all that would partake of Gospel-priviledges It is necessary in regard of the purpose of God Elect according to the fore knowledge of God through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.2 Though God did not choose men because they were holy yet he chose men to be holy though he appointed not men to be saved because they were Saints yet he appointed men to be Saints and then to be saved It is necessary in regard of the passion of Christ he died for sin that men might die to sin he laid down his life that men might lay down their lusts his passion is a City of Refuge to the Penitent not a sactuary to the presumptuous God intended it to help men out of not to hold them in the mire of sin He is the Author of eternal salvation to them that obey him Hebr. 5.9 He died because men were sinners but he died that men might be Saints He suffered the just for the unjust to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 Now man and God can never be brought together till the emnity which is in the heart of man against God be removed If ever thou have Christ for thy Priest to satisfie Gods Justice for thy sins it is absolutely necessary that thou accept him for thy Prince to subdue thee to his service Had Christ come to procure man a pardon Gur. Arm. â—par â—17 and not to restore his lost holiness he had been a minister of sin and instead of bringing glory to God he had set sin in the throne and onely obtained a liberty for the creature to dishonour God without controle Again saith the same accurate writer In vain do men think to shroud themselves under Christs wings from the hue and cry of their accusing consciences while wickedness finds a sanctuary in them Christ was sent from God not to secure men in but to save men from their sins It is necessary in regard of the promises of God Thus saith the Lord of hosts turn to me saith the Lord of hosts and I will turn to you saith the Lord of hosts Zach. 1.3 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you Jam. 4.8 If ever God draw nigh to thee in mercy thou must draw nigh to him in duty He that shall have the reward must do the work The precepts of God must be written on the heart otherwise the promises of God shall never fall down on thine head Isa 1.16 17 and 55.7 1 King 8.35 Prov. 28.13 Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God Matth. 5.8 'T is the pure heart alone that hath the assurance of the pure heaven Thou seest now I hope clearly the absolute necessity of Regeneration what therefore canst thou think to do without it O ponder this again and again that there is no escape no evasion God will not vary from his Law Thy dying to sin is necessary sin must die or thy soul cannot live If ye live after the the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8.13 6. Gal. 6.6 7. Surely thou canst not think that Heaven will be a stye for swine or a kennel for dogs that feed on filth and carrion Believe it if any iniquity be let go thy life must go for its life The Jaylors paid dear for letting Peter escape Act. 12. Herod commanded them to be put to death Truly so dear must thou pay for the escape of sin 't wil bring the second death even eternal death upon thee be thy sin as near and as dear as Isaac it must be sacrificed be it never so small it must not be spared Cesar was stab'd with bodkins I have somewhere read that a man and a Crocodile never meet but one dieth 'T is certain sin and the soul never meet but one dieth if sin live the soul dieth if sin die the soul liveth there is no parting stakes or retreating upon equal terms Maurice of Newport told his Souldiers when he had sent away his boates that there was no flying the Spaniards being before them and the Sea behinde them Either ye must eat up and destroy those Spaniards or drink up this ocean Friend such is thy case either thou must destroy thy sins or drink up the bottomless ocean of the Lords wrath Answer me seriously thou wilt say thou dost not love such a man so well as to be hangd for him Dost thou love sin so well as to be damned for it Dost thou love thy Drunkenness and Swearing and Uncleanness and scoffing at Godliness so well as to burn eternally in hell for them Dost thou love thy pride and worldliness and lustful thoughts and Atheisme and carnall mindedness so well as to be tormented day and night for ever and ever for them A very Coward will fight when he must either kill or be killed Willt not thou fight manfully when sin will kill thee if it be not killed by thee Ahab out of foolish pitie gave Benhadad his life when he ought to have slain him but the requital which Benhadad made was to kill Ahab 1 King cap. ult v. 31 34. such a requital sin will make thee if thou favour it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the masculine article sheweâ—h that it s to be referred to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Manton on â—ude p. 38. Follow after peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Observe how peremptory God is in that place that without holiness no man shall see God It is not said that without peace no man shall see God but without holiness no man shall see God Peace may be broken in the quarrel of truth and holiness and yet for all that a man may see God Jeremiah was a man of contention and yet a man for the beatifical vision but they that are not holy cannot see God A pure eye onely can see a pure God As the eye which hath dust in it without or thick vapours stopping the nerves within cannot see except it be cleansed from the one and purged from the other So a man the eye of whose mind is clouded with the mist of sin cannot behold God till he be cleansed The Christians happiness in heaven consisteth in such a vision of God as shall make him like God 1 John 3.2 but a dusky glass cannot represent an image When the Sun of righteousness shall shine upon a pure Christal glass a clean unspotted soul t will cause a glorious reflection indeed To wind up this fourth subject of consideration Reader Affaires of absolute indispensable necessity should like weighty things make a deep impression upon thy spirit Urge thy soul often with this that of all things in the world regeneration is the one thing necessary Let conscience press it on thee I must be converted or condemned here is the word of the living God for it and such a word
he is void of true wisdom and liveth without this serious consideration Isa 1.2 3 4 5. They consider not the conclusion and therefore are confident in the commission of sin They consider not their last end therefore they come down mightily Lam. 1.9 A Divine writeth well how subtil Satan is to hinder mens consideration Satan saith he is very jealous of the sinner afraid every Christian that speaks to him Gurnals Armor part 1. pag â—2â— or ordinances he hear should inveigle him by his good will he should come at neither No nor have a thought of heaven or hell from one end of the week to the other and that he may have as few as may be he keepeth him full handed with work The sinner is grinding and he is filling the hopper that the mill may not stand still He is with the sinner as soon as he wakes and fils his wretched heart with some wicked thoughts which as a morning-draught may keep him from the infection of any savour of good that may be breathed on him by others in the day time All the day long he watcheth him as the Master would do his man that he fears will run away And at night like a careful Jaylor he locks him up again in his chamber with more bolts and fetters upon him not suffering him to sleep as he lieth on his bed till he hath done some mischiefe Ah poor wretch was ever slave so lookt too as long as the Divel can keep thee thus thou art his own sure enough Now as that Father said of the Gospel that it must needs be excellent because Nero prosecuted it with so much violence so this consideration must needs be an excellent help to holiness because the Divel doth prosecute it with such implacable hatred if he can keep this door of thy soul shut he feareth not Christs entrance into thy heart I have sometime read of a religious father that had a deboyst lewd son that was a great grief to him when the father was on his death bed he made this son to promise him that he would be every day of his life half an hour alone by himself The son making some conscience of his solemne engagement to his dying father used afterwards to retire himself daily for that space of time where at first he busied himself vainly in thinking of the honours and delights of the world but afterwards he began to consider what end his father had in binding him to such retiredness and then thought of his own folly in wandring from God and embracing a dying and lying world and the Spirit striking in with those meditations he became a new man O that Reader thou wouldst go and do as he did Is it not an easy remedy If God should require ten hours every day to be spent in secret about thy soul and salvation I profess to thee I know not how thou couldst spend thy time better or so well I am sure t were worth the while O Friend to be amongst Divels in everlasting torments or with Christ in everlasting pleasures are other manner of things then thou canst imagine but I do request of thee on the behalf of God and thy soul but one half hour every day that thou wouldst retire thy self into thy chamber or closet The beautiful bridegroom is bashful and cometh seldom to his Church Cant. 4.11 or any Christian in a crowd and there consider seriously of some things which I shall from the Lord propound to thee Let not the cheapness of the receipt make the refuse it thou seest somtimes that simple hearbs that grow in our own gardens cure those distempers which costly drugs fetched from far cannot As the Generals servant said to him when he raged and fretted at the counsel of the Prophet for the cure of his Leprosy If the Prophet had bid the do some great thing wouldst thou not have done it how much rather when he saith wash and be clean 2 Kings 5.13 so say I to thee if I should request more time in a day if I should desire far greater things of thee for the killing of that Leprosy which otherwise will kill thee wouldst thou not do it Ah didst thou but know the price of a Christ thou wouldst sell all to buy that pearle didst thou but know the wrath of a just holy and infinite God thou wouldst do any thing do all things possible to escape it How much rather when I desire onely one half hour in a day for serious consideration If thou wilt not do this for the avoiding of Hell dost thou not deserve to burn for ever think of it Reader whoever thou art I am very loath to leave thee before I have prevailed with thee dost thou not sqander away many an hour vainly nay sinfully in working out thy damnation and wilt thou not spare one half hour in a day to work out thy salvation in how many years hast thou spent in the service of thy brutish flesh and is half an hour in a day when thou art not sure to live a week too much for thine angelical spirit What saist thou Wilt thou promise thy Maker and Redeemer that thou wilt do this whose advantage is it like to be thine or mine If thou art wise thou art wise for thy self but if thou art a scorner thou alone shalt suffer Prov. 9.12 Well if thou wilt not grant me this little time thou art like to grieve for the refusal eternally And truly if thou wilt hear God in this I have hopes that he will hear thee in far greater Set thine heart therefore to all the words which I speak unto thee this day for it is not a vain thing but it is for thy life Deut. 12.46 47. I Shall upon presumption that thou wilt for thy souls sake use that cheap help of Consideration assist thee by laying down five particulars as subjects of thy most serious thoughts and I know not one of them but hath such weight that when thou are considering if the blessed God vouchsafe a meeting it may do the work The first subject of Consideration The misery of the unregenerate matchless endless FIrst Consider the misery which thou liest under or art liable to whilst thou art unregenerate And were I but able to charge and discharge this great gun fully it might probably fire thee out of all thy sinful holds and force thee to seek unto Christ for help But as the Roman said of his fellow-Citizen That he was beyond all expressions wicked so may I say of thee that thou art beyond not only all expressions but all conceptions wretched No ink is black enough to describe those dismal clouds of fury under which thou livest in this world But O what tongue can tell the thousandth part of those fiery torments to which thou art liable in the other world While thou livest thou art a cursed sinner and when thou diest thou shalt be a damned creature While thou livest thou art
Martyrs he was earnest to know what it was which carried them through with so much courage One of them there being two and twenty at that time under the tormentors hands answered Eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 Upon the hearing of which words Adrian was converted and sealed the truth with his blood Thou hast heard much more concerning the happiness of the Saints in the other world then one verse of Scripture how art thou taken with it Doth the joy there nothing affect thine heart nor enlarge it in salleys out after it O that that joy that glory that house that eternal heaven were mine Doth it nothing resolve thee against sin and for Christ answer God in thy conscience Some write that forty one of Alexanders friends drunk themselves dead for a crown of gold of One hundred and eighty pound weight which the King had provided for them which drank most God offereth thee a crown of glory not corruptible as silver and gold are but eternal art not thou ashamed that those swaggerers should cursedly lose their lives and souls for a fading crown when thou wilt not leave thy lusts thy sins for an ever-flourishing crown of glory O man bethink thy self whilst thou hast time and do not as prophane Esau prefer thy mess of pottage before these spiritual priviledges and the eternal purchase Cleopatra the Egyptian Princess told Marcus Antonius when she saw him-spending his time vainly and meanly much below the quality of a Prince It is not for you to fish for Gudgeons or Trouts but for Towns and Cities and Castles and Kingdoms So say I to thee It is not for the to lie spending thy time and strength and beating thine head and heart for an hoard of dust or an heap of earth which shall shortly take its eternal leave of thee but for spiritual riches for durable riches and righteousness it 's not for thee to busie thy self about toyes and trifles but about the image of God the blood of Christ the Covenant of Grace the Kingdom 〈◊〉 Heaven the eternal weight of Glory O these are worthy of all thy thoughts and words and actions of all thy time and strength and health of all thy name and estate and interest whatsoever If thou att a rational creature Swinham Court of Wards and Liv. let reason prevail with thee and shew thy self a man of understanding It was the custom formerly in England to try one that was beg'd for a fool in this manner an apple or a counter with a piece of gold was set before him if he take the apple or the counter he is cast for a fool in the judgement of the Court as one that knoweth not the true value of things or how to make choyce of what was best for him Truly thus it is with thee God setteth before thee the counters and carnal comforts of this world the true gold and unutterable happiness of the other world nay he layeth before thee the eternal pains of hell and the eternal pleasures of Heaven to try which thou wilt take now if thou wilt take a poor portion below and leave the purchased possession above if thou wilt to abide in thy sensual lusts chuse the torments of hell and refuse by not submitting to the rule of Christ the joys of heaven art thou not a fool in grain surely the Devil will beg thee for a fool for ever therefore shew thy self wise by chusing that which is of greatest worth I call heaven and earth to record this day against thee that I have set before thee life and death blessing and cursing therefore chuse life that both thou and thy seed may live Deut. 30.19 The third Subject of Consideration The Excellency of Regeneration THirdly Consider the excellency of that which the Lord requireth of thee for the avoiding of that easeless endless misery of the damned and the attaining the unspeakable and unchangeable felicity of the saved Reader I pray thee speak to God in thine heart and tell him what is the reason thou art so willing to go to Hell and so unwilling to go to Heaven Sure I am as thou art a living creature much more as a rational man thou hast a natural inclination and propensity towards thine own good and felicity and therefore thou canst not love Hell directly as it is torturing and wracking of thy soul and body though thou dost love it eventually as 't is the end of thy fleshly ungodly life Well I le undertake for once to dive into thine heart and tell thee the reason of thy backwardness towards heaven and thy forwardness for hell The reason is this thou lookest on the power of godliness as distasteful to thy flesh or disgraceful to thy name the yoke of Christ is too strict t is not the end that displeaseth thee thou couldst contentedly be happy but t is the narrowness of the way and the straitness of the gate with which thou art dis-satisfied 't will not afford thee room enough for thy beloved lusts is it not so let conscience speak Well I hope by the help of God to make thee of another minde when thou hast throughly read this Head which I am now writing of It is the saying of Plato That if moral Philosphy could be seen with moral eyes it would draw all mens hearts after it Sure sure I am that if Regeneration or the Divine nature were seen with divine eyes 't would draw mens hearts and heads and hands and all after it All that ever struck at it did it in the dark They spake evil of things which they knew not Reader what is that which God requireth of thee Is it not to leave thy slavery to Satan thy bondage to sin and to accept and enjoy the glorious liberty of the Sons of God Is it not that thou shouldst be divorced from sin that mishapen monster and spawn of the Devil whose person is deformed whose company is defiling and whose portion is damnation and that thou shouldst be married to Jesus Christ the fairest of ten thousands the heir of all things who would adorn thee with the jewels of his graces beautifie thee with the Imbroydery of his Spirit wash thee with his own blood array thee with his own righteousness and present thee to his father without spot to be blessed in his full immediate enjoyment for ever Is it not that thou shouldst cease thy drudgery to Hells-Jaylor live above the perishing profits bruitish pleasures empty honors of the world and flesh and that thou shouldst walk after the Spirit walk with God warm thine heart at the flame of his love bathe thy soul in angelical delights have thy conversation in Heaven here and thy habitation there hereafter Is not this Man the sum and substance of what the Lord requireth of thee and art thou not shroudly hurt would not these
his grace which is able to bring you home who are out of Christ and to build you up who are in Christ and to give you an inheritance among them which are sanctified And subscribe myself Your Servant for Jesus sake GEORGE SWINNOCKE Ianuary 10. 1659. THere is now published two excellent Treatises of Mr. Jeremiah Burrough's one on the fifth of Matthew being many Sermons preached at Cripple gate upon all the Beatitudes And Gospel-Revelation in Three Treatises viz. 1. The Nature of God 2. The excellency of Christ And 3. The excellency of Mans Immortal Soul Both published by Will. Greenhil Will. Bridge Philip Nye John Yates Matthew Mead Will. Adderly Both sold by Tho. Parkhurst in Cheapside TO THE READER Christian Reader AS there are two things which commend a place the fruitfulness of the soil and the pleasantness of the situation the one suiting the necessities and the other the comforts of life So there are two things which commend a Book the worthiness of the Matter therein handled and the skilfulness of the hand that contrived it upon both accounts this gracious Treatise justly deserveth with good men acceptation and value The matter thereof viz. The Doctrine of Regeneration being of most absolute necessity to the being of a Christian and the manner of handling it being so quick and elegant as cannot but convince the Judgement and gratifie the Palate of the most serious Reader It being like the Land of Canaan full of milk and honey a sweetness which doth both nourish and cleanse And as once David did consecrate the Spoils of the Gentiles to the building of the Temple So hath the Authour adorned this his Spiritual Treatise with a sanctified application of many pertinent Histories in humane Authors to the attempering thereof the better unto the most delicate minds I shall not detain the Reader by any discourse on Regeneration the Nature and the Necessity whereof I finde so fully handled in this Book but shall commend the perusual thereof unto all sorts of Readers It being so written as may by Gods blessing be very likely to Convince and Convert those who are strangers to Regeneration if they will bring but Self-love to the reading of it and as may fill the mouths and hearts of those who are partakers of so great a benefit with praises unto God their heavenly Father by gracious Adoption and unto the Lord Christ their Second Adam and spiritual Father by powerful Regeneration to whose blessing I commend the Work the Author and the Reader ED. REYNOLDS January 31. 1659. To the READER Christian Reader IF there be any thing of importance it is the working out of Salvation Phil. 2.12 if there be any way or method to work it out it is by Sanctification 2 Thes 2.13 Which Sanctity begins in Regeneration and ends in Glorification The first of these is the subject of this ensuing Discourse Regeneration or the New birth hath various titles and appellations in Scripture yet all pointing to the same thing as it was the same Messiah though represented by severall types sometimes Regeneration is called the new creature Gal. 6.15 t is indeed a creation because it is beyond the sphere of natural causes to produce and it is a New creature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in opposition to the old man yet it is not new for substance Ipsam sane animam esse nemo sanae mentis ignorat Bern. but qualities Somtimes Regeneration is called a Resurrection Rev. 20.6 It is a rising from sin b Aug. Tom. there can be no rising to glory till there be first a rising from sin Somtimes it is called a transformation Rom. 12.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind In the incarnation Christ did assume our humane nature in Regeneration we partake of his divine nature by Baptism we have Christs Name by the new birth his image the change wrought in the new birth is wonderful the man is alter idem like Caleb of another Spirit It is said of Alex. Severus that he could play on the viol he could carve or paint but after he was Emperour he was never seen to do any of these things it was below him So though man by nature be proud malitious expert in all the works of the flesh yet when once he is begoten of the seed of the word Jam. 1.18 now he is quite altered ad changed from what he was 1 Cor. 6.11 but yet every change doth not denominate the new birth there may be an external partial temporary change yet all these may be false conceptions then â—birth implyes a new heart Habet suos impetus pietas Quin tiâ—s dec 6. the will like the primum mobile is caryed with an holy violence heaven-ward and the affections as the other orbes move along with it before this new birth there are spiritual pangs though there is magis minus all have not the like pangs all feel the same hammer of the Law though some are bruised more by it then others Regeneration hath an universal influence Grace perfumes and consecrates the whole soul though the Saints are Regenerate but in part yet in every part 1 Thes 5.23 This New birth is not arbitrary but necessary Jo. 3.7 you must be born again other things are for conveniency this is of necessity a Generatus damnatus nifi regeneratus Austin better never have been born if not born again Generation damnes without Regeneration the new birth is a glorious birth it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from above Joh. 3.7 A true Saint is of the blood royall he is born of God 1 John 3.9 That is the best pedigres which is fetched from heaven Regeneration is the signature and engraving of the Holy Ghost upon the soul the new born Christian is decked with the spangles of holiness the Angels glory the new birth is a victorious birth Whatsoever is born of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 overcometh the world 1 Joh. 5.4 It conquers the worlds musick and fornaoe The new birth is an happy and a joyful birth at our first birth we come weeping into the world but at our new birth there is cause of joy now we are begotten unto a lively hope 1 Pet. 1.3 How may we leap for joy when Christ is formed in our hearts t is matter of joy that Christ took our flesh but it is greater joy that we partake of his spirit we are to calculate our nativity from our new birth The Persians did solemnize with triumph regum natalitia the birth days of their Kings oh how may Christians with gladness remember and celebrate their spiritual birth day I mean that time when they began to be born of water and the spirit To conclude this new birth is an everlasting birth 1 Joh. 3.9 His seed remains in him he who is truly Regenerate dies not the Second death The new born creature never growes old he outlives death Rev. 20.6 on
thee for these ends Thou wilt disrelish all spiritual prayers and conference especially when they discover and condemne thy unsanctifyed carnal state And thou wilt secretly or openly have a malignant distaste or opposition against the Regenerate that live by that renewing sanctifying Spirit to which thou art a stranger and wilt look on them as a people that condemne thee by their lives unless thou canst cheat thy self into a perswasion that they are but a company of singular proud selfconceited people and really no otherwise regenerate then thy self And all the Religion and wisdome and good â—arriage which thou hast without this spiritual change may easily be thy delusion but will never serve for thy Salvation yea heaven it self would be to thee no heaven if it were set open to thee and thou hadst not the heavenly nature to suit to the heavenly employment and felicity This is the business of a converting and confirming Ministery and of the spirit and grace that works by them and this is the business that above other business lyeth upon thee in this present world even to work now in thy soul that holy love to the most blessed God who is love it self which may cause thee here to thirst after his presence and to seek his favour and to do his will and may fit thee delightfully for ever to enjoy him and everlastingly to be solaced in the beholding of his glory in the feeling of his love and in his heavenly praises and the fulfilling of his will An unregenerate unholy soul is as unfit for this as thy mortal enemy to lye in thy bosome or as toads and serpents to be the familiar companions of men or as thy Ox or Ass is to feed with thee at thy table and lye with thee in thy bed Employments and Enjoyments must have a suitable nature if the Spirit fit thee not here for heaven in this life which is given thee purposely for that end its pernitious folly to hope for a heaven for which thy unsanctifyed nature is unfit and to promise thy self a felicity of which thou art uncapable and which indeed thy very heart doth hate Thou lovest not holiness here nor the very imperfect Saints that have it how much less couldst thou love the infinite holiness of God who hateth thy sins ten thousand times more then the most severe and sharp reprover hates them If thy eyes cannot look upon the smallest candle without offence how then would they endure to look upon the Sun and that in the nearest access unto its glory And if here thy enmity to the holy will of God be such that thou pleasest not him and he and his waies are displeasing unto thee how uncapable art thou of Heaven which is a state of mutual full delight where the Saints do perfectly please the Lord and are perfectly pleased in him and his pleasure Rom. 8.5 6 7 8. They that are after the flesh do mind or savour the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit To be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God And that which is born of the flesh is but flesh As that which is born of the spirit is spirit Joh. 3.6 It is therefore undenyable that till you are born of the spirit and so made spiritual all your Religion and civility leaveth you but enemies to God and in a state of Rebellion against his will and consequently in a state of death Baptism which is the Sacrament of Regeneration doth signifie this change and containe your profession and engagement to the Lord. But if you have not the Regeneration of the Spirit as well as of the water and the answer of a good conscience as well as the washing of the flesh you differ from Heathens and Infidels but as covenant-breakers differ from them that never entered into covenant with Christ at all But I must not stand too long instructing you at the door when my business is to call you in and to tell you that here is a Message to you from the Lord A Treatise of Regeneration the most necessary Subject in a stile so clean and close in words so pertinent plain powerful and pressing that undoubtedly by a serious impartial perusal joyned with sober consideration and prayer thy soul may receive unspeakable commodity Though I know not the Author I am so far acquainted with the spirit appearing in this Discourse that I dare assure thee he had very much help from heaven and dare encourage thee to study this savoury Treatise as that which containeth most certain sound and necessary doctrine directly tending to the saving of thy soul without any tendency to Heresie Schism or uncharitable cenforiousness A Doctrine necessary for the learned or unlearned the rich and the poor the honorable and the base and for men of all degrees and ranks which if it had been more heartily studied and inculcated in publick and in private by all Preachers of the Gospel instead of the humane inventions and Canons and Opinions and interests of their several Sects the Church and the consciences of the Pastors and their Flocks had been now much wholer and sounder then they are Believe it whatever thou art thou shalt never be saved for being a Lord or a Knight a Gentleman or a rich man a learned man or a well-spoken eloquent man nor yet for being a Calvinist or a Lutheran an Arminian an Anabaptist a Prelatist a Presbyterian an Independent or a Protestant formally and meerly as such much less for being a Papist or of any such grosly deluded Sect but as a Regenerate Christian it is that thou must be saved or thou canst have no hope If once this renewing Spirit have taken possession of thy soul and thou art made partaker of the Divine and Heavenly nature and art become a living Member of Christ thou shalt be saved though thou know not whether Diocesan Bishops Metropolitans Primates and Patriarks or onely Parochial Bishops be most agreeable to the minde of God and though thou know not whether any other Book than the Bible should contain the Liturgy of the Church and though thou know not in a hundred controversies of the times about Orders and Forms and Ceremonies and smaller points of doctrine which party it is that is in the right Holiness will save thee without the formalities of this party or of that but formalities will not save thee without holiness To you that are Regenerate I shall say but this keep very honourable and thankful thoughts of your spiritual birth Live now as the sons of the Eternal God and as the heirs of everlasting life Set your faces now towards Heaven as those that see the grave at hand and the vanities of this world all vanishing into
smoak and as those that are resolved to have heaven or nothing Away with the sins the baits and company that formerly were your desire and delight And seeing even the first hour of your conversion there is joy in heaven before the Angels for your sakes for shame walk not in too much dejectedness and despondency but keep a harmony and concent with heaven seeing you are so highly concernd in the matter of their joy And pray still to the Lord of the harvest that he will mind the forsaken nations of the earth and continue his kindness to this unworthy Island in sending forth more such Labourers into his harvest as this reverend Author is here manifested by his works to be and that he will double his spirit on the messengers of grace that with faith they may speak the words of faith and with life may speak the words of life and that the immortal seed which is sowen by their hand may bring forth many sons to God and spring up plenteously unto eternal life And among others remember him then whom scarce any is more obliged to be thankful for the prayers of the Saints even The most unworthy Servant of the Lord among them that have found mercy to be faithful RICHARD BAXTER January 31. 1659. ERRATA PAge 2. line 21. for unto read into p. 21. l. 29. dele a p. 46. l. 9. for is r. in p. 64. l. 19. for power r. porter p. 93. l. 7. for there is much r. though much p. 102. l. 21. for at r. of p. 147. l. 22. for list r. lift THE Door of Salvation OPENED BY THE Key of Conversion JOHN 3.3 Jesus answered and said unto him Verily verily I say unto thee Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God AS Isaiah is called the Evangelical Prophet because he doth so lively describe and foretel the death of Christ so John may not unfitly be called the Prophetical Evangelist for though in his Epistles he shews himself an Apostle in his Gospel an Evangelist yet in his Revelation he is a Prophet The Antients do aptly ascribe the Eagle to him for his Ensign because when the other Evangelists begin with the Mediators Incarnation and Humanity proving him to be the Son of Man he doth at first flye out of sight and beginneth with the Saviors Deity proving him to be the Son of God And his whole Gospel indeed is a demonstration of Christs Divinity which was occasioned as Ecclesiastical Historians record by the heresie of Ebion and Cerinthus who denied it In this third Chapter we have first Christ teaching Nicodemus to vers 21. Secondly John â—s testimony concerning Christ to the end The Text is Christs speech to Nicodemus Nicodemus had seen Christs miracles and thereby was convinced to come unto him Christ lets him hear his oracles that thereby he might be converted and come unto him Nicodemus in the second verse had called Christ Rabbi and confessed him to be a Teacher sent from God Christ in purfuance of that Office sets him his lesson assuring him that he must learn it in the School of earth or he can never be removed to the University of Heaven In the words we observe two general parts First An Affirmation or the necessity of Regeneration Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Secondly Its confirmation or the certainty of that assertion Verily verily I say unto thee In the Affirmation we may take notice of two particulars 1. The universality of the persons A Man that is every man the proposition is indefinite and so equivalent to one that is universal 2. The quality of the thing affirmed Be born again mending will not serve the whole man must be new made Non unius partis correctionem sed totius naturae renovationem designat saith Calvin It speakes not the reparation of one part but the renovation of the whole man In the Confirmation of it there are likewise two things considerable 1. The manner of the expression Verily verily 2. The Author of it I say unto thee The meaning of the words Verily verily that is Amen faithfully 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compara Mar 13.43 tum Luk. 21.3 Luk. 9.27 cum Mat. 16.18 Mar. 9.1 truly the word cometh from the Hebrew Aman which signifieth True Faithful It is used by the people as a ratification of their prayers and testimony of their desires to be heard Jer. 11.5 1 Cor. 14 16. And when it is doubled as here by the great Prophet it is a vehement asseveration or strong confirmation of the thing asserted As if Christ had said Nicodemus Thou mayst believe me for truly assuredly it is so except thou art a new creature thou canst never enter into the new Jerusalem All Gods sayings are of equal truth but to some there is affixed a special note of certainty because of their extraordinary weight and mans infidelity Private Soldiers may go with a common pass but Generals and Commanders in chief have Trumpets sounding before them Verily verily All Orders and Warrants of Kings have not their seals annexed but those that be of greatest weight I say unto thee I who am the Prophet of my Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Teacher sent from God the true and faithful witness fer whom it is impossible to lie I deliver thee this doctrine as a certain unquestionable truth that unless thou hast a new being it had been better for thee to have had no being for thou canst never see the Kingdom of God Except a man Let him pretend never so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let his performances be never so many let his priviledges be never so great and his profession never so glorious yet if he be not born again all these will do him little good for he can never see the Kingdom of God The assertion as I hinted before is general as every man is born of the flesh so every man must be born of the spirit or it had been happy for them if they had never been born Be born again that is be renewed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and turned by the Holy Ghost from Nature to Grace from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God Acts 26.18 Except a man be inwardly and really altered from what he was except he become a new creature Put off the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Ephes 4.22 24. Except he be turned up-side-down and walk Antipodes to his former way except the stream of his heart and life run in another channel carry him towards another haven he can never arrive at Heaven Except the image of the Devil be razed out and defaced and the image of God be imprinted on him he can never be saved Except he be throughly and universally changed his Understanding by illumination his Will by renovation his
the soul that this New creature is conceived and brought forth godliness is not natural but adventitious to man not by propagation but by donation Man cannot generate himself naturally much less regenerate himself spiritually they which are born of the flesh contribute nothing to their own beings neither do they which are born of the Spirit bring any thing to their new beings unless it be a passive receptiveness as they are reasonable creatures Some read the Text and not unfitly for the original will fully bear it Except a man be born 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from above or from heaven and therefore in the fifth verse of this third Chapter of John Christ telleth us Except a man be born of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God and in Tit. 3.5 it is called a renewing of the holy Ghost so 1 Joh. 12.13 Jer. 31.18 19.2 Cor. 3.5 1 Pet 1.1 2 3. Ephes 2.10 1 Pet. 2.9 10. This work is somtimes called a transplanting out of the natural wilde olive-tree and ingraffing it contrary to nature into a true good Olive-tree Rom. 11.24 out of the first into the second Adam now the Cions cannot transplant or ingraff it self It is termed a new creation 2 Cor. 5.17 To create or bring something out of nothing is beyond the power of the strongest creature it is above the strength of all men and Angels to create the least pile of grass God challengeth this as his prerogative royal Isa 40 26. As the old heaven and earth were the work of his hands Gen. 1.1 so are the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Isa 65.17 Austin said truly To convert the little world Man is more then to create the great world It is further stiled a Resurrection from the dead Ephes 5.14 and 2.5 It is a great work to recover a dying body a far greater to restore one that is dead to life but the greatest of all to enliven a dead soul in the former there is no opposition in this there is much In spight of man and devils to pull down the ugly rotten frame of sin and set up the lovely lasting Fabrick of sanctity requireth no less strength then Omnipotency The Almighty God putteth forth the exceeding greatness of his power in forming the New creature Ephes 1.19 20. nay the same power which he did in raising up Iesus Christ from the dead who had beside the watch of Romans and the malice of hell such an heavy weight as the sins of the world to keep him down Repentance and Faith are the two chief ingredients in this rare composition and neither of them are such drugs as grow in Natures Garden no they are fetched from far It is God that giveth to the Gentiles repentance unto life Acts 11.18 2 Tim 2.25 The stones will as soon weep as mans heart of stone unless he that smote the rock force water out of it by turning it into a heart of flesh for Faith also it is the gift of God Ephes 2.8 Phil. 1.29 None come to the Son but such as are drawn by the Father Joh. 6.44 He alone that caused iron to swim 2 King 6.6 can keep the humbled sinner that is pressed down with the burden of innumerable iniquities from sinking in the gulf of desperation To part a man from his dearest carnal self and to make him diligently seek the destruction of what before he sought the preservation to make him cut off his right hand and pluck out his right eye hate father mother wife childe name house land u◠do all he had done go backward every step he had gone see things with a new light understand things with another heart and in the whole course of his life to swim against the stream and tide of nature and winds of example to bring a soul to this I say which is all done and much more in conversion requireth the infinite God's operation Flesh and blood can neither reveal these things to a man nor work these things in a man but the Father which is in heaven The Minister like the Prophets servant Instrumentum non movet nisi moveatur may lay his staff on the dead childe but he cannot raise it to life till the Master cometh Paul may plant and Apollo water but God only can give the increase Cor. 3.6 Without him we can do nothing John 15.3 We may preach out our hearts unless God affords his help our people will never be holy As Protogenes when he saw a picture in a shop curiously drawn cryed out None but Apelles could do this So when thou seest the beautiful image of the blessed God lively portrayed on the soul thou mayst say This is the finger of God None but a God could do this Secondly I say Whereby God out of his meer good pleasure here is the impulsive or moving cause of Regeneration Of his own will begat he us again by the word of truth Jam. 1.18 Gods good will is the highest moving cause of this gracious work 't was not any fore-sight of Faith or good works not any thing without him that turned the scale of his thoughts for thy purity and peace but only his own good pleasure and pity Ezek. 36.21 22. therefore he is said to give a new heart verse 26 27. because he bestoweth it freely not for mans merit but from his own mercy The gift of grace is meerly of grace For we our selves saith the Apostle were sometimes disobedient foolish serving divers lusts and pleasures But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost Titus 3.3 4 5. so Ephes 2.1 to 6. verse If you would know the grand reason why some are taken by the net of the Word let down in the sea of the world when others are left why some like wax are melted before this fire of Scripture when others like clay are hardned why some have the light side of this glorious pillar towards them when others have the dark side of it why the same path of the red sea is salvation to some when it is destruction to others why the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to babes when they are hid from the wise and prudent I must give you the same reason which Christ himself doth Even so Father because it seemeth good in thy sight Matth. 11.27 his will and mercy are the cause of all our felicity Rom 9.18 1 Pet 1.3 Deut 7.7 8. Grace chuseth thee Rom 11.5 There is a remnant according to the election of Grace so Ephes 1.5 Grace calleth 2 Tim 1.9 Who hath called us according to his purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began so Gal 1.15 Grace distinguisheth and differenceth thee from others By the grace of God I am what I am 1
Cor. 15.10 Grace justifieth Rom 3.24 being justified freâ—ly by his Grace Grace glorifieth Ephes 2.8 For by grace are ye saved Grace doth lay both the foundation and the top-stone of glory that deserveth the thanks and praise of our beginning progress and perfection in holiness Every step in our ascent to mount Sion is free-stone Every link as one observeth well in the golden chain of mans salvation is richly enameled with Free-grace O how lively doth this lovely Attribute play its part from first to last in the recovery of lost man Thirdly Here is the instrumental cause I say by the Ministry of the Word Of his own will begat he us again by the word of truth Jam 1.18 Scripture is the ordinary means of conversion The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1.16 God indeed is a free agent working when in what manner and by what means he pleaseth though he tieth us to means he doth not tie himself to means he doth sometimes make relations the instruments of Regeneration some by being matched to Christians have been married to Christ some matches which have begun in the flesh have ended in the spirit therefore the Apostle telleth the beleiving Wife she knoweth not but she may save her Husband and the beleiving Husband he knoweth not but he may save his wife 1 Cor. 7.16 1 Pet. 3.1 God hath made pious education effectual for childrens conversion The mornings draught of wholesom instruction hath preserved many young ones from infection by and perdition with others 2 Tim 3.15 Prov. 22.6 Some Masters have also been spiritual fathers to their servants there are those that by being of the family of the faithful have come to be of the family of Faith Acts 10.1 Iosh 24. God sometimes converteth by sufferings Affliction like the Shepherds dog hath brought those home into the fold of Christ which went astray like lost sheep God hath cast some Manasses and Prodigals that were hard mettal into some hot fire and thereby melted them and fitted them to receive his own impression and image Luke 15. 2 Chron 33.11 12 13. But usually the Minstry of the word is the pen in the hand of the Holy Ghost with which he writeth the Law of God in the heart The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psal 19.7 'T is the incorruptible seed of the word which by those spirituall husbandmen is thrown into the soil of mens hearts that through the influence of the Son of righteousnesse and dews of heaven springeth up in grace and holinesse 1 Pet. 1.23 Ordinarily there is no other way to beget grace then the word of grace and it tendeth not the least to Gods dishonour nay rather the weakness and meanness of the instrument in such cases commendeth the workman because he hath manifested this to be his pleasure it pleased him through the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 He will give light to the world onely by the Sun though he could do otherwise therefore as some observe though light were made the first day yet the Sun was not made till the fourth day to shew that God could give light to the world without a Sun Thus God could convey the Spiritual light of holiness without the Sun of scripture but it is his will to make that his ordinary means It is the word which makes clean the filthy John 15.3 which sanctifieth the unholy John 17.17 which begetteth grace in those that were graceless Acts 2.37 For this cause it is called the ingrafted word James 1.21 for as the Cions of a good apple grafted into a crab-tree stock doth change the harsh sowr nature of it and maketh it sweet and pleasant so the word preached for of that he speaketh verse 19.20 can change the stony cannal earthly heart of man and make it soft spiritual and heavenly Some have indeed been converted by reading as Luther Augustine Junius and others confess they were but most commonly it is by hearing that mens souls come to live Rom. 10.14 There is a blessing for Readers and there may be a fish or two caught in the net that is let down in an heap but that is rare it is not the net lapped up together but haled out at length and spread all abroad that bringeth in the draught So it is the spreading out the word the dilating on the matter in hand which usually catcheth souls The Law like John Baptist prepareth the way of the Lord by opening and searching the festred wounds of the finner by making him sensible of his sores his sins and misery and heartily desire a Physician a Redeemer Rom. 7.9 then the Gospel perfecteth the cure by pouring oil into the wounds and binding them up by acquainting the soul with and interesting him in the free and rich mercy of God in Christ 2 Thes 2.14 The Law like Moses bringeth to the borders but the Gospel like Joshua leadeth into Canaan Thus the Scriptures as is wittily expressed by one are the bells which ring all in which call people into the Church of God The Poets speak of musick which hath made stones leap into walls this word of God hath turned stones into flesh of stones it hath raised children unto Abraham Fourthly Here is the formal cause of regeneration whereby God doth at first renew the whole man after his own image now because this is the cause which doth specifically difference a thing and this being opened its nature will best appear I shall speak the more to it and observe in it these four particulars 1 The act renew 2 The Subject the whole man 3 The pattern after his own image 4 The season or time at first 1 For the act I call it a renewing and so doth the Apostle Titus 3.5 Eph. 4.23 24 upon a double account partly because in Regeneration nature is not ruined but rectified The Convert is the same man but new made The Faculties of his soul are not destroyed but they are refined the same Viol but new tuned Christ gave not the blind man new eyes but a new sight to the old ones Christ did not give Lazarus a new body but enlivened his old body So God in Conversion doth not bestow a new understanding but a new light to the old nor a new Soul but a new life to the old one The powers of the man are like streams not dryed up but turned into another Channel The truth is that man by his fall from God is so exceedingly degenerated and polluted that repairing and mending will not serve he must be wholly and throughly new made as the house infected with the leptosie scraping would not do it must be pull'd down and new set up but as when an house pul'd down is new set up we use possibly the same timber and stones and materials which were in it before onely they are new squared and polished what is rotten or amiss in them is pared off and what
their fraught The other end of Regeneration namely The salvation of the Elect is purposely omitted here because it will be fully spoken to in the next Head the first Reason of the Doctine So much for the description of Regeneration In the next place I shall speak to the Reasons why there is a necessity of Regeneration in every man that would obtain Salvation FIrst Because every man must be prepared for before he can be admitted into that holy place We say in Philosophy Nature doth nothing per saltum the ground is prepared for an harvest by being dunged ploughed and sowed it is as true in this point of Divinity the god of Nature will not save a man per saltum not remove a swine out of a Stie immediately into a Dining-room not take a sinner reeking in his lusts and presenly invest him with a Crown of life no the man must be prepared by Regeneration or holiness in part for salvation or holiness which is perfect The heathen King would not admit Virgins to his bed till they had been purified Esther 2.12 and surely the King of Kings will not receive any into his nearest and dearest embraces till they are cleansed from all pollutions both of flesh and spirit Every man by his first birth is polluted meer darkness not receiving the things of God Eph. 5.8 meer hardness as unable as a stone to move in the wayes of God Ezek. 36.26 wholly captivated under the dominion of sin and Satan Eph. 2.1 2 3. and hereby is unprepared for that holy place The most godly father begetteth an ungodly child Adam begat a son after his own not Gods image Gen. 5.3 The white Halegens hatch black young ones Though the Wheat be threshed fanned and parted from the straw and chaff yet when sowed it bringeth forth Wheat both with stalk and husk That which is born of the flesh is flesh John 3.5 now flesh and blood especially in this depraved sense cannot inherit the Kingdom of heaven 1 Cor. 15. A raker in Privies is not fit for a Kings presence but Regeneration prepareth the soul by purifying it for heaven it maketh the creature meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 We scald and season vessels with hot water and thereby fit and prepare them to hold wine or some precious liquour so God seasoneth the soul with grace and thereby prepareth it for glory Grace and glory differ not specifically but gradually grace is aetas infantilis gloriae as learned Davenant calleth it the infancy of glory Glory is the maturity or full growth of grace the same state is an higher stature grace is glory inchoate glory is grace consummate therefore as cloaths by lighter colours are fitted to receive a deep scarlet die so Christians by grace or Regeneration are prepared for glory and salvation The Grammar teacheth the Scholar to construe and pierce and that fitteth him in time for the Vniversity Regeneration teacheth the Christian what mediate Communion with God meaneth and that fitteth for immediate Communion Regeneration makes us capable of the beatifical vision Matth. 5.8 not as a meer condition but as a necessary disposition in the agent towards its object as the sensitive faculties are required to the act of sensation as well as sensible objects And indeed heaven would not be heaven that is a place of happiness to them which are not fitted for it by holiness We say of men brought up in the Countrey that they would not delight in the honours and pleasures of a Court because such things would neither suit their education or dispositions so men who know no other heaven then to eat and drink and sleep and roar and revel and like swine to wallow in the mire of sensual lusts would never delight in that place of Spiritual and Angelical pleasures for it would suit neither their sinful breeding nor sensual natures If their sore eyes which are continually running with a thume of corruption cannot without pain behold the star-light of holiness in the Saints how can they with any delight see God face to face and behold that blessed Sun in his eternal noontide of purity and glory Therefore as they that are to live in another Countrey are fitted for it by learning the Language Customes and Carriage of people in that Countrey So God will have them who are to live in the heavenly Countrey learn before hand the work of the Citizens there namely how to please praise glorifie and enjoy his Majesty Secondly Every man must be regenerated or he cannot be saved because all that attain heaven must be interested in the purchaser of heaven Those that go to that place must be united to and have a part in him that laid down the price though man may be a possessour of heaven yet Christ alone was the purchaser of it We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus Heb. 10 19. Acts 4.12 1 John 2. ult He alone is the Jacobs ladder reaching from earth to heaven by the help of which the Christian may ascend thither all other deeds of conveyance will be found forged and all claims made to the undefiled inheritance which are not under him are false therefore heaven is called the purchased possession Eph. 1.14 because bought with the precious blood of Christ for till a mans person be justified it can never be glorified the guilt of sin must be removed or the sinner cannot be saved the soul must be reconciled to God and accepted as righteous in his Son or it can never dwell with God and be made glorious as his Son There are two changes indispensably requisite in all that would be saved The one is the change of a mans state or a moral change when of a bondman to sin and Satan he is made a freeman John 8.36 when of a slave to the Devil he is made the Son of God when he is brought from under the covenant of works to be under the covenant of grace when of an enemy to God he is reconciled to him by the death of his Son when though he were far off he is made nigh though he was not beloved yet now is beloved though he was a child of wrath is now a vessel of mercy John 1.12 Rom. 5.10 Eph. 2.3 Rom. 9.23 1 Pet. 2.9 10. The other is the change of a mans nature or a Physical change when the whole man is renewed after the image of God The former is relative this is real the former is the change of his condition this of his disposition the former change is wrought in Justification this in Regeneration now the change of a mans nature is absolutely necessary because till this be wrought there is no change of a mans state the person is unjustified while the nature's unsanctified For though Christ be the purchaser of the pardon of sin of peace with God of perseverance in grace of an inheritance in glory yet it is only for those that are
in him that is really united to him There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 A Virgin hath no right at all to the honors and treasures of a man notwithstanding some well wishes towards him till she be married to him and become one flesh with him so a Christian hath no right at all to the great and good things which are Christs till he be married to the Lord Jesus and become one Spirit with him Union is the ground of communion probably when the flood came many hung about the Ark but the waves quickly washt them off those onely that were in the Ark were saved thus all that hang only about Christ the true Ark by a general profession will be drowned will be damned when the deluge of wrath cometh they only that are in him by a real implantation shall be saved Now saith the Apostle and observe it Reader if any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Therefore regeneration is required because by it the creature is planted into Christ Regeneration cutteth the man off from his own stock and grafteth him into the Lord Jesus Regeneration troweth the siner off from his own bottom and builds him on the Saviour as a sure foundation Regeneration is as it were the Minister which marrieth Christ and the soul together therein the soul giveth it self unfeignedly to Christ and Christ giveth himself really to the soul and thereby the sins and weaknesses of the soul the Wife become the Husbands and the riches and righteousness the home and heaven of Christ the Husbands become the Wives When God converteth a sinner he sendeth his Messenger as Abraham his Steward to provide a Wife for his only Son the Minister like the servant with Rebeckah treateth with the soul telling it how infinitely blessed his Masters Son is how rich even the heir of all things how beautiful even the fairest of ten thousands and altogether lovely how exceedingly this marriage will be for its advantage upon this the Spirit striking in the soul consenteth to take Christ for its Lord and Husband and so becometh the Spouse of the God of Isaac and hath heaven entailed on it for a Joynture I proceed now from the Explication to the Application of the Doctrine and it may be useful to us several ways FIrst By way of Information If without Regeneration men and women can never attain Salvation then it informeth us in the first place how gross and how great is the delusion of graceless and irreligious persons How exceedingly do most sinners cheat and cozen their own souls Reader it may be thou art a Drunkard a Swearer a Scoffer at godliness an Atheist in thy heart in thy soul and yet thou hopest to get to heaven O desperate delusion I tell thee either this Text which I write of and which is the word of the true and living God must be false which the Devil himself is not so great a Blasphemer as to think or thou art a brand for the unquenchable fire Do but look into the black list of those that are for utter darkness and thou mayst read thy very name written there in broad letters 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know ye not that the unrightous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived O soul-cheater neither Forn cators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers noâ— Extortioners shall inherit the kingdom â—f God See Gal. 5.19 20 21. Gal. 6.7 8. Ephes 5.5 6. Friend I could name forty texts of Scripture which pass sentence of everlasting condemnation on thy soul and yet thou thinkest in despight of God and his word to be saved I assure thee prophane wretch thou comest short of hundreds which shall come short of heaven Many bid fair to the eyes of men by civility morality and common grace but come not up to the price to Regeneration and so miss of that place thou art every day adding sin to sin drunkenness to thirst posting in the road to hell and yet sayst that thou shalt arrive at heaven well within a few days it shall be tried whose words are truest God's or thine But if thou mayst be convinced of thy soul-flattery before it bring thee into endless misery I shall shew thee the utter impossibility of thy salvation while thou remainest in this condition There are four gates through which all must go that get into the new Jerusalem every one of which is shut lockt bar'd and bolted against thee 1. They that get to heaven must go through the gate of Election As all that were not reckoned by Genealogy were put by the Priesthood as being polluted Ezra 2.62 so all are excluded eternal life whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life Rev. 20. ult Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire Now this gate of Election is shut against prophaness thou hast not the least ground to imagine that thou art elected whilst thou art unconverted because God decreed all them to be sanctified whom he decreed to be saved Mark that 2 Thess 2.13 14. Who hath chosen us to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth The end and the way were both in Gods thoughts together Those whose names are registred in heaven their natures are regenerated on earth Whom he did predestinate them he also called Rom. 8.30 The first rise saith one and spring of mercy is Election which breaketh out by effectual Calling and so floweth down in the channels of Faith and Holiness till it lose it self in the ocean of glory Vocation is the outward expression of God's inward intention to save a sinner or the first impression of the seal upon the wax therefore Election and Vocation are both conjoyned Rev. 17.14 nay the one is put for the other 1 Cor. 1.26 27. because they are inseparable companions so that if thy name be written in the book of life thy nature would be renewed to live a spiritual life 2 Tim. 1.9 1 Pet. 1.2 Therefore Reader if ever thou reachest heaven in this estate of unholiness thou must make a blot not onely in the Bible but in the very Book of Life 2. All that get to heaven must go through the gate of Christs Passion There is no name under heaven given among men by which we may be saved but the name of Jesus Christ Acts 4.12 And it is the death of Christ which purchaseth eternal life for Christians as the sown seed by dying bringeth forth a plentiful increase so Christ by dying bringeth many Sons to glory Joh. 12.24 Heb. 2.10 but this gate is shut against thee for those for whom Christ purchased glory for them he purchased grace The Son of God laid down the same price for both so that if ever he deliver thee from the condemning power of sin he will deliver thee from
the commanding power of sin Tit. 2.14 He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works so Luk. 1.71 72 74 75. Ephes 5.25 26. He gave himself for his Church observe the end that he might sanctifie and cleanse it He died for sin that all his might dye to sin Joh. 17.19 he poured out his heart blood that God might power down his holy Spirit His name is called Jesus because he saveth his people from their sins Matth. 1.21 not only from the punishment but also from the power of their sins Now canst thou think O Atheist to make Christ an half Saviour as the Papists do a Purchaser of pardon but not of purity then questionless thou canst be but half saved and have the greatest part of thy misery still upon thee to wit thy slavery to sin But surely thou canst not think that when Justification and Sanctification are joyn'd together in the purpose of the Father and the purchase of the Son it shall be in thy power to part them asunder A third gate through which all must go that get to heaven is the gate of Scripture The Promises are the gracious deeds and evidences which Saints have to shew for their right to that glorious inheritance And it is cursed presumption to expect heaven without a promise Now God hath in many places excluded thee but in no place promised heaven to thee Look from the beginning to the end of the Bible and thou shalt not finde one good word spoken to thee there are woes and curses threatnings and judgements which thou mayst challenge as thy part and portion but no promise or saving blessing All the promises of salvation are conditional Matth. 5.8 11.28 John 3.16 yea including and expressing this very condition of conversion He that believeth shall be saved saith God Mark 16.16 And repent that your sins may be blotted out Act. 3.19 the body and soul do specifically constitute the whole new man and upon those two hinges of Faith and Repentance do all the saving promises in the Bible hang therefore thy expectance of the benefit of the promise without the performance of the condition is soul-damning delusion Thou mayest like a dog snatch at the children bread the Promises but assure thy self thou hast no part nor lot in these matters This Reader is the difference betwixt presuming and believing he that believeth finding in his own soul the conditions mentioned in the promises of eternal life as namely that he walks after the spirit mortifieth the deeds of the flesh hath his conversation in Heaven Rom. 8.1 Phil. 3.19 and the like relieth on Christ for pardon and life upon the warrant and security of his word and promise Psal 119.114.145 He that presumeth looketh that God should perform his part of the promise in giving salvation but never mindeth whether he perform his part of the promise in observing the condition Let thy conscience be judge whether thou art not such a presumtuous person and therefore doest in vain look for the fruit of the promise 4. All that get to heaven must go through the gate of mediate communion heaven must be nigh thee before thou canst be in heaven it is fellowship with God in this world which fitteth for fellowship with God in the other world without holiness none shall see God Heb. 12.14 because without holiness none can see God an unholy mind cannot behold him an unholy will cannot enjoy him unholy affections cannot delight in him an unholy man in heaven could not finde it a place of happiness for 't is not a Turkish Paradice but a place of holy pleasures 't is mediate communion which doth capacitate the soul for immediate communion and as the weaker eyes may behold the Sun in its beams then in its glorious body at the highest in a clear day so a smaller degree of holiness will enable the soul to see God in the glass of his ordinances then to see him face to face Now thou canst not enjoy him in this imperfect degree much less in a state of perfection If thou sayest that thou hast fellowship with him and walkest in darkness thou liest 1 Joh. 1.6 Mark If thou sayest that thou enjoyest fellowship with God and leadest a sinfull life thou tellest a broad lye all that enjoy the Ordinances of God do not enjoy the God of Ordinances all that go to Church do not meet with Christ What cummunion hath light with darkness or Christ with Belial truly no more hath God with thy soul Princes are not so prodigal of their intimate friendship and favour as to throw them away upon their foes Thy carnal minde is emnity against God God is a profest enemy to thee and therefore can they ever walk together till they be agreed now there is a necessity of walking with him before thou canst be translated to him Gen. 5.21 or else thou hast found out a nearer way to heaven then the children of God went in Besides the Scripture speaketh plainly that he who hath a true hope of heaven doth purifie himself as God is pure 1 John 3.3 True hope begetteth and increaseth holiness now doth thy hope cause thee to purifie thy self when like an infant thou pollutest thy self liest contentedly in thy filth and never mindest cleansing Now tell me Reader whether thou doest not sadly cozen thy self in dreaming of salvation without regeneration when God predestinated all to be conformable to the image of his Son in purity whom he predestinated to be conformable to the image of his Son in glory Rom. 8.29 when Jesus Christ suffered not onely to procure pardon but for all his freedom from the power of sin when the promises of the Gospel do express regeneration as the indispensable qualification of all that shall be saved Acts 3.19 and when thou art so far from being capable of immediate communion hereafter that it is impossible that thou shouldest in thy carnal estate have mediate communion with him here canst thou continue in thy thoughts that heaven shall be open to thee when the hand of Almighty God hath shut it against thee and blocked up every way which leads to it to keep the out and how deceitfull and desperately wicked is thy heart to promise thee if thou wilt serve sin and the world the beautifull Rachel of heaven when after all thy slavery to thy lusts thou shalt be put off with the blear-eyed Leah of Hell Believe not O Reader The wicked one if thou lovest the life of thy soul he may by his lying spirit in thy heart as sometimes in the mouth of Ahabs false prophets perswade thee to go on in thy sinfull courses and promise thee as he did Ahab that thou shalt prosper but if thou doest not perish if thou followest such counsel the Lord hath not spoken in his Word I tell thee man God hath no birthrights for such prophane Esaus nor inheritances for such
scoffing Ishmaels Depart from me will be the doom of all that are workers of iniquity Matth. 7.23 into heaven can in no wise enter any thing that is unclean Rev. 21.27 The earth may bear such wicked ones a while though not without groans to be eased of such burdens Rom. 8.22 but heaven will never be pestred with them If thou didst travel towards the West thy reason would tell thee there was no possibility of arriving at the East without turning about yet thou goest in the broad way to destruction and thy religion bids thee to expect heaven without conversion Well! see what God saith to thee and be confident that what he speaketh he will do Deut. 29.19 20. And it come to pass when he heareth the word of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imaginations of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst the Lord will not spare him but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven O look to it Friend before it be too late otherwise this work of presumption will split thee eternally for Christ himself hath said that Except thou art born again thou shall never see the kingdom of God SEcondly If without Regeneration it be impossible to attain Salvation it informeth us of the insufficiency of several things to speak a mans right to felicity For this is a certain truth That whatsoever cometh short of this new birth or whatsoever may happen to or be in a man unregenerate that is a false evidence for our title to the undefiled inheritance because Regeneration is absolutely necessary Now there are nine or ten sandy foundations which many build their hopes upon all which come short of Regeneration though most of them are good things for I speak not against them but against resting in them as infallible signs of sincerity and therefore when the storm of death commeth they will fail and then the house of their hopes will fall to the ground First Civil practices are but a slender evidence of thy right to the holy place Civility is commendable but without Sanctity it is not sufficient A meer civil and sanctified man differ as much as a liveless picture and a living person Thou mayst make a fair shew in the flesh and be wholly a stranger to this life after the spirit Paul was one of the strictest of the Pharisees concerning the righteousness of the Law blameless even then when he was out of zeal persecuting the Church and in an unregenerate estate Phil. 3.6 Those foolish persons that were denied entrance into the purchased possession were Virgins they walked innocently and inoffensively and had not defiled their garments with gross pollutions but yet were unconverted having though some in their lamps no oyl in their vessels Mat. 25. init and therefore were excluded the inheritance of the Saints in light The young rich man who came to Christ and told him that he had kept all the commandments from his youth Mark 10.20 probably had done much as to the outward meaning of the Law and to the outward motions of his life for Jesus beholding him loved him vers 21. and yet the man notwithstanding his specious actions had unsanctified affections otherwise he would never have run from Christ as heavily as he came to him hastily and put his corruptible silver into the scales with and suffered it to weigh down the incomparable Saviour vers 22. The Pharisee that boasted so much of himself was likely guiltless of scandalous sins Luk 18.11 God I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican His Religion as usually the Civilians consisted in negatives he thought all was well because he could say he was no fornicator no cheater of men but he might have added that he was no believer no child of God for all his fair pretences and splen did practices he was both an unjustified and unsanctified person v. 14. How often doth sin reign in the inward when it doth not rage in the outward man A King is as truly a King in his Bed-chamber and Closet in secret as in his Parliament-robes or on his Throne in publick Now where ever sin hath dominion there the man or woman is in a carnal condition Rom. 6.17 How did vice domineer in the hearts of the Heathen when nothing but vertue appeared in their faces Pride in Diogenes saith one was but put up in a slovens case when he trampled on Plato's carpets And that renowned Curius that supped on roots had ambition for his sauce Civility may arise from education example shame or fear but as neither of these is physick strong enough to purge out corruption but as weak remedies use to do so these Lenitives give more mastery to the disease Among beasts there are harmless Lambs as well as hurtful Lions among birds there are innocent Doves as well as ravenous Vultures and yet they have all the same specifical nature of Brutes Among men some have better nurture and possibly from thence better natures then others some are churlish and cruel others courteous and civil some milde and morally righteous others mad and desperately outragious and yet all may flow from the same humane nature As the same earth is in some plants bitter in others sweet in both earthly so the same humane nature may be in some more pleasing in others more poisonous in both but humane neither being partaker of the Divine nature Some are like swine in a fair meadow more cleanly others wallowing in the mire more dirty and both swine Our Civil Law saith of mixt beasts Elephants and Camels that they do the work of tame beasts but have the nature of wilde ones Such are our meer civil men their nature is wilde though their actions are tame The Bear as is reported bringeth forth most ugly and mishapen Whelps but by licking them brings them to a better form yet they are Bears still Thus all men are ugly and notoriously vile by their births all full of wickedness as the ocean is of waters good breeding learning living among them that are godly may lick them fair and civil and put them into a better form and yet still they may remain unsanctified The Lions which spared Daniel were Lions still as appeared by their devouring others though God did restrain them a while for the safety of his servant A water-course may be dam'd up or stopt by a bank though at the same time it hath a violent inclination to run over I have sometime thought that a meer civil man is like a Capuchin Friar that starteth back at the sight of money as if it were a Snake or Serpent but carrieth a boy along with him that takes all which the demure Friar refuseth and complains
through the streets of London with twenty mules laden to show his pomp but as the triumph passed through Cheapside the beasts stumbled brake their collars cast their coffers and then the lids flying open discovered his riches to be nothing but old shooes and boots torn stockings old iron and totter'd rags I tell thee Reader though now thou mayst be wonder'd at for thy spiritual wealth yet as soon as thou stumblest into the other world 't will be tried 't will be known whether they be real or imaginary riches Paul told his Corinthians 1 Cor. 4.19 I will come to you shortly and will know not the speech of them that are puffed up but the power for the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power What will ye shall I come to you with a rod or in love O Friend not Paul but Jesus Christ himself will come to thee by death shortly and will know not thy speech in being puffed up with a shadow of profession but the power and try whether thou hast the substance of Religion Now man what wilt thou shall he come to thee with a rod or in love shall he send good Angels to guard thee to Heaven or evil Angels to drag thee to Hell When David was going to encounter with Goliah he told Saul that he could not go with the armor which Saul had put on him because he had not proved it 1 Sam. 17.39 And darest thou enter the list against a far greater enemy even death with that armor which was never proved be confident if thou fightest without armor of proof death will foil thee The day of Judgement will try thee then naked breasts will be in fashion and God will rip thee open before the world nay if thou wilt not now examine thy self to thy conversion he will examine thee then to thy confusion When the Judge shall be a consuming fire and the whole world be in a flame and thou be tried by a fiery Law Hebr. 12.28 2 Peter 3.10 Deut. 33.2 'T was a sharp kind of examination by which Paul was examined Acts 22.14 The chief Captain commanded that he should be examined by scourging 'T is a sad kinde of examination by which many Countreys examine Malefactors upon the wrack putting them to exquisite pains Reader Remember that if thou dost not examine thy self at this day God will examine thee at the last day and 't will be an examination upon the wrack an examination with scourging it will be a word and a wound every blow will fetch blood every interrogation will be a stabbing stinging killing question When Christ shall say to thee Sinner how didst thou dare thus to cozen and undo thy soul what madness possessed thee thus to dally about matters of infinite and endless moment Hadst thou examined thy self according to my word and found thy self lost there had then been some hopes of life but I tell thee now 't is too late Well I le rip thee open before Angels and men and cause thy conscience with its gnawing worm and stinging gripes to examine thee eternally The fire of hell shall try what mettal thou art that will prove thee to purpose O friend think of this seriously and speedily for that day of Christ will declare thee and Alas alas who shall abide the day of his trial or who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like refiners fire and as fullers sope All things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom thou shalt then have to do If thou art afraid to venture a trial in the low Court of Conscience where his Word shall be thy Judge with what fear and trembling wilt thou appear at his bar when he that searcheth thine heart trieth thy reins and will reward thee according to thy works shall sit upon the Bench Therefore cast up thy accounts before God and thy soul whilst there is hope of making all even lest thou do as some Tradesmen who neglect so long to cast up their books till at last their books cast them up Thirdly consider it is possible to know whether thou art new born or no. I do not set thee to beat the air or to work at the labour in vain A Christian may be assured of his regeneration and thereby of his salvation They which have the law of God written in their hearts may be able to read it David when his deeds and evidences were not blotted with his foul offences could discern them clearly Thy law is within my heart Psalm 40.8 When the Sun ariseth he bringeth his naturall light with him whereby he is discovered to the world A diamond set in a gold-ring bringeth such an orient sparkling with it that it causeth men to discern it truly so the Sun of righteousness when he ariseth in the soul bringeth a spiritual light along with him which helpeth the new creature to behold him and the Diamond of Grace casteth such a sparkling lustre in the heart of a Christian that it thereby becomes visible Regeneration makes a wonderful change and alteration now great alterations of State are not without observation Doth a Kingdom change its Governor a cruel arbitrary Tyrant that fleeced them and slew them at pleasure for a mild merciful peaceable Prince that ruleth them with a righteous scepter and not take notice of it Can a creature change his master sin and flesh for Christ and his Spirit his work of serving divers lusts and pleasures Tit. 3.3 for serving the Lord with singleness of heart and not observe it When the man is new made Christ cometh into his heart with his Spirit Graces Gospel great Guests when they come into an house have many eyes upon them the King of Glory doth not come with such a train and retinue in secret the gradual change from grace to grace is not so visible but a specifical change from nature to grace is undoubtedly sensible when the ground that before brought forth nothing but weeds and thistles comes to bring forth wheat an ordinary person may perceive the difference though how this wheat groweth is not so perceptible Every new creature doth not know the time nor manner nor means of his conversion but every one may know that he is converted The mother doth not know how she comes to be quick but she knoweth that she is quick for the feeleth the childe to stir in her womb how the shadow moveth on the dial we cannot see but that it moveth we see plainly in that its opposite at night to the place where it was at noon Though conversion be not ever sensible in the act yet it is sensible enough by its effects and the reason why it is not in all alike visible is because it is not in all alike violent God converteth some by Boanerges sons of thunder others by a Barnabas a son of consolation to some he comes as on Mount Sinai Exod. 19. with thundrings lightnings and a great noise to others as to
their right to glory and salvation 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that when the houses of our earthly tabernacles shall be dissolved we shall enjoy a building of God an house not made with hands but eternall in the heavens So 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Job 19.25 2 Tim. 1.12 And all this assurance of adoption justification perseverance in grace fruition of glory which Saints have doth proceed from their assurance of their regeneration 1 John 3.14 We know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren Regeneration or holiness is the first fruits which do ensure the harvest and the earnest which doth confirme the bargain and ensure the full sum Now Reader having given thee some motives to quicken thee to try thy soul I shall lay down the markes and bring thee to the test And they shall be taken from the nature and effects of regeneration First examine thine heart by the nature of this true holiness Now there are two things in the nature of this new creature In every birth there is Generatio unius corruptio alterius saith the Philosopher something generated and something destroyed so in this new birth there is the production of grace and the destruction of vice the life of righteousness and the death of sin the setting up of the Arke and the throwing down of Dagon The sinfullness of our souls by our first births consisteth in their aversion from God and good and in their conversion to the evil one and evil in having the image of Satan imprinted on them and the image of God blotted out of them The sanctity of our souls by their second births consisteth in their conversion to God and their aversion from sin in having the image of the Devil razed out of them and the image of the Saviour stamped on them As we have born the image of the earthly so we must bear the image of the heavenly And these two parts of the good part are like two Buckets in a Well as the one namely the interest of God cometh up the other namely the interest of sin and Satan goeth down the higher the Sun getteth the more still it scattereth the darkness First there is in this new nature a dying to sin The Apostle calleth it a putting off the old man Eph. 4.22 and a dying to sin Rom. 6.11 Conversion like the ship-mans fatal star is never seen but before the wrack and death of sin The spring of grace is a living fountain and cleanseth it self of mire and dirt Grace like Christ increaseth and sin like the Baptist decreaseth The expression of the holy Ghost about this is worthy our serious consideration Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin Lo here sin is served by Christ the same sauce which it formerly served Christ Sin crucified him when he came in the likeness of sinful flesh and he slayeth it when he cometh into the soul by his Spirit but in the words of the Apostle observe Sins appellation and its execution For its appellation it is called first the Old man partly because it is derived and propagated from Adam the eldest of men partly in comparison of renovation and renewing the whole man It is called secondly the body of sin partly because mans corrupt nature like a body or stock brancheth forth into divers actual sins as members Col. 3.5 Gal. 5.19 partly because of the strength of it as also because men are as much naturally in love with their sins as with themselves But take notice of the execution of this old man of this body of sin in the regenerate The old man is crucified Sin like an old man in them which are new made doth decay and decline every day it is every hour growing weaker and weaker and nearer to its grave and utter abolition Regeneration giveth sin its deaths wound though as those that are crucified it dyeth lingringly yet it dieth certainly Sin like a man in a consumption in a converted person is always wasting and dying till at last it 's quite dead One that is mortally wounded sprawleth and moveth for a time but afterwards giveth up the Ghost so sin while Saints live though it be mortally wounded doth rage and stir but it abateth in strength and dyeth with them St. De civit dei l. 8. c. 6. Augustine relateth of the Serpent that when she groweth old she draweth herself through a narrow hole and by this means stripping off her old skin she reneweth her age Ambulare in peccatis est sic versari in pec catis ut iâ— vocaâ—ione sua ordina ria Daveâ— in Col. 3. Truly thus the Christian is made new by putting off the old coat of the old man The Scripture speaketh expresly He that is born of God sinneth not 1 Joh. 3.9 that is constantly sin is not his design or imployment and chearfully sin is not his delight or element for sin is against his new nature now a man can do nothing against his nature cordially or constantly Sin may rebel within him but it cannot reign over him he looks on sin as his greatest enemy and therefore 't is impossible that he should converse with it in a way of amity Nay as fire and water heat and cold never meet but they fight so this new life is in continual war with every lust the new creature is like unto God Of purer eyes then to behold iniquity Hab. 1.13 the evil of sin cannot ordinarily get a good look from him he cannot meet this ugly guest in any corner of his house but his heart riseth against him he considereth what a Lord sin displeaseth what a Law sin transgresseth what a beautiful image sin defaceth what a glorious name fin dishonoreth what a lovely loving Savior sin buffetted shamefully and tortured cruelly what a precious soul and peerless salvation sin was like to have lost him eternally And Oh 't is a killing look which this soul giveth his dearest lust Ah thinks he that ever my nature should hatch and harbour such hideous monsters that ever my heart should be a polluted bed to breed and bring forth such a poisonous brood 'T was my iniquity that bid defiance to the highest Majesty 't was my corruption which scourged the back wounded the head nailed the feet and hands yea pierced the very heart of Jesus Christ my wickedness was the weight which caused his bloody sweat my lust was the murderer which put to death that Lord of life 't was my covetousness which betrayed him my cowardliness which condemned him and my cruelty which executed him and shal I be a friend to that Traytor which was such a foe to my Redeemer Well whatever it cost me through the strength of Christ I le have justice upon these murderers through the help of heaven these brats of hell shall have their
was a pious plot laid before onely put off till a convenient day asketh the head of some lust in a charger the King sendeth presently commandeth execution to be done accordingly The new creature doth now with a joyful heart look up to Heaven and saith Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who hath this day avenged me of mine enemy would to God that all the enemies of my Lord the King and all that rise up within me against thy Laws were as that one Lust He also withdraweth those things which have fed his spiritual diseases he takes away the fuel that he may put out the fire he hates the very cup out of which he formerly drank his loathsom physick he cuts off those pipes which have supplied his Adversaries he avoideth the occasions of evil he knoweth that his corrupt heart is gunpowder and therefore wheresoever he goeth he is fearful of the least spark He hateth the garment spotted with the flesh Jude 19. He endeavoreth that his raiment may not onely be preserved from burning but as the three childrens from sienging He is a true Dove that doth not only flye from the Hawk from sin but will not so much as smell of a feather which falleth from the Hawke he abstaineth from appearances of evil he dares not come near the brow of the hill so far is he from falling to the bottom Thus the sanctified man useth all means for the murdering of his sins Now Reader consider how is it with thee hast thou applied these several particulars to thy self What sayst thou Is it thy endeavor by every providence and thy end in every ordinance to mortifiethy corruptions to bring those Traytors to execution Is it thy design to cover sin or to kill sin do'st thou pray against sin as Austin confest he did before his conversion as one afraid that God should hear thee and grant the request not of thy heart but of thy lips or is the death of thy sins the very desire of thy soul an unconverted man may put up many prayers but no desires against sin An unregenerate person fighteth against sin Livy as the Athenians against Philip of Macedon with words rather then with swords Or as some that openly prosecute the Law against a Malefactor and yet favor him underhand so this man makes a shew of pursuing sin unto the death accusing arraigning it witnessing against it in prayer and desiring judgement but inwardly he so minceth the matter taketh off the edge of the evidence against it as one resolved that it shall live His expressions cry out of sin as the Jews of Christ Away with it away with it 't is not worthy to live Let it be crucified but his affections call with much more ardency as Pilate Why should it die what evil hath it done we finde no fault in it or at lest as Austins heart Not yet Lord not yet A little longer he would willingly laze upon the bed of lust A little more slumber a little more steep saith this spiritual sluggard Truly all this shew of warring against sin is but false fire which you know can do no execution Fencers at a prize sometimes ply one another so home and strike so hard that they seem to be in earnest when they are all the while but in jest their intentions are to please the people and thereby to advance their profit by getting a little money but not at all to wound one another at lest not dangerously a slight wound possibly may happen Thus unsanctified men combat with sin they seem by their praying reading hearing to aim at its death to be in earnest when indeed their intentions are to carry on their own interest and their resolutions that however they may raze sin slightly for their own ends not to wound it deeply Friend I know not but God knoweth whether it be thus with thee or no Dost thou by civility by the performance of duties by attendance on ordinances tell the world that thou wouldst crucifie thy corruptions when such a thing is not in thy retired thoughts as Caligula with banners displayed battel ranged trumpets sounding set his souldiers to gather cockles Or doest thou enter the list against thy lust as David against Goliah reckoning to kill or be killed resolving through the help of heaven the ruine of the uncircumcised Philistine Is the fight between thy judgment thy wil between thine inlightned conscience and thy affections or btween the spirit and flesth the law in thy mind and the law in thy members the regenerate and the unregenerate part Dost thou hate and fight against sin as sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. and so against every sin for all true hatred is against the whole kind Dost thou loath it as much when it riseth in thy heart as when it rageth in thy life in thy dearest friends as in thy bitterest enemies It was said of Anthony that he hated a Tyrant not tyranny dost thou abhor the disease or the patient canst thou say as David I hate every false way Psal 119.104 Universality in this is a sure sign of sincerity Herod spits out some sins when he rolls others as sweet morsels in his mouth An hypocrite ever leaves the Devil some nest-egg to sit upon though he take many away Some men will not buy some commodities because they cannot have them at their own price but they lay out the same money on others so hypocrites forbear some sins yea are displeased at them because they cannot have them without disgrace or diseases or some other disadvantage but they lay out the same love upon other sins which will suit better with their designs Some affirm what the Sea loseth in one place it gaineth in another so what ground the corruption of the unconverted loseth on way it gaineth another There is in him some one lust especially which is his favorite some King-sin like Agag which must be spared when others are destroyed In this the Lord be merciful to thy servant saith Naomi But now the regenerate laboreth to cleanse himself from all pollutions both of flesh spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 Grace is like Caesar who would admit of no superior nay like oyl t will allow of no mixture Sin may be in the Saint as rawness and illness in water but the fire of Grace worketh it out by degrees sending it forth in the scum The least drop of water is contrary to and opposed by fire as well as the full vessel so the least sin is contraty to and opposed by Grace is well as the greatest The shepherds dog forceth the whole flock to flie but hath a special eye to one sheep to which he is directed by the staff or a stone from the shepherd Or as the hounds saith a Divine drive the whole herd of Deer before them yet have a special eye to one Deer which is singled out by the dart of the Huntsman that however others may scape yet that shall
whereby it breatheth after exerciseth and delighteth it self in the wayes and worship of God there is an inward frame and disposition infused into the new Creature different from nay contrary to his former inclinations The stream of his heart and life before ran swiftly after the flesh and the world The creature sate upon the throne in his inward man commanding all things at pleasure earth was the mans heaven the world lay in his heart and all the mans affections and actions were ordered and disposed for the advancement of that interest But now the tide is turned the waters run in another channel the Lord is exalted in his affections as his chiefest good and in his conversation as his utmost end the Law of God is written in the heart and commented upon in the life the inward man is of a good constitution and the outward man of a good complexion Grace is a tendency of the soul Godward his understanding knoweth God to be the greatest good John 17. His will chooseth him his affections love him his desire is after him his delight is in him his fear is of him his trust is on him his care and endeavor is to walk worthy of the Lord unto all well-pleasing Joh. 17.3 Psal 16.5 6. 73.25 26. Isa 7.8 Psal 37.4 Gen. 42.18 like the Sun-flower he followeth the motion of the Sun of righteousness Now Reader try thy self Art thou alive to God Doest thou take him in Christ for thy happiness and make him thine end Is it thy business and trade to do his will thy calling and employment to finish his work Is thy heart devoted to his fear and thy life to his honor how art thou affected to his word and worship Dost thou perform duties out of love to God with complacency in God It it thy ment and drink to obey his precepts How is thy soul ravished with the sweetnesses of his promises Art thou joyful in the house of prayer Is the Sabbath thy delight Is the Scripture sweeter to thee then the honey and the honey-comb At the Sacrament canst thou fit under Christs shadow with great delight and finde his fruit sweet unto thy taste Doest thou esteem the yoke of thy Saviour easie his service liberty his wayes wayes of pleasantness and all his paths peace Canst thou say One day in Gods Courts is better then a thousand elsewhere Hast thou found that 't is good for thee to draw nigh to God If thou wert put to thy choice hadst thou rather solace thy soul with sensual recreations or in communion with the Father and Jesus Christ his Son Examine thine heart for if thou hast the divine nature divine and spiritual things will be natural and so pleasant to thee A man whose nature is covetous how exceedingly doth he delight in viewing and feeling money as the Roman Emperor would putt off his cloaths and tumble up and down in heaps of silver If a mans nature be proud how exceedingly pleased is he in the cap and the knee in being flattered and respected it is meat and drink to him as we say to be reverenced in mens carriage and honored in their language men love those things a life because they suit with their natures So when a man hath a new nature a spiritual holy nature things which are spiritual and holy will be acceptable to him because they are suitable to his nature the word will be welcom prayer will be pleasant ordinances will be as savory as food to the hungry the man will love the habitation of Gods house and the place where Gods honour dwelleth though his flesh be weak his spirit is alwayes willing He may be weary at a duty that the wheels of his soul should so be clog'd with the dirt of infidelity and make him to drive so heavily but he is never weary of duties though corruption and Satan now dog him at and disturb him in his performances yet 't is the comfort of his soul that he now drags them in chains after the triumphant chariot of Grace and he rejoyceth to think how he shall leave the body of death behinde him at the entrance of his soul into the Capitol of Glory His heart leaps now when his feet do but creep in the way of obedience when he goeth to the house of God it is with the voice of joy unto the altar of God yea his God and excceeding joy Whatsoever a man doth from an ingrafted propensity he doth it not onely in sincerity but also with alacrity He delights in it as the fish in the water as the mole in the earth it is his proper element God and the things of God are his element He would still be and live in this element He delights to know God to worship him to believe in him to meditate on him to sanctifie his day to glorifie his name to observe his Laws to view his children he is never so well as when he is walking with God if there were no heaven to prefer the obedient and no hell to punish the disobedient yet he would fear the Lord and delight greatly in his commandments But on the other side speak Friend Art thou listless and dead to spiritual things are they irksom and tedious to thee Probably the commandments of God are bonds and cords the Sabbath thy toilsom day not a day of rest and refreshment the Sanctuary is thy prison the service of God is snuft at by thee and wearisom to thee thou art glad that the duty is done the day is over thy conscience quieted like a Tenant who is glad his rent is paid to his Landlord but took no pleasure in parting with his money thou rejoycest at the end not at the beginning of thy duty thou countest Amen the best word in a prayer not because it 's the fruit of thy faith but because it puts a period to thy petitions the Blessing is the best part of Divine Worship thou esteemest no part to be before it because that is last and nothing comes after it Religion is but possibly thy by-business and a Lacquey to thy lusts a pass and a convoy which thou hast need of in thy travelling through the world It may be thou goest to duty as a Bear to the stake it goeth against the hair with thee to walk in the way of holiness though necessity compel thee sometimes or once or twice a day to take a turn in the path of piety Conscience will roar unless it may finde rest in some outward performance Or thou mayst now and then perceive good company walking in the narrow way which leadeth to life and so as travellers care not if they go a mile or two out of their way for company especially if the way be fair and the company pleasing so thou mayst go out of thy own way sometimes and walk a little with the Saints for company Reader be faithful to thy soul A real fire differeth from a painted one by its heat and so doth
shall inherit the earth Matth. 5.5 If heaven can make thee blessed thou shouldst be blessed Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.3 If all things could make thee blessed thou shouldst be blessed Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods 1 Cor. 3. two last verses Reader I shall do my utmost so to set forth the felicity of the regenerate which no pen can fully that thou mayst admire it How goodly are thy tents O. Jacob and thy tabernacles O Israel Numb 24.5 and not only as Balaam desire their deaths Let me die the death of the righteous and let my latter end be like his Numb 23 10. but also endeavour to live their lives and to have thy conversation like theirs While thou continuest in this world thou shouldst be a blessed soul and when thou entrest into the other world thou shouldst be a glorions Saint In this world thou shouldst be a blessed soul in every condition into which thou couldst come in every relation in which thou dost stand at all times and in all places whatsoever All the Providences of God should be profitable to thee If Gods hand were enlarged in mercy thy heart should be enlarged in duty If God should prosper thee in temporals the streams of his bounty should lead thee as the water course either upward to the spring or downward to the ocean to the source and fountain of all thy happiness Thy heart would still be in heaven where thy best things were even then when thy body were busied among earthly good things 1 Cor. 7 29 30 Phil. 3.19 Some observe of the seed called Henbane that it killeth all birds save sparrows and to them it is nourishing food and they give this reason because their veines are so narrow that the fumes of the seed cannot passe through them to their hearts truly thus t would be with thee though thou sands of others are poisond with their worldly portions because the fumes thereof penetrate into their vitals but if riches increase thou shouldst not set thine heart upon them nay thou shouldst get nourishment from them As Jehosaphat the more honour and wealth thou hadst the more thy heart would be lifted up in the ways of God 2 Chro. 17.5 6. If thine estate were but little yet t would be perfumed with love and that lump of sugar in thy cup would make the liquor sweet be it never so small As the waters which flow from the hils of some of the Islands of Molacca taste of the Cinamon and Cloves which grow there so should thy guift though it were but water taste of the good will and special grace of the giver Thy little with the fear of the Lord would be better then the riches of many wicked men Psal 37 15. As a little ring with a very costly Diamond in it is far more worth then many great ones without it so thy estate though it were but a penny should be joyned with the pretious jewel of that love which is better then life and enjoyed by special promise and thereby be infinitely more worth then the thousands and millions of others bestowed meerly from common bounty and enjoyed onely by a generall providence If the black frost of adversity overtake thee thou shouldst as Conies thrive the better thy soul being hail thou wouldst become thereby the more healthy By affliction thou shouldst be partaker of Gods holiness Heb. 12.10 The waters of affliction should wash out the diri of thy corruption and the more they increased they would raise thee as the flood the Arke higher above the earth and mount thee nearer to heaven Torches burn the better for beating Spices smell the sweeter for pounding Vines bear the more for bleeding and the more thy soul were kept down by those weights like the Palm-tree the more thou shouldst grow That scouring and rubbing which fretteth others should make thee shine the brighter Psal 94.12 Divine corrections should make thee learn thy sacred lessons It is said of the Lacedemonians that when all other people were undone by war they onely grew rich Truly thus when ungodly ones are the worse for outward miseryes and wants like Ahaz in their distress they sin more against the Lord thou shouldst thrive the better grow the richer in grace and good works The diminution of thy temporal should be an addition to thy spiritual estate Job 36.9 10. As spring-water smoaketh when other waters are dried up because that is living and these are dead nay t is observed waters arising from deep springs are hotter in winter then in summer the outward cold keeping in and doul â—â—g the inward heat So the waters of thy graces should not onely continue having a living principle when the Sun of calamity scorcheth and drieth up the dead ponds of unregenerate professors Mat. 13.21 but also increase in spiritual heat Job 17.8 9. Philip. 1.14 If the Devil assaulted thee with temptations they should never be for thy perdition but probation Rev. 2.10 The Captain of thy Salvation would so strengthen thy soul with the Shield of Faith and Sword of the Spirit that thou shouldst not onely defend thy soul from all deadly wounds but offend thine Enemy and be more then a Conqueror over Principalities and Powers through him that loveth thee It would possibly be grievous and terrible to thee to be tempted but if God did not see it needful he would not suffer it nay if he could not make it useful he would not send it by those thorns of the flesh he would prick the vein and let out the ranck blood of thy spirit It is said of Telephus that he had his impostume opened by the dart of an Enemy which intended his hurt Truly so God would make to thee the fiery darts of the Devil though they were intentionally mortal to be eventually medicinal 1 John 5.18 The evil one should not touch thee that is with a mortal or deadly touch As a sound tree shaken with the winde thou shouldest not fall but root thy self the â—â—â—ter thou shouldest like Sampson fetch meat out of the Eater and out of the Strong sweetness thou shouldst get honey even out of this roaring Lion thy Regeneration like Pollium would be a special preservative against the poyson of that croocked Serpent Nay when thou shouldest fall into the evil of sin even that should turn to thy good God no thanks to thee like the skilful Apothecary would make wholsom treacle of such poisonus drugs If thy corruption should at any time get the mastery and break out in thy life thou shouldst be so well purged by the Physician of souls with the bitter Aloes of Repentance that as those who have had ill humors of their bodies getting head and breaking out in the small-pox and do well thou shouldst be the healthier in thy soul
of the nature of the blessed God as he is in himself therefore the Holy Ghost doth speak of God by the most excellent beings which our understandings reach as Spirits are for God is questionless such a spiritual being as is far above the most enlarged understanding Besides we are so clog'd and piniond with flesh that we know but little yea very little of our own spirits much less what a Spirit God is But there thou shouldst if converted know him fully thy understanding should be enlarged and satisfied Those scales which now hang about thine intellectual eye should then fall off and thou that didst behold him upon earth in the galss of his Gospel shouldst then see him face to face as the Sun doth by his beams and brightness so enlighten the eye and the air that we see thereby not onely other creatures but its own most glorious body so God would by the beams and beauty of his majesty so irradiate thy minde that thou shouldst see both the comeliness of his creatures and the brightness of his own being Thou shouldst know the great mystery of the Trinity the love of the Father the wisdom of the Son the sweet fellowship of the Holy Ghost That Riddle which now puzleth thee should there be unfolded thou shouldst know how the Father begat the Son how the Spirit proceeded from Father and Son and the difference between the generation of the Son and procession of the Spirit Thou shouldst know God in the unity of his nature now the Saints know him most by his Attributes which indeed differ not at all from his Being they are but different manifestations of one individed essence and distinguished by us for our better understanding of the Divine Nature but they are all the same in him and in themselves and then we shall know so Thou shouldst know the Hypostatical Union Ioh. 14.20 how the Son of God became the Son of Man that wonder of wonders Emanuel God with us God and Man in one person would be clearly seen all those knots would be untied thou shouldst then plough with Gods heifer and understand all his ridles thou shouldst know all things in God that were to be known in a full manner in a large measure to thine infinite comfort and content Thou shouldst know all this and far more for thy good If a little knowledge of God here be so pleasant to the soul Psal 19.10 though it be but a glimpse of him in the dawning of themorning what satisfaction will the compleat knowledge of him yeild to see that Sun at noon day If it be life eternal to know God and Jesus Christ imperfectly what will it be to know them perfectly and so as to enjoy them fully surely such instruction will be better then silver and such knowledge then choice gold this wisdom is better then rubies and all that thou canst desire is not to be compared to it How much have many wasted their wealth dried their brains macerated their bodies for a little knowledge of Nature which when they had gone to their utmost could not satisfie them they might as soon have broke their necks as their fasts by such knowledge but of what inestimable value is the knowledge of the God of Nature is the knowledge of him in Christ here and O of what incomparable worth will it be to know him as we are known of him to see him face to face this will be without question the beatifical vision Fifthly thou shouldst know the extent and truth of all the promises in the word which concern thy welfare in the other world How various and how precious are the promises which relate to heaven God promiseth his children such as are born of him large portions when they shall come to age unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ And thou shouldst then find that God will make good his word to a title He promiseth that they shall rest from their labours and their works shall follow them That they shall be before the throne and serve him day and night in his temple and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them That they shall hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heart For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes Rev. 7.3 ult He promiseth that they shall be with Christ where he is and behold his glory John 17.24 That they shall not be hurt of the second death That they shall eat of the tree of life which groweth in the midst of the Paradise of God That they shall be cloathed in white raiment and not blotted out of the book of life but confessed before the father and the holy Angels Rev. 2.7 11. and 3.5 Christ promiseth him that overcommeth will I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the City of my God which is new Jerusalem and I will write upon him my new name Rev. 3.12 That they which overcome shall sit down with him on his throne even as he hath overcome and is sit down with his father on his throne Revel 3.21 Look Psalm 16. ult and 17. ult Rom. 8.18 2 Cor. 5.1 1 Cor. 13.12 Mat. 8.11 1 Pet. 1.4 Phil. 3.21 1 Thess 4.2 ult 1 John 3.2 Ephe. 5.25 26. All these promises and many more shall be fully accomplished There shall not one good thing of all that the Lord hath spoken be unfulfilled The expectation of the promises hath filled several of Gods Children with extasies and ravishments of spirit what joy then will the possession of them bring The very thought of a promise hath made them like Leviathan to laugh at the shaking of Spears at the threatning of their adversaries nay to kiss stakes and smile at fire and fagots O what then will the performance be The promises are large but our straitened minds cannot understand their breadth but then happy experience shall teach us their full latitude they are now like bones which have the sweetest meat upon them and the sweetest marrow in them but we are not able here to pick them clean nor to suck out half the marrow but then we shall taste and enjoy every thing in them Now when we read of drinking of the rivers of Gods pleasures of dwelling in his house of a kingdome and thrones and scepters and palms and crowns of glory and reigning with Christ for ever and ever our hearts are ready to faint as Jacob at the news of his Sons honour in Egypt and as the Queen of Sheba at the news of Solomons wisdom believed it not so we What God look upon such sinks of sin such clods of clay as we are and make our vile bodies like unto the
creature hath his understanding darkened he walketh in the way of the flesh and the world and believeth that to be the right way to happiness but when the spirit of God enlightneth the mind the man seeth that he was exceedingly mistaken begins to wonder at his own folly and wickedness to abhor himself and change his course I will bring the blind by a way which they knew not Isa 42.16 17. I will lead them in paths that they have not known I will make darkness light before them then what followeth they shall be turned back they shall be greatly ashamed Till the understanding of a man be enlightened to see the deformity of sin and the beauty of holiness he will never heartily loath and grief for the former love and long for the latter As it is in some hot climates though the Sun shine very hot there yet when there is no entrance for it into mens houses t will not scorch or heat the inhabitants sin is of a scorching nature but when the understanding which is the window into the house is kept shut that it can have no entrance into the heart no wonder if the sinner feel no pain God hath made the same organ for seeing and weeping T is the eye of knowledg which affects the heart Zach. 12.10 They shall see him whom they have pierced and mourn sight of sin doth precede sorrow for sin as soon as ever the infant cometh into the light it cryeth though all the time it was in the dark prison of the mothers womb it was quiet Secondly Ioh. 16.9 10. the second step which the spirit takes is conviction to convince the sinner The sun which did before enlighten his mind doth now slide down with its heating and scorching beams into the conscience That knowledge which the sinner had of his sins before was speculative but now becomes practical making sin like a lump of lead upon tender flesh that the conscience is exceeding press'd and oppress'd with it Conviction is the application of the nature of sin and danger of sinners to himself in particular which before he knew in the general as in the twilight before the Sun ariseth a man may see abroad but he cannot see in his own house but when the Sun ariseth a man can see both abroad and at home within his own doors So before the Spirit approacheth the soul in a way of conviction the sinner could see abroad he knew that the soul that sinneth must die that they which do such and such things cannot inherit the Kingdom of God he knew these things in the general but he could not see in his own house in his own heart that he himself was a great sinner a dead a damned creature for though he would in his prayers acknowledge that he had broken the Law and was thereby liable to the wrath of the Lord yet he did it but customarily and formally not beleeving what he spake for should another man come to him and tell him O Friend you daily provoke God and are every hour in danger of hell he would flye in his face and tell others that he was a very uncharitable man and all because the sinner could not see in his own house but when the Sun of righteousness ariseth the sinner can see within as well as without doors he seeth the hainous nature of his own sins and the grievous danger of his own soul The Spirit of God convinceth the sinner of four things First the Spirit convinceth him of his great and innumerable corruptions The man before knew in the general that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and would confess himself a sinner formally and slightly but now he feels himself a sinner and finds experimentally that he is a polluted poisoned creature The Spirit of God holdeth the glass of the law before the eyes of his soul and makes him whether he will or no see what dirt and deformity is in the face of his heart and life Without the law there is no transgression and without the knowledge of the law there will be no conviction As one of the persecutors in the days of Queen Mary searching an house for a Protestant askd an old woman in the house Where is the Heretick she points to a Chest of linnen upon which stood a looking-glass and bid him look there and he should see him he lookt there and still asked Where is he She meant that he himself was the Heretick and in the glass he might see himself So before the Holy Ghost came to convince this sinner if the minister at any time had preached against pride unbelief carnal-mindedness hypocrisie and the like his voice was Where are these men Surely the Minister meets with such and such in his Sermon but now the spirit in his conscience speaketh to him what Nathan did to David Thou art the man Thou art the proud carnal hypocritical cursed sinner which the word of God meaneth the man cannot deny it The Holy Ghost puls off his rags and plaisters and makes him see all his nakedness and sores it lanceth his wounds before his eyes and now he beholdeth the venemous matter and corruption which is in them that he little thought of before Formerly he esteemd himself to be sound comparing himself with them that were worse or not minding the inward meaning and extent of the law of God but now by the law the spirit brings him to the knowledg of sin Rom. 7.7 It sheweth him the depravation of his nature how full it is of pollution even as full as ever toad was of poison how empty it is of all good nay what an enemy it is to God and godliness it sheweth him the abominations of his heart how the imaginat on s and thoughts of his heart have been evil onely evil and that continually the provocations of his life how full that hath been of lusts and sins even as the firmament of stars it sheweth him the evil of his thoughts of his words of his deeds his omissions in his closet in his family his commissions abroad at home it sheweth him his idolatry in setting up Self as his God in bowing down to it and worshiping it his adultery in going a whoring after the creatures loving fearing and trusting them more then the creatour who is blessed for ever It sheweth him how he hath dishonoured the name of God grieved the spirit of God undervalued the Son of God violated every command of God how he hath sinned against the first command in not worshipping and glorifying God as the only true God and as his God and in giving that honour to others which is due to him alone against the second in not worshiping God according to the word but according to the traditions of others or his own inventions against the third in not reverencing the name word and works of God against the fourth in not sanctifying the Sabbath to Gods service but
prophaning it either by idleness or worldly labours or omission of duties and ordinances against the fifth in not carrying himself according to his duty towards them that are above him equal to him or below him Against the sixth seventh eighth ninth and tenth in wronging his neighbours either in regard of life chastity goods name relations either in thoughts words or actions It sheweth him the darkness of his understanding the stubbornness of his will the disorderedness of his affections the hardness of his heaâ—t the searedness of his conscience the mis-improvement of his outward parts how his eyes have beheld vanity his ears been open to iniquity all his senses been through-fares to sin all the members of his body instruments of unrighteousness how from the crown of the head to the soals of his feet there is no sound part in him nothing but wounds bruises and putrified sores It is not one or two sins that trouble this sinner but innumerable evils compass him about whole swarms of these Bees flie in his face and sting his conscience it may be one sin did first set upon him some sin against the light which God had given him and now that creditor hath cast him into prison all the rest come and clap their actions upon him to keep him there his sins in his dealings with men in his duties to God his sins against seasonable corrections against merciful dispensations his sins against the motions of Gods Spirit against the conviction of his own spirit against light love purposes promises they all compass the sinner round that he cannot escape now he sees the ugly loathsomness of all his lusts how they are against an infinite God against a righteous Law against a precious soul how by reason of them he is wholly unlike God and become the very picture of the Devil and truly now he is far from having those flattering thoughts of himself and favourable thoughts of his sins which formerly he had for sins part t is abounding polluting poisonous sinful sin He seeth the wrinckles of this Jezabels face under her paint and O how ugly is she in his eyes and for himself he is more out of love then ever he was in love with himself Some say after they have had the Small-pox that they come to see themselves in a glass they look so ugly by reason of their spots that they cannot endure to see themselves Truly this poor sinner beholding himself in the glass of the Law and viewing those hellish spots of sin all over his soul and body he abhorreth himself in dust and ashes This is the first thing the Spirit convinceth the soul of and that is sin When he is come he shall convince the world of sin Joh. 16.8 God never cured a spiritual Leper but he caused him to fall down first and cry out unclean unclean Secondly The Spirit convinceth him of his miserable and dreadful condition Now the commandments of God come to the soul sin reviveth and the sinner dieth He thought before that he was whole a sound man to have little need of a Physician but now he both seeth his sores and feeleth his wounds Ministers before had frequently told him of his dangerous damnable estate but he had a shield to keep off all their darts He was not so bad as they took him to be somewhat they must say for their money and besides though he were as bad as such precise censorious Preachers would make him to be yet God was a merciful God and Jesus Christ died for sinners and he hoped to be saved as well as the best of them but now God comes to him as he did to Adam after his fall Adam where art thou Hast thou eaten of the tree of which I said unto thee thou shalt not eat Sinner where art thou Dost thou know what thou art doing and whether thou art going how darest thou prophane my day blaspheme my name scoff at my people neglect my worship cast my Laws behinde thy back and hate to be reformed Darest thou provoke the Lord to anger art thou stronger then he how will thine heart endure or thine hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee Dost not know poor dry stubble that 't is a fearful thing to fall into my hands for I am a consuming fire Now the sinner heareth the voice of God and is afraid Alas alas thinks he I am a dead a damned man the Almighty God is angry the weight of my sins at present is heavy but the sufferings which I am every moment liable to are infinite and eternal O that I should ever be born to do as I have done Now the lightnings of divine fury flash in his eyes and the canons of the Laws curses thunder in his ears he seeth a sharp sword of pure wrath hanging by a slender thread of life over his head he feeleth the stingings of his sins those fiery serpents at his heart There is no rest in his flesh because of Gods anger nor quietness in his bones because of his sins the arrows of the Almighty are within him and the poison thereof drinks up his spirit the waves and billows of God go over his soul and he sinketh in deep waters God writeth bitter things against him and makes him to possess the sins of his youth Now the man is calmed he will hear what God speaketh before though God himself had told him out of his word what a wicked wretched man he was he would not minde it but storm and rage at it he was like a wilde Ass snuffing up the wind and as an untam'd heifer impatient of the yoke he would kick and fling like a mad man What he give credit to the doctrine and submit to the severe discipline of a few whimsical Puritans that must be wiser then all their neighbors no not he though they shewed him the very hand of God in Scripture to those warrants which they desired him to obey But now he is of another mind for the Law hath shut him up under sin and guilt Gal. 3.22 The Law hath pent him in and shut him up that he cannot possibly get out As Lions Bears and wilde beasts are tamed by being shut up and kept in so the Law causeth wrath Rom. 4.15 shuts the sinner up under it and keeps him in that his former starting holes cannot help him and thereby tames him While he was unconvinced of his sins and misery his conscience was seared not troubled at all the threatnings which were denounced against him but now his conscience is sore touch it which way you will you put him to pain tell him under this conviction of his drunkenness or swearing or atheism or eagerness after this world heartlesness about the things of the other world his neglecting God in secret of not instructing and praying with his family tell him how cold and customary he was in his devotion saying to others that they took more pains for heaven
thousands of rivers of oil nay though the first-born of thy body all these could no be a propitiation for one of the least sins of thy soul no no the redemption of a soul is more precious for all these it must cease for ever Thus God ferrits the sinner out of all his Borows and causeth the poor Prodigal while he is wandring from his Father to finde a famine in all the creatures As a General that besiegeth a City doth not onely play in upon it with his Cannons and Granadoes but also secure the several passages stop all provision that no relief can come to it then they will yeild upon his terms So when the Spirit besiegeth the soul it often plyeth it hard with the batteries of the Law and alwayes stoppeth relief from coming in either from the world or a mans own righteousness and then and not till then will the creature yeild upon the terms of the Gospel Fourthly The Spirit convinceth him of the willingness sutableness and al-sufficiency of Jesus Christ to help and heal him The sinner now in his burning fit is very thirsty like Hagar he sits weeping for his bottels are empty and his creature comforts are found by experience to be broken cisterns which can hold no water he knoweth not what to do how can I see the death of my soul thinks he When the sinner is brought to this strait the spirit of God openeth his eyes to see a well of salvation even Jesus who delivereth from the wrath to come The spirit discovereth to the sinner that though his wound be dangerous because the God whom he hath provoked is resolved either to have his law satisfied or his eternal wrath endured yet that it is not desperate for there is Balm in Gilead and a Physitian in Israel that can heal his soul It convinceth him that Christ is a sutable help bread to the hungry water to the thirsty rest to the weary and heavy-laden that he hath a precious salve made of his own blood which is a proper and pecular remedy for his sores It convinceth him that Christ is an alsufficient help that he can supply all the souls wants be they never so many and bear all the souls iniquities be they never so weighty that he is able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 It presenteth to the soul his fitness and fulness in regard of his natures and offices and the impossibility of his being unfaithful to this great work of saving poor sinners for which he came into the world It sheweth the sinner the infiniteness of Christs merits and his omnipotency to help because he is God the examples of other wounded diseased persons who surrendred themselves to the care of this Physitian and were cured He shall convince the world of righteousness because I go to the father and ye see me no more John 16.9 10. That is the world shall be convinced that there is righteousness enough in me to satisfy both the law and law-giver in that I shall appeare in my fathers presence and that with acceptance he would not send an Angel as his officer to roll away the stone and release the surety out of prison the grave and bring him before the Judge with so much credit and countenance if the law were not satisfied and the debt fully discharged Heaven could never have held me ye would have seen me upon earth again if I had not done that work perfectly which the Father gave me to do He shall convince the world of righteousness because I go to the father It convinceth him that Jesus Christ is exceeding willing to save poor sinners that he is joyful that any will accept him for their Saviour that he came from heaven to earth was born meanly lived miserably and died shamefully meerly upon this errand that he might seek and save them that are lost that he inviteth him to come to him and promiseth that he shall be welcom that he calleth them that go from him but casteth away none that come to him Thus when the prodigal is in a far country and cannot fill his belly so much as with husks that he is ready to perish for hunger he is shewd and convinced that there is bread enough in his Fathers house When the sinner is like the Israelite in the wilderness beholding the curse of the law like the Egyptian behind him and pursuing him hard the red sea of divine wrath before him into which he is hastening his crimson and bloody sins like mountains on each side of him incompassing him round that he knoweth not what to do then the spirit biddeth him look up to Jesus and he shall see the salvation of God The third step which the spirit takes is anhelation to cause the soul of the convinced sinner to breath and pant after Jesus Christ breath is the first effect of life Conviction hath emptied his stomach of creature confidence and self righteousness made him poor in spirit and O how hungry he is after the righteousness of Jesus Christ the bread which came down from heaven As the thirsty ground cleaves and opens for drops as the heart panteth after the water brooks so panteth his soul after Jesus Christ God blessed for ever thinks he O when shall I come and appear before him His voice is like Rachel Give me children or I die Give me the holy child Jesus or I die or like Abraham Lord what wilt thou give me if I go childless Ioh. 12.21 O what wilt thou give me if I go Christiess or like the Jews to Philip Sir we would fain see Jesus Mat. 28.5 If the Angel should meet him he might bespeake the soul as he did the woman I know what thou seekest thou seekest Jesus which was crucified O the ardent desires the vehement longings the unutterable groans which this poor creature hath after his Saviour as David he cryeth out Who will give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem Where is that blessed guide that can leade me and help me to drink of the water of life Methinks I see how Jesus Christ presents himself to the eye of the dejected souls understanding in all his glory and gallantry in his sutableness unto the sinners indigencies and sufficiency for all his necessities with the freeness of his mercy the fullness of his merits and the sweetness of his love how he appeares before the soul with all his retinue and train of graces comforts his blood his spirit the favour of God freedom from sin wrath hell on the one hand of him there stand his gracious promises of pardon peace adoption sanctification heart-chearing love and everlasting life On the other hand of him there stands his precious precepts of self denyal crucifying the flesh walking after the Spirit despising the sensual pleasures honours and profits of this world and delighting in God walking with him having the conversation in heaven and rejoycing
thine house one by whom thou expectest to be promoted highly and inriched greatly or one whose heir thou lookest to be how welcome wouldst thou make such a man especially the first time that he commeth to visit thee and upon those very accounts I mean for thy advantage he must have the best room the best fare the most pleasing language the most respectful carriage all things must be done as much as possibly can be according to his mind and nothing must be done which is known to be offensive to him and all lest he should be provoked to forsake thee to cast thee off and to do nothing at all for thee Reader is there not far more reason that when the infinite Spirit of the blessed God cometh to thine heart who onely is able to promote thee to become the child of God an heir of heaven and to inrich thee with the image of God in Regeneration that when he cometh first to thee and for these very ends thou shouldst give him all the respects imaginable that thou shouldst follow his counsel forbeare what thou knowest grieves him do what thou knowest will please him lest he depart away from thee and do none of these things for thee Saul by disobeying the counsel of Samuel from God concerning the slaughter of the Amalekites did so grieve his spirit that Samuel tels him plainly That God had rejected him from being King 1 Sam. 15 â—3 ult And the text saith expresly That Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death that is never nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul Truly now the Spirit of God delivereth thee counsel to destroy those notorious fins which if thou wilt thou canst forbear should thou spare those fat those King corruptions though the Spirit of God may mourn for thee that thou shouldst be such a wilful soul-murderer and reject the counsel of God against thy self yet he may utterly reject thee from being any of the heirs of the heavenly Kingdom and thou mayst see him no more to the day of thy death If thou livest under the Gospel I question not but the Holy Spirit doth move thee to forsake thine ungodly comrades thy scandalous crimes and to set upon prayer in secret in private Scripture and meditation which I must tel thee that if thou haft will at home as we say thou hast power enough in thine hands to do again and again I pray thee to cherish and obey such motions the Spirit makes short work with some least he bid thee adieu and clap such a curse upon thee that thou never clawest off while thou livest no not whilst thou hast a being It may be this skilful Physitian proceedeth further he doth not onely shew thee thy disease and tell thee what things are bad what things are good for it but also gives thee Physick in order to thy cure and such Physick as works to purpose and makes thee heart sick indeed I mean the Spirit of God proceedeth from illumination to humiliation it doth not onely convince thee of thy wounds and putrified sores but also lanceth and cutteth them applieth a stinging corrosive to eat up thy proud flesh and putteth thee to great pain the Spirit sheweth thee sin and wrath in their colours making thee see the former more frightful then a devil and feel the latter more painful at thy heart then a dagger possibly he takes thee and holds thee as it were over Hell making thee see the smoak of that bottomless pit smell the brimstone and feel the scorchings of that eternal fire that thou beginnest to sink under the weight of thy wickedness and to cry out Mine iniquities are gone over my head Psal 38.1 and they are a burthen too heavy for me to bear Those sins which were as sweet as honey in thy mouth are now taken down into thy belly and they are there more bitter then gall The Law chargeth thee home with its great guns that thou fearest and tremblest and knowest not whither to flie for succor If thou art come thus much of thy journey I would bid thee welcom so far and would tell thee for thy encouragement that these pangs and throws seem to foretell the new birth to be coming if thou sufferest not the Devil and thy corrupt heart to be at thy labour to try their experiments and tamper about thee for questionless they would destroy both thee and the babe of Grace in thy womb but sufferest the Spirit of God to be the midwife and followest his directions I durst be the man that should prophesie an happy and fafe delivery But thou knowest that the condition of one in travel is very ticklish a little miscarriage may then undo both mother and child therefore it behoveth thee now to be extraordinary careful what thou dost and how thou carriest thy self it is as much as thy life is worth For thy direction I shall tell thee what thou shouldst not do and what thou shouldst do Be sure that thou do not run to creatures for comfort Foolish people when sometimes an able Chirurgion hath laid some sharp medicine to their festered wounds which puts them to much pain though unless by such means the rottenness of them be eaten up and the corruption in them forced out they can never be cured yet they are ordinarily so impatient that they will not endure it but as this good woman and that neighbour if they do not know a milder medicine for such a sore surely say they this medicine which the Doctor useth will never do it we finde the member or part very angry and extreamly raging and then some one or other acquainteth them with gentler means which they presently apply and thereby skin over their sores before they are half searched that afterwards the wound either breaks out again and puts them to more pain if ever they be healed or else it keeps still in overspreads the body and kills them Thus thus do too many with the Physitian of their souls and thereby do often undo themselves The Spirit of God applyeth the terrors and consternations the Law to make way and prepare them for the dainties and consolations of the Gospel the good Samaritan poureth wine into the wound to search it before he poureth oil to heal it now foolish men are impatient not able to bear such sad melancholy thoughts as they call them and therefore they often break away from the Spirit of God before they are throughly humbled and run to their earthly enjoyments whereby they get some present ease but here or hereafter far greater pain It is reported of the Italians that in a great thunder they ring their bells and shoot off their canons that the noise of them might drown the voice of the thunder Thus do some with the voice of their awakened and terrified consciences they seek to drown it by the noise of worldly businesses recreations or it may be ungodly delights But surely damning a soul is not