FREE GRACE Exalted and thence Deduced EVANGELICAL RULES FOR EVANGELICAL SUFFERINGS In two Discourses made 29. March and 10. May 1670. From Rom. 5.21 LONDON Printed in the Year 1670. TO THE READER RUth reaped a bountifull blessing with her humble gleaning in the field of her near kinsman Boaz to become the Mother of her Lord and Saviour the same benediction is perpetually to be found in the field of the Gospel whereof the former field is the figure a poor creature having had the opportunity of a turn or two in that field and finding much heavenly consolation there pick'd up with his Pen a few scatterings of what was lately presented before the God of the whole harvest in two Discourses of the Free Grace of and Suffering for the Gospel and being willing they should extend to a standing benefit of a few more than the Auditors out of love to the truth and souls hath transcribed them for the Press and if out of them any poor soul shall press the wine of the kingdome to comfort and establish him by the assistance of the spirit of Grace let him bless the Master of the Vineyard who refreshes every weary soul that comes to him I confess the world is well replenished with treatises of both subjects Free Grace and Sufferings all I wish is they were better studied and practised this is only the casting two Mites into the Treasury which it is hoped some will reap the benefit of nay these in themselves contain the whole Treasury if sanctified to an humble soul. There is only this note to be made whereas there is a necessary caution laid down against sourness of spirit wrath desire of revenge or the like to be allowed by any in their sufferings that yet this doth not tend to invalidate the true and faithfull sayings of God that he will in his time appointed pour out his fierce wrath and indignation against all implacable enemies as Babylon and her Confederates in order to the setting up the kingdome of the Lord Jesus universally in the earth in truth and righteousness here is the faith and patience of the Saints and hence it is they cry Come Lord Jesus come quickly Free Grace Exalted and thence Deduced In a Discourse March 29. 1670. Rom. 5.21 As Sin So might Grace reign through righteousness to Eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. ST Paul in this Epistle doth establish on heavenly grounds and heavenly pillars of divine truths and divine arguments The doctrine of free Grace as a rock as a rock of Eternity on which the rock himself Jesus Christ as he is the Mediator of the Covenant is founded against which all the gates of hell shall not be able to prevail he establisheth it against all assaults by which the powers of darkness do invade it he sets it before us as the◠〈◊〉 out of which all the most precious and pleasant mysteries of the Gospel do spring and as the head which is chief of them all on which they all depend from which they all have the life strength beauty and sweetness In these two last verses of this Chapter you have the treasure of the whole Epistle and whole Gospel comprised with a divine skill in a little compass he gives a distinct view of the whole In these two verses is a comparison between the Law and the Gospel or the Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace the mystery of the Law and Covenant of works with its design end and effect represented the Law entred that the offence might abound Sin reigns to death that 's the design of the Law It never entred into the heart of God that righteousness or life should be by the Law or the Covenant of works no the design of the Law is that Sin might find a way into the world and be heightned that the offence might abound and that Sin may bring in death upon all but is this in the eye of God simply thus to determine his Councels no but the Gospel follows and is the sweet Riddle Out of the Eater came Meat and out of the Strong came Sweetness the Law is as a foile for a Diamond 't is the design of God that the Covenant of Grace that everlasting love might come down from Heaven with a greater pomp and glory with a greater train of sweetness and joy bringing everlasting righteousness and everlasting life along with it so you see the 20th verse The law entred that the offence might abound but where sin abounded grace doth much more abound a great heap of fuel is laid to this end that the fire taking hold of it might consume it and spread it self and rise to Heaven with a glorious flame that as sin hath reigned unto death even so might Grace reign to Eternal life through righteousness by Jesus Christ our Lord. My design is to speak to the last part of this verse So might Grace c. where you have all the treasures of the Gospel richly pointed at in the compass of two lines First you have here a King Grace this King is on the Throne grace reigns it reigns over sin and death 2ly you have the Scepter of this King righteousness grace reigns through righteousness he reigns to righteousness or by righteousness righteousness is the Scepter of the kingdome of grace 3ly you have the effect or end of this reign how blessed is it to be Subjects to this King how good and blessed is this Kings reign to all his Subjects for 't is to eternal life a life of grace and of glory a life that is begun here in earth and flesh by grace that is perfected in the spirit and in heaven by glory then 4ly here is the great Minister of this great King by Jesus Christ our Lord grace reigns by Jesus Christ as great Kings First they make their Ministers of State they first raise them then use them and reign by them as Pharaoh by Joseph so Jesus Christ is both the gift of this grace and the Minister of this grace free grace raised Jesus Christ up to be a Mediator in the Covenant of grace to be a Minister in this kingdome of grace and then reigns by him to eternal life Jesus Christ is the Minister of grace by both righteousnesses the righteousness of justification which is the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ resting as a Crown on the head of a Soul to justifie him and he is the righteousness of Sanctification the righteousness of God by Jesus Christ as a root of holiness in the heart of a Saint springing up into all holiness and spirituality there how full is this blessedness how full is the Covenant of grace so many words as be here so many heavens open themselves in fulness of grace and glory Grace Righteousness Eternal life Jesus Christ our Lord every one comprehends all Divines distinguish between two sorts of grace one is grace-making-grace the other is grace-made-grace the one is Eternal love in the heart of
grace of God to be acquainted with it and that their acquaintance may encrease seek acquaintance with the free grace of God with all your heart let all the desires of your heart be wrapt up in the search of free grace Psalm 27.8 My heart saith seek my face thy face will I seek free grace eternal love this is the naked face of God Oh seek let your heart with all within you say to you continually by day and by night seek the face of God the grace of God and let your heart answer again in the truth of your practice thy grace O God we will seek all good things of time and eternity are wrapt up in the grace of God wisdome is a tree of life to those that take hold of it 't is the Gospel is the Tree of life 't is grace is the Gospel the glad tydings from Heaven take hold of this grace of God by faith 't is a tree of life God is the root of this tree in thy spirit when you take hold of the grace of God you shall have the Father the Fountain of this grace the Son the Channel full of this grace the holy Spirit as the living Streams living Water and Floud of this grace pouring out it self into thee you shall have the new nature the spiritual man the budds of this tree springing out of this root and every spiritual grace as the branches of it and all joy and glory of the spirit as the fruit of free grace on which your soul shall feed as on the fruit of his own tree O then follow free grace wait for it seek acquaintance with it with all your understanding might and power My next Use is to warn all that profess the name of God to take heed of living under the law of abiding in a legal spirit you shall see how I come to this admonition from this doctrine if you consider that Text which loudly alarums us to hast from Sinai to Sion 6 Rom. 14. For Sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under grace O behold and tremble to see that the law and grace are inconsistent in their reign if you be under the law you cannot be under grace if you be under grace you are no more under the law if you be under the law sin domineers over you grace is no King to you O then be fearful to build Tabernacles on Mount Sinai in clouds and earth-quakes under the administration of the law but you will say how shall we know if we be under the law or no I shall at this time give you one character to know it by art thou still in thy natural estate of unregeneracy of unbelief then you are under the law and not under grace the Lord Jesus tells John 3.3 Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God and again Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God art then acquainted but with a natural birth art thou a stranger to the new birth the second birth that from above where grace is a King whose Kingdome is righteousness peace and joy in the holy Ghost art not thou born of water and of the spirit of that spirit the spirit of grace of that water which is above the Firmament the grace of this spirit which flows for ever then you cannot see or enter into the Kingdome of grace there is a Cherub with a flaming sword the Ministry of the law that keeps the entrance that you cannot tast the sweetness joy and glory of this grace the law hath dominion over thee and sin death the devil and eternal wrath have dominion over thee according to thy present state Oh that you would lament this with tears of blood that your hearts would break with longings till grace according to its freedome translate from this Kingdome of the law to its own Kingdome and Dominion a Kingdome of Heaven upon Earth Alas while under the law in vain do you strive to break the chains of corruption and lust guilt and fear sin reigns powerfully and will reign to death to a first death a dark and melancholly state to the second death a long and endless night without any glimps of light or the least refreshment where you lye in torments unexpressible beyond that of the highest fear in unquenchable burnings where evil spirits and devils in this Kingdome of the law and wrath pour continually oyl to the fire and cry out where be the pleasures of sin the riches of the world where is your pomp happiness and joy now in all the things that were seen and be now vanished and be as fuel to heighten your flame O come to the Lord Jesus and be councelled by him we read when an Army of the Philistines lay between David and Bethlehem he cryed out Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the Well of Bethlehem which is by the gate and three mighty men brake through the Host and brought water to David but he poured it out unto the Lord and said far be it from me is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives Hear all you that are under the law the bosome of the Father is the true Bethlehem the house of bread Jesus Christ the bread of God is there in the gate of this Bethlehem is a fountain of grace O long day and night cry and say in the ear of the Lord Jesus who will give to drink of that Fountain in the gate of Bethlehem in the fountain of grace then I shall not be parch'd with the burning heat of lust of guilt of grief of pain then shall I thirst no more after the poysons of this world the least drop of that water would be an eternal solace to my soul Oh hear and see thou that thus longest and faintest to drink but cryest alass there be Armies between thee and this fountain Armies of corruptions of guilt of sin and wrath Armies of devils Oh who now shall give me to drink of this fountain Be not cast down look up behold and see and rejoyce to see Jesus Christ the mighty Worthy of God hath broke through all these Armies and in despight of all he brings of the living water of grace from the fountain of grace for thee to drink nay he brings thee to the fountain in the bosome of the Father Oh now in this moment thou that hast hitherto been in thy natural estate under the dominion of the law hear his voyce that by the Ministry brings thee to the fountain of grace that calls thee to come freely without money and without price to drink deep of this fountain this shall spring up to all righteousness holiness and joy in thee this shall spring up as streams to make thee flourish like the garden of God Oh that the Lord Jesus would be present with thee now to a new
of his Chamber richly adorned as the Sun in a Summer morning fresh and sweet with beauty of his grace to take thee out of thy state of sin and sorrow out of the tumults of the flesh to his Bridall Chamber to his Marriage Chariot to Ryde with him as his Queen canst thou now think there are any joyes any treasures to be compared with this State have you thus in the Ministry of his grace seen the Lord Jesus and received him in his love into your souls and is not one hour spent thus better than thousands in all the glory of the world is not one grain of this glory better of more worth than all this world at present with respect to the present sweetness what will it then be as it grows up in full ripe Fruits to Eternity Thus suffer for attending to the Ministry of grace Thirdly Suffer for your obedience only to the grace of God the Wise men followed the Starr though it went into a Stable because there they met with the King of glory Behold a more beautifull guide than a Starre I will guide thee by my eye the face of God to his people is the day spring from on high Follow this day spring this eye this face of God whethersoever it leads thee though to a Manger though to a Prison though to the Cross and to the Grave to Poverty and Desolation Oh follow it for where-ever it leads you you shall find your Jesus there the Prince of glory turning the Stable the Prison to a Palace of glory and turning the Cross to a flourishing Tree of life budding as Aarons Rod. Fourthly Suffer only for the kingdome of grace there be two Scriptures which I shall present to you to make good this part of my Exhortation Heb. 11.13 They confessed that they were strangers and Pilgrims on the earth then 14th They that say such things declare they sought a Countrey a Kingdome but what Kingdom 15. vers not that from whence they came and 16. but now they desire a better Countrey that is an heavenly therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City they seek a Countrey 't is their heavenly native Countrey the word is Patrida 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suffer as Pilgrims here not to be Princes care not for it have you been cast out of your Possessions Estates and Glories here and desire not to return whatever opportunities present themselves let not this be in your eye in suffering profess here you have no abiding place no enduring substance profess your selves Pilgrims give your selves to suffer as such let your eye be upon your native Countrey on the heavenly Jerusalem now you please God to the heart and God delights to be called your God when together with him you will be sojourners here and seek no kingdome but that in which he Reigns now God will prepare now God hath prepared for you a City nay a Kingdome The second Scripture is 2 Cor. 4.18 with the 5th and 1st what carryed Paul through suffering saith he We look not at the things that are seen but things not seen which are Eternal and now we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God Eternal in the Heavens and this we groan for to be cloathed with our house which is from Heaven not to be uncloathed but clothed that mortality may be swallowed up of life here 's a Kingdome for which alone all the Saints are to suffer not of this world nor in this world not of the flesh or in the flesh but of the spirit and in the spirit but for an invisible kingdome which the eye of no natural understanding can reach a kingdome seated and established in God a kingdome eternal in the Heavens where the invisible light and glory swallows up all that is visible temporal and mortal into it self for this kingdome of grace endure sufferings so you will be like Christ for it is said he endured for the joy set before him what was that joy set before him see that John 17.5 And now O Father glorifie me with thy self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was see here the joy and kingdome which was in the eye of Christ that kingdome of God above which is righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost which is not in this world which was before the world was a kingdome in Eternity God himself that kingdome the invisible eternal glory of the God-head which was when the world was not and shall be when the world is no more which while the world continues is the same but not in the world nor in appearance to sence or reason but in the invisibility of the eternal spirit in a glory farr surmounting sence or reason this kingdome was in Christs eye when he suffered now the joy of this kingdome made him despise the shame Oh be ye like Christ and suffer for this kingdome to reign with God in his invisible and eternal glory So much for this second Rule To suffer only for the grace of God Thirdly Let us suffer with the grace of God in our spirits when the Disciples desired Jesus Christ to call for fire from Heaven to destroy those Samaritans that would not suffer him to go through their City Jesus Christ saith unto them Ye know not what spirits you are of these words are capable of a two-fold sence first you know not not O my Lambs what is your proper spirit and how that you ask is your proper spirit this is unproper to my spirit and do you desire to know what spirit this is the Holy Ghost tells in the Epistle of Saint James Jam. 3.14 If you have any bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not and lye not against the truth this is a bitter Zeal in the Original call not this Zeal Religion and Grace and the Spirit of the Gospel you lye against the truth if you do so this wisdome is not from above but is earthly sensual and devillish O see what spirit we are of if we call for fire from Heaven to consume those that reject us and resist us to destroy the soul or life of any man this is a bitter Zeal and brings in 16 vers Confusion and every evil work A second sence is you know not what spirit you are of that is you do not understand what the spirit of grace of the Gospel in you is and what the spirit of a Saint under the Gospel is For the Son of Man came not to destroy souls but to save them would you know the proper spirit of a Saint see that in the 17th vers But the wisdome that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle easie to be entreated full of mercy and the fruits of righteousness are sown in peace without partiality the word is without wrangling See the spirit which is your spirit the spirit of Saintship