and not esteemed of in the sight of God but yet we cannot understand by this that our VVorks are to be so perfect that the Law must not be broken for then what would the Blood of Christ signify to us VVho is it that ever liv'd so holy but every Day breaks the Law tho against his Desire But more of this in another Place As to the Scripture which seems to plead for Perfection of good VVorks and Faith in this Life or no Salvation which is that Vbelievers Fearful and all Lyars shall have their Portion in the Lake Rom. 21. 8. points that such Perfection is given after this Life otherwise who shall be saved this will end the Confusion that is preach'd Thus I have given an uniting of the Scripture as to Faith and Works And for the better understanding this I proceed to the Definition of a justiing Faith But first let me tell you Perfection in good Works is taught to be in this Life and so the Error of the Galatians is on us who expected Justification by the Law for they say if we repent we shall be forgiven which I grant but that which is the Mistake and brings us under Bondage again is that they allow not Repentance sufficient without also a forsaking of the Sin repented of and Men not always finding it in their Power so to do fall into Despair So that we had need of a more comfortable Doctrine to encourage us in that which is good and to render us Satisfaction For I find from the Example of the Primitive Christians that sold their Estates and gave it to the Poor that Love draws more than Fear compels A Definition of a Justifying or Saving Faith A Justifying or Saving Faith consists in three parts 1. To believe that Christ suffered for Sin without doubting of it 2. To love him to that perfection of Love as not to fear but to be assured of our Salvation 3. To delight in good works tho we cannot be so perfect in them as to keep the whole Law of Moses or Moral Commands of Christ yet having this Faith Good Works would be as was in the Primitive Faith when they sold their Possessions and distributed to those that wanted far surpassing what is now practised So that believing without doubting assurance of Salvation and good Works make up one Faith for Justification And if one of these three parts be wanting the Faith is not Justifying and so by consequence nor Saving Whence all three parts put together make up such a Faith as we must have either in this World or the World to come or no Salvation Proofs of this Faith in every part of it 1. He that doubts whether Christ suffered or not doth not believe for he that doubteth is damned is he eats because he eateth not of Faith Rom. 14. 23. questioning the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the Meat he eats which shews that a doubting Faith is a damning Faith But in objection to this we say Christ healed the Man that said Lord I believe help my Vnbelief So he healed all that were diseased of their Bodies that came unto him whether Believers or Unbelievers yet without this Faith there 's no Salvation And as to his not quenching the smoaking Flax that 's in some for it 's certain that Israel in part are concluded in Unbelief born to die in Unbelief And indeed the Faith now in general is a doubting wavering seeking Faith and Books are now writ to prove the Scriptures the word of God there being so little credit given to them 2. The second part of this Faith is assurance of Salvation It is neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision that availeth but Faith that works by love Gal. 5. 6. Hence 't is a Faith that works by love that is saving or available and this Faith which works by Love is not made perfect if Fear be not extinguished as 't is writ He that fears is not made perfect in love 1 John 4. 18. Now if 1 question whether God loves me so well as to save me I am in fear and where there is Fear there is Torment John 4. 18. So that it 's evident a Faith which works by Love is made perfect by a casting out of Fear which cannot be till there be an assurance of Salvation this being so clearly proved proves the first part of Faith to be true that doubting is not believing for who can be sure of his Salvation that doubts of Christ's Suffering 3. The third part of this Saving Faith is to delight in good Works tho we cannot be so perfect in them in this Life as to keep the whole Law of Moses and Moral Commands of Christ The Error that the foolish Galatians were under is the same as now 〈◊〉 which was that they sought Justification by being so 〈◊〉 good Works that they were able to keep the Law or 〈…〉 committing Sin as if we must first keep the Law 〈…〉 before we can have an Interest in Christ As 〈…〉 â—o absurd as to say they can live without 〈…〉 But Paul tells them he preached the Gospel to them 〈…〉 the Flesh and in the next Verse he calls this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Flesh which was Sin And in that 〈◊〉 so 〈…〉 they must have seen it because Paul 〈…〉 this his Temptation in the Flesh which theâ—efoâ—e must be a visible Sin or Temptation Gal. 4 13 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may go far and not be perfect 1 Cor. 13 'T is â—â—â—rity that is the tryal of a Christian's Faith and it never faileth The 〈◊〉 satisfaction of future Joys opens the Hearts of Men but Unbelievers hold it best to be sure of keeping what they have here for fear of not being recompenc'd hereafter But I would not have you mistake the Apostle when he saith Though I bestow all my 〈◊〉 to the Poor and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing â— Paul doth not say he that giveth his Goods to the Poor for Christ â— sake hath not Charity that cannot be but to give them in Oâ—â—â—uâ—ation or Pride For Charity covereth a multitude of Sins 1 Pet. 4. 8 and true Charity sussereth long or is patient and is kind and eâ—vieth not â—â—aunteth not it self is not puffed up and doth not unseemly beleave it self especially towards the Poor as if they were not his Fellow-Creatures Paul preach'd Sin unavoidable so that if he had found in himself that he could have avoided it altogether he could not have let his Experience and Doctrine so contradict each other for in Rom. 7. 21 he thus writes I find then a Law that when I would do good evil it present with me Again ver 18. to will is present with me but 〈◊〉 to perform that which is good I find not and much more in that Chapter to the same purpose And indeed the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit that we cannot do the things we would Gal. 5. 17. But iâ— objection to this we read Paul got the Victory 1 Cor. 15. â—7
but there he saith it was through Christ that God gave him the Victory â—â—â— Sin and Death that is in reference to another World otherwise we must conclude he never died here in the Flesh The Spirit of Christ moved in him to do that which was good yet he teaches that he had a 〈◊〉 Temptation in the Flesh and preach'd a Doctrine suâ—eableâ—â—◠〈◊〉 and suppose he got the Victory over Sin how should the Jews over their Unbelief In John 3. it 's said He thaâ— obideth in Christ sinneth not And in John 1. 8. If we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves c. This is the same as Paul said ' T is no more I that do it but Sin that is in me he did commit Sin but not willingly with a desire to commit it But alas â—â— those that have not a Beam in their Eyes may by reading what is commanded and how far short they come of it easily discern they cannot live one Day without committing one â—in or another Now let us see how far short Men come of the Works of those that had this Faith we find St. Paul work'd to maintain himself caring not to burden the Church 2 Thess 3. 8 9 and left it for an Example Where the Holy Ghost was evidently given that Comforter Joh. 16. 7. that sweetness of the Powers Above that gave them assurance of Salvation and ravished them with such Celestial transporting Joys without which we may be said to be in Hell that this World and all its Glory was as dung Phil. 3. 8. They sold their Possessions and distribute◠〈◊〉 their Brethren the Christians wanted and accounted nothing their own they possessed Acts 4. 32. and this was easy to them that had a saving Faith or assurance of Salvation whereby the Love of God was spread abroad in their Hearts but these are hard 〈◊〉 these Days Thus have I ended the Description of Saving Faith without which a Man cannot be saved so that if there were such a loâ—â— Place of Torment as a Hell-Fire after this Life who can by his Faith escape it But I have proved in my Clavis Aurea and will make it more plain here that Faith is given 〈◊〉 this Life and therein must rest our Satisfaction for little Signs of Faith are now and I pass by the miraculous Cures oâ— the Apostles and their raising the Dead as Signs of their Faith But if Covetousness Pride Envy c. be Signs of Faith we see enough rich Apparel and out-vying one another instead of searching out and visiting distressed Familes 'T is 〈…〉 themselves give good Examples in this kind 〈…〉 may be they will not let their right Hands know wha◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hands do An opening of some Obscure Places in the Clavis Aurea In Page 6 and 7. it 's prov'd that Blindness in part â—â— happened â—o Israel till the Fulness of the Gentiles be came in Rom 11. 25. But to be more plain if this Unbelief was not ordained for them and to continue till the Fulness of the Gentiles were come in How came St. Paul to know this And such Unbelief could not be foreseen if Free-will was intended for these Men multitudes of them not being born The Fulness of the Gentiles is when the Jews are called evident from the Text viz Blindness in part is happened unto Israel till the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in The Fulness of the Gentiles also is when the Deliverer comes out of Sion to turn Iniquity from Jacob Rom. 11. 26. which Iniquity cannot be turned away but by Faith for as long as Unbelief remains upon them their Iniquity remains And so long as Jerusalem lies trodden under-foot the Fulness of the Gentiles are not come in as 't is writ Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled Luke 21. 24. From this then we must allow that multitudes of the Jews were ordained before they were born to die in Unbelief and amongst such multitudes the grossest Sins have been committed Yet the Scriptures tell us All Israel shall be saved they being Enemies also to the Gospel yet are elected and beloved Rom. 11. 25. 28. All the Reason then that the Jews are broken off through Unbelief can be no other as the Scripture tells you but that the Gentiles might be grafted in Rom. 11. 17. And so Sin and Unbelief is not the Original Cause that all are not Israel which are of Israel 't is only a Distinction between the Children of the Flesh and Children of the Promise As 't is writ the Children of the Flesh are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise are accounted for the Seed Rom. 9. 8. The very Text it self tells you they are termed Israel though they are born to die in Unbelief in that it saith Blindness in part is happened unto Israel till the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in Rom. 11. 25. It 's but rational then that these unavoidable Vnbelievers should be saved and the Scripture agrees with it and besides Unbelief is a Cause of Sin as for want of a Saving Faith Men are covetous proud c. having only a form of Godlinâ—ss These Unbelievers and Sinners are notwithstanding termed Israel and the following Text saith All Israel shall be saved ver 26. So that the Children of the Promise must be all Men in the Spirit in their Glorified Estate tho they are the grossest Unbelievers and Sinners in the Flesh and this is very easy to believe since there is no Free-will in Faith and Unbelief is the Cause of gross Sins committed And in Sin there is not Free-will but some are made Vessels of Wrath as Judas to betray and some are made Vessels of Mercy as Paul who was created in Christ unto good Works which God before ordained be should walk in them Eph. 2. 10. And since such Examples are I would know the Reason why we must ascribe more Free-will to our Selves than the Jews Judas and Paul And why must not we draw a General Rule from these Particular Examples as well as Paul did from the Example of Pharoah's hardness of Heart Therefore saith Paul hath he Mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardens Rom. 9. 18. They being then such Unbelievers ordained to Unbelief and born to die in Unbelief yet are saved there can be no Hell Fire after this Life considering also that amongst such multitudes that die in Unbelief they have committed the grossest Sins But to proceed farther the Promise extends it self as 't is as reasonable to all Nations nay to all Families of the Earth we see Sin nor Unbelief being no more a hindrance to its Extension than the premeditated Lye of Jacob was to the receiving of the Blessing saying I am Esau thy first-born Gen. 27. The Promise is this Gen. 26. 4. I will multiply thy Seed as the Stars of Heaven c. and in thy Seed shall all Nations of the Earth be
they then shall not be able either to believe me or disprove me and I affirm that its the property of the Mystery of Divinity hardly to be believ'd but not to be overthrown by Argument and it s no shall Pleasure to me to see the various humours of Men yet cannot answer me some Laugh at my writings others are afraid of Sound Doctrine and in both the Scriptures are fulfill'd thus the Naturall Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are Foolishne's so laught at unto him neither can be know them because they are spiritually discern'd Cor. 2. 14. the time will come when Men will not endure Sound Doctrine 2 Tim. 4 3. Certainly then there must be something in Sound Doctrine as well as in false that Men should be so afraid of it but this is only to those that understand it not t is very pleasant to those that can receive it I wish Men would consider the blindness of the Jews and others that persecuted Paul insomuch that he was made a Spectacle to the World and of all Men most miserable And truly now some follow their Steps who persecuted him and have done me what diskindness the Law will let them in forsaking my Shop whereby my Family is reduced to such necessity that with him I may almost say I have no certain Duelling Place Cor. 8. 11. they have no more reason to do it by me then the Jews did it by Paul He tells us that at this time do we both Hanger and Thirst are Naked and Buffectted c. 1 Cor. 8. and at his Suffering then so my Suffering now is an Evidence of the â—lindness of the World who ought to Love their Enemies and to reduce a Brother if fallen in the Spirit of Meekness Gal. 6. 1. If I am mad as some say I deserve the greater Compassion but it s in vain to proceed farther in this since in some neither Precept nor Example will take place But I will now finish this Postscript by adding somewhat I havelest out in my Addition It is said go ye Cursed into Everlasting Fire c. Matth. 25. this is part of that parable But who are Cursed Certainly those that are Damn'd and who are Damn'd but those that dye in Unbelief as Israel unavoidably yet are they sav'd An other Scripture tells us every Mans Work shall be Burnt but he himself shall be sav'd yet so as by Fire 1 Cor. 3. 15. So that by Fire there 's no such danger as People think as is evident not only from this but also in my Addition Some Scriptures perswade Men to allow of Free-will though at the same time they prove not an Eternal Torment for Sin after this Life as these Oh that Israel had harkned unto me that they had walked in my ways Psal 81. 13. now joyn this to Gen. 6. 6 7. when God saw the VVickedness of Man it repented him that he had made man and griev'd him to the heart why may not he as well say O that I had not Created Man and Ordained Sin Oh that I had determin'd Man at frist to walk in my ways for now I see Sin actually Committed and see the Punishments I inflict on Man it grieves me to the very Heart Can we be so weak as to think God did not foresee what would be in Man Christ being Ordained to be Slain from the foundation of the World Rev. 13. and declares the world to be more wicked as appears in 2 Tim. 3. yet he still continues Man upon Earth which shews these things were determined and this Repentance and Wishing Oh that my People had harkned unto me and that I had not Created Man were foreseen by him to be in himself when he should see Sin Committed and Punished but God having Chosen the best meanes to manifest his Attributes and to make Man the more sensible of his happiness by Sin and its Punishment takes no pleasure in these meanes as Sin and its Temporal Punishment which grieves him but in the ends to which he Ordained them which sets forth his tender Mercy after Adam had eaten of the forbidden fruit then it was said behold the Man is become as one of us Gen. 3. 22. and this is perfectly Confirmed if we consider though good be Commanded the Contrary Evil is Ordained It is writ Turn ye Turn ye why will ye Dye c. It is the wisdom of God by the follishness of Preaching to Confound the wisdom of the World here 's a Command to Turn and a Threatning to Dye if we do not Turn that the Creature by Striving to Turn may be Sensible of his infirmity or disability to Turn without God draws him There are three things Principally Commanded to turn to viz. to love God our Neighbour and Faith in Christ But contrary to this it s said Men shall be Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God 2 Tim. 3 4. I have set all Men every one against his Neighbour Zach. 8. 10. Seeing ye shall see and not perceive c. Is 6. 9. It is also said the Lord is long suffering and not willing that any should perish but all should come to Repentance But contrary to this it 's said The callings and Gifts of God are without repentance Rom. 11. 32. And so it is for Israel that dye in Unbelief repent not for the Crucifying of Christ yet are saved and amongst such multitudes that Dye in Unbelief some undoubtely dye suddenly in their Sins but in another Life Israel that dye in Unbelief here and perish comes to Faith and Repentance and never more perish Thus in Justice and Mercy the Lord is long suffering if he saves all Men. But how say some since Mercy is a mitigation of Justice in one and the same Crime can he be both just and merciful I answer In God it may be so but not in man who must make an Appeal but God makes none as none being greater so that 't is a mercy for him to be just in that none can compel him to be just But if there were Free-will I don't understand there can be any Justice I am sure there 's no Mercy for a finite Sin which can no ways inflict any corporal pain upon a Deity to be infinitely tormented in fire Thus all men Perish in the flesh and live in the spirit The Body is dead because of Sin but the Spirit is life because of Righteousness Rom. 8. 10. And thus the Body like a Treem lies as it falls and the Spirit returns to him that gave it John saith This is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light Joh. 3. 19. The words Damnation and Condemnation here is the same because Darkness is the Damnation condemn'd to and inflicted upon Israel so that Damnation is Unbelief it self which is the want of the Joys of the Holy Ghost in a man which having the Kingdom of Heaven then is in a man
a Figure of Election To the uncharitable Goats he bids Depart ye Cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels But to the charitable Sheep he saith Come ye blessed of my Father receive ye the Kingdom of Heaven prepared for you from the Foundation of the World c. It 's plain this is a Parable and which must we realy upon Parables that carry a double Sense or Texts of Scripture that Experience makes its Exposition infallible which if granted as cannot be denyed but that we must adhere to an infallible Exposition and all Scriptures being true and none false and so must not contradict one another really all Scriptures then that carry a double Sense must be united to such Scriptures whose literial Sense Experience and Reason confirms which is Rom. 11. 25 and 26 verses Do we think then that Christ will come and sit upon a Throne judging the World when he hath already declar'd the Salvation of all Israel which as touthing the Promise are all Men The manner of the second coming of Christ is in another manner exprest in 1 Thess 4. 14 15 16 17 18. God will bring them with him which sleep in Jesus and those that remain shall be caught up with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and Paul bids them comfort one another with these words We see then Men receive their Doom as they Die in that those that are asleep in Jesus God brings with him and in that he bids them comfort themselves with these Words there would be little comfort in a Judgment that one Man shall be cast into a Hell-Fire and another Sav'd like as Men in our Courts of Judicature one condemn'd to be hang'd before a sitting Judge and another sav'd But here those that remain are caught up to meet the Lord in the Air not that there is a sitting and trying of Men for then either by Works or Faith who shall be sav'd but Paul makes this Parable exactly agree to Rom. 11. 25 26. as it is unfolded by Rom. 9. 8. the Children of the Flesh these are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise are accounted for the Seed For in 1 Cor. 15. ver 42. to the end of the Chapter where is a Distinction between the Children of the Flesh and Promise and particularly in the 50th Verse Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven And it follows in a Moment in the twinckling of an Eye the Dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be chang'd So that this Parabolical or Sitting Judgment figurates God's secret Decree of everlastingly destroying the Children of the Flesh by changing them and so as they were the Children of the Flesh they are punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of God 2 Thess 1. 9. the everlasting Fire here is his wrath everlasting against the Children of the Flesh as it is against Death which he destroyed by raising it to life and so it will agree to Rom. 11. 25 26. which it must not contridict and that 's our Satisfaction Have any yet pretended to define this Hell-Fire which Spirits are said to be cast into Will Elementary Fire burn them Dr. Tillotson in his 35th Sermon saith That Hell-Fire may be threatned but not intended whereby it 's evident he can prove no such real Place nor any Person cast into it Too many say there 's no eternal Death but Hell-Fire what then did Christ deliver us from I answer Call the Soul what you please it 's created and so God can reduce it to its first nothing or not created and then it can be nothing but God himselâ— which he cannot kill nor burn And there cannot be a Seperation between the Spirit of God and God no more than you can seperate the Rays of the Sun from the Sun What I have writ is more true if we consider that the Punishment of Vnbelievers is Damnation in Mark 16. 16. And in Rev. 21. 8. Vnbelievers are cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone Yet Men are born to die in Unbelief as I have proved How then shall either the Jews avoid this Lake by their Unbelief or we by our Faith which so far comes short of a Saving Fatth But I find another thing in Scripture that terrible things are express'd to come upon Earth far more terrible than any Man ever saw in a literal Sense as can we think that God would give Power to a Beast to make Fire come down from Heaven to deceive Men which must needs do it and to give him Power to overcome the Saints and to cause all that would not worship him neither to buy or sell whereby they must be starv'd and to be kill'd without they worship him and receive his Mark and then to cast those Men that are thus compell'd and deceiv'd to receive his Mark into a real Lake of Fire and Brimstone Rev. 13. and 14. this being not consonant to the Sweetness of the Powers Above We must conclude then by this Fire is meant the Wrath of God cutting off all Men in the Flesh or the Troubles of this Life we are all cast into tho some more than others We find other terrible Places which tell us of a smoaking Pit and out of it came Locusts upon the Earth and had the Power of Scorpions not to kill Men but to torment them five Months But who ever saw such or who ever saw the third part of Men kill'd by Horses with Heads like Lyons or by Smoak and Fire and Brimstone that came out of their Mouths Rev. 9. Figures then in Scripture are more terrible than their Substance they denote And upon other Occasions we find the Figures greater than the Substance they figurate as the rejoycing in Solomon's Days That the Earth rent with the sound 1 Kings 1. 40. and Silver was as the Stones 1 Kings 10. 27. and the Men of Benjamen sting Stones to a Hairs breadth and not miss Judges 20. 16. and in John 21. Toat he supposed the World would not contain the Books that could be written of what Christ did We read of Sodom and Gomorrha are set forth for an Example suffering the vengeance of eternal Fire Jude 7. and Peter explains this 1 Pet. 4. 6. For this Cause was the Gospel preacht to them that are Dead that they might be judg'd according to Men in the Flesh but live according to God in the Spiâ—it for me to unite all terrible places of Scripture to Rom. 11 c. would swell this into a large Volum but they cannot contradict that Text of Rom. 11. 25 26. for then some Scriptures must be true and some false But I say iâ— there â—e a Hell-Fire let 's see how we shall escape it Where 's our Saving Faith or how shall Israel escape it and as to our works can we have no Satisfaction till we can live without commiring Sin This would be hard indeed and so we have a Gospel in