Satan under every one of your feet Be not troubled for want of Assurance This is your Assurance That you believe in the Son of God I demonstrate comfort Thus 1. God is Faithful that hath Promised he can never fail 2. Christ is faithful in whom and to whom the Promises are made and he can never fail for the Promise is sure to all the Seed 3. The Holy Ghost is faithful that Seals the Promises of God to our Souls and he can never fail The Spirit of promise to all the Seed 4. Therefore the faithful that receive and rely upon these Promises shall never fail for they are in Christ the Promised Seed As for flesh and blood though that be weak and afflictions very grievous to it yet let the spirit be but honest and willing and then fear nothing For to him that hath though never so little true faith shall be given full measure pressed down and running over shall God give into his bosome To him that is never wanting to himself God will never be wanting Do but desire and God will help do but seek and thou shalt find ask and have knock and it shall be opened unto thee If we that are evil know how to give good things to our Children how much more shall our heavenly father give good things to them that ask him And hath he not promised that whatsoever we shall ask of him in the Name of his Son he will give it us and having given us Christ how shall he not with him also give us all things that he in his wisdome and goodness knows to be necessary for us And having our Portion let us therewith be content Look therefore Sin Misery and Death in the face and Trust in God still Look only upon Sin and Misery and Death and Hell with the Eye of Sense and dye for fear and despair but look with the Eye of Faith beyond all these at the glory that shall be revealed and live for evermore Consult not with flesh and blood for if you do you will droop and fall but consult with the Spirit by Faith in Gods Promises and he shall strengthen thine heart I have nothing to comfort and satisfy me and assure me in life or Death but my honest and faithful desires If I be a Hypocrite I can have no comfort but if I be true and upright to God to the World and to my own soul and do all I can to please God and to keep my Conscience void of offence towards God and towards men though I am clothed with innumerable frailties and imperfections yet I am sure God will pardon all for Christ his sake only let me be valiant and of a good courage And though I see no comfort coming to me in this life or very little let me not be disheartened for this nor judge of Gods favour by what I see or feel but by what I believe and hope for for the things which are seen or felt are but Temporal but the things which are not seen nor felt here are Eternal And what I see not and enjoy not now by sense I do see and enjoy by Faith and shall see and enjoy by sight And till then I content my self with the sight and fruition which I have which is to me an Evidence and full Assurance of what I shall have Therefore Deerly beloved Brethren be ye stedfast and unmoveable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour shall never be in vain in the Lord for faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Amen GAL. 3.6 Abraham believed in God and it was accounted to him for Righteousness EXPLICATION THis Apostle saith Righteousness cometh not of the Law Gal. 2.21 Gal. 3.18 And the Inheritance is not of the Law but by Promise and faith in that Promise Both these sayings carry the same sense that is The right of an Inheritance which is the best Right cometh not of the Law but of Faith And both these sayings carry the same Reason because they argue the same Conclusion viz. That a man is not Justified by the Law but by Faith For if a man be Justified by the Law or if his Right of Inheritance be by the Law Ro◠4.14 then Faith is made void and the Promise void But being justified by his Grace Tit. 3.7 we are made heirs to the hope of Eternal Life So that to be justified by Faith and to be made an heir of God are all one in effect or the latter is but the property or consequent of the former In like manner to be counted Righteous or as in the Text for Faith to be counted for Righteousness is all one as to be justified For St. Paul alledgeth these words to prove the Doctrine of Justification by Faith and to have Right accounted to any person is to justify that Person Rom. 4.6 Gal. 2.16 Therefore this great saying That Abraham believed in God and it was accounted to him for Righteousness is to this effect That Abraham was justified by his Faith The Subject is Justification The Points 1. God 2. Account 3. Thing 4. End God the Cause of Justification Chap. 1. God justifi s. Rom. 8.33 Gen. 15.6 It is God that justifieth so the Hebrew Text Abraham believed in God and he imputed it to him for Righteousness God was the Agent that imputed Faith to Abraham for Righteousness St. Paul follows the Septuagint but the sense is all one For if actually God imputed Abrahams Faith unto him for Righteousness then it must needs follow passively that Abrahams Faith was imputed to him for Righteousness 2. The Account Cap. 2. Accounting The Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred reasoning concluding numbring reckoning imputing The great Arts of counting are Logick and Logistick 1. Logick is the counting of Sayings according to their rations or reasons as they are composed into their Conclusions and resolved into their Principles 2. Logistick is the counting of Numbers according to their rations or rates as they are composed into their Powers and resolved into their Roots And as in Logick the Conclusion is the effect of two Sayings rightly figured when one of those Sayings is the cause of that effect and the other Saying is the reason or mean between the Cause and the Effect So in Logistick The Power is the Product of two Numbers rightly multiplyed when one of those two Numbers is the Root of that Power and the other is the Rate between the Root and the Power Both these Countings or Reckonings or Reasonings do manifest the ration or Rate of a Saying to a Saying and of a Number to a Number So that to Account is to conclude by Reasoning or Numbring by arguing to find the Conclusion by addition to find the Total by Multiplication the Product by Division the Quotient The Word is used thus in several places Rom. 6.11 Reckon your selves to be
5. Of the Descâ—iption of Faith 1. God makes a Promise of Eternal Life and in order thereunto of the grace of Adoption and forgiveness of Sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost Thus God gives his Faith unto man is Gracious to promise being moved thereunto only by his free love in Christ without our supplication or the mediation of any Creature 2. God stands to his Promise thus made and keeps his Faith for he is faithful that hath promised and keepeth Covenant for ever 3. Man accepts and entertains this Promise made by God which is a taking of the Faith given trusting firmly to the giver for the full performance of it in due time 4. Man makes a Promise to God that is he gives his Faith to God to work that righteousness which God hath required at his hands by the help of his grace 5. Man stands to his promise and Faith which he hath given to God by the performance of that duty of Love which God hath required of him with all his heart soul and strength by the same Grace 6. God accepts this Promise or Faith which man hath given to him that is God takes his Faith given and trusteth to the Giver expecting the performance of it This is a mutual Contract betwixt God and Man as that in Marriage a mutual Assent and Consent giving and taking of each other This is the Covenant of Grace made between God and man Chap. 6. Of the Covenant of Grace whereby both parties are made sure together This is our Faith God reveals his Promise Law Will Word Testament Covenant Ordinance Grace God calls moves perswades draws invites allures by all gracious and proper means fit for a rational spirit to receive When the heart hears understands is invited moved perswaded and drawn that is accepts and embraces the offer of Grace then man believes When the Heart stoppeth the Ear at the voice of this Charmer though he charm never so often never so wisely when he refuseth rejecteth or embraceth not then man disbelieves then he is condemned of himself because he maketh God a Liar who is Truth its self and cannot lye As when a Rebel hath pardon offered by his Prince and will not accept it upon the condition of future Loyalty he deserves to dye if he had ten thousand lives So when the heart hath once accepted the free grace and love of God and afterwards falls off and embraces this present World being weary of obedience and unwilling to exercise mortification and self-denyal then man is said to deny the Faith and to make Shipwrack of Faith and of a good Conscience So then the Acceptation of Gods good Word and Promise is True Faith and by it the Believer obtains Righteousness even the Righteousness of God which is by Faith And this is our Justification Chap. 7. Of Justification that is not only to the forgivenesse of our sins but to a present Right of being the Child of God and Heir of God and Coheir with Jesus Christ and hath thereby the Spirit of God given unto him which is the earnest Evidence and Assurance of his Salvation and accordingly hath Hope of the future Possession of the Inheritance which is by Promise And thus the just man lives by his Faith and waits patiently upon God for the fulfilling of his word And this his Faith stayes his Soul from fainting and is unto him the Substance of things which are yet to come and otherwise as to him do not subsist and is unto him the Evidence of things not seen and otherwise as to any mortal Eye cannot be seen Thus Abraham believed in God and it was accounted unto him for Righteousness that is Abraham believed in God and thereby was justified for St. Paul alledgeth these words to prove the Doctrine of Justification by Faith and to account any Right to any person is to justify that Person or to have Righteousness imputed to him Rom. 4.6 Gal. 2.16 So had Abraham a true Right by his Faith to have a Son and a numerous Progeny and to possess the Land of Canaan And this is our Evidence also That 1. We have a Right to Heaven by Faith 2. We hold it by Works 3. We expect it by Hope So Faith is a Passive Act of the Will receiving holding and embracing Gods offer as the Fathers that were perswaded of the Promises of God and saw them a far off and embraced them as they that heard the word Heb. 11.13 and received it with joy And to as many as received Christ which was the Promised Seed Luc. 8.13 to them gave he Power that they should be called the Sons of God Joh. 1.12 So it is a Passive Act of the same Will to refuse or reject what is offered as the Text speaks See that ye refuse not him that speaketh from heaven He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him Heb. 12.25 Joh. 12.48 c. Thus the Lawyers rejected the Counsel of God against themselves and therefore accounted themselves unworthy of Eternal Life Gods Promise imputes a Present Right to a future Blessing Chap. 8. Gods Promise which are two Acts of Gods will Hence God requires an Acceptation of that present Right and an Expectation of the future Blessing which are two Acts of mans Will correspondent to the two Acts of Gods Will of imputing a Present Right and a future Possession of a Biessing This is Gods Promissory Will which is not at all compulsatory but invitatory altogether leaving us freely to our own choice And this Acceptance is Faith and this expectance is Hope agreeable to the will of Gods Promise Thus Gods Precept which is the condition of his Promise imposes a present Band to a future observation of some Duty as the works of love Chap. 9. God's â—recept which are two Acts of Gods Preceptory Will Hence God requires submission to this present Band and performance of the future Duty which are two Acts of mans will agreeable to the two Acts of Gods Will. This is Gods Preceptory will and this is compulsatory not Invitatory to leave us free to our own choice to obey or to transgress but legally binds us to obedience And this obedience if freely performed not for fear of Punishment is Love which is the fulfilling of the Law in an Evangelical way Gods Precepts are his Revealed Will or Word proceeding from his Holiness and Gods Judgments are his revealed Will or Word proceeding from his Anger But Gods Promises are his revealed Will or Word proceeding from his Love This is Gods good Word or his good Promise Therefore an Assent to Gods Precepts and to his Judgments is Faith to convict a Sinner of his Transgressions and the guilt of Punishment due to him for the same But an Assent to Gods Promises and an Acceptance of them is faith to justify to a present Right to a future Blessing Thus Abraham and Sarah accepted the present
Ablution from Original Sin and a Death to all Sin and a life to Righteousness and thereby exemption from the state of Damnation to the state of Salvation and that to Infants as well as others that are Baptized with water and if not Baptized it was none of their fault And whither outwardly Baptized or no what can hinder the Inward Baptisme of the Spirit to them if they Dye presently before or after Baptisme or to others if they live long to believe and keep that Faith in which they were Baptized except they make Shipwrack both of Faith and a good Conscience by breaking the Vow and Promise made by them None can deny but the Spirit of God is free as the Wind to blow where and when and how it listeth and who so fit objects to receive the gifts of his Grace for life Eternal as these poor Creatures that are so miserable as not so much as to enjoy the comforts of this life Temporal Do not Rights belong to Children and Fools by Law but Grace gives Rights above and contrary to Law Especially the Grace of God which is so Gracious that our shallow understandings and stammering Tongues are not able to apprehend and express it I will therefore stand still admire and hold my peace when I cannot fathom his Infinite Mercy 3. Thirdly Concerning Mad-men who have had Reason and Faith Chap. 4. Untimely Ends. and afterwards without their own fault have lost the use of both at least Quoad nos to outward appearance either wholly or for a certain time or times coming and going I am as favourable to judge of them as I did for Infants and Fools I know well God is favourable and his Royal Laws most favourable and to be most favourably interpreted as good men will allow their own Laws to be And therefore it becomes me and all men to come as neer unto God for kindness as we may and it is most safe so to do I say then as favourably as I can thus As they have had Reason and Faith before their distraction so they have them still under their Distraction The Habits they retain the Acts they cannot shew It is all alike to God though not to us He knows what the Inward Man is though we do not but by the expressions of the Outward Man to guess only 4. Fourthly Chap. 5. Untimely ends Concerning such as have been understanding and faithful both and fruitful in Wisdome and Goodness and yet have suddenly pershed by Fire or Water or the Sword or any other fatal Contingency I answer I do not judge amiss of their Souls at all for the grievous misery that hath happened unto them No not if they have in their Passion or Provocation of uncharitable Censures thrust out their own Souls out of their Bodies supposing they were such as constantly feared God before They have not lost the life of their Souls though they have lost the life of their Bodies they have not lost an Eternal though they have lost a Temporal life All these Changes and Chances of a long Life or a short of a natural or violent Death of a Single or a Married life of Poverty or Riches of Beauty or Deformity of Ignorance or Learning c. are nothing to the farthering or hindering of the state of a Blessed Eternity 5. Fiftly Chap. 6. Sickmen distracted Concerning them that in their health of Body have enjoyed health of minde with Faith and a good Conscience but afterwards have been distracted by violent Diseases and never recovered But as other Madmen that walk abroad or are shut up as otherwise healthy and strong they do talk not only idly and fantastically but wickedly and profanely and act altogether ragingly I am not afraid to answer that notwithstanding all these things have happened unto them through Gods Providence against their own Wills yet their Souls are in as good and as safe a condition as ever they were before Obj. But what will you say may some object of them Chap. 7. Malefactâ—rs that for and by the guilt of some grievous Sins as Murder Rebellion c. or for some grievous Misery as Love Want loss of Children c. have fallen Sick and lost their Wits withal 'till they have dyed either by meer sickness or by laying violent hands upon themselves I answer And what will you say that make this objection or what can any man say of these men whither they repented or no between the Bridge and the Water or of God whither his wayes be not often secret but alwayes just And whither think you is safest for me to say they are damned or to hope the best that by the favour of God punishing them here they may be spared hereafter If you can give a better Judgment then I in this Case then do I leave them to that God that made them who is infinitely just and good and knows how to relieve the weak And hope the best 'T is dangerous to walk upon the Ridges of headlong and slippery Places as the Tops of Towres and steep Rocks or Brinks of deep Waters 6. Sixthly and lastly Chap. 9. Heathens There is one Case more and it is as much as I can think of concerning those honest Heathens that have excelled in virtue and the fear of God though never Circumcised to the Jewish Law nor Baptized to the Christian Gospel but only for ought we know have grown good upon the Stock of Natural Light or some secret supernatural Illumination in what state or Condition their Souls may be thought to be in I answer as well as I can That their Creed is to believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of all such as diligently seek him And so they came to God and whither he rejected them after they came to him as well as they could let the wise judge If then they do believe that God was a Rewarder Chap. 9. Jewes then there is no Reward but in Christ And what did the Jewes know cleerly of Christ or of the Resurrection were they therefore damned They had a dark Dispensation of Resemblances of Heavenly things by the Patterns of Earthly Ceremonies and Promises and these a darker by natural light and impulse If Spiritual and Eternal things were generally hinted unto them and they walked according to what they knew as the best Jews did God will â—equire no more at the hands of the Jew or Gentile then what he hath given them The one shall be judged by that Law they had in Tables and the other by that Law they had in their hearts and the Christians by that Spiritual Law of the Gospel the Perfection of both the former And God will have all men every where to repent and in every Nation and at all times they that fear God and worship him and do justly as well as they can shall be accepted of him And whatever their condition be which yet we have no cause to judge