but an Almighty Power There is no Power below that Power which Rais'd Christ from the Dead and Made this World can Raise the Heart of a Man to Believe When God Made the World there was nothing to Oppose He had only then to do with Simple Nothing But when God comes to make the Heart Believe he finds Opposition and Rebellion It is a Miracle for a Man to Believe Nay What is Faith but a Mystery Secondly Faith is very useful to such that have it It s Usefulness appears in these Three Particulars First In Repelling Temptations Without Faith we cannot Resist so much as one Temptation Ephes. 6. 16. By Faith we can Resist Temptations by Faith we Bear Afflictions by Faith we Foil Corruptions by Faith we Endure Persecutions by Faith we Over-come the World and by Faith we Subdue Sin in its Conception and do even make Sinful Thoughts Abortive No Wrestling with the Devil no Entring the Lists with him but by having this Shield of Faith which is so exceeding Useful therein Secondly Faith is Useful in an Art of Spiritual Extraction that it hath Faith can Extract Good out of Evil. An Unbeliever can see nothing in Affliction but a Lump of pining Grief and Sorrow But a Believer knows that there is a Blessing in it The Sharpness of it may let out his Corruption the Suddenness of it may Alarum his Spiritual Watch and the Bitterness of it may Wean him from the Breast of the Creature Faith explains that Paradox Can a Man gather Grapes of Thornes or Figs of Thistles Yea out of Tryals and Persecutions Faith can Extract Ioy and Peace Thirdly Faith is Useful in that it hath a Mighty and Universal Influence upon all our other Graces The Spirit of God indeed doth infuse all the Seeds and Habits of Grace But Faith is the Fountain of all the Acts of Grace It is as the Spring in the Watch that moves the Wheels and sets them all a-going How doth Love work but by Faith and How doth Humility work but by Faith and How doth Patience work but by Faith SECT V. Secondly Cherish Faith This is as I have told you the Cardinal Grace For the Sake of God and for the sake of your Soul Water this Root Now there are Two Ranks and Degrees of Persons that I shall take occasion to speak unto 1. Such who have Faith in a Great Measure 2. Such who have Faith in a Little Measure First Such who have Faith in a Great Measure And that which I have to say unto you is Grow Though you have a great deal of Faith yet you have need of more and it is possible for you to have more For God hath allotted unto every Believer such a Degree of Grace unto which he must attain before he is to be taken up in Glory The more Strong you are the more Formidable you shall be to the Devil Sirs Dream not of a Perfection in this Life Though you have much Faith yet you have need of more and therefore go Forward because not to go Forward is to go Backward Could the Heathen-Painter be so intent and industrious upon his Trade of Painting that he could say Nulla Dies sine lineâ Not a Day without a Line and all that he might Excel in that Art and Shall not Christians be more intent upon in their Attendance to the Work of Grace in their Souls Several Motives I shall lay down that you may thereby be excited to Growth Motive I. First God calls for it And shall we deny it 1 Thes. 4. 1. Further-more Then we beseech you Brethren and Exhort you by the Lord Jesus That as ye have Received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God so you would abound more and more The Winds and Seas Obey God Shall We be Rebels Let us rather give an Answer like the Eccho Lord we will Grow Do thou Bless thy Word and Sacraments to us Purge us Cleanse us Water us Manure us make us Capable of Growth and let us Dayly Grow in every Grace and never give over till our Dying Day Say Lord make us every Day Better and Best of all at last Motive II. Secondly God is Honoured by our Growth A High-grown Faith Glorifies God The Husband-man is Honoured when his Field and Orchard is Fruitful Let God be Honoured by our Fruites of Piety Charity Righteousness Patience and Obedience that Men may say It is a Good God and a Good Gospel that hath wrought on this People Motive III. Thirdly God gives his Word and Ministers and Sacraments for this End All our Preachers call for Growth Let not God say I have given them the Great Things of my Law but they esteemed them as a Vain Thing Let not the Preachers say We have Laboured in vain and have been beating the Air and Plowing upon the Sea-Shore Motive IV. Fourthly If you Grow not you will Perish by the Hands of Satan that is The Devil will get the Advantage of you The Tree that Grows not must be Hewn down and cast into the Fire And is it not better to be Flourishing than Perishing If we take not pains to grow Better we must suffer Pains for being Worser Motive V. Fifthly The Truth of your Faith appears by the Growth of it Faith may be Little but if it be True it will not alwayes be Little Those that are of God's own Planting are Flourishing in their Old Age. If you begin in Hypocrisie you will end in Apostacy A sound Young Convert proves an Old Disciple O let it not be said Ye did Run well You had Good Affections You were once Zealous Let your Soundness appear by your Growth and Perseverance Motive VI. Sixthly A Growing Christian hath most Comfort There is Ioy in Knowledge The more Knowledge the more Comfort Let him that Glorieth Glory in this That he knoweth Me Jer. 9. 23. There is Joy in Believing Rom. 15. 13. The more Faith the more Ioy. The Growing Christian gets the strongest Evidences of God's Favour of God's Spirit working in him His Acts of Growth and Fruites of Obedience are Seeds of Ioy and the Ground-work of Consolation Motive VII Seventhly The Growing Christian wins Others Those which Decline do make as if there were not that Power in God's Ordinances that Sweetness in the Promises as was expected As if a Godly Life had not the Contentments nor God's Rewards were so Sure nor his Wayes so Happy as Men take them to be And therefore they give over But he that Grows Better and Better and holds on notwithstanding Opposing Heresies Schisms Reproaches and Pleasant Baits and Sweet Allurements He proclaims Vanity in the Creature Satisfaction in God Power in his Word Amiableness in Grace He brings Credit on God's Family Honour to the Truth Others see something in him which is Supernatural They desire to be like him They are Almost yea sometimes Altogether perswaded to become Professors They are drawn to Taste of God's Goodness to
so Faith works by Love which it Excites Love 't is true is the Grace that at last possesseth the Inheritance But it is Faith that gives the Christian Right unto it without which he should never have Enjoyed it Ioh. 1. 12. To as many as Received Him He gave Power to become the Sons of God Faith is the Grace of Graces It stands among them as the Heart in the midst of the Body Other Graces are but Stars unto this Shining Sun And now that Faith hath such a peculiar Excellency above all other Graces I shall shew in these following Particulars First In that the Apostle Recommends it to us above all Things what-so-ever Ephes. 6. 16. Above all taking the Shield of Faith where-with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked That Faith hath a Preheminence above other Graces appears 1. By the Piece of Armour he compares it to the Shield which of Old was prized above all other Pieces by Souldiers They counted it greater Shame to Lose their Shield than to Lose the Field And therefore when under the very Foot of the Enemy they would not part with it but esteemed it an Honour to Dye with their Shield in their Hand It was the Charge that one laid upon her Son going into the VVars when she gave him a Shield That he should either bring his Shield Home with him or he be brought Home upon his Shield She had rather see him Dead with it than come Home Alive without it 2. By the Noble Effect which is here ascribed to Faith By which ye shall quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked The other Pieces are nakedly Commended Take the Girdle of Truth Breast-plate of Righteousness and so the rest but nothing singly ascribed to any of them what they can do But when he speaks of Faith he ascribes the whole Victory to it This quencheth all the fiery Darts of the Wicked Secondly The Commendations that are given to Faith above other Graces shew that it hath the Preheminence For you shall observe that in the same Action wherein other Graces are eminently Exercised as well as Faith even then Faith is taken notice of and the Crown set upon Faith's Head rather than any of the other We hear nothing almost of any other Grace throughout the whole Eleventh of the Hebrews but Faith By Faith Abraham by Faith Jacob and the rest of those Worthies did all those Famous Exploits There was a Concurrence of the other Graces with Faith in them all But all goes under the Name of Faith The whole Army fight yet the General or Captain hath the Honour of the Victory ascribed to him Alexander's and Caesar's Names are transmitted to Posterity as the Great Conquerours that Over-came so many Battles not the Private Souldiers that Fought under them Faith is the captain-Captain-Grace all those Famous Acts of those Saints are Recorded as the Atchievments of Faith Thirdly The High Office that Faith busieth it self about shews its Preheminence above other Graces Now the Office of Faith is two-fold 1. The Office of Faith is to Unite us unto Christ. Faith and the Holy Spirit are the Bonds of the Spiritual Union The Spirit on Christ's part and Faith on Ours Hence it is that Faith is called Vinculum Unionis the Ingrafting Grace And in this it appears that Faith doth more especially Excel all other Graces Other Graces make us like Christ but Faith makes us one with Christ. By Love and Humility we imitate Christ but by Faith we are implanted into Christ. 2. To Justify us Being Iustified by Faith we have Peace with God Not Justified by Love Repentance Patience or any other Grace beside Faith O how harsh doth it sound in a Christian Ear Iustifying Patience Iustifying Repentance If they were concern'd in the Act of Iustification as Faith is the Name would as well become them as it doth Faith it self But we find Iustification Appropriated only to Faith and all other Graces are hedg'd out from having to do in the Act of Iustification though supposed and included in the Person Justified Faith I say Justifies us not Qualitative but Relative in that it apprehends the Righteousness of Christ the Subject matter of our Iustification That we are Justified is not by any Vertue that lies in Faith not in Faith considered purely as a Grace but as it hath Respect to the Object The Vertue is not in Faith but in Christ. Fourthly The Mighty and Universal Influence that Faith hath upon all her Sister-Graces makes her the Chief of them all What makes the Sun so Glorious a Creature but because it is a Common Good and serves all the Lower World with Light and Influence First Faith finds all the Graces with work As the Rich Tradesman gives out his Wool some to this Man and some to that who all Spin and work of the Stock he gives them out So that when he ceaseth to Trade they must also because they have no Stock but what he affords them Thus Faith gives out to every Grace what they Act upon If Faith Trades not neither can they To instance in one or two Graces for all the rest Repentance This is a Sweet Grace but set on work by Faith Niniveh's Repentance is attributed to their Faith Ionah 3. 5. The People of Niniveh believed God and proclaimed a Fast and put on Sackcloath All is whist and quiet in an Unbelieving Soul no News of Repentance nor Noise of any Complaint made against Sin till Faith begins to stir When Faith presents the Threatning and binds the Truth and Terrour of it to the Conscience then the Sinner hath something to work upon Secondly As Faith sets the other Graces on work by actuating their Objects about which they are Conversant So Faith doth assist them in working by fetching Strength from Christ. Christ is the Magazine and Faith the Radical Grace sucks Vertue Vigour and Strength from this Magazine Not to speak any more touching the Preheminence of Faith above other Graces though I might dilate in several Particulars more I shall conclude this Head with those several Appellations that are given to Faith whereby the Glorious Excellencies of that Grace are shadowed forth 1. Faith is called a Key because as a Key it opens Hidden Heavenly Treasure 2. Faith is call'd an Eye because as an Eye it beholds Things though Invisible 3. Faith is call'd an Hand because it layes hold on Eternal Life in that it Apprehends the Merits of Christ by which Salvation is Purchased 4. Faith is call'd a Mouth because it Eats Christ the Bread of Life 5. It is call'd a Ladder by which we Ascend up to Heaven Now in all these the Excellency of Faith discovers it self Moreover Faith is a Tree the Root whereof is a Sound Knowledge of God and his Wayes The Branches thereof is Assent and Application And the Fruits of it is the Production of Good Works Yea so Excellent is Faith that it is compared
can read without a Commentary Time will not be long when God shall pull off thy Paint unmask thee and put thee in thy Proper Dress Though thou goest among Men for an Eminent Saint yet at the Day of Iudgement God shall show what a Devil Incarnate thou art what a Gilded Hypocrite thou hast been SECT VIII The Fifth thing that the Devil Tempts unto is a False Faith If thou art so much for Jesus Chrisi believe that he is able to save thee and so thou hast this Lively Faith which will justify thee live as thou wilt Reply Tell the Devil That Presumption is not Faith and that the Faith which will enable thee to lay hold on Christ will also enable thee to walk in Him And though Faith Justifies us not yet Works there must be to Justify our Faith SECT IX Thirdly Satan shews his exceeding great Subtilty in the Methods of Tempting As First He paints his Temptations with pleasing Colours and Plausible Pretences If Satan's Temptations were to appear like themselves the Heart of Man would not consent so soon as many times it doth but rather flee from the same Hence therefore it is that Satan very frequently Transforms himself into an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11. 14. The Devil knows very well that unless he is Disguised he cannot prevail and have what he designes upon the Souls of Men and Women Many Vices there are that the Devil Tempts us unto and this he doth by giving them pretty Names and Titles As for Instance When he Tempts to Pride he presents it to the Soul under the Name and Notion of Neatness and Comliness Covetousness he calls Good Husbandry Drunkenness Good Fellowship Riotness Liberality and Wantonness a Trick of Youth Secondly He is Gradual in his Temptations a little now and a little then The Devil won't Tempt too much at first lest Suspicion gets ground He creeps into the Soul by degrees and that Step by Step until such times the Soul becomes his own Satan will first draw thee to Sit with the Drunkard and then to Sip with the Drunkard and at last to be Drunk with the Drunkard Thirdly He is in his Temptations full of Politick Retreats The Devil many times makes the Soul believe that he flies when it is only under a Pretence and with a Designe to over-come Pray take notice of this Satan is not alwayes over-come when he flies from you He sometimes draws back that the Christian by following him and going out of the Trenches may suddenly on the Plains be foyl'd Fourthly He doth in his Temptations reserve still fresh On-sets as occasion shall require Satan Commander-like hath more Assaults to bring on as others do decay When one Temptation is beat back he can soon come on with another Therefore Soul cry not Vici Vici when thou over-comest one Temptation or so but let this Rule be observed by thee scil When one Temptation is over-come expect another CHAP. V. I Have treated of Satan's Subtilty in Tempting unto a Sinful Licentiousness I shall now consider it in his Tempting Believers unto a Sinful Despair And Satan's Subtilty as in the former so in this it shews it self in Two things 1. In the Seasons of Temptations 2. In the Temptations themselves SECT I. First Satan shews his exceeding great Subtilty in choosing those Seasons for Tempting unto Despair that may proue most Advantageous unto him being such as followeth First Satan Tempts to Despair after great Manifestations of God's Favour and Love to the Soul When God smiles and opens himself a little Familiarly unto us we grow Wanton and thereupon God with-draws we sink in our Faith and Satan eyes us on to Despair by making of us to conclude That because God is withdrawn he will never come again There is not a larger and more pregnant Proof for this than Peter Had ever any a greater Testimony from Heaven than Peter Who making an Excellent Confession of his Faith Matth. 16. 17. Christ immediately pronounceth him Blessed puts a singular Honour upon him and makes him the Representative for all the Saints Now without doubt this Favour to Peter stirred up the Envious Spirit the sooner to Assail him No marvel it was that Satan did shew his Spite even when and where Christ loved most dearly Therefore soon after we find the Devil at Peter's Elbow making him his Instrument to Tempt Christ who soon espyed his Cloven Foot and therefore Rebukes Peter with a Get thee behind me Satan He that seem'd a Rock but just now is through Satan's Policy become a Stone of Offence for Christ to stumble at Secondly Satan Tempts to Despair at the Hour of Death and indeed his Assaults are usually sharpest then And the Reason why he is so busy with Christians when they come to Die is because he knows his time is then very short As our Extremity is God's Opportunity to help us so likewise it is the Devil's Opportunity in what he can to destroy us When Death approacheth we are Weak and our Strength beginning to decay Satan thereupon furiously Assails us yea he doth reserve his firiest Darts his deadliest Poyson and his sharpest Sting till he meets us on our Death-Bed SECT II. Secondly Satan shews his exceeding great Subtilty in the Temptations themselves which he works from the Consideration 1. Of our Sins 2. Of God's Anger 3. Of Eternal Election 4. Of our Unworthiness 5. Of the Weakness of our Faith 6. Of great Adversity 7. Of the Sharpness of Death And here I shall shew you how Satan from these things makes many to Despair with proper Remedies against the same Prescribed and that in these following Sections SECT III. First Satan Tempts to Despair by making Sin very Great and drawing up a Black Charge against the Soul Thy Sins saith Satan are very many and very great nay they are Infinite for as much as they have been against an Infinite God Thou knowest very well that thy Sins are of no Ordinary Dye and that the Wages of the least Sin is Death Sin Indefinitely whether great or small And therefore how canst thou saith Satan expect Mercy who art a Sinner Mercy from God whom thou hast offended and provoked to Wrath Surely if ever any shall be Damn'd thou shalt Thou especially because thou hast been more than an Ordinary Sinner Remedy Truly when Satan doth Assail us in this kind I know no other way to Foil him than by Answering him as the Sick Man who when he was Dying the Devil appeared and shew'd him a Parchment that was very long wherein was written on every side the Sins of the poor Sick Man Seest thou Behold thy Vertues saith Satan Unto which he Replyed It 's true Satan but thou hast not sâ—…t down all for thou should'st have added The Blood of Iesus Christ Cleanseth us from all Sins When Satan tells thee of thy Sins do thou tell him of Christ's Blood whose Blood is of a
In that if we have it not Satan will get Advantage of us But say you What is this Armour I Answer It is that Concatenation of Graces which you Read of in the Ephesians Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to with-stand in the Evil-Day and having done all to stand Stand therefore having your Loins girt about with Truth and having on the Brest-plate of Righteousness and your Feet shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace Above all taking the Shield of Faith where-with ye be able to quench all the Fiery Darts of the Wicked And take the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God SECT III. There are Three things which are very convenient for the Christian Souldier and which are included in the Spiritual Armour above said First Addict your selves to a Holy Vigilancy and Watchfulness Stand therefore And in the 1 Cor. 16. 13. Watch ye stand fast in the Faith quit your selves like Men be Strong There are Three things that the Christian Souldier should Watch over 1. The Forts or Bulwarks of the Soul 2. The Ports of the Soul 3. The Adjacent Out-works First The Christian's Watch must be set over the Understanding for the Understanding or Intellectual Part of Man is the First Door that the Devil knocks at or it is the Fist Customer that he opens his Wares unto It is the First Shop wherein Sin is Anvil'd the Conceptions of Sin begin there At this also do all Hereticks let fly their Cunning and Poysonous Arrows Nay Original Corruption breaks out of thence infinite Swarms of vile vain strange hideous Cogitations And therefore above all the Watchings watch the Understanding that first Wheel common Spring or prime Commander in the Soul Watch for it that the Saving Light of the Knowledge of Iesus Christ may arise and dwell within it and that there may be wrought in it not only an Apprehension of Divine Truths but also a Subjection unto them Practical Convictions of Good and Evil with that Efficacious Success that what is Good may be Approved and what is Evil may be Condemned by you More-over that your Understandings may be the Seat of Heavenly Wisdom Divine Meditations and Right Principles to direct the Will compose the Affections and lead your Conversations in the many particular Acts and Wayes of them according to that Righteous and Un-erring Rule I mean the Word of God Watch over it that it be not Captivated by the Powers of Ignorance and Blindness How can you obey that Will of God which you know not nor be ensnared by the Subtilty of Heresies or Apostacies muchless that it be over-run with Atheism Profaneness Blasphemies against God his Truths Wayes or Servants Yea Watch it against all Idle and Unnecessary Surveys of Contemplative Evils Sparks of Sin dallied with in the Understanding may easily beget Flames of Wickedness in the Heart and against all indiscreet Parleys with Satan's Temptations It is easier to Reject than to Debate the Devil's Arguments He is sooner Conquered by Prayer than by Dispute Watch it against all Curiosities and Extream Itchings In the Practicals of Religion it is commendable to be Fervent but in some Doctrinals Moderation and Sobriety is best There are some Divine Mysteries which with the Strength of our short Reason to dive into and fathom it is Dangerous They may be a a Consuming Fire if we presume to come too near Revealed Things are enough for our Faith and Life Leave the Secret unto God alone VVatch it against Wavering Lusts after Novelties Once more VVatch it against the Insolent Intrusions of Corrupt and Proud Reasonings Take not all upon Trust or Semblances Secondly The Watch must be also set over the Will that Great Faculty which will either be the Chair of Lust or Throne of Grace VVe may say of it what the Prophet did of the Figs Those which were Good were very Good and those that were Bad were very Bad. If the Will be Corrupt it is the only of Slaves the Sink of the deepest Rebellion Perversness Resistance and Extreamest Malice against Christ and his Doctrine and Precepts Nothing makes us more Desperately to hold out against all Heavenly Counsels Discoveries Mercies Entreaties Motions than it How often saith Christ would I have gathered your Children and ye would not But if it be Renewed and made Good it is now a Vital Spring and of a large Use and Service to Christ and Grace As when a great City yields this brings many Dorps or Villages under Contribution So when the Will yields to Christ acknowledgeth his Scepter and embraceth his Laws all the Faculties of the whole Man fall in with it and become Tributaries We commonly affirm the Will to be a Royal Faculty the most Noble so the School-Men O VVatch that it doth not Dis-noble and Stain its Excellency by a Sordid League and Affinity with sinful Lusts but rather raise and felicitate us by a Believing Consent and Acceptance of that great Match betwixt our Souls and our Blessed Saviour We likewise say That it is a Free Faculty free from Co-action no Man doubts it Free when Freed we all with St. Augustine profess it If the Son shall make you Free you shall be Free indeed In that Sense it is Free to Spirituals but not in St. Paul's Sense I was Free-Born Act. 22. 28. Now VVatch lest while you vainly Boast in the Strength and Liberty of your Wills you be not at the same time invasall'd and imbondaged to the Service of your Vile and Carnal Affections It is a Ridiculous thing to hear a Iay-Bird vaunt of his Descent and Blood and it is as sad a thing to observe a person proudly arguing for Liberty whose Will yet is fetter'd and intangled and held with the strongest Bonds of foulest Sins Lastly You say That the Will is a Commanding Faculty The School-Men generally give Imperium unto it And you know Sic Volo sic Iubeo Questionless it is of great Power with all the Faculties in Man and for all his Actions But then Watch that you may rather Glory in this That you have a Will able to Fall down and Obey God than that you have a Power to Resist and Defeat his Intention of Mercy and Goodness Let Men wrangle as much as they please of this I am sure It is a Miserable Dignity that I am able to Dis-obey God and to Damn my Soul Thirdly The Watch must be enlarged unto a Third Fort which is our Affections which are to the Soul as the Souldier to the Centurion If he said to one Go he went if to another Come he came Some call them the Messengers of the Will others call them the Wheels the Chariots the Wings the Feet of the Soul They are for their Motions like to those Two Elements of Fire and Water Whiles kept under the best Servants whiles keeping us under the worst Masters Dis-ordered
Goodness of Consciâ—…nce as may be incident unto a Worldly Counterfeit Yea but they reply a True Iustifying Faith I think such an one as their own Rather I may say These Men deserve not the Praise of Hymeneus his Faith which is nothing in this place but Orthodox Doctrine How oft doth St. Paul use the Word so to his Timothy 1 Tim. 4. 1. In the latter Times some shall depart from the Faith Interpreted in the next Words And shall give Heed to Spirits of Error and Doctrines of Devils And 2 Tim 3. 6. he describes his False-Teachers by this Title Reprobate concerning the Faith which I think no Man will Expound of the Grace but the Doctrine Yet say they there is no necessity binds us to that Sense here But the Scope of this Place compared with others may Evince it That which follows plainly points us to this Meaning that they might learn not to Blaspheme Their Sin was therefore an Apostacy from the Doctrine of the Gospel and casting foul Aspersions upon that Profession So that an Opposition to wholesom Doctrine was their Shipwrack They except yet A Good Conscience is added to this Faith Therefore it must needs be meant of Iustifying Faith Do but turn your Eyes to 1 Tim. 3. 9. where as in a Commentary upon this Place you shall find Faith and aâ—… Good Conscience so conjoyned that yet the Doctrine not the Vertue oâ—… Faith is signified St. Paul describeâ—… his Deacon there by his Spirituaâ—… Wealth Having the Mystery of Faith iâ—… Pure Conscience no Man can be sâ—… Gross to take the Mystery of Faitâ—… for the Grace of Faith or for anâ—… other than the same Author iâ—… the same Chapter calls The Mystery of Godliness It is indeed fit that a Good Conscience should be the Coffer where Truth of Christian Doctrine is the Treasure Therefore both are justly commanded together And likely each accompanies other in their Loss And that of Irenaeus is found true of all Hereticks Sententiam impiam vitam luxuriosam c. Yea but Hymeneus and Alexander had both these then and lost both They had both in outward Profession not in inward Sincerity That Rule is Certain and Eternal If they had been of us they had continued with us Nothing is more ordinary with the Spirit of God than to suppose us such as we pretend that he might give us an Example of Charity in the Censure of each other Of which kind is that noted Place Heb. 10. 29. And counted the Blood of the Testament where-with he was Sanctified an Unholy Thing And those unusual Elogies which are given to the Churches to whom the Apostolical Letters were Directed This Place therefore intends no other but that Hymenaeus and Alexander which were once Professors of the Christian Doctrine and such as lived orderly in an Unblameable and outwardly Holy Fashion to the World had now turn'd their Copy cast off the Profession which they made and were fallen both to Loosness of Manners and Calumniation of the Truth they had abandoned For that other Scripture Rom. 8. 12 13 no Place can be more effectual to cut the Throat of this Uncomfortable Heresie St. Paul writes to a Mixt Company It were strange if all the Romans should have been truly Sanctified Those which were yet Carnal he Threats with Death If ye live after the Flesh ye shall Die Those which are Regenerate contrary to the Wicked Paradox of those Men he assures of Life If ye Mortify the Deeds of the Flesh by the Spirit ye shall Live How doth he Exclude the Spirit of Bondage to Fear which these good Guides would lead in again How confidently doth he aver the Inward Testimony of God's Spirit to ours and ascribes that Voice to it which bars all Doubt and Disappointment and tells us by the Powerful Assurance of this Abba We are Sons and if Sons Heirs Co-heirs with Christ Let them now go on and say That God may Dis-inherit his own Son that he may Cast off his Adopted But say they to the same Regenerate Persons he applies these Two Clauses and saith at once Ye have Received the Spirit of Adoption And yet If ye walk after the Flesh ye shall Dye What follows of this Commination Any Assertion of the Possibility of Apostacy in the Regenerate Nothing less These Threats are to make us take better hold and to walk more warily As a Father that hath set his Little Son on Horseback it is Zanchies Comparison bids him hold fast or else he shall fall though he uphold him the while that both he may cause him hereby to sit fast and call the more earnest for his Supportation But the Scope of the Place plainly extorts a Division of Carnal Men and Regenerate The Threats are propounded to the One the Promises and Assurance to the Other And therefore no Touch from hence of our Uncertainty in a Confessed Estate of Renovation For that Matth. 12. 43. The Apodosis or Inference of the Parable might well have stopt the Mouths of these Cavillers For you shall find in the End of it So shall it be with the Wicked Generation I suppose no Man will be so Absurd as to say These Iews had formerly received True Iustifying Faith How should they when they rejected the Messias And yet of them is this Parable spoken by our Saviours own Explication Maldonate himself a Learned Spightful Iesuite can Interpret it no otherwise Ideo Christus hoc dixit ut doceret pejores esse Iudaeos quà m si nunquam Dei legem cognitionem accepissent And to this purpose he cites Hilary Hierom Beda And this Sense is so clear that unless the Seven Devils had found Harbour in the dry Hearts of these Men they could not so grosly Pervert it Quench not the Spirit 1 Thess. 5. will never prove a Final or Total Extinction of Saving Grace The Spirit is Quenched when the Degrees of it are abated when the Good Motions thereof are by our Security let fall We grant the Spirit may be Quenched in tanto not in toto Or if we should so take it as they desire I remember Austin Parallels this Place with that other to Timothy Let no Man despise thy Youth Note saith he That the Spirit can be Quenched or that Contempt can be avoided but that in the one we may not endeavour to do that which may tend towards this Wrong to the Spirit and in the other that we should be careful not to do that which may procure Contempt The Place I remember not directly But Numeros memini si verba tenerem But in all likelihood that Place sounds quite another way as may appear by the Connexion of it with those two Sentences following As if he should have said Discourage not the Graces that you find in any of your Teachers Despise not their Preaching Try their Doctrines And now What is this to the Falling away from Grace Which of us do not Teach the Necessity of Perseverance He only that