will and so absolutely unknown to us that cannot possibly either make any change of our state or become any foundation for any real and forensick distinction betwixt Man and Man 'T is not that which makes this Man a Judas and that Man a Paul The one actually wicked and the other personally righteous And therefore whoever God predestinates saith the Apostle thâ—m also he calls before they are either justified or glorified Rom. 8.30 He makes them to pass under the rod and brings them into the bond of the Covenant and pours clean water upon them and puts his Spirit into them and writes his Laws in their hearts and causeth them to walk in his ways and keep his Judgments before he will own them to be his people and dignify them with the name of Saints and Children and righteous ones Ezek. 36.25 26 27 28. Jer. 31.33 1 Cor. 1.2 Take Paul for an instance He was you know a chosen vessel to the Lord Acts 9.15 Separated in Gods predeterminate counsel from his Mothers womb Gal. 1.15 Yea but was he therefore immediately justified and sanctified and adopted and owned for a Saint a Child of God from his Mothers womb No for all that he will tell you that he was for some years a Pharisee an injurious person a Persecutor a Blasphemer 1 Tim. 1.13 And as he speaks of the Ephesians that he was dead in sins and trespasses a Child of disobedience and of wrath without Christ having no hope and without God in the World Eph. 2.1 2 3 12. To this effect he speaks expresly of himself Tit. 3.3 And may we not now truly say of Paul however elected that he was a wicked Man during his continuance in this state And consequently that he was not righteous since 't is impossible for the same person to be righteous and wicked dead and alive at the same time But how then came Paul to be amongst Gods Jewels his holy ones How God humbles him at the foot of Christ Acts 9.5 6 c. and calls him by his Grace Gal. 1.15 and makes him obedient to his call Acts 26.19 and regenerates him by his Spirit Tit. 3.3 4 5. and causeth him to believe and obey the Gospel Acts 24.14 15 16. and to live intirely to Jesus Christ Philip. 1.21 Thus Paul obtaineth Mercy as he tells you 1 Tim. 1.16 and is listed into the number of the Saints his name now is changed Acts 13.9 'T is no more Saul but Paul no more a Persecutor but an Apostle of Jesus Christ and now he is justified Gal. 2.16 and now he receives a Crown of righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 And thus you see what it is that denominates a man righteous or wicked and what is the only note of distinction betwixt an Heir of wrath and a Child of God not baptism or profession or being in the visible Church or the elective love of God but doing righteousness as John speaks which is nothing else but the actual performance of the Conditions of the New Covenant of which I am treating 4. Why else hath God sent his holy Spirit into the World Is it not plainly for this end that he may help our infirmities Rom. 8.26 and that he may assist us in the actual performance of those duties which are by the New Covenant required of us That we may look upon him whom we have pierced by our sins and mourn Zech. 12.10 that we may believe in Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4.13 that we may mortifie the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8.13 that our hearts may be purified in obeying the truth 1 Pet. 1.22 And that we may walk in the wayes and keep the Judgments of God Ezek. 36.27 All this is said to be by the assistance of the Divine Spirit And therefore it is that the ministration of the Spirit is still necessary in order to our Salvation notwithstanding that Jesus Christ hath fully discharged the office and perfâ—cted the work of a Redeemer and Mediator for us Joh. 16.7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth It is expedient for you thâ—t I go away for If I go not away the comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you The Spirit here is expresly promised to be sent in the room of Christ to supply his place and office when he should leave the World as that which should be of more advantage to them than still to enjoy Christs personal presence here on Earth Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away But why expedient For then the Spirit shall come But when he is come what shall he do Why He shall convince the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment ver 8. I but if Jesus Christ hath so done all as that we have nothing at all to do and that his imputed righteousness alone be sufficient to save us without our personal and obediential righteousness to what purpose is the administration of the Spirit His work and office is wholly superseded For what needs a Spirit of mourning to be poured down upon us if so be the Covenant of Grace require us not personally to repent Or a Spirit of Faith as the Apostle calls it 2 Cor. 4.13 if we are not bound to believe Or a Spirit of holiness if it oblige us not to be actually holy Or a spirit of obedience if we may be saved without obeying If then our having of the Spirit and being led or acted by him be indispensably necessary in order to our Salvation so also is our repenting and believing in Christ and loving God and doing of his will and cleansing our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and perfecting holiness in the fear of God and purifying our selves as he is pure since the effecting this in us is the great errand for which he came into the World and the main office he hath undertaken during the time of Christ Mediatory Kingdom The truth is we can no more be saved without the ministration of the spirit than we can without the Mediation of Jesus Christ This argument runs clear in Scripture He that hath not Christ hath not life 1 Joh. 5.12 But he that hath not the spirit hath not Christ Rom. 8.9 And he that is not holy and obedient hath not the spirit Jude ver 19. For where ever the Spirit is he regenerates and sanctifies the whole lump Body Soul and Spirit as the Apostle speaks 1 Thess 5.22 and so becomes in that Soul a Spirit of Faith Holiness and obedience 5. How otherwise shall Believers attain to any evidence or assurance of their Salvation Or come to know that they more than othes are in a state of friendship with God and made Heirs of the promise and vessels of mercy when so great a part of the World are Heirs of wrath and Sons of perdition That they may be thus assured since some undoubtedly have been so and that they all ought to labour for
this assurance since God in Scripture hath expresly commanded it I here take for granted But how is it possible that this assurance should be raised in them any other way than by their certain knowledge that they have through Grace been inabled to discharge those duties of the Covenant to which these blessings and priviledges are therein promised As how shall any man know that he is secured in the quiet possession of the Lands he holds by lease but by knowing that he hath truly performed Covenants and discharged the Conditions of his Indentures by which his title to and possession of them were made over and secured to him This I am sure is the only foundation that Scripture lays whereon to build our evidence 1 Joh. 2.3 5.1 Joh. 3.18 19 20 24. 1 Joh. 5.18 19. Hereby saith the Apostle we know and hereby we assurâ— our selves Of what That we are in God and that he loves us But how Why 〈◊〉 we love him and keep his Commandments And if we do these things saith Peter we shall never fall 2 Pet. 1.10 And doth not the very nature of the thing it self no less demonstrate this For what is assurance Is it not a reflect act of the Soul upon it self and actions whereby it comes to kâ—ow that its state and actions are and have been such as God by the Law of the New Creature doth require and will accept Iâ— knows by the assistance of the Divine Spirit that it hath sincerely repented and that it doth believe and is regenerate and born of God and made obedient to the heavenly call c. And that consequently all the blessings promised to such a state as pardon of sin and acceptance with God and eternal life do now undoubtedly belong to him as his reward and portion This is properly assurance and not an unwarrantable perswasion that we are elected or that Jesus Christ died for us and rose again for our justification in particular or that God loves us we know not why c. For then the strongest presumption would be the best assurance 'T is therefore impossible that any Soul should be truly and with safety assured of its being saved unless it first be assured of its own sincerity in having acted according to the tenor of the Covenant Man may presume indeed and please themselves with pleasant dreams and delusions and fondly perswade themselves like drunken or distracted men that they are Kings and Priests to God and Heirs to a Crown of Glory and shall sit upon Thrones in Heaven with the Lamb and reign with him for ever They may thus fancy indeed but whatever they pretend they can never be thus assured till the truth of their repentance and faith and holiness be first assured to them The great business therefore of the Spirit in sealing and witnessing is to evidence and confirm the truth and reality of these Graces to the Soul and to raise it to a comfortable perswasion of its own sincerity For this is that which modest and humble souls do usually most question and concerning which they are not easily satisfied partly by reason of temptation and partly from a sense of their own daily failings and infirmities and partly also from the great importance of the thing it self their eternal woe or happiness depends upon it That they who sincerely repent and believe and are sanctified shall infallibly be saved that is not the thing they doubt of No this they will acknowledge they do believe I but their great doubt lies here whether their repentance and faith c. be true and sincere 'T is their own sincerity and not Gods faithfulness that they commonly call in question And here now properly comes in the witness of the Spirit They are Saints and Sons but they cannot discern their Fathers image upon their Souls they have Faith and Repentance c. they have Grace but they do not see it As a man that may have good Evidences for his Lands yet by reason of some weakness or distemper in his eyes he may not at present be able to read them The spirit therefore he comes and blows off the dust if I may so express it and draws the lines more clear he enables them more powerfully to mortifie those sins that weakned their evidences and stirs up those languishing sparks that are in them and makes them more quick and burning and so more visible or as the expression is in the Canticles he blows upon the Garden and makes the Spices thereof to flow out and their sweet Odors to be more fragrant and diffusive He invigorates their Graces and causeth them to act with more sensible life and strength and after all he shines upon his own Graces and strengtheneth their visive and discerning faculties and so enables them to see the truth and reality of those Graces which before they doubted of And thus by witnessing together with our spirits Rom. 8.16 He raiseth the Soul to a comfortable assurance of its being in a safe and happy state As when a Man is under any apprehensions that his Estate is forfeited for breach of Covenants and that thereupon he may be liable to arrests and actions if upon reading his indentures and viewing his acquitâ—ances he conceives that the rent hath been paid and the rest of the conditions have been kept his fears are in a great measure allaid but if the owner himself now come and â—oint him to that particular acquittance which was before over laid and acknowledge that 't is his own hand-writing and that he hath faithfully discharged the several conditions of his Lease the Man is now fully satisfied and sufficiently assured that he may still have and hold his Lands without any let or molestation This is as I apprehend the true Scriptural notion of the spirits sealing which you plainly see presupposeth our repenting and believing c. according to the tenor of the Gospel Covenant For can you imagine that the Spirit seals to a blank Or witnesseth to a lie What teach us to cry Abba Father before we are born of God Or perswade us we are justified when we are in a state of unbelief and the wrath of God abides upon us Or assure us we are Heirs of the promise when we are strangers to the Covenant Or that our estate is safe when a curse and death and hell are denounced against us Is this the Spirits witness do you think or way of sealing No he first works Grace upon the heart and then gives testimony to his own work He sanctifies first and then he seals to the day of Redemption Eph. 1.13 6. The personal performance of the Conditions of the New Covenant is therefore necessary because the promise of pardon and acceptance and eternal life is only made to our personal performance of them This I have often hinted before and presupposed as a foundation to several of the preceeding arguments but now it may be necessary to enlarge a litte farther
goes up into the Mount and there receives the Covenant from the mouth of God himself Exod. 19.3 4 5 6. The sum of which as you there read was this viz. That if they would obey the voice of God indeed and keep his Commandments that they should then be a peculiar treasure above all people c. This Moses upon his return propounds to the People from God for their consent ver 7. And Moses came and called for the Elders of the People and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him And the people hereupon declare their consent to these proposals ver 8. And all the people answered together and said All that the Lord hath spoken we will do which Moses again reports back to God in the close of that verse And Moses returned the words of the People unto the Lord. And then having made a more particular rehearsal of the Laws and Statutes which God had commanded them to observe in the four following Chapters he again propounds them to the people and they again declare their acceptance of them Chap. 24. ver 3. And Moses came and told the People all the words of the Lord and all the Judgments And all the People answered with one voice and said All the words which the Lord hath said will we do And thus the Covenant being mutually both on God's part and on the Israelites assented to he immediately causeth an Altar and twelve Pillars to be erected An Altar to the Lord and twelve Pillars as representative of the twelve Tribes of Israel ver 4. who having offered Sacrifice thereon ver 5. he takes one half of the blood thereof and sprinkleth it upon the Altar to signifie the Peoples sealing their part to God ver 6. and the other half he sprinkleth upon the People to signifie Gods sealing on his part to them ver 8. which is therefore called in the close of that verse the Bloud of the Covenant which God had made with them that is the Blood by which the Covenant was mutually ratified and sealed betwixt God and Israel Upon which account Moses tells them that they had avouched the Lord to be their God and to walk in his ways and keep his Statutes c. And that the Lord had avouched them to be his peculiar People as he had promised c. Deut. 26.16 17 18 19. And thus you see in these two famous instances of God's covenanting first with Abraham and then with Israel that not Jesus Christ but Abraham and Israel were the Confederates that became engaged to God for the performance of the terms therein required And were not they for the main under the same Covenant with Believers in the Gospel As to Abraham the case is evident read Gal. 3. and Rom. 4. and then tell me whether he were not under a Covenant of Grace And as to Israel though there were several Appendices Types and Shadows superadded by Moses which are now done away yet is there any other difference betwixt that and the Evangelical Dispensation Are they not essentially and for substance the same Had not they the same Christ exhibited in Types and Sacrifices which we have explicitely revealed in the Gospel And were not the same spiritual Blessings in him as pardon of sin justification and eternal life c. promised to them And were not the same substantial Duties as Repentance and Faith and Obedience required of them And was it not therefore the great business of Christ and his Apostles in their frequent contests with the Jews to demonstrate the conformity of their Doctrine with the Law of Moses and that they taught nothing but what Moses and the Prophets had before revealed to them For proof of this let these following places be consulted Joh. 5.45 46 47. Joh. 6.45 Joh. 10.34 Luke 4.17 18 19 20 21. Luke 16.29 Luke 24.27 and 44. Luke 18.31 and Luke 1.70 Acts 3.18 19.21 22 23. Act. 10 43. Acts 26.22 Acts 24.14 15. Acts 28.23 1 Cor. 10.2 Rom. 1.2 and 3.21 Eph. 2 20. And if Abraham and Israel were for the main under the same Covenant of Grace with us 't is evident that therein Believers themselves were the parties that stood engaged to God and consequently that the Covenant of Grace is made with them and not with their Mediator in their behalf This Argument is so clear and convictive as that 't is impossible to avoid the power of it otherwise than by saying that they were not saved as we by a Covenant of Grace which as it openly affronts the testimony of Christ and his Apostles as may be seen in the places before mentioned and more particularly from what the Apostle Paul hath delivered upon this Argument in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians so it necessarily infers this monstrous conclusion that Old Testament Believers were saved as never any man yet was and as 't is impossible that any since the fall of Adam should be that is by a Covenant of Works For there is no medium betwixt these two If it be not of Works it must be by Grace as the Apostle argues Rom. 11.6 However they covenanted with God each man for himself and what reason can be given that Jesus Christ should undertake or stand engaged more for us than them or that we if saved as they Acts 15.11 should not lye under the same actual engagements to Faith and Obedience especially since our duty is more plain and our knowledge more clear and our reward more express and our assistance by the Spirit more influential and our advantages and obligation to God every way greater and more perswasive But to be short doth not Scripture affirm the self same thing of Gospel Believers Are not they still exprest as Parties where-ever we find either in the Old or New Testament any mention made of the New Covenant Jer. 31.31 Ezek. 34.11.25 c. Ezek. 37.24 25 26 27. Isa 55.3 Isa 61.8 9. Heb. 8.10 11 c. Heb. 10.16 That these Texts speak of the Gospel Covenant is unquestionable or else we have no such thing revealed in Scripture But with whom is it there said to be made with David the Prince and Shepherd as Christ is there stiled by Ezekiel No But with the Sheep and Flock with the House of David and the House of Israel that is with Believers who are exprest under those Old Testament Names of Israel and Jacob and Seed of Abraham c. And whereas some object that 't is constantly called in Scripture God's Covenant and not ours the reason is obvious from what hath been already said viz. That God as absolute Lord and Soveraign he contrives and frames and propounds this Covenant to us and all that we have to do is only to subscribe and seal to it And therefore not properly our Covenant but God's because he made it and not we Though this also is to be here observed that Believers are said not only to enter into Covenant but also to make
Doctrine of Rome in this particular And as to same others who also plead for the necessity of holiness and righteousness though they in great measure reject the Popish works and wholly disclaim any merit by them and possibly acknowledge Christs satisfaction though since they speak some of them so darkly and undervaluingly of it that may be questioned Yet the efficacious influences of the Sacred Spirit for their assistance in the performance of those acts of righteousness they plead for are not so much acknowledged by them the creature being thought sufficiently instructed with power from nature and reason to repent and believe and obey c. according to the pleasure of his own will And though they seem much to advance the Soveraignty of God over the creature whilst they ascribe to God nine hundred ninety and nine degrees of power and but one of an hundred only to Man yet in conclusion the matter comes to this that this one single degree of power in the creature may and doth at pleasure baffle and defeat and put to flight and triumph over those 999. which are in God i. e. The creatures weakness is stronger than Gods power In short if the question be asked them who made thee to differ The answer will be Ego meipsum But is there any thing said in this whole discourse that lays any foundation for these opinions or that doth so much as add one stone to the building Are our own works any where affirmed to be either the matter of our justification or the meritorious cause of eternal life Or that our duties are performed by our own natural strength without the effectual assistance of the Spirit of God Where is nature and reason advanced above Grace or our own righteousness set up to justle Christ from his Throne and rob him of his Crown Is it not more than once affirmed and proved that holiness and obedience are not the causes but conditions only of our Salvation And that 't is impossible for any creature much less one that is degenerate to merit any thing at the hands of God And that we are justified not by works not by our holiness and obedience which follow justification as the payment of the rent doth sealing to the Indentures but by faith in Jesus Christ receiving him in all his offices And that the several duties of the Covenant are performed not by the sole power of nature but by strength received from the Spirit of God and by the daily supplies of his Grace So that we are doubly indebted to God first to his command to obey that and then to his Grace for enabling us to obey And will â—ny one that is not profoundly ignorant call â—his by the name of Popery and Pelagianism or have so much confidence as to â—ensure and condemn it as a Doctrine inâ—onsistent with the Grace of the Gospel and â—hat righteousness that is by Christ Is not â—his in Judes language to speak evil of â—hose things which they know not And â—o proclaim themselves unskilled in the words â—f righteousness and that Doctrine which is â—ccording to Godliness But suppose the agreement betwixt faith â—nd works Christs righteousness and our â—wn free Grace and the necessity of obediâ—nce in the business of Salvation could not â—fficiently be evidenced to our present reaâ—on must they therefore be exploded as abâ—â—rdities and untruths and things absoluteâ—â— irreconcileable We must then throw aâ—ay not only some of the greatest mysteries 〈◊〉 our Religion but many of the most eviâ—â—nt phenomena and appearances in Philosophy The influences of the Load-stone the ebbing and flowing of the Sea c. musâ— be rejected as fables and our senses no morâ— be credited in what they see since the manner how these things are done is not yet sufficiently understood and explained Thingâ— themselves we know are evident but the modes and manners of things are almost every where latent and unaccountable Thaâ— therefore which we have to do in all matterâ— of Divine faith and practice is only this duly to inform and satisfy our selves whaâ— God hath certainly revealed and made knowâ— to us as his mind and will concerning 〈◊〉 which being done and our minds being satisfied that God hath said it and that 〈◊〉 is the plain meaning of his words we arâ— then without any further debate to believe and do according to his word though possibly at present we cannot so well discoveâ— that mutual accord and agreement whicâ— there is betwixt those several truths revealeâ— by him The positive and plain conclusion of Scripture are humbly to be believed thougâ— they cannot be reconciled by us For this suppose will easily be granted by all as unquestionable That the will of God if wâ— certainly know it to be his will is the uâ—doubted rule and standard both of faith anâ— practice We must believe what 't is certaiâ— he hath revealed And we must do whaâ— 't is certain he hath commanded For the will of God is not to be disputed but obeyed And doth not the Apostle expresly tell us that this is the will of God even our sanctification 2 Thes 4.3 He that hath said he will blot out our transgressions for his own sake and remember â—ur sins no more Isa 43.25 he hath also â—â—id thâ—t we must repent and be converted â—hat our sins may be blotted out when the days of â—efreshing shall come from the presence of the â—ord Acts 3.19 He that hath said that â—e are justified freely by his grace through the â—edemption that is in Christ Rom. 3.24 he â—ath also said we are justified by faith ver â—8 and that we must believe that we may â—e justified Gal. 2.16 He that saith we â—â—e made the righteousness of God in Christ â—ho was made sin for us 2 Cor. 5.21 he also â—â—ith that except our righteousness speaking â—ere expresly of moral and personal righteâ—usness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes â—nd Pharisees we shall in no case enter into the â—ingdom of God Matth. 5.20 And he that â—ith we are saved by grace and not of our â—â—â—ves Eph. 2.8 and according to his mercy â—â—d not by works of righteousness which we â—â—ve done Tit. 3.5 he also saith that we â—ust work out our own salvation with fear and â—â—mbling Phil. 2.12 and that without hoâ—â—ess we shall not be saved Heb. 12.14 Is not all this plain and easy to him that will but understand God hath said it 'T is his will exprest in terms that we must repent and believe and be righteous and work about our own Salvation and follow after holiness that we may not perish but have everlasting life Who then shall shall dare to argue and dispute against it At least here is no ground you see for any humble and sober mind that is but sincerely willing to be governed by the Divine will so to do but rather seriously to apply himself to the performance of these duties that God hath so expresly injoined and made necessary to our Salvation The great reason therefore why men profess themselves so much offended with this Doctrine 't is not because it is or because they in truth believe it to be an enemy to the Cross and Grace of Christ but rather because it is an enemy to their lusts and passions and presumptuous neglects of God An enemy to their present ease and pleasure and worldly satisfactions the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eye and the pride of life An enemy to their false and carnal hopes and empty professions of Christianity Therefore it is that they thus condemn this Doctrine because otherwise they cannot justifie their own faith and practice that are so manifestly condemned by it They must have a cheap Religion Faith without works pardon without the trouble of repentance an Heaven without holiness and a free Grace to save them without obedience or else they are miserable and undone to eternity But be not deceived saith the Apostle God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall be also reap For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting Gal. 6.7 8. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8.13 For God will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile for there is no respect of persons with God Rom. 2.6 7 8 9 10 11. Be ye therefore steadfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 FINIS