I will rather comfort my selfe that the Lord meanes mee the fulnesse of this earnest rather then grudge that presently I haue not my will and so waxe weary of wayting And secondly should expell slauish feare from them because the Lord hath giuen them a condition of faith Beware ye doe not abuse it Pledges are well kept by honest men not spoiled Do not tempt God by your distrust nor suffer the good preparations of the Spirit to dye or wanze through boldnesse loosenesse worldlinesse pleasures lest God make them as bitter to yee as Samsons dallyings with his harlot If yee belong to God he will saue ye but it shall be thorow the fire and with some smart ere the Deuill and your conscience haue done wiâ—h ye It is in this case as with them that play at Slyde-groat the siluer at first may bee easily discerned by the stamp but by that time they haue vsed it at the pleasure a while is so defaced yee that know not what to make of it Make conscience of keeping Gods pledges safe and entire And to conclude let these conditions already wrought bee encouragements to attend the LORD for Faith it selfe When a Manoa told his Wife they must dye because they had seene GOD shee rather argued contrarily that if GOD would slay them hee would neuer haue
for who commits sweet liquor into a foule vessell and what communion is there betweene corruption and purenesse Secondly hee addes And put on c noting that the Lord accepts not of a naked absence of euill except there bee also the presence of gracious properties Q. What meanes he by the putting off the old man A. By putting off laying aside purging casting out he means forsaking hating renouncing and bidding farewell to lustes Not much differing from the former part of Sanctification standing in mortifying and crucifying of sinne By the old man he meanes old Adams corrupt properties as blindnesse vanity which heere is named insteed of all the rest profanenesse vnrighteosnesse c. These he would not haue put off as we doe our apparrell ouer night to bee put on againe in the morning but as our old rotten ragges wee cast vpon the dunghill Q. And what meanes he by putting on the new A. The same which else where Rom. 13. vlt. and in other places he calles Reade that verse putting on of the Lord Iesus that as wee are clad adorned and warmed with our apparrell so Christ should be our clothing not of body but of spirit dayes and nights and continually Putting on heere signifying application in the closest mannor of Christ to the soule in his reneuing power By the new man he meanes the Lord Iesus in his nature and qualities of all grace and goodnesse as before I named So that this is a putting on of a better apparrell then cloth of gold and therefore admitting a better putting on that is neuer to be put off againe Q. What is the third part of the Text A. The fruit of both For these are within this dresse attire is spirituall but the Lord will have his new Creature not onely all glorious within but also without All outward clouts and rags cast off he names lying as one that is as manifest and common a worke of the flesh as any but meanes all and he will have the outward attire of vertue also to be put upon the conuersation hee names truth which as it is a Girdle to gird all other garments close to us so it s one outward badge of goodnesse Psal 15. See Ephes 6. but by this grace of the tongue he meanes all other of the body sences life and conversation And this of a taste of the Text the rest in the Articles The Article of the third part Q. VVHat is the scope of this third part A. To shew that whosoever truly beleeves the pardon of his sinne must also giue up himselfe to God in all holy obedience both in the frame of his spirit and in his outward conversation Q. What is the first Article of this third part A. That who so is begotten to God by the gift of faith hath also the image of God begotten in him by the spirit or more briefly that he who is in Christ is a new creature Read these texts for it 2 Cor. 5 17 other texts shall occur in the particulars following see Ephe. 2 10. Q. How many wayes doth the Scripture expresse this A In sundry all tending to the same end which are well to be noted for better conceiving of the Scripture For as we see sundry writers use divers tearmes and call this third part of the Catechisme The doctrine of Thankfulnesse or of Obedience to the Commandemâ—nt or the like so the holy Ghost uses divers tearmes And all may be referred to these heads for either they looke at the maine Principle of the Spirit of Sanctification as when the tearmes of Renouation New man New Creature Regeneration New birth are used or at the operation of this principle as when the termes of Repenting casting off the old man putting on new purging forsaking denying unrighteousnesse or lusts are used and so of mortifying our lusts or rising up to holinesse c. are used or else at some actuall inward vertues as love feare obedience subiection and the like or at some outward performances as walking with God in all his Commandements or departing from iniquitie or abhorring evill or cleaving to good ceasing to sinne learning to doe well or the like these all although in phrase differing yet in sence are all one and they import this That the Lord requires of all beleevers in Christ that their hearts be renued that they purge themselues finish their Sanctification feare him for his mercy walke with God order their conuersation aright all is one thing get one and get all but the holy Ghost doth includ all in that golden sentence Hee that is in Christ is a new creature Q. How many things are to be considered for the better conceiving of this maine point A. It is indeede the maine of this whole part and the things are especially these foure first the Author of this Regeneration or new Creature the holy Ghost secondly the inward instrument of this author and that is Faith thirdly The subiect in which this regeneration is wrought The whole man Fourthly the parts these will prooue the chiefe For as for the other which are taken for granted wee neede not to dwell much vpon them to wit the seede whereof wee are begotten which is the Lord Iesus the immediate instrumen vsed to beget the word of God the seale by which the Spirit assures conveis this regeneration Babtisme Onely let vs take a Scripture for each for the first 1 Cor. 1.30 Of him are we who is made c. that is of Christ Christ in his holy nature holy obedience and sufferings and resurrection is the matter of our sanctification For the second see Iam. 1.16 Of the word of truth he begate vs c. that is by the Gospell preached the eare receiues the seed of the word to beget vs. For the third See Mat 3.11 Where our Sauiour is said to baptize with the holy Ghost and fire noting that baptisme is the seale of this worke And so Rom. 6. The Apostle tels vs that by Baptisme wee are ingrafted into the similitude of his death and resurrection which is nothing else but our sanctification Q. Well then let the former foure heads be a little opened yet before those answer one obiection that troubles me you seeme to imply that a beleeuer and a new creature are two things I had thought that seeing faith begets vs to God by reconciliation therefore it and a new creature differ not A. Briefely I answer that it 's true beleefe of the promise is Gods creation likewise Esay 57.18 But this prooues not that this article is needlesse For as shall appeare in the second of these points regeneration is either a begetting vs to God and making vs his or else a begetting God in vs and these two differ as life diffâ—rs from the exercise of it To vse a similitude the childe truly quickned in the wombe hath the life of a reasonable creature because he hath the soule put into him yet he is not said to be borne
daily to the shaming purging out and consuming of these lusts Gal. 5.24 Bring them as the heifer in sacrifice to the hornes of the altar and binde them thereto that they breake not loose And call vpon the Lord for his spirit that the arrowes of the Almighty may be in vs and the power of Christs death might be as venom to giue these lusts the deadly blow and bane and to drinke vp the sin of these affections in vs Let it seriously smite our hearts and let our affections take reuenge vpon vs forth Corruption of our affections Let vs not excuse our selues for our nature for that defends a lesser sinne by a greater for what can be more wofull then when sinne by custome hath hardned vs to a nature Remember wee how hideous effects these wild beastes haue wrought in our liues I say our wealth our inordinate loue our mirth our sorrow feare and indignation How might Dauid with sorrow haue recorded his distemper against innocent Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 19.29 Hezekiah his great ioy and iollity in the comming of those Embassadors Esay 39.2 and the truth is the greatest woe and repentance which euer betided vs in our life may well be fathered vpon our passions Some bringing themselues by them to needles suits of Law pursuits of enemies losse of their estates fines imprisonments a brand of reproach among men as not to be liued with and if not so yet a continuall bondage of spirit and vnfitnesse to any good either to calling prayer bearing of our crosses or family and marriage duties and all by our inordinate passions Fourthly let vs apply the merit and looke at the example of the Lord Iesus in all the whole conuersation of his affections how holy was his zeale against those defilers of the Temple Mat. 21.12 his loue to that young mans forwardnesse Mat. 23.13 hatred of those hipocrites the Scribes and Pharisees sorrow for our sinnes in the garden cheerefulnesse in conuerse withall sorts to winne theme weeping for Lazarus pity to the poore widdowes dead only sonne Luk. 7.13 Oh! the sauor of his example and merit of his affections who as hee abhorred all stupor of heart so neuer faulted in the euennes temper measure of them either in the defect or excesse should rauish vs and excite vs if true members to purchase the like we should euen conceiue holy heate of spirit before these rods Fifthly when we haue got these good affections learne wee to take a due marke of the right obiects of our affections and that will shame vs when by loosing or mistaking our right marke we doe fasten them basely and indirectly Our anger is to good to be set vpon carnall reuenge it will serue to be imployed about Gods dishonour Ephes 4.26 our loue is too good for base lusts mony and pleasures Psa 118.1 it is made for the Lord and for his Saints Psal 16.2 Our hope of a vaine Paradise heere is better set vpon heauen 1 Cor. 15.19 and so might I say of our sorrow that it best befits sinne our owne and the times If we would thus direct our affections they would start backe when other obiects lay clayme to them Lastly let our maine direction be to get our soules settled in peace in the sweete assurance of our Reconciliation with God and that we know the worst that can befall vs that no sinne sorrow or enâ—my can depriue vs of that crowne and this peace will calme vs and rule our spirits that neither feare nor hope shall much vnsettle vs but we shall possesse our soules in patience in the midst of all distempers As a wicked heart casts vp mire and dirt like the Sea so the affections of the godly are calme and quiet and the wheele of the Conuersation goes on in a most wel ordered manner And so much for these Q. What rules giue you for the third of actions A. Herein wee can giue no particuler rules because they are infinite but bring the generall rules to particular and incident occasions Therefore for the ordering of this conuersation let those foure vsuall golden rules direct vs that wee as neere as we can look to first our grounds secondly to the due manner Thirdly the true measure fourthly the right ends of our actions Touching which the lesse may serue because they trench vpon some former rules Q. Touching the first what is it to be grounded A. To be sure we haue a word to shew for our warrant either in doing or not doing or suspending for although the action may proue bad in the form which is good in the nature of it yet that which is bad in the ground and nature cannot be possibly well done For without knowledge the heart is naught Pro. 19.2 2 Pet. 1.19 Now the word will passe censure vpon it either directly or by consequent and therefore we must attend to this light especially in darke places And if wee cannot informe our selues alone through ignorance we must make it a booke case and aduise by all meanes with other for truth lyes deepe sometimes This is a maine ground and is exceedingly transgressed I wil not here insist vpon them as go against light because the godly abhorre it while they are themselues but euen of them many sorts faile 1. Some wil do many things vpon custome and taking your grounds for granted when yet they haue none These are to be informed that they may know themselues to do well as well as do that which is good without thank 2. Others do many things in the twi-light hit they misse they not vpon assured ground not considering that as well that which is done without faith is sin as that which is against it 3. Many take vp grounds onely in their generality and faile in the particular determining of the generall to their occasion and so sometime exceed sometime limit the word whereas they should go according to the word closely in the extent of it Thus many limit the 2. commandement to grosse idolatry of Pagans securely go on in your own idolatry wil-worship as the Papists Others take their own preiudice deuotion good meanings to be good grounds as blind people And lastly others corrupt the ground by false glosses these sundry waies 1. By adulterating the word both of rule and example in scripture and making it sound as they list This is to crooke the rule and then work by it thus those Pharisees 2. By corrupt error of mens traditions as in 1 Pet. 1.18 receaued from the father alledging Vox populi vox Dei but it is not a common cry can ground an action 2. By Satans cunning and dice-play as he dealt with Eue ye shall not dye Gen. 3.4 Thirdly the imposture of our owne hearts easily beleeuing it lawfull which we eagerly desire and so bribing the iudgement to giue in a false verduict to deceiue vs as the messenger that went for Micaia 1 King 22. and as a bribed iudge will
boisterous that there is no time to resist but they come as if they were vnanswerable and the soule must yeeld no remedy Corruption commonly is more leisurely and more graduall abhorring violence and hidiousnesse as wee in some that haue in their heat rauished Children and others who deuoure themselues Fifthly The insulting and fury of temptation which followes the fourth that it comes with a trampling of the soule vnder feete with a disdaine as past all resistance If these markes bee in our temptations wee may by the messengers knocking ghesse the Masters feet not to bee farre behinde Oh what should such a point teach but this what wee are if God leaue vs how cursed a spirit and sky of evill we carry within vs and therefore as to be comforted that they are not wholly our owne so yet to begge of the Lord mercy to stop the rage of our enemy who if hee be let alone is crueltie it selfe Q. Well come to the temptations themselues how many things consider we in them A. These two The properties of the Tempter and the substance of the Temptations Q. What are these properties A. These First Malice euer sets him on worke against the body and soule of the Creature Secondly Vigilancy and attention alway doe assist his Temptations Thirdly Mischiefe and woe is euer in the end thereof to pull the soule from vnion and Communion with God Fourthly the Method and manner of his tempting which is to bee weighed according to the parties tempted If weake and vnable to resist he treads downe the low hedge neuer troubling himselfe further needlesly And thus hee is himselfe a Lyon as Act. 16 27. the Iaylor being under terror easily surprized and as if the prisoners fled for so he thought would haue desperately stabd himselfe The Deuill behind him tels him As good so as be executed but by this hee would haue preuented his conuersion But if hee finde other obiects and strength of grace to resist sinne as sinne he goes another way to worke to wit by deuices and cunning as Eph. 4.14 As first to anticipate the counsell of the heart in preuenting sinne by the suddennesse of iniection Thus Mat. 4. in the twinckling of an eye he had darted in his glorious bait of honour into our Saviour Secondly to assault iudgement and conscience both at once in blinding the one and in binding the other Thus he blinded Eve in that speech God knoweth that your eyes shall be open and ye made as Gods What was this save to make obedience base and sinne sweet that is In obeying ye shall but serve the envy of an enemy And your eating were to make ye better So he did bleare Davids eye in Mephibosheths case knowing that else he had never preuailed by Ziba therfore he presenting him as a Traitor makes Dauid say Why tellest thou me of thy matters 2 Sam. 19. Secondly by his binding the will in poynt of her resistance and that by the excessiue sweet of the bait Thus to Dauid in Bathsheba Oh! Who would thinke a woman so goodly so alluring to be dangerous A companion so fine spoken and complementall to bee so sinfull This beares all downe Sampson went to see her who was precious in his eyes that bleared him Thirdly by putting on the person of one vnsuspected as sometime pursuers of a man will praise him to get others to betray him and Iaâ—l to deceive Sisera brought him Creame in a lordly dish And thus hee becomes an Angell of light as holy as a Preacher Thus hee tempts Christ to leape downe and to make stones bread out of a godly end forsooth that Gods power might be glorified in a miracle Thus he tempts good men you are well knowne to keepe good conscience to doe such or such a thing for so good an end oh who will see it Avoid Deuill God needs not my sinne to honour himselfe I sinne too much vnavoydably I need not adde sinne to sinne Q. But when he knowes he cannot finally preuaile it seemes foolish for him to tempt A. Yea If his wisedome were from aboue but it is earthly sensuall and divellish Therefore hee goes against the edge of his wisedome euen as his instruments doe defiling themselues in the things they know If euer hee knew any he knew our Sauiour to bee out of gun-shot yet out of his fulnesse of malice he assaulted him bitterly If he cannot keep the people of God from heauen yet let it availe as it may he will see if he can make them halt to heauen And yet I may adde that he hopes well to get many to himselfe who as yet some farre enough off his hopes are impudent Mat. 12.44 hee saith I will returne and bring seuen spirits worse c. Hee knowes not but he may doe so with any but to be sure hee will not faile to try Q. Proceed to the temptations themselues A. These concerne the godly for of the other I speake not here but in the first part since that these are Temptors both to themselues and to others and they are ruled by the Prince of the ayre who rules in all the children of disobedience Eph. 2.2 and leads them as the Ox to the slaughter out of their fat pastures and according to his will 2 Tim. 2.26 Therefore to return these concern them either in the point of their calling to be the Lords or in poynt of their estate being called Q. In how many respects about their first Calling A. Either in Gods preuenting call or his assisting or his perfecting Touching his preuenting thus No sooner doth hee see any sinner make toward the voyce of God to looke into his old course or hearken after a new but presently hee sets upon them euen in their entrance First By presenting old sinnes with all their circumstances order of them number haynousnesse continuance long contempt c. to dismay them from possibiltty of conversion If they answer him they had more need to seeke mercy hee tells them It s too late God will not take the leauings they should haue giuen him their best strength courage time c. Or hee assaults them with their weaknesse of capacity or memory gifts or parts that they shall neuer compasse such great things Learned Wise men are too little for them Or hee discourages them with their husbands ill will the losse of fathers loue and land the worlds disdaine the reproach of their old companions yea perhaps brethren and kindred Or that the things they must forgoe both in liberties and lusts are more than they can beare that they shall neuer endure the trouble of Repentance and change of heart or at least they will be of another minde when charge and trouble comes and shall neuer perseuere to the end But O Satan avaunt The Lord hath preuented me and drawne mee out of darkenesse shall he suffer me to perish in light No as thy first assaults so his grace will be most eager in my entrance to hold
cannot rob it of the truth of grace yet he robs it of the comfort thereof chusing to play at any game rather than sit out For the former of these what is the ioy of a deere seruant of God in his poore obedience duties Sabbaths but that of Hezekiah O Lord thou knowest I haue been vpright This the Deuill hides away from the soule as the point of comfort by it as if it were little worth for lack of measure And then whereas the want of measure integrity fruitfulnesse and constancy should onely humble them lo it deiects them Oh say they what good doe I what serue I for a very clod of the earth what wife husband friend neighbor or stranger fares the better for me None liue so as I so barren Oh put case it be true it should abase thee but seeing there is vprightnesse it should not dismay thee And looke what the poore Christian doth most note by himselfe to be amisse that Satan takes for granted to doe the soule most hurt by Lo these sins thou confessest therefore of thy owne mouth God may condemne thee No wofull enemy for hee that confesses and forsakes them all and would be as fruitfull as he is honest as wise as he is vpright shall not be cast off Oh! the wofull bordage that Satan holds vnder many a sad heart though sincere by melancholy and feare Q. And how doth he tempt against obedience A. Sundry wayes hee labours to bring the soule vnder sin to renounce a good course to be slacke remisse loose common prophane vnprofitable euen by consent And this is his most naturall temptation For as he is exceedingly wicked so its little to him that comfort be stopped except the conscience be wasted now that he knowes sinne against knowledge will doe and hereby bring God against a man also As Balaam Numb 31.16 seeing Sorcery could not curse Israel sought to lay blocks of sinne before them that God might curse them Oh! What a May-game was it thinke we for him to see Dauid foyled by Adultery Noah by drunkennesse Lot by incest Hezekia by pride Peter by reuolt How doth such successe put hopes into him to keepe and practise his Trade vpon the best Therefore here hee vses all meanes to bring his purposes to passe He takes vantage of each thing First He markes his season and time when the heart is most at ease as Absalom noted Amnon lying most open and being garnisht which perhaps another time would haue beene armed iealous and fearefull Thus Dauid in Bathsheba Hee concurres not onely with the corruption of the heart as before but secondly with the constitution and complexion of the spirit of nature in a man Is he propense to lust to vncleannesse to iouialnesse to ambition Oh saith he hee is mine I will tempt him with meet baits Thirdly Hee watches the accomodation of occasions as when excesse of cheerefulnesse or of sadnesse of praises or disgraces of welfare and successe or defeat or the like and when the spirits are open then is his opportunity to worke the heart ro wanton speech to riot to wrath and discontent to swelling pride to ostentation of gifts to the making away of a mans selfe and the like Fourthly Hee will make vse of their best Graces and Priuileges all men know you well enough to be one that make conscience you may doe such or such a thing and no man suspect ye therefore be not so nice in trifles defeat an Orphan oppresse the fatherlesse falsifie the trust reposed in ye c. Fifthly Sometime of secrecie of time and place who shall euer find it out who is here twenty mile from neighbours to discouer thee Sixthly By fine colours of pretensed meanings as Ananias and Sapphira meant well to the Church why might they not meane well to themselues So by colour of iustice my paines haue beene such and such in businesse for others why may not I pay my selfe so and so they being neuer the wiser and perhaps neuer the worse as the case may stand As once a wretch spake of mony giuen him for the poore Who is poorer than my selfe Seuenthly By their falls to driue them to sinne for somewhat rather than to be punished for a little ouer shooes ouer knees So by comparing themselues with worse than themselues to be bold and presumptuous in liberty-taking By the oft shunning of sinfull occasions to venture beyond their calling and so be snared Nay by truths of God both in examples of the Saints falles why maiest not thou doe so and repent and in rules that the best men haue their infirmities and therefore why should I be free Infinite is this field let the rest of the sheaues be brought to these bandes but if he can so dazle the heart till he haue snared vs he will be content we shall afterward see in what pickle we are get out how we can These for a taste although I might say that his oppressing the soule being thus fallen that it might not rise againe withholding the sight of mercy encreasing either stupor of conscience our slauery of distrust and so wheeling off the soule till death is worse than the former But I cease Q. What is the third let can the world let vs also A. Yea most dangerously and that by defiling the minds the wils and courses of men both in doctrine and manners See Ephes 4 14. Rom. 12.2 1 Ioh. 2.16 And againe 1 Ioh. 5.19 lyeth in euill as in the sequell shall appeare Q. But how can this be shew it plainely .. A. It both containeth in it all euill and setteth it forth and is it selfe set on fire by the Deuill who is the Chap-man of it to set the glosse vpon them and to vend the wares of it For the first of which see that in Iohn All that is in world is the lust of heart lust of the eye pride of life He speakes of these not onely as the appetites of bad men but as worldly obiects This Ware then being the worlds Merchandize and Staple no wonder if shee defile For the second Shee is carefull not onely to keepe in her Ware-house but to lay forth vpon the open stall and set out to sale these Wares in the most busie manner that can bee No Market or Fare no company or meeting no family or place of resort but sauouring these commodities eyes gazing feet walking hands reaching after tongues iangling members of body and powers of soule attending and acting this Merchandize and therefore Saint Iohn saith The world lyeth in euill saped in the Conuersation of it For the third The Deuill the god of this world and Lord of this Staple and Common-wealth to whose banke and Exchequer all this Custome and Tribute goes I meane hell is not wanting both to suppresse all meanes which might marre this Market of mischiefe and is at hand to vnite to acquaint to accomodate these wares to all Customers as their minde most stands to one more than
To both in common this doth belong that God will doe for vs in both aboue all that we can aske or thinke Eph. 3. and supply abundantly all our wants he will supply our bodily wants pouerty infirmities wits and sences as our sight and hearing or such decayes and our spirituall as want of knowledge faith patience much more of Sabbaths ordinances good helpes of conference c. And besides in neither estate will hee require any more of vs then according to our abilities Mat. 25.15 not according to what we want but that wee haue If wee bee poore and cannot doe what wee would if wee bee weake in grace and faith hee lookes at our talents and no further so we be faithfull in that little Mat. 25. Q. What are the priuiledges of our temporall estate A. Our temporall reaches to our estate of the world and it concernes either blessings or crosses touching blessings first that whatsoeuer is meete for body for meat drinke apparrell health life good dayes successe welfare good marriage credit and the like shall be giuen vs Psal 84.11 Psal 37.4 Wee need not feare it Luk. 12.22 Why take yee care what to put on Secondly that our labours shall be blessed and wee shall eate of the fruit of them Psal 128.2 Thirdly be it more or lesse it shall be enough and we content with it as our portion best of all Phil. 4. 1 Tim. 6.6 with contentment and sufficiency for so is the word Fourthly a little of the righteous is better and shall goe further then a great deale of the wicked Prou. 15.16 Fifthly all they haue they haue it from a running fountaine and with the good will of him that dwelt in the bush Deut. 33.16 Sixtly that we haue it without sinne an ill conscience in getting keeping forgoing Pro. 10.12 or ill dependance and without sorrow that is carking distrust or basenesse Prou. 7. that he will suffer the Lyons to want then vs or ours to beg our bread hee will neither faile or forsake vs Psal 37.35 Heh 13.5 Q. VVhat are our priuileges in Afflictions Psal 34.8 A. First that no more no other no sooner can befall then the Lord hath cut out for vs Ioh. 8.20 Houre was not come Ioh. 8.59 he passed through them all Secondly He fitteth our yokes for vs as we for our cattell great and small Beare the yoke take vp our crosse Lam. 3. Mat. 16. Thirdly the extremity of a crosse shall neuer pinch vs the streight shall not annoy vs Psal 32.6 floods of great waters c. Fourthly wee shall escape many that the wicked pull vpon themselues Psal 32 8. Fiftly These that must bee wee shall bee vpholden in them Mica 7.8 He shall shew me light in darkenesse and hee shall couer my head in battell Psal 140.7 Sixtly they shall bee sent in loue so that they shall not be the enuenomed arrowes of the Almightie in our flesh but the corrections of a father Heb. 12.9 and that of Salomon 1 Chronic. 22.10 The seuenth when they haue done their errand they shall returne and wee bee deliuered Mica 7.8.9 10. Lastly wee shall bee more then conquerors Rom. 8.37 and partake full redemption Eph. 4.30 Q. What are our spirituall priuiledges A. Some concerne God some our selues Touching God this All his administrations shall profit vs hee will discouer himselfe in them to vs in the way of his gouernment of the Age and times wee liue in in his blessings vpon his owne and iudgments vpon his enemies his patience and carriage towards our selues in our whole courses the sundry changes of this world the manners of men the ends of men the examples of men good bad mortality and the vanity of things our owne experience the administrations of God in all shall teach and profit us See for this Psa 25. All the wayes of God to his c. Q. Touching our owne spirituall estate what privileges doe wee enioy A. They belong to our spirituall estate either in point of our faith or of our obedience Touching our faith First That the iust shall not onely be forgiven by faith but also liue by faith as Habac. 3. Heb. 10.38 Secondly They shall grow from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 Thirdly their faith shall never totally or finally faile them Luke 22.32 the gates of hell shall never preuaile against it with manie moe Q. What priviledges concerne obedience A. Some negative some positive The negative such as these No lets enemies divell sinne or world shall pull us from God or plucke us from our stedfastnesse 2 Pet. ult The positive are made to the whole course of it or the particular parts To the whole such as these God that begun his worke shall finish it for us Philip. 1.6 Wee shall be upholden in our whole course graciously Psalme 41.11 12. By this I know thou louest mee that thou upholdest mee in my integritie And that hee will guide vs by grace till hee receive us to glorie That wee shal I perseuere to the end Reuel 2.10 And such other Q. And what are the particular parts of our course and what are their priuileges A. Either the course of worship or of conversation Touching the former either they may be referred to the meanes of obedience or the duties of it Concerning which I have spoken in the second Article in the point of life of faith and in a word this is all That the meanes are theirs all blessed to them for the helping of them home in peace And the Lord who hath enioyned them duties will give them strength to performe them and make them easie Mat. 11.30 Q. What are the priuileges of Conuersation A. Eyther they concerne common life or conditions of men therein Common life or marriage liberties company solitarinesse or the like manifold entercourses Conditions of men as their callings in which God hath set them their places of gouernement or subiection magistracy or ministry their relations in family or otherwise parents masters c. To all which Gods people haue peculiar promises that God will furnish all them with gifts whom he calls to any function That hee will cause a voyce behinde them to say This is the way walke in it And according to the changes and conditions of life which hereafter shall befall Esay 30. the Lord will picke out meet grace and bee the same God to them in all Q What are the priuiledges of the Saints in death A. That they are precious in death to the Lord Psal 116. that death nor any thing shall separate them from Gods loue Rom. 8 vlt. That a good life shall bring a good death That they shall dye in peace Psal 38.37 That the day of death is better then the day of life Eccles 7.1 That it is sanctified together with the graue to bee a step to glory and the putting on of incorruption 1 Cor. 15. Q. What is the last priuiledge A. The greatest of all that eternall fruition of God and all that
their nothing hee may create the fruit of the lips peace and he well vphold Gospell Ministery and the power of both in the midst of the enemies and although they be neuer â—o fâ—râ—â—us yet Mica 2.7 His Spirit shall not be streightned but his Word shall still bee good to such as walke vprightly And of these two Articles seuen Branches so much Q. What is the third Article of the second Part A. That the act of God the Father imput ng rhe merit of the Actiue and Passiue righteousnesse of our Satisfier to a sinfull soule is the true formall and being cause of his Iustification Q This Doctrine of Imputation is somewhat darke to me Rom. 4 6. 2 Cor. 5.17 therefore explane it and first the phrases vsed by the Holy Ghost for somâ—time he speakes of Imputing somewhat sometime of not imputing and againe in one place hee speakes of Imputiâ—g righteousnesse sometime of Imputing Faith to righteousnesse Rom. 4.5 Cleare these termes A. By the terme of not imputing Sinne and not imputing Righteousnesse he intimates in how many respects Châ—ist hath holpen vs to wit both to forgiuenesse in the one being made sinne for vs and to acceptation in the other by clothing vs with his righteousnesse yet so as by both Actiue and Passiue righteousnesse iointly not seueraâ—ly considered Conferre Psalm 32.1 with 2. Cor. 5.17 where both couering sinne and reconciling are made the effects of not imputing sinne By the second phrase we must conceaue one thing to bee meant For its familiar with Paul to vse these two phrases for one thing namely imputation of Faith and of righteousnesse Not that faith can in any sence be our righteousnes but because Christ apprehended by faith is the same thing with Faith it selfe in the Scripture Besides we know faith must euer concurre with imputation in the act of it and therefore the Holy Ghost honors it with the name of being imputed to righteousnesse That Faith must needs so concurre note three things in this worke First God enables the Soule to beleeue on the Lord Iesus by the promise and the spirit thereof Secondly the Soule yeeldeth and consenteth Thirdly God casteth heereby this righteousnesse thus beleeued vpon the Soule and imputes it to pardon and life Faith then alway concurres with imputation the life wherto may be said of iustification which it were blasphemy to ascribe to faith seeing its God that iustifieth but yet Faith is still said to iustify because of her necessary concurrence The which Phrase is tropicall the instrument being put for the principall agent Otherwise in proper speech alas How shall poore faith apprehend in the soule an infinite righteousnesse except we take it thus that God by faith as his owne instrument doth conuey all the obiect of Christ at once into vs And this I would haue the Reader to marke for two causes The first to decide that Question so much demanded whether faith apply Christ in each of his merits particularly or no To which I say that it is the worke of God the Father to proportion the merits of Christ Iesus in particular to the soules need its God the Father who accepts the merit and therfore he onely can proportion it Poor finite faith though it know neuer so much of the particular merit yet cannot do it because the merit is infinite Faith onely hearing the offer of God already reconciled and appeased by this merit to be freely tendred to her receaues this tender as God makes it that is all the Lord Iesus made by God to the soule wisedome righteousnesse and what else soeuer So that whether wee comprehend the thing offred or no it s no materiall if we beleeue the offer to be truly made to vs we receaue it in the kind wherein God bestowes it and in a word when we cannot comprehend it the Lord comprehends vs. So that faith is casting of the soule vpon the offer of Christ from the Father giuing him all at once in all his good things which the Spirit reueales and the more the better yet faith is not in this most to bee admired for particular applying each benefit but for her accepting of what the Lord hath couched in the offer that is whole Christ Secondly I say this answer is to be noted against a Schismaticall opinion of some that hold the Act of Beleeuing to be that which God accepts to iustification A dangerous conceit which makes Christ a meer seruant to faith and vnder the colour of ascribing honour to faith takes away all Christs preeminence For although this opinion exclude not Christ wholly from the reckoning yet in the act of iustifying it onely giues all to the worke of faith And they say As the act of Adams sin condemned him so the act of our faith iustifies vs. But the Paralell is foolish and absurd Adams sin might condemne himselfe and vs but our faith can neither saue ours nor our selues of it selfe that which it saues vs by is the obiect and merit which it apprehends and that by the act of Gods imputing it to vs. Q. You seeme to make imputation an act of Gods free grace but the word is vsed as an act of iustice for Paul saith To him who worketh righteousnesse is imputed by debt A. I answer Paul there opposing Iustification by works and iustification by Faith Rom. 4.4 5 for the more curâ—ant expression vseth one word in both cases but very improperly For it s as if a man should say to his debtor Pay me an hundreth pound and I will impute it as an whole discharge This we know is no proper speech for in such a case its small thanke to him to impute that for which hee is bound to giue acquittance so that imputing properly is gracious For it is such an act of God as comming betweene our beleeuing and his iustifying doth not legally take any discharge of debt from vs but doth graciously impute that which is not ours as if it were ours for the making of vs guiltlesse and accepted Q I conceaue you somewhat better Howbeit I still see that imputation is of such a thing as is our owne really why then not as well of a thing inherent viz. a righteousnesse of our owne as the Papists dreame A. Because these two haue a winde difference viz. to be really made ours and to be from or inherently in vs. The righteousnesse of Christ imputed cannot iustify vs except it be ours how be it it is so not because it comes froÌ„ within vs but because it s cast vpon vs and in a word it s not first in vs and then imputed but first imputed and then made ours Q. But can meere imputation make a thing really ours A. Yea. Nothing can be more reall then imputation The imputing of a man is reall when he imputes an vncertain and vndue payment as if certaine and due and this is good and firme among men 2 Sam. 19.19 23. Dauids not imputing Shemei's rayling
is a sufficient release to him of the offence and punishment The imputing of Adams sinne to vs is as reall as if we had beene in the garden with him Christs taking our guilt vpon him was as reall and as really felt as if himselfe had been the offender And shal not his imputed righteousnesse be as reall as if our selues could in our owne persons haue satisfied or as if we had needed none Yes verily Q. What issueth then from this imputation of God A. The act of God iustifying vs really and freely from all our sinne and guilt and all the curse due thereto Rom. 8.33 quitting vs by proclamation as I may say from heauen by the voyce of his Spirit through faith so that hauing disabled all enemies from giuing in euidence lo he absolueth vs as hauing nothing come in against vs. As once he scattred those accusers of the woman Ioh. 9 so that none came in to accuse her but turned their backs with confusion and so discharged the woman so doth hee heere hauing disabled all euideÌ„ce against vs he doth impute blamelesnesse vnto vs and declare to vs our righteousnesse yea proclaiming vs righteous And as the Creditor abhorres to receaue the debt of his debters surety and yet to compt him a debtor still so the Lord hauing accepted Christs price for vs abhorres so to disable his Sons payment as to require the debt at our hands the second time but rather disables his owne Wrath and Iustice from thinking of any further demand of vs. And touching the freedome of it Whereas it might be obiected How can that be his free act which hath such a pryce payd to purchase it I answer no man dare call it free on the behalfe of the Father and Christ for so it s the dearest purchase that the World euer heard of but in respect of both the Father and Christ to vs ward the Father hath freely giuen himselfe content in his Sonne and Christ hath freely yeelded it to the Father so that whatsoeuer it cost Christ it costs vs nothing we may come nay must without our cost with empty hands and buy it for nothing so that in truth the mâ—re it cost to purchase and the lesse it cost vs to câ—mâ— by the freer is that iustification which absolues vs and the truer is that of Paul Rom. 3.24 Beeing iustified freely by his grace Q. What is the vse hereof A. The Vses are many Let mee begin with you of my owne Congregation to whom although as dead yet I speake this being as you know the last Sermon I preacht among you let I say my admonition vnto you be this It hath not bin with you as with euery Congregation wherein preaching hath beene To you I may truly say That now toward these 56. yeeres the Lord Iesus hath beene crucifyed among you I doubt not but the Lord hath thousands in many Congregations of this land who though they haue wanted that full and cleare light which you haue enioyed yet as faithfull seruants of God walke with him and serue him instantly day and night in simplicity of heart and innocency of life Giue me leaue to say vnto you in this fiue or sixe yeeres past besides Sermons God hath reuiued the Doctrine of Christ Sacraments of selfdeniall faith the satisfaction the imputation of righteousnesse among you and God grant you long to enioy the doctrine and practice of these grounds but what answer shall ye make to God if as he hath walked in and out at large with you in all his truths opening vnto you all these welsprings of saluation and concealing nothing from you which humane weakenesse hath been able to vtter you still shall fayle and come short of such people as I may truly say haue had but the Baptisme of Iohn among them Thus I speake in respect of that cleare light of all Christ both in his satisfaction and Gods imputation in season and out of season vrged vnto you Remember To whom much is giuen of them much will bee required What would many Eunuches Corneliuies and Proselites ignorant of those things that haue beene pind to their sleues giue that the things you haue heard might sound in their eares Why is all this cost but that you might also walke in and out with God in all your wayes not onely in a morall abstinent harmelesse and honest manner which is a great fauour but with a broken and selfedenied heart liuing by fayth dayly in this Imputation of a Satisfaction holding your part in it yesterday to day and for euer Heb. 13.8 Do yee not accompt it one thing to liue by guesse and deuout aymes and another to know your Righteousnes to cleaue to it by a promise to clense your selues by it from all loosenes and priuy lusts to season all your liberties to alieniate and supply your crosses to enable you to all Duties to fructify all meanes to sanctify all estates and to make your death happy and welcome Beware beware lest there bee found among poore people that neuer heard of the Doctrines which thus long haue sounded in your eares many whose Simplicity innocency and zeale equalls if not exceedes yours Oh! let not any of you be found naked at the comming of Christ of this Robe of his or lying at these welsprings without power to taste them be not vnsettled in a Christian course stand fast in your liberty go on with God in all meanes duties and graces yea euen in the hardest times streights and distempers suffer no loue of the earth profit ease lust to eclipse the lustre of the Lord Iesus which hath shined among you But as many of Gods Saints before my parting and since haue dyed with ioy and Triumph by this imputation of Christ so stryue yee and runne yee as yee may ouertake them and none may take away this your crown from you Secondly let this be consolation to all faynt and weake children Vse 1 of God in the fight of thier little grace and meane gifts and in the feares of perseuering to the end For the First tell mee weake soule if I should come and say Thou wert as holy as Iob as vpright as Dauid beleeuing as Abraham zealous as Phinees would it not make thy heart leape within thee Surely although I dare not say these of thee yet I dare say this If all these had not had the Robe of Christs imputed righteousnes cast ouer the holiest of all their Graces their vnhallowednesse had defiled them and the greatest of their holines had not profited theÌ„ And lo this Robe thou hast as fully largely and deeply as the best of all these euer had The imputation of God is equall to all his iustified ones one hath no more then another If thou couldst come in and say That Abraham or Peter had more Righteousnes of Imputation to couer them then thou it were somewhat But lo thy Righteousnes of imputation is as large as the largest of theirs If they haue