I may say as Jacob did of his venison Gen. 27.20 The Lord hath brought it unto me let me speak it without vain glory I have endeavoured herein to imitate the laborious Bee who out of divers flowers gathers honey and wax and thereof makes one combe if any soule feels any sweetnesse in it let them praise God and pray for me who am weak in faith and cold in love E. F. TO THE READER IF thou wilt please to peruse this little Book thou shalt finde great worth in it There is a line of a gracious Spirit drawne through it which hath fastned many precious truths together and presented them to thy view according to the variety of mens spirits the various ways of presenting known truths are profitable The grace of God hath helped this Author in his worke if it in like manner helps thee in reading thou shalt have cause to blesse God for these truths thus brought to thee and for the labours of this good man whose ends I believe are very syncere for God and thy good Jer. Burroughes OCcasionally lighting upon this Dialogue under the Approbation of a learned and judicious Divine I was thereby induced to read it and afterwards upon serious consideration of the usefulnesse of it to commend it to the people in my publike Ministry Two things in it especially tooke with me first the matter the main substance being distinctly to discover the nature of the two Covenants upon which all the mysteries both of Law and Gospel depend To see the first Adam to be primus foederatus in the one and the second Adam in the other to distinguish rightly betwixt the law standing alone as a Covenant and standing in subordination to the Gospel as a servant this I assure my selfe to be the key which opens the hiden treasures of the Gospel As soone as God had given Luther but a glimpse hereof hee professeth that hee seemed to bee brought into Paradise again and the whole face of the Scripture to bee changed to him and he looked upon every truth with another eye Secondly the manner because it is an Irenicum and tends to an accommodation and a right understanding Times of Reformation have always been times of division Satan will cast out a floud after the woman as knowing that more die by the disagreement of the humours of their own bodies than by the sword and that if men be once engaged they will contend if not for truth yet for victory Now if the difference be in things of lesser consequence the best way to quench it were silence this was Luthers counsell given in an Epistle written to the Divines assembled in a Synod at Norimberge Meum consilium fuerit cum nullum sit Ecclesiae periculum ut hanc causam sinatis vel ad tempus sopitam utinam extinctam jacere donec tutiore meliore tempore animis in pace firmatis charitate aduatis eam disputetis I think it were good counsell concerning many of the Disputes of our times But if the difference be of greater concernment as this is then the way to decide it is to bring in more light which this Authour hath done with much evidence of Scripture backt with the authority of most moderne Divines so that whosoever desires to have his judgement cleered in the maine controversie betweene us and the Antinomians with a small expence either of money or time hee may here receive ample satisfaction this I testifie upon request professing my selfe a friend both to truth and peace Novem. 12. W. Strong THis book at first well accommodated with so valuable a testimony as M. Caryls besides its better-approving it self to the choicer spirits every where to the speedy distribution of the whole impression it might seeme a needlesse or superfluous thing to adde any more to the praise thereof yet meeting with detracting language from some few by reason of some phrases by them either not duly pondered or not rightly understood it is thought meete this second impression to relieve that worthy testimony which still stands to it with fresh supplies not for any need the truth therein contained hath thereof but because either the prejudice or darknesse of some mens judgements doth require it I therefore having throughly perused it cannot but testifie that if I have any the least judgment or rellish of truth hee that findes this book findes a good thing and not unworthy of its title and may account the Saints to have obtained favour with the Lord in the ministration of it as that which with great plainenesse and evidence of truth comprises the chiefe if not all the differences that have been lately ingendred about the Law it hath I must confesse not onely fortified my judgement but also warmed my heart in the reading of it as indeed inculcating throughout the whole Dialogue the cleer and familiar notion of those things by which we live as Hezekias speaks in another case and it appeareth to me to be written from much experimentall knowledge of Christ and teaching of the Spirit Let all men that taste the fruit of it confesse to the glory of God he is no respecter of persons and endeavour to know no man henceforth after the flesh nor envie the compiler thereof the honour to be accounted as God hath made him in this point a healer of breaches and a restorer of the over-grown paths of the Gospel as for mine own part I am so satisfied in this testimony I lend that I reckon what ever credit is thus pawned will be a glory to the name that stands by and avows this truth so long as the book shall endure to record it Ihshua Sprigge Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus My loving friend in Christ I Have according to your desire read over your Booke and finde it full of Evangelicall light and life and I doubt not but the oftner I read it the more true comfort I shall finde in the knowledge of Christ thereby the matter â—s pure the method is Apostolicall wherein the works of love in the right place after the life of faith bee effectually required God hath endewed his Fisher with the Net of a trying understanding and discerning iudgement and discretion whereby out of the Christaline streams of the well of life you have taken a messe of the sweetest and wholsomest fish that the whole world can afford which if I could daily have enough of I should no more care for the flesh or the works thereof Samuell Prittie A CATALOGUE of those Writers names out of whom I have collected much of the matter contained in this ensuing Dialogue A Doctor Ames M. Aynsworth B M. Beza M. Bulenger M. Bradford M. Bastingius Bishop Babington M. Ball M. Robert Boulton M. Samuel Boulton C M. Calvin M. Culverwell M. Carelesse M. Cornwall D Du Plesse B. Dâ—wname Doctor Diâ—daâ—e M. Dixon M. Dyke E M. Elton F M. Fox M. Frith M. Forbs G M. Greenham M. Gibbens M. Thomas Goodwin
man and hath a new nature and is endued with new dispositions and loveth liveth speaketh and doth far otherwise then he was wont or could do before For sayth godly Tindall God worketh with his word and in his word and bringeth faith into the hearts of his elect and looseth the heart from sin and knitteth it to God and giveth him power to do that which was before impossible for him to do and turneth him into a new nature And therfore sayth Luther in another place here in works are to be extolled and commended in that they are fruits and signes of faith and therefore he that hath not regard how he leadeth his life that he may stop the mouthes of all blamers â—nd accusers and cleere himselfe before all and testifie that he hath lived spoken and done well is not yet a Christian how then sayth Tindall again dare any man thinke that Gods favour is on him and Gods Spirit within him when he feeleth not the working of his spirit nor himselfe disposed to any good thing Ant. But by your favour Sir I am perswaded that many a man deceives his own soule by these markes and signes Evan. Indeed I must confesse with Master Boulton and Master Dyke that in these times of Christianity a reprobate may make a glorious profession of the Gospell and performe all duties and exercises of Religion and that in outward appearance with as great spirit and zeale as a true believer yea hee may bee made partaker of some measure of inward illumination and have a shadow of true regeneration there being no grace effectually wrought in the faithfull a resemblance whereof may not be found in the unregenerate and therefore I say if any man pitch upon the signe without the thing signified by the signe that is if he pitch upon his graces or gifts rather and duties and conclude assurance from them as they are in him and come from him without having reference to Jesus Christ as the root and fountain of them then are they deceitfull markes and signes but if he looke upon them with reference to Jesus Christ then are they not deceitfull but true evidences and demonstrations of faith in Christ and this a man doth when hee looks upon his outward actions as flowing from the inward actions of his minde and upon the inward actions of his minde as flowing from the habits of grace within him and upon the habits of grace within him as flowing from his justification and upon his justification as flowing from his faith and upon his faith as given by and imbracing Jesus Christ thus I say if hee rests not till he come to Christ his markes and signes are not deceitfull but true Ant. But Sir if an unbeliever may have a resemblance of every grace that is wrought in a believer then it must needs be a hard matter to finde out the difference and therefore I conceive it is best for a man not to trouble himselfe at all about markes and signes Evan. Give me leave to deale plainly with you in telling you that although we cannot say every one that hath a forme of godlinesse hath also the power of godlinesse yet we may truly say that he who hath not the forme of godlinesse hath not the power of godlinesse for though all be not gold that glistereth yet all gold doth glister and therefore I tell you truly if you have no regard to make the Law of Christ your rule by endeavouring to doe what is required in the ten Commandements and to avoyd what is there forbidden it is a very evill signe and therefore I pray you consider of it Ant. But Sir You know the Lord hath promised to write his Law in a believers heart and to give him his Spirit to leade him into all truth and therefore he hath no need of the Law written with paper and inke to be a rule of life to him neither hath hee any need to endeavour to be obedient thereunto as you say Evan. Indeed saith Luther the matter would even so fare as you say if wee were perfectly and altogether the inward and spirituall men which cannot be in any wise before the last day at the rising again of the dead so long as we be cloathed with this mortall flesh we doe but begin and proceed onwards in our course towards perfection which will be consummated in the life to come and for this cause the Apostle Rom. 8. dorh call this the first fruits of the spirit which we doe enjoy in this life the truth and fulnesse of which we shall receive in the life to come and therefore saith hee in another place it is necessary so to preach to them that have received the doctrine of faith that they might be stirred up to go on in good life which they have embraced and that they suffer not themselves to be overcome by the assaults of the raging flesh for we will not so presume of the doctrine of faith as if that being had every man might doe what he listed no we must earnestly endeavour our selves that we may be without blame and when we cannot attain thereunto we must flye to prayer and say before God and man forgive us our trespasses And sayth Calvin one proper use and end of the Law concerning the faithfull in whose hearts liveth and reigneth the Spirit of God for although they have the Law written and engraven in their hearts by the finger of God yet is the Law to them a very good means whereby they may daily better and more assuredly learne what is the will of the Lord and let none of us exempt himselfe from rhis need for no man hath hitherto atteined to so great wisdom but that he hath need to be daily instructed by the Law and herein Christ differeth from us that the Father hath poured out upon him the infinite aboundance of his Spirit but whatsoever we doe receive it is so by measure that wee have need one of another now minde it I pray you if believers have the Spirit but in measure and know but in part then have they the Law written in theit hearts but in measure and in part and if they have the law written in their hearts but in measure and in part then have they not a perfect rule within them and if they have not a perfect rule within them then have they need to have a rule without them and therefore doubtlesse the strongest believer of us all had need to harken to the aduice of godly Tindall who saith seek the Word of God in all things and without the Word of God doe nothing and saith another godly and Evangelicall Writer my brethren let us doe our whole endeavour to doe the will of God as it becommeth good children and beware that we sin not as neer as we can Ant. Well Sir I cannot tell what to say but me thinks when a man is perfectly
from putting any confidence in our own works and doings and exhorted us by faith to lay hold upon the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ onely at the hearing whereof it pleased the Lord so to work upon mee that I plainly perceived that there was no need at all of my works and doings nor nothing else but only to believe in Jesus Christ indeed my heart did assent unto it immediately so that I went home with abundance of peace and joy in believing and gave thanks to the Lord for that he had set my soule at liberty from such a sore bondage as I had been under and I told all my acquaintance what a slavish life I had lived in being under the Law for if I did commit any sin I was presently troubled disquieted in my coÌ„science could have no peace til I had made humble confession thereof unto God craved pardon and forgivenes promised amendment but now I told them that whatsoever sins I did commit I was no whit troubled at them nor indeed am not to this day for I do verily believe that God for Christs sake hath freely and fully pardoned all my sins both past present and to come so that I am confident that what sin or sins soever I commit they shall never be layd to my charge being very well assured that I am so perfectly clothed with the robes of Christs righteousnesse that God can see no sin in me at all And therefore now I can rejoyce evermore in Christ as the Apostle exhorts mee and live merrily though I be never so vile or sinfull a creature and indeed I pitty them that are in the same slavish condition that I was in and would have them to believe as I have done that so they may rejoyce with mee in Christ And thus Sir you see I have declared unto you my condition and therefore I would intreat you to tell me what you think of me Evan. There is in this City at this day much talk about Antinomiaus and though I hope there be but few that doe justly deserve that title yet I pray give me leave to tell you that I feare mee I may say unto you in this case as it was once said unto Peter in another case Surely thou art one of them for thy speech bewrayeth thee And therefore to tell you truly I make some question whether you have truly believed in Christ for all your confidence And indeed I am the rather moved to question it by calling to minde that as I have heard your conversation is not such as becommeth the Gospell of Christ Ant. Why Sir do you think it is possible for a man to have such peace and joy in Christ as I have had and I thanke the Lord have still and not to have truly believed in Christ Evan. Yea indeed I think it is possible for doth not our Saviour tell us that those hearers whom hee resembles to the stony ground immediatly received the word with joy and yet had no root in themselves and so indeed were not true believers And doth not the Apostle give us to understand that as there is a forme of godlines without the power of godlinesse so there is a forme of faith without the power of faith And therefore he prayes that God would grant unto the Thessalonians the worke of faith with power And as the same Apostle gives us to understand there is a faith that is not fained so doubtlesse there is a faith that is fained And surely when our Saviour sayth Marke 4.26 27 28. The kingdome of God is as if a man should cast seed into the ground and sheuld sleepe and rise night and day and the seed should spring up and grow hee knoweth not how first the blade then the eare after that the full corn in the eare he giveth us to understand that true faith is produced by the secret power of God by little and little so that somtimes a true believer himselfe neither knows the time when nor the manner how it was wrought so that we may perceive that true faith is not ordinarily begun increased and finished all in a moment as it seems yours was but groweth by degrees according to that of the Apostle Rom. 1.17 The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith that is from one degree of faith to another from a weake faith to a stroâ—g faith from faith beginning to faith increasing towards perfection or from faith of adherence to faith of assurance but so was not yours and again true faith according to the measure of it produceth holinesse of life but it seems yours doth not so and therefore though you have had and have still much peace and joy yet that is no infallible signe that your faith is true for a man may have great raptures yea he may have great joy as if he were lift up into the third heaven and have a great and strong perswasion that his estate is good and yet be but an hypocrite for all that and therefore I beseech you in the words of the Apostle Examine your selfe whether you be in the faith prove your own selfe know you not your own selfe how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be a reprobate And if Christ bee in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse Ant. But Sir if my friend Nomista went wrong in seeking to be justified by the works of the Law then me thinks I should have gone right in seeking to be justified by faith and yet you speake as if wee had both gone wrong Evan. I remember Luther sayth that in his time if they taught in a Sermon that salvation consisted not in our works or life but in the gift of God some men took occasion thence to be slow to good works and to live a dishonest life and if they preached of a godly and honest life others did by and by furiously attempt to build ladders to heaven And moreover hee sayth that in the year 1525 there were some fantasticall spirits that stirred up the rusticall people to sedition saying that the freedome of the Gospel giveth liberty to all men from all manner of Laws and there were others that did attribute the force of justification to the Law Now sayth he both these sorts offend against the Law the one on the right hand who would be justified by the Law and the other on the left hand who would be clean delivered from the Law Now I suppose this saying of Luthers may bee fitly applyed to you two for it appears to me friend Antinomista that you have offended on the left hand in not walking according to the matter of the Law and it is evident to mee neighbour Nomista that you have offended on the right hand in seeking to be justified by your obedience to it Nom. But Sir if seeking of justification by the works
therefore it belongs to me yea and say with PAUL I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himselfe for mee Hee saw in mee sayth Luther on the Text nothing but wickednesse going astray and flying from him yet this good Lord had mercy on mee and of his meere mercy hee loved mee yea so loved mee that hee gave himselfe for mee who is this mee even I wretched and damnable sinner was so deerly beloved of the Son of God that hee gave himselfe for mee ô print this word me in your heart and apply it to your own self not doubting but that you are one of those to whom this me belongeth Neo. But may such a vile and sinfull wretch as I am be perswaded that God commands me to believe and that hee hath made a promise to me Evan. Why doe you make a question where there is none to be made Goe sayth Christ and preach the Gospel to every creature under Heaven that is go tell every man without exception whatsoever his sins be whatsoever his rebellions be goe and tell him these glad tydings that if hee will come in I will accept of him his sins shall bee forgiven him and hee shall bee saved if hee will come in and take mee and receive mee I will be his loving husband and hee shall bee mine owne deare Spouse let mee therefore say unto you in the words of the Apostle Now then I as an Ambassadour for Christ as though GOD did beseech you by mee I pray you in Christs stead be yee reconciled unto God for hee hath made him to be sin for you who knew no sin that you might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Neo. But doe you say Sir that if I believe I shall bee espoused unto Christ Evan. Yea indeed shall you for faith coupleth the soul with Christ even as the Spouse with her husband by which means Christ and the soule are made one for as in corporall marriage man and wife are made one flesh even so in this spirituall and mysticall marrriage Christ and his Spouse are made one spirit and this marriage of all others is most perfect and absolutely accomplished betweene them for the marriage between man and wife is but a slender figure of this union wherefore I beseech you to believe it and then you shall be sure to enjoy it Neo. Surely Sir if David sayd seemeth it to you a light thing to be an earthly Kings son-in-law seeing that I am a poore man and lightly esteemed then surely I have much more cause to say seemeth it to you a light thing to bee a heavenly Kings daughter-in-law seeing that I am such a poor sinfull wretch surely Sir I cannot be perswaded to believe it Evan. Alas man how much are you mistaken for you look upon God and upon your self with the eye of reason and so standing in relation to each other according to the tenour of the Covenant of Works whereas you being now in the case of Justification and Reconciliation you are to looke both upon God and upon your selfe with the eye of faith and so standing in relation to each other according to the tenour of the Covenant of grace for sayth the Apostle God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their sinnes unto them as if hee had sayd because as God stands in relation to man according to the tenour of the Covenant of works and so out of Christ hee could not without prejudice to his justice be reconciled unto them nor have any thing to doe with them otherwise then in wrath and indignation therefore to the intent that justice and mercy might meet together and righteousnesse and peace might embrace each other and so God stand in relation to man according to the tenour of the Covenant of Grace hee put himselfe into his Son Jesus Christ and shrowded himself there that so hee might speake peace to his people Sweetly sayth Luther because the nature of God was otherwise higher then that wee are able to attayne unto it therefore hath hee humbled himselfe to us and taken our nature upon him and so put himselfe into Christ here hee looketh for us here he will receive us and hee that seeketh him here shall finde him This sayth God the Father is my well beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3.17 whereupon the same Luther sayth in another place We must not thinke and perswade our selves that this voice came from heaven for Christs own sake but for our sakes even as Christ himselfe sayth John 12.30 This voyce came not because of mee but for your sakes the truth is Christ had no need that it should be sayd unto him this is my well beloved sonne he knew that from all eternity and that he should still so remain though these words had not beene spoken from heaven therefore by these words God the Father in Christ his Sonne cheereth the hearts of poore sinners and greatly delighteth them with singular comfort and heavenly sweetnesse assuring them that whosoever is marryed unto Christ and so in him by faith hee is as acceptable to God the Father as Christ himselfe according to that of the Apostle Hee hath made us acceptable in his beloved wherefore if you would bee acceptable to God and bee made his deare childe then by faith cleave unto his beloved Sonne Christ and hang about his neck yea and creepe into his bosome and so shall the love and favour of God be as deeply insinuated into you as it is into Christ himselfe and so shall God the Father together with his beloved Sonne wholy possesse you and be possessed of you and so God and Christ and you shall become one entire thing according to Christs prayer That they may bee one in us as thou and I are one and by this means may you have sufficient ground and warrant to say in the matter of reconciliation with God at any time whensoever you are disputing with your selfe how God is to be found that justifieth and saveth sinners I know no other God neither will I know any other God besides this God that came dow from heaven and clothed himselfe with my flesh unto whom all power is given both in heaven and in earth Who is my Judge For the father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Sonne so that Christ may doe with mee whatsoever him liketh and determine of mee aecording to his own minde and I am sure hee hath sayd Hee came not to judge the World but to save the World and therefore I doe believe that hee will save mee Neo. Indeed Sir if I were so holy and so righteous as some men are and had such power over my sins and corruptions as some men have then I could easily believe it but alas I am so sinfull and so unworthy a wretch that I dare not presume to believe that
your own accusing conscience joyning with him hinder you any longer from Christ for what though they should accuse you of pride infidelity coveteousnesse lust anger envie and hypocrisie yea what though they should accuse you of whoredome theft and drunkennesse and many the like yet doe what they can they can make no worse a man of you then a sinner or the chiefe of sinners or an ungodly person and so consequently such a one as Christ came to justifie and save so that in very deed if you rightly consider it they doe you more good then hurt hereby and therefore I beseech you in all such cases or conflicts take the counsell of Luther who saith when thy conscience is throughly affraid with the remembrance of thy sins past and the Devill assayleth thee with great violence going about to overwhelme thee with heaps floods and whole seas of sins to terrifie thee and to draw thee from Christ then arme thy selfe with such sentences as these Christ the Sonne of God was given not for the holy righteous worthy and such as were his friends but for the wicked sinners for the unworthy and for his enemies wherefore if the Devill say thou art a sinner and therefore must be damned then answer you and say because thou saist I am a sinner therefore will I be righteous and saved and if he say nay sinners must be damned then answer you and say no for I flie to Christ who hath given himselfe for my sins and therefore in that thou saist I am a sinner thou givest me armour and weapon against thy selfe that with thy own sword I may cut thy throat and tread thee under my feet and thus you see it is the judgement of Luther that your sins should rather drive you to Christ then keep you from him Nom. But Sir suppose he hath not as yet either humbled himselfe or repented for his great and many sins hath he any warrant to come to Christ till he hath done so Eva. I see you have not yet quite thrown down your tottering building you still conceive that man himselfe must doe somthing in the case of justification you thinke he must bring some money in his hand to buy his salvation but I beseech you consider that as I have often told you Gods Covenant in Christ is a Covenant of Grace and so every way a free Covenant and therefore he makes a generall proclamation saying Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price This you see is the condition buy wine and milke that is grace and salvation without money that is without any sufficiencie of your own and the Lord saith in his Word in divers places that he justifieth his children before they repent or truly humble themselves or doe any work of righteousnesse the truth is it is onely required that a man come with the hand of faith and receive Christ without any thing else at all Nom. But Sir Though I conceive that we are to bring this money of humiliation and repentance to Christ yet doe I not conceive it is to tender unto him for a price but onely for him to look upon as that with which he hath appointed those to be qualified withall that come unto him Eva. I but yet so long as Christ hath said you must come without it and onely encline your eare and heare and your souls shall live and that by hearing that he will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David me thinks you should perceive that Christ doth thereby call you from the ways of repentance and humiliation and works of righteousnesse in the case of justification and to pitch directly and immediately upon the free Covenant of Grace Nom. But Sir as I conceive the Scripture holds forth that the Lord hath appointed repentance to goe before faith for is it not said Marke 1.15 Repent ye and believe the Gospel Evan. Indeed somtimes the name of repentance is given to those preparatory beginnings and introductories thereof which are those legall fits of fear and terrour which are both in nature and time before faith and truly all that repentance that goes before faith in Christ can be no other for evangelicall repentance being a fruit of faith in Christ cannot be before faith in Christ. Nom. Then Sir it seems you hold that he that believes in Christ doth also truly repent Evan. Yea indeed though I hold not that evangelical repentance is an antecedent of faith in Christ yet I hold it is a consequent though I hold not that it goes before faith yet I hold that it follows after Nom. But yet Sir it seemes you hold that those preparatory beginnings of repentance which you call legall fits of feare and terrour do goe before faith in Christ. Evan. Yea indeed I doe conceive that ordinarily and in some measure they do Nom. Ordinarily say you Sir why are they not in all Evan. No indeed for some doubtlesse are like unto Zachous and Lydia who received Christ and were received of him as it is verily thought without any measure of them Nom. And have not all those that have them a like measure of them Evan. O no there is a great difference in the measure for some do but as it were sip of the cup and others doe as it were drinke the very dregs whereby wee may perceive that though it be necessary that these Legall fits of feare and terrour be in some before their comming to Christ yet is there no absolute necessity of them on Christs part wherefore I pray take notice that those who have them have them not because Christ would not bid them welcome and receive them without them but because they will not come to Christ except they be by this means driven unto him Nom. But Sir that which you call Evangelicall repentance and follows after faith is in all that do believe is it not Evan. Yea indeed it is more or lesse in every believing soule according to the measure of his faith and so of his receiving the spirit of Christ as all other true fruits of Christs spirit are Nom. Well Sir I am answered Neo. And truly Sir you have so declared and set forth Christs disposition towards poore sinners and so answered all my doubts and objections that I am now verily perswaded that Christ is willing to entertaine mee and surely I am willing to come unto him and receive him but alas I want power to do it that is Sir I want faith Evan. But tell me on thing truly are you resolved to put forth all your power to believe and so to take Christ. Neo. Truly Sir me thinks my resolution is much like the resolution of the foure Lepers which sate at the gate of Samaria for as they sayd If wee enter into the Citie the famine is in
content with what is most repugnant to its desire as with hunger cold nakednesse yea and with death it self such is the wonderfull working of the hearts quiet and rest in God So that although such a mans senses be still exerâ—ised in and upon their proper objects yet is not his life sensuall for his heart taketh no contentment from any such exercise but is still for the most part exercised in a more transcendent communion even with God in Christ so that he useth the world and the things of the world as though hee used them not and receiveth no cordiall contentment from any sensuall exercise whatsoever and that because his heart is withdrawne from them which withdrawing of the heart is not unaptly pointed at in the speech of the Spouse Cant. 5.2 I sleep sayth she but my heart waketh so that it may be sayd that such a man he is sleeping looking hearing tasting eating drinking feasting c. but his heart is withdrawne and is rejoycing in God his Saviour and his soul is magnifying the Lord so that in the midst of all sensuall delights his heart and secretly sayth I but my happinesse is not here Nom. But Sir I pray you why do you call rationall and religious exercises a wildernesse Evan. For two reasons first because that as the children of Israel when they were got out of Egypt did yet wander many yeers in the wildernesse before they came into the land of Canaan even so doe many men wander long in rationall and religious exercises after they have left a sensuall life before they come to rest in God whereof the land of Canaan was a type Secondly because as in a wildernesse men often lose themselves and can finde no way out but supposing after long travell that they are neere the place whither they would goe are in truth further off even so fareth it with many yea with all such as walk in the way of reason they lose themselves in the woods and bushes of their works and doings so that the longer they travell the further they are from God and true rest in him Nom. But Sir you know that the Lord hath endued us with reasonable souls would you not then have us to make use of our reason Evan. I pray you doe not mistake mee I do not contemn nor despise the use of reason onely I would not have you to establish it to the chief good but I would have you to keep it under so that if with Hagar it attempt to beare rule and Lord it over your faith then would I have you in the wisdome of God like Sarah to cast it out from having dominion in few words I would have you more strong in desire than curious in speculation and to long more to feele communion with God then to be able to dispute of the genus or species of any question eyther humane or divine And presse hard to know God by powerfull experience and though your knowledge be great and your obedience surpassing many yet would I have you to be truly nullified anihilated and made nothing and become fools in all fleshly wisdome and glory in nothing but only in the Lord and I would have you with the eye of faith sweetly to behold all things extracted out of one thing in one to see al in a word I would have in you a most profound silence contemning all curious questions and discourses and to ponder much in your heart but prate little with your tongue Be swift to heare but slow to speake and slow to wrath as the Apostle James adviseth you and by this meanes will your reason be subdued and become one with your faith for then is reason one with faith when it is subjugated unto faith and then will reason keepe its true lists and limits and you will become ten times more reasonable then you were before so that I hope you now see that the hearts farewell from the sensuall and rationall life is not to be considered absolutely but respectively it doth not consist in a going out of either but in a right use of both And now for a conclusion let mee tell you when any of your souls shall thus forget her own people and her fathers house Christ her King shall so desire her beauty and be so much in love with her that like a Load-stone this love of his shall draw the soule in pure desire to him again and then as the Hart panteth after the rivers of water so will your souls pant after God yea then will your souls be so ravished with desire and so sick of love that it will bee manifest by your seeking him whom your soul loveth and so shall your soule come to have a reall rest in God and according to the measure of your faith be filled with joy unspeakable and glorious and how can it bee otherwise when your soule shall really communicate with God and by faith have a true taste and by the Spirit have a sure earnest of all heavenly preferments having as it were one foot in heaven whilst you live upon earth ô then what an Eucharisticall love will arise from your thankfull heart extending it selfe first towards God and then towards man for Gods sake because his everlasting love in his Christ is made known to your soule so that then according to the measure of your faith you shall not need to frame and force your selfe to love and doe good duties but being so assured of Gods love to you in his CHRIST your soule will stand bound ever more to love God and according to the measure thereof you will stand bound to the keeping of all his Commandements and this love of God in the heart will cut down selfe love so that now you will be for God and it will be your meat and drinke to doe his will whilst you live on earth and much more when you come to heaven the place of perfect and everlasting rest whither our Lord JESUS CHRIST bring us all in his due time Amen And now Brethren I commend you to GOD and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified Neo. Well Sir at this time I will say no more but that it was a happie houre wherein I came to you and a happie conference that wee have had together surely Sir I never knew Christ before this day ô what cause have I to thanke the Lord for my comming hither and my two friends as a means of it and Sir for the payns that you have taken with me I pray the Lord to requite you and so beseeching you to pray the Lord to increase my faith and to helpe mine unbeliefe I humbly take my leave of you praying the God of love and peace to be with you Nom. And truly Sir I doe believe that I have cause to speake as much in that case as you have for
small measure of the spirit Nom. But Sir was not the matter of that Covenant and this all one Evan. Yea indeed the Ten Commandements were the matter of both Covenants only they differed in the forms Ant. Tâ—â—n Sir it seems that the promises and threatnings contained in the old Testament were but temporary and terrestiall only concerning the good and evill things of this life Evan. This we are to know that like as the Lord by his Prophets gave the people in the old Testament many exhortations to be obedient to his Commandements and many dehortations from disobedience thereunto even so did he back them with many promises and threatnings concerning things temporall as these and the like Scripâ—uâ—â—s do witnesse Isa. 1.10 Heare the word of the Lord ye Rulers of Sodom give eare unto the law of our God ye people of Gomorrah Iâ— ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good things of the land but if ye refuse and rebell ye shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it And Jer. 7 3 Amend your wayes and your doings and I will cause you to dwell in this place But ye steal murder commit adultery and sweare falsly by my name therefore thus saith the Lord God behold mine anger and my fury shall be powred out upon this place And surely there be two reasons why the Lord did so First because as all men are born under the covenant of workâ— they are naturally prone to conceive that the favour of God and all good things do depend and follow upon their obedience to the Law and that the wrath of God and all evill things do depend upon and follow their disobedience to it And that mans chief happinesse is to be had and found in terrestriall paradise even in the good things of this life So the people of the Old Testament being neerest to Adams Covenant and Paradise were most prone to such conceits And secondly because the Covenant of Grace and Celestiall paradise were but little mentioned in the Old Testament they for the most part had but a glimmering knowledge of them and so could not yield obedience freely as sonnes therefore the Lord saw it meet to move them to yield obedience to his lawes by their own motives and as servants or children under age Ant. And were both believers and unbelievers that is such as were under the Covenant of Grace and such as were under the Covenant of Works equally and alike subjâ—ct as well to have the calamities of this life inflicted upon them for their disobedience as the blessings of this life conferred upon them for their obedience Evan. Surely the words of the Preacher do take place here when he saith All things come alike to all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked Were not Moses and Aaron for their disobedience hindered from entring into the land of Canaan as well as others And was not Josiah for his disobedience to Gods command slâ—in in the valley of Megiddo Therefore assure your selfe that when believers in the Old Testament did transgresse Gods commandements Gods temporall wrath went out against them and was manifest in temporall calamities that befell them as well as others only here was the difference The believers temporall calamities had no eternall calamities included in them nor following of them and their temporall blessings had eternall blessings included in them and following of them And the unbelievers temporall blessings had no eternall blessings included in them nor following of them and their temporall calamities had eternall calamities included in them and following of them Ant. Then Sir it seemeth that all obedience that any of the Jewes did yield to Gods commandements was for feare of tempoâ—â—ll punishment and in hope of temporall reward Evan. Surely the Scâ—ipâ—ure seemes to holâ— forth that there were three several sorts of people who endeavoured to keep the law of God and they did all of them differ in their ends The first sort of them were true believers who according to the measure of their faith did believe the resurrection of their bodies after death and eternall life in glory and that it was to be obtained not by thâ—â—orkes of the Law but by faith in the Mâ—ssiâ—h oâ— promised seed And answerably as they believed this answerably they yielded obedience to the Law freely without fear of punishment or hope of reward but alas the spirit of faith was very weak in the most of them and the spirit of bondage very strong and therefore they stood in need to be induced and constrained to obedience for feare of punishment and hope of reward The second sort of them were the Sadduces and their Sect and these did not believe that there was any Resurrection nor any life but the life of this world and yet they endeavoured to keep the Law that God might blesse them here and that it might go well with them in this present life The third sort and indeed the greatest number of them in the future ages after Moses were the Scribes and Pharisees and their Sects and they held and maintained that there was a Resurrection to be looked for and an eternall life after death and therefore they endeavoured to keep the Law not onely to obtaine temporall happinesse but eternall also for though it had pleased the Lord to make known unto his people by the ministrie of Moses that the Law was given not to retaine men in the confidence of their own workes but to drive them out of themselves and lead them to Christ the promised seed yet after that time the Priests and the Levites who were the expounders of the Law and whom the Scribes and Pharisees did succeed did so conceive and teach of Gods intention in giving the Law as though it had been that they by their obedience to it should obtaine righteousnesse and eternall life and this opinion was so confidently maintained and so generally imbraced amongst them that in their book Mechilta they say and affirme that there is no other Covenant but the Law and so in very deed they conceived that there was no other way to Eternall life then the Covenant of workes Ant. Surely then it seemes they did not understand and consider that the Law as it is the Covenant of workes doth not onely binde the outward man but also the inward man even the soule and spirit and requires all holy thoughts motions and dispositions of the heart and soule Evan. Oh no they neither taught it nor understood it so spiritually neither could they be perswaded that the Law doth require so much at mans hands for they first laid this downe for a certaine truth that God gave the Law for man to be Justified and saved by his obedience to it and that therefore there must needs be a power in man to doe all that it requireth or else God would never have required it
of the Law be an error yet it seemeth that by Luthers own confession it is but an error on the right hand Evan. But yet I tell you it is such an error that by the Apostle Pauls own confession so far forth as any man is guilty of it He makes his services his Saviours and rejects the grace of God and makes the death of Christ of none effect ond perverteth the Lords intention both in giving the Law and in giving the Gospel and keeps himselfe under the curse of the Law and maketh himself the sonne of a bond-woman a servant yea and a slave and hinders himselfe in the course of well doing and in short he goeth about an impossible thing and so loseth all his labour Nom. Why then Sir it should seeme that all my seeking to please God by my good works all my strict walking according to the Law and all my honest course of life hath rather done mee hurt then good Evan. The Apostle sayth that without faith it is impossible to please God that is sayth Calvin Whatsoever a man thinketh purposeth or doeth before hee be reconciled to God by faith in Christ is accursed and not onely of no value to righteousnesse but of certain deserving to damnation so that sayth Luther Whosoever goeth about to please God with works going before faith goeth about to please God with sin which is nothing else but to heap sin upon sin to mock God and to provoke him to wrath nay sayth the same Luther in another place If thou beest without Christ thy wisdome is double foolishnesse thy righteousnesse is double sin and iniquity and therefore though you have walked very strictly according to the Law and led an honest life yet if you have rested and put confidence therein and so come short of Christ then hath it indeed rather done you hurt then good For sayth a godly writer vertuous life according to the light of nature turneth a man farther off from God if he add not thereto the effectuall working of his Spirit and sayth Luther they which have respect onely to an honest life it were better for them to be adulterers and adulteresses and to wallow in the mire And surely for this cause it is that our Saviour tels the strict Scribes and Pharisees who sought justification by works and rejected Christ that Publicans and harlots should enter into the Kingdome of God before them And for this cause it was that I sayd for ought I know my neighbour Neophytus might bee in Christ before you Nom. But how can that be when as you know he hath confessed that he is ignorant and full of corruption and comes far short of me in gifts and graces Evan. Because as the Pharisee had more to doe before he could come at Christ then the Publican had so I conceive you have more to doe then he hath Nom. Why Sir I pray you what have I to doe or what would you advise me to doe for truly I would be contented to bee ruled by you Evan. Why that which you have to doe before you can come at Christ is to undoe all that ever you have done already that is to say whereas you have endeavoured to travail towards heaven by the way of the Covenant of works and so have gone a wrong way you must goe quite back again all the way you have gone before you can tread one step in the right way And whereas you have attempted to build up the ruines of old Adam and that upon your selfe and so like a foolish builder to build a tottering house upon the sands you must throw down and utterly demolish all that building and not leave a stone upon a stone before you can begin to build anew and whereas you have conceived that there is a sufficiencie in your selfe to justifie and save your selfe you must conclude that in that case there is not onely in you an insufficiencie but also a non-sufficiencie yea and that sufficiencie that seemed to be in you to bee your losse in plain termes you must deny your selfe as our Saviour sayth Matthew 16.24 That is You must utterly renounce all that ever you are and all that ever you have done All your knowledge and gifts all your hearing reading praying fasting weeping and mourning all your wandring in the way of works and strict walking must fall to the ground in a moment briefly whatsoever you have counted gain to you in the case of Justification you must now with the Apostle Paul count losse for CHRIST and judge it to be dung that you may win CHRIST and bee found in Him not having your own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Neo. O but Sir What would you advise me to doe Evan. Why man what ayleth you Neo. Why Sir as you have been pleased to heare them two to declare their condition unto you so I beseech you to give me leave to doe the same and then you will perceive how it is with me Sir not long since it pleased the Lord to visit mee with a great fit of sicknesse so that indeed both in mine own judgement and in the judgement of all that came to visite mee I was sick unto death whereupon I began to consider whither my soule was to goe after its departure out of my body and I thought with my selfe that there was but two places heaven and hell and therefore it must needs goe to one of them then my wicked and sinfull life which indeed I had lived came into my minde which caused me to conclude that hell was the place provided for it which caused me to bee very fearfull and to bee very sorry that I had so lived and desired of the Lord to let me live a little longer and I would not faile to reforme my life and amend my ways and the Lord was pleased to grant mee my desire since which time though indeed t is true I have not lived so wickedly as formerly I had done yet alas I have come far short of that godly and religious life which I see other men live and especially this my neighbour Nomista and yet you seem to conceive that he is not in a good condition and therefore surely I must needs be in a miserable condition alas Sir what doe you thinke will become of me Evan. I doe perceive that although wee have by the Lords assistance our comming together opened and cleered the new and living way to eternall life yet the Lord hath not been pleased to open your eyes to see it so that you would still be going thither the old and naturall way and therefore as a further means to discover it to you I pray you consider that although in the making of the covenant of works at the first God was one party and man another yet in making it the second time God was on both sides
and so indeed they are the fruit and works of a bond-servant that is moved and constrained to doe all that heâ— doth for fear of punishment and hope of reward For saith Luther The Law given on mount Sinai which the Arabians call Agar begeteth none but servants and so indeed all that such a man doth is but hypocrisie for he pretends the serving of God whereas indeed hee intends the serving of himselfe and how can hee doe otherwise for whilst he wants faith he wants all things He is an empty vine and therefore must needs bring forth fruit unto himselfe till a man bee served himselfe he will not serve the Lord Christ nay whilst he wants faith he wants the love of Christ and therefore he lives not to Christ but to himselfe because he loved himselfe And hence surely we may conceive it is that Doctor Preston saith all that a man doth and not out of love is out of hypocrisie wheresoever love is not there is nothing but hypocrisie in such a mans heart But when a man through the hearing of faith receives the Spirit of Christ that spirit according to the measure of faith writes the lively law of love in his heart as Tindall sweetly sayth whereby hee is inabled to work freely and of his own accord without the coaction or compulsion of the Law for that love wherewith Christ or God in Christ hath loved him and which by faith is apprehended of him will constrain him to doe so according to that of the Apostle the love of Christ constraineth us that is it will make him to doe so whether he will or no hee cannot choose but doe it I tell you truly answerably as the love of Christ is shed abroad in the heart of any man it is such a strong impulsion that it carries him on to serve and please the Lord in all things according to the saying of an evangelicall man The will and affection of a believer according to the measure of faith and the spirit received sweetly quickens and bends to choose affect and delight in what ever was good and acceptable to God or man the Spirit freely and cheerfully moving and inclining him to keepe the law without feare of hell or hope of heaven for a christian man saith sweet Tindall worketh onely because it is the will of his Father for after that he is overcome with love and kindnesse he seeks to doe the will of God which indeed is a christian mans nature and what he doth hee doth it freely after the example of Christ as a naturall sonne aske him why he doth such a thing why sayth he It is the will of my Father and I doe it that I may please him for indeed love desireth no wages it is wages enough to it selfe it hath sweetnesse enough in it selfe it desires no addition it pays his own vvages and therefore it is the true childe like obedience being begoten by faith of Saraah the free-woman by the force of Gods love and so it is indeed the onely true and syncere obedience for sayth Doctor Preston to doe a thing in love is to doe it in syncerity and indeed there is no other defâ—inition of syncerity that is the best way to know it by Evan. But stay Sir I pray you would you not have believers to eschew evill and doe good for feare of hell or hope of heaven Evan. No indeed I would not have any believer to doe either the one or the other for so far forth as they doe so their obedience is but slavish and therefore though when they were first awaked convinced of their misery and set foot forward to goe on in the way of life they with the prodigall would be hired servants yet when by the eye of faith they see the mercie and indulgence of their heavenly Father in Christ running to meete them and embrace them I would have them with him to talke no more of being hired servants I would have them so to wrastle against doubting and so to exercise their faith as to believe that they are by Christ delivered from the hands of all their â—nemies both the Law sin wrath death â—he devill and hell that they may serve the Lord without feare in holinesse and righteâ—usnesse all the dayes of their lives I would â—ave them so to believe Gods love to them â— Christ as that thereby they may be conâ—trained to obedience Nom. But Sir you know that our Saâ—iour sayth Feare him that is able to destroy â—oth soule and body in hell And the Apostle â—yth We shall receive of the Lord the reward 〈◊〉 the inheritance is it not sayd that Moses â—ad respect unto the recompence of reward Evan. Surely the intent of our blessed â—aviour in that first Scripture is to teach all â—elievers that when God commands one 〈◊〉 and man another they should obey â—od and not man rather then to exhort â—â—em to eschew evill for feare of Hell And as for those other Scriptures by you alâ—â—aged if you mean reward and the means 〈◊〉 obtayn that reward in the Scripture sense 〈◊〉 it is another matter but I had thought 〈◊〉 had meant in our common sense and not 〈◊〉 the Scripture sense Nom. Why Sir I pray you what diffeâ—â—nce is there betwixt reward and the means to obteyn the reward in our common sense and in the Scripture sence Evan. Why reward in our common sence is that which is conceived to come from God or to be given by God which is a fancying of Heaven under carnall notions beholding it as a place where there is freedome from all misery and fulnesse of all pleasures and happinesse and to be obteyned by our own works and doings But reward in the Scripture sence is not so much that which comes from God or is given by God as that which lyes in God even the full fruition of God himselfe in Christ. I am sayth God to Abraham thy shield and thy exceeding great reward And whom have I in heaven but thee sayth David And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee and I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse And the means to obteyne this reward is not by doing but by believing even by drawing neere with a true heart in the full assurance of faith and so indeed it is given freely And therefore you are not to conceive of that reward which the Scripture speaks of as if it were the wages of a servant but as it is the inheritance of sons and when the Scripture seemeth to induce believers to obedience by promising this reward you are to conceive that the Lord speaketh to believers as a father doth to his young son doe this or that and then I will love thee whereas we know that the father loveth the sonne first and so doth God and therefore this is the voice of believers Wee love him because
he first loved us the Lord doth pay them or at least giveth them a sure earnest of their wages before hee bid them work and therefore the contest of a believer according to the measure of his faith is not what will God give mee but what shall I give God What shall I render unto the Lord for all his goodnesse for thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Nom. Then Sir it seems that holinesse of life and good workes are not the cause of eternall happines but onely the way thether Evan. Doe you not remember that our Lord Jesus himself sayth I am the way the truth and the life And doth not the Apostle say to the believing Colossians As ye have received Jesus Christ the Lord so walk in him that is As you have received him by faith so goe on in your faith and by his power walk in his Commandements so that good works as I conceive may rather be called a believers walking in the way to eternal happinesse then the way it self but however this wee may assuredly conclude that the summe and substance both of the way and walking in the way consist in the receiving of Jesus Christ by faith and in yielding obedience to his law according to the measure of that receiving Neo. Sir I am perswaded that through my neighbour Nomistas asking you these questions you have been interrupted in your discourse in shewing how faith doth enable a man to exercise his christian graces and performe his christian duties aright And therefore I pray you go on Evan. What should I say more for the time would fail me to tell how that according to the measure of any mans faith is his true peace of conscience for sayth the Apostle being justified by faith wee have peace with God yea sayth the Prophet Isaiah Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee here there is a sure and true grounded peace therfore it is of faith sayth the Apostle that it might be by grace and that the promise might be sure to all the seed and answerably to a mans believing that hee is justified fully by Gods grace through that redemption that is in Jesus Christ is his true humility of spirit so that although he be endued with excellent gifts and graces and though he performe never so many duties he denyes himselfe in all hee doth not make them as ladders for him to ascend up into Heaven by But desires to be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ he doth not think himselfe to be one step neerer to Heaven for all his works and performances and if hee heare any man prayse him for his gifts and graces hee will not conceit that he hath obteined the same by his own industry and pains taking as some men have proudly thought neyther will hee speak it out as some have done saying these gifts and graces have cost mee something I have taken much pains to obtain them but he sayth Not I but by the grace of God I am that I am and not I but the grace of God that was with me And if he behold an ignorant man or a wicked liver he will not call him carnall wretch or prophane fellow nor say stand by thy selfe come not neere to mee for I am holier then thou as some have said but he pitieth such a man and prays for him and in his heart he sayth concerning himself who maketh thee to differ And what hast thou that thou hast not received And thus I might goe on and shew you how according to any mans faith is his true joy in God and his true thankfulnesse to God and his patience in all troubles and afflictions and his contentednesse in any condition and his willingnesse to suffer and his cheerfulnesse in suffering and his contentednesse to part with any earthly thing yea according to any mans faith is his ability to pray aright to heare or read the Word of God aright to receive the Sacrament with profit and comfort and to do any duty either to God or man after a right manner and to a right end yea according to the measure of any mans faith is his love to Christ and so to man for Christs sake and so consequently his readinesse and willingnesse to forgive an injury yea to forgive an enemy and to doe good to them that hate him and the more faith any man hath the lesse love he hath to the world or the things that are in the world to conclude the greater any mans faith is the more fitter he is to die and the more willing he is to die Neo. Well Sir now I doe perceive that faith is a most excellent grace and happie is that man that hath a great measure of it Evan. The truth is faith is the chief grace that Christians are to be exhorted to get and exercise and therefore when the people asked our Lord Christ what they should doe to worke the worke of God he answered and said this is the work of God That ye believe on him whom he hath sent speaking as if there were no other duty at all required but onely believing for indeed to say as the thing is believing includeth all other duties in it and they spring all from it and therefore sayth one Preach Faith and preach all Whilst I bid man believe sayth learned Rollock I bid him doe all good things for sayth Doctor Preston truth of belief will bring forth truth of holinesse if a man believe works of sanctification will follow for faith draws after it inherent righteousnesse and sanctification wherefore sayth he if a man will goe about this great worke to change his life to get victory over any sin that it may not have dominion over him to have his conscience purged from dead works and to bee made partaker of the divine nature let him not goe about it as a morall man that is let him not consider what Commandements there are what the rectitude is which the Law requires and how to bring his heart to it but let him goe about it as a Christian that is let him believe the promise of pardon in the bloud of Christ and the very believing the promise will be able to cleanse his heart from dead works Neo. But I pray you Sir whence hath faith its power and vertue to doe all this Evan. Even from our Lord Jesus Christ for faith doth ingraft a man who is by nature a wild olive branch into Christ as into the naturall olive and fetcheth sap from the root Christ and thereby makes the tree bring forth fruit in its kind yea faith fetcheth a supernaturall efficacie from the death and life of Christ by vertue whereof it metamorphoseth the heart of a
believer and creates and infuseth into him new principles of actions so that what a treasure of all graces Christ hath stored up in him faith dreyneth and draweth them out to the use of a believer being as a conduite cocke that watereth all the herbs in the garden yea faith doth apply the bloud of Christ to a believers heart and the bloud of Christ hath in it not onely a power to wash from the guilt of sin but to clense and purge likewise from the power and stain of sin and therefore sayth godly Hooker if you would have grace you must first of all get faith and that will bring all the rest let faith goe to Christ and there is meeknesse patience humility and wisdome and faith will fetch all them to the soule therefore sayth he you must not look for sanctification till you come to Christ in vocation Nom. Truly Sir I doe now plainly see that I have been deceived and have gone a wrong way to worke for I verily thought that holinesse of life must goe before faith and so be the ground of it and produce and bring it forth whereas I doe now plainly see that faith must goe before and so produce and bring forth holinesse of life Evan. I remember a man who was much enlightened in the knowledge of the Gospell sayth there be many that thinke that as a man chooseth to serve a Prince so men choose to serve God so likewise they think that as those who doe best service do obtain most favour of their Lord and as those that have lost it the more they humble themselves the sooner they recover it even so they think the case stands betwixt God and them whereas sayth hee it is not so but clean contrary for hee himselfe sayth Yee have not chosen me but I have chosen you and not for that we repent and humble our selves and doe good works hee giveth us his grace therefore wee repent humble our selves doe good works and become holy the good thief on rhe crosse was not illuminated because hee did confesse Christ but he did confesse Christ because hee was illuminated for sayth Luther the tree must first be and then the fruit for the apples make not the tree but the tree maketh the apples so faith first maketh the person which afterwards bringeth forth works therefore to doe the Law without faith is to make the apples of wood and earth without the tree which is not to make apples but meer fantacies wherfore neighbour Nomista let me intreat you that whereas before you have reformed your life that you might believe why now believe that you may reform your life and doe not any longer worke to get an interest in Christ but believe your interest in Christ that so you may work and then you will not make the change of your life the ground of your faith as you have done and as Master Culverwell sayth many doe who being asked what caused them to believe they answer because they have truly repented and changed their course of life Ant Sir What thinke you of a Preacher that in my hearing said he durst not exhort nor perswade sinners to believe their sinnes were pardoned before he saw their lives reformed for feare they should take more liberty to sin Evan. Why what should I say but that I think that Preacher was ignorant of the mystery of faith for it is of the nature of soveraign waters which so wash off the corruption of the ulcer that they coole the heat and stay the spreading of the infection and so by degrees heale the same neither did he know that it is of the nature of cordials which so comfort the heart and ease it that they also expell the noxious humours and strengthen nature against them Ant. And I am acquainted with a professor though God knows a very weak one that sayth if he should believe before his life be reformed then he might believe and yet walk on in his sins I pray you Sir what would you say to such a man Evan. Why I would say with Doctor Preston let him if he can believe truly and doe this but it is impossible let him believe and the other will follow truth of beliefe will bring forth truth of holinesse for who if he ponder it well can feare a fleshly licentiousnesse where the believing soule is united and maryed to Christ the law as it is the covenant of works and Christ are set in opposition as two husbands to one wife successively whilst the Law was alive in the conscience all the fruits were deadly Rom. 7 5. but Christ taking the same spouse to himselfe the law being dead by his quickning spirit doth make her fruitfull to God and so raiseth up seed to the former husband for materially these are the works of the Law though produced by the Spirit of Christ in the Gospell Ant. And yet Sir I am verily perswaded that there be many both Preachers and professors in this City of the very same opinion that these two are of Evan. The truth is many Preachers stand upon the prayse of some morall vertue and doe invaigh against some vice of the times more then upon pressing men to believe but sayth a learned writer it will bee our condemnation if we love darknesse rather then light and desire still to be groping in the twy-light of morality the precepts of morall men then to walke in the true light of divinity which is the doctrine of Jesus Christ and I pitie the prepostrous care and unhappy travail of many well affected who study the practice of this and that vertue neglecting this cardinall and radicall vertue as if a man should water all the tree and not the root faine would they shine in patience meeknesse and zeal and yet are not carefull to stablish root themselves in faith which should maintain all the rest and therefore all their labour hath been in vain and to no purpose Nom. Indeed Sir this which you have now sayd I have found true by mine own experience for I have laboured and endevoured to get victory over some corruptions as to overcome my dulnesse and to performe duties with cheerfulnesse and all in vain Evan. And no marvell for to pray to meditate to keep a Sabbath cheerfully to have your conversation in Heaven is as possible for you your selfe to doe as for Iron to swim or for stones to ascend upwards but yet nothing is impossible to faith it can naturalize these things unto you it can make a mole of the earth a soule of Heaven wherefore though you have tryed all morall conclusions of proposing promising resolving vowing fasting watching and self-revenge yet get you to Christ and with the finger of faith touch but the hem of his garment and you shall feele vertue come from him for the curing of all your diseases Wherefore I beseech you come out of your self unto Jesus Christ
and apprehend him by faith as blessed be God you see our Neighbour Neophytus hath done and then shall you finde the like loathing of sin and love to the law of Christ as he now doth yea then shall you finde your corruptions dying and decaying daily more and more as I am confident hee shall Neo. I but Sir shall I not have power quite to overcome all my corruptions and to yield perfect obedience to the law of Christ as the Lord knows I much desire Evan. If you could believe perfectly then should it be even according to to your desire according to that of Luther If wee can perfectly apprehend Christ then should wee be free from sin But alas whilest we are here wee know but in part and so believe but in part and so receive Christ but in part and so consequently are holy but in part witnesse James the just including himselfe when he sayth In many things we sin all and John the faithfull and loving Disciple when he sayth If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us yea and witnesse Luther when he sayth a Christian man hath a body in whose members as Paul sayth sin dwelleth and warreth and albeit he fall not into outward and grosse sins as murther adultery theft and such like yet is hee not free from impatience and murmuring against God yea sayth hee I feele in my selfe coveteousnesse lust anger pride and arrogancie also the feare of death heaviness hatred murmuring impenitencie so that you must not looke to bee quite without sin whilst thou remain in this life yet this I dare promise you that as you grow from faith to faith so shall you grow from strength to strength in all other graces wherefore sayth godly Hooker strengthen this grace of faith and strengthen all nourish this and nourish all so that if you can attain to a great measure of faith you shall bee sure to attain to a great measure of holinesse according to the saying of Doctor Preston hee that hath the strongest faith hee that believeth in the greatest degree the promise of pardon and remission of sins I dare boldly say he hath the holiest heart and the holiest life And therefore I beseech you labour to grow strong in the faith of the Gospell Neo. O Sir I desire it with all my heart and therefore I pray you tell me what you would have me to doe that I may grow more strong Evan. Why surely the best advice and counsell that I can give you is to exercise that faith which you have and wrastle against doubtings and be earnest with God in prayer for the increase of it forasmuch sayth Luther as this gift is in the hands of God onely who bestoweth it when and on whom he pleaseth thou must resort unto him by prayer and say with the Apostles Lord increase our faith and you must also be diligent in hearing the word preached for as faith commeth by hearing so is it also increased by hearing and you must also read the word and meditate upon the free and gracious promises of God for the promise is the immortall seed whereby the spirit of Christ begets and increaseth faith in the hearts of all his and lastly you must frequent the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and receive it as often as conveniently you can Ant. But by your favour Sir if faith be the gift of God and he give it when and to whom he pleaseth then I conceive that mans using such means will not procure any greater measure of it then God is pleased to give Evan. I confesse it is not the means that will either beget or increase faith but it is the Spirit of God in the use of the means that doth it so that as the means will not doe it without the Spirit neither will the Spirit doe it without the means where the means may be had wherefore I pray you doe not you hinder him from using the means Neo. Sir for mine own part let him say what he will I am resolved by the assistance of God to be carefull and diligent in the use of these means which you have now prescribed that so by the increasing of my faith I may be the better inabled to subject to the will of the Lord and so walk as that I may please him but yet I doe perceive that in regard of the imperfection of my faith I shall not be able perfectly to apprehend Christ and so consequently shall not be able to live without sin therefore I pray you Sir tell me how you would have mee to be affected when I shall hereafter through frailty commit any sin Evan. Before I can give you a true and full satisfactory answer to this your necessary question I must intreat you to consider with me First that in Rom. 6.14 it is sayd concerning believers Yee are not under the Law but under grace And in like manner Rom. 1.6 it is sayd But now we are delivered from the Law And yet it is said concerning a believer 1 Cor. 9.21 Being not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ And in like manner Rom. 3.31 it is sayd Doe wee then make voyd the Law through faith God for bid yea by faith we establish the Law Secondly That in 1 John 3.6 It is sayd That whosoeuer abideth in Christ sinneth not and in like manner ver 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin And yet it is sayd concerning such 1 John 1.8 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and in like manner Jam. 3.2 In many things we offend all Thirdly That in Numb 23.21 It is sayd concerning believers Hee that is to say God hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perversnesse in Israell in like manner Cant. 4.7 It is sayd behold thou art all faire my love and there is no spot in thee And yet it is sayd Prov. 5.21 as well concerning believers as others that the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and hee pondereth all his goings and in like manner Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to doe Fourthly That in Isai. 27.4 the Lord sayth concerning believers Anger is not in me and in like manner Isai. 54.9 it is sayd As I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more goe over the earth so have I sworn that I would no more be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee and yet it is sayd Psal. 10.40 That because the people went a whoring after their own inventions therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against this people insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance And in Deut. 13.1 Moses a true believer sayth The Lord was angry with him Fifthly That in Isai. 40.2 The Lord sayth concerning believers Speake yee
your believing that you have believed upon and so forcibly to hasten your assurance before the time for though this be not to turn quite back to the covenant of works for that you shall never do yet is it to turn aside towards that covenant as Abraham did who after that he had long wayted for the promised seed though he was before justified by believing the free promise yet for the more speedy satisfying of his faith hee turned aside to go in unto Hagar who was as you have heard a type of the covenant of works so that you see this is not the right way but the right way for you in this case to get your assurance again is when all other things fail to look to Christ That is go to the word and promise and leave off and cease a while to reason about the truth of your faith and set your heart on work to believe as if you had never yet done it saying in your heart well Satan suppose my faith hath not been true hitherto yet now will I begin to endevour after true faith and therefore ô Lord here I cast my self upon thy mercy afresh For in thee the fatherlesse finde mercy thus I say hold to the word goe not away but keep you here and you shall bring forth fruit with patience Neo. Well Sir you have fully satisfied the concerning that point but as I remember it followeth in the same Verse Know yee not your owne selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be repoobates wherefore I desire to heare how a man may know that Jesus Christ is in him Evan. Why if Christ be in a man hee lives in him as sayth the Apostle I live not but Christ liveth in me Neo. But how then shall a man know that Christ lives in him Evan. Why in what man soever Christ lives according to the measure of his faith he executes his threefold office in him viz. his Propheticall Priestly and Kingly Office Neo. I desire to hear more of this threefold office of Christ and therefore I pray you Sir tell me first how a man may know that Christ executes his Propheticall office in him Evan. Why so far forth as any man heares and knows that there was a covenant made betwixt God and all mankinde in Adam and that it was an equall covenant and that Gods justice must needs enter upon the breach of it and that all mankind for that cause were lyable to eternall death and damnation so that if God had condemned all mankinde yet had it beene but the sentence of an equall and just Judge seeking rather the execution of his justice then mans ruine and destruction and thereupon takes it home and applyes it particularly to himself and so is convinced that hee is a miserable lost and helplesse man I say so far forth as a man doth this CHRIST executes his Propheticall office in him in teaching him and revealing unto him the covenant of works And so far forth as any man hears and knowes that God made a covenant with Abraham and all his believing seed in Jesus Christ offering him freely to all to whom the sound of the Gospell comes and giving him freely to all that receive him by faith and so justifies them and saves them eternally and thereupon hath his heart opened to receive this truth not as a man taketh an object or a theologicall point into his head whereby hee is onely made able to discourse but as an habituall and practicall point receiving it into his heart by the faith of the Gospell and applying it to himselfe and laying his eternall state upon it and so setting to his seal that God is true I say so far forth as a man doth this CHRIST executes his propheticall office in him in teaching him and revealing to him the Covenant of grace and so far forth as any man hears and knows that This is the will of GOD even his sanctification c. And thereupon concludes that it is his dutie to endeavour after it I say so far forth as a man doth this Christ executes his propheticall office in him in teaching and revealing his law to him and this I hope is sufficient for answer to your first question Neo. I pray you Sir in the second place tell mee how a man may know that Christ executes his priestly office in him Evan. Why so far forth as any man hears and knows that Christ hath given himselfe as that onely absolute and perfect sacrifice for the sins of believers and joyned them unto himselfe by faith and himself unto them by his spirit and so made them one with him and is now entred into Heaven it self to appear in the presence of God for them and hereupon is emboldned to go immediatly to God in prayer as to a father and meet him in Christ and present him with Christ himselfe as with a Sacrifice without spot or blemish I say so far forth as any man doth this Christ executes his priestly office in him Neo. But Sir would you have a believer to goe immediately unto God how then doth Christ make intercession for us at Gods right hand as the Apostle sayth hee doth Rom. 8.34 Evan. It is true indeed Christ as a publike person representing all believers appeares before God his Father and willeth according to both his natures and desireth as he is man that God would for his satisfaction sake grant unto them whatsoever they aske according to his will But yet you must goe immediately to God in prayer for all that you must not pitch your prayers upon Christ and terminate them there as if he were to take them and present them to his Father but the very presenting place of your prayers must be God himselfe in Christ neither must you conceive as though Christ the Sonne were more willing to grant your request then God the Father for whatsoever Christ willeth the same also the Father being well pleased with him willeth in Christ then I say and nowhere else must you expect to have your petitions granted and as in Christ and no place else so for Christs sake and nothing else and therefore I beseech you to beware you forget not Christ when you go unto the Father to beg any thing which you desire either for your selfe or others especially when you desire co have any pardon for sin you are not to thinke that when you joyn with your prayers fasting weeping and afflicting of your selfe that for so doing you shall prevail with God to heare you and grant your petitions no no you must meete God in Christ and present him with his sufferings your eye your minde and all your confidence must be therein and in that be as confident as possibly you can yea expostulate the matter as it were with God the Father and say lo here is the person that hath well deserved it here 〈◊〉 the person that
though I have out-stript him in knowledge and it may be also in strict walking yet doe I now see that my actions were neither from a right principle nor to a right end and therefore have I been in no better a condition then he and truly Sir I must needs confesse I never heard so much of Christ and the Covenant of grace as I have done this day the Lord make it profitable to me and I beseech you Sir pray for me Ant. And truly Sir I am now fully convinced that I have gone out of the right way in that I have not had regard to the Law and the works thereof as I should But God willing I shall hereafter if the Lord prolong my dayes be more carefull how I lead my life seeing the ten Commandements are the law of Christ. And I beseech you Sir remember me in your prayers and so with many thanks to you for your pains I take my leave of you beseeching the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to bee with your spirit Amen Evan. Now the very God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great sheepherd of the sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good worke to doe his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen John 8.36 If the Sonne make you free you shall be free indeed Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Ver. 13. Onely use not your liberty for an occasion of the flesh but by love serve one another Chap. 6. ver 16. And as many as walke according to this rule peace bee upon them and mercie and upon the Israel of God Mat. 11.25 I thanke thee ô Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God that was with mee Psal. 36.11 Let not the foot of pride come against me LOving Reader the Printer drawing towards a conclusion and wanting matter to compleat so many sheets as was desired I have thought good by reason of the sutablenesse of this with the former to adde these Propositions following which are proved by Scripture and gathered long since by Patrick Hambleton Scottishman and martyred who was burned in Scotland the first day of March Anno 1527. The first Proposition He that loveth God loveth his neighbour This Proposition is proved 1 John 4.20 If a man say I love God and yet hateth his brother he is a lyer for how can hee that loveth not his brother whom he hath seene love God whom he hath not seen The second Proposition Hee that loveth his neighbour as himselfe keepeth all the Commandements of God This Proposition is proved Matth. 7.12 Whatsoever he would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets and in Rom. 13.8 9. Hee that loveth his neighbour fulfilleth the Law For this thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steale thou shalt not bear false witnesse thou shalt not covet and if there be any other Commandement it is briefly comprehended in this saying Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe and in Gal. 5.14 All the law is fulfilled in this one word Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self The third Proposition He that hath faith loveth God My Father loveth you because ye love me and believe that I came out from God John 16.27 Argument He that keepeth the Commandements of God hath the love of God He that hath faith keepeth the Commandements of God Ergo He that hath faith loveth God The fourth Proposition Hee that keepeth one Commandement of God keepeth them all This Proposition is confirmed Heb. 11.6 It is impossible for a man without faith to please God that is to keep any one of Gods Commandements as he should do then whosoever keepeth any one Commandement hath faith Argument Hee that hath faith keepeth all the Commandements of God He that keepeth any one Commandement of God hath faith Ergo He that keepeth any one Commandement keepeth them all The fifth Proposition Hee that keepeth not all the Commandements keepeth none of them Argument He that keepeth one Commandement of God keepeth all Ergo he that keeps not all the Commanments of God keepeth not one of them The sixth Proposition Faith is the gift of God Argument Every good thing is the gift of God Faith is a good thing Ergo Faith is the gift of God The seventh Proposition Faith is not in our power Argument The gift of God is not in our power Faith is the gift of God Ergo Faith is not in our power The eighth Proposition He that hath faith is just and good Argument He that is a good tree bringeth forth good fruit and is just and good Hee that hath faith is a good tree and bringeth forth good fruit Ergo he that hath faith is just and good The ninth Proposition Hee that believeth the Gospel believeth God Argument Hee that believeth Gods Word believeth God The Gospel is the Word of God Ergo Hee that believeth the Gospel believeth God To believe the Gospel is this that Christ is the Saviour of the world that Christ is our Saviour Christ bought us with his bloud Christ washed us with his bloud Christ offered himselfe a sacrifice for us Christ bare our sins upon his own back The tenth Proposition He that believeth the Gospel shall be safe Go yee unto all the World and preach the Gospel unto every creature hee that believeth and is baptised shall be saved Mark 16.16 A comparison between Faith and Incredulity Faith is the root of all good Incredulity is the root of all evill Faith maketh God and man good friends Incredulity maketh them foes Faith bringeth God and man together Incredulity separateth them All that Faith doth pleaseth God all that Incredulity doth displeaseth him Faith maketh a man good and righteous Incredulity maketh him evill Faith maketh a member of Christ Incredulity a member of the Devill Faith bringeth a man to Heaven Infidelity bringeth him to Hell A dispute between the Law and the Gospell The Law said pay the debt the Gospel said Christ hath payd it The Law said thou art a sinner the Gospel said thy sins are forgiven thee The Law said the Father of Heaven is angry the Gospel said Christ hath pacified it The Law said where is thy righteousnesse the Gospel said Christ is a believers righteousnesse The Law said thou art bound over to me the Devill and Hell The Gospel said Christ hath delivered a believer from you all No manner of works make us righteous We believe that a man is justified