them Yes there was and is still great need we should make this Prayer now the Gospell is revealed to the Church yet to pray for the Spirit of Revelation to reveale it to our hearts and to inlighten the eyes of our minde not only to understand the literall sense of the Word by the helpe of that Common light of the Spirit which shineth ordinarily in the Church but to comprehend with all Saints the height depth and largenesse of Gods love the riches of his glorious inheritance the pretiousnesse of the promises of Grace the power and saving vertue of the Gospell the rare excellencie and amiablenesse of all divine truth Which none can doe without the speciall worke of the Holy Ghost changing the Vnderstanding from Naturall to Spirituall by an immediat infusion of such a qualitie as inables it to discerne aright of Spirituall things I conclude this point with one reason more If to the understanding of spirituall things there bee no other illumination required but only the cleere evidence of the object plainely represented to the understanding without any further worke of the Spirit upon the Vnderstanding it selfe infusing into it a speciall strength to apprehend the things that are proposed to it then it would be knowne whether these men thinke that our intellective Facultie hath got any hurt and defect by Adams fall yea or no. It is manifest that they thinke that mans fall hath not brought any defect and weaknesse upon the power of mans understanding no not in Spiritualibâ—…s For marke it when Divine things are in a plaine and lively manner declared to the understanding is there any defect in the facultie that must be first amended by the Spirit before it can have the perfect knowledge of those things No say they so therebe the common assistance of the Spirit preserving unto us the right use of reason and judgement we may without any supernaturall worke of the Spirit understand spirituall things when they are plainly expounded unto us Why then here 's all the difference betweene Adam and Vs His Vnderstanding was perfect and happy because he had both the Power to conceive of things hee was yet ignorant of when they should be cleerely revealed to him and also the Actuall knowledge of wonderfull varietie in all things Our understanding is imperfect and unhappy because by our fall wee want the Actuall knowledge of almost all things especially Spirituall but yet we still retaine the same power that we had in Adam to understand any spirituall thing when it is once cleerely discovered unto us So that according to Arminius schoole the understanding of man since the Fall is like unto our Eyes in the darke the eye is well and without blemish needing no cure of any defect in it selfe yet it sees nought because the Object is not inlightened so soone as light shines on that causing a cleere discovery of it the eye without further adoe can easily perceive it But this is yet the very pride and gall of an Hereticall spirit secretly accusing the whole mystery of Gods revealed wisdome whether in the booke of nature or of Scripture as if it were wrapped up in Obscurity and Darknesse Wee forsooth have eyes and we need not that God should restore unto us the Faculty of Seeing only wee are in darknesse because things that are to be knowne are in darkenesse if God will take away obscuritie from them and make them evident to be knowne there 's no such infirmity in us but wee may know them if wee be attentive Let us from our hearts detest this odious popish imputation of obscurity laid upon Nature and Scripture as if the cause of all our ignorance were not now in the weaknesse of our Vnderstanding but in the darknesse of Gods revealing himselfe to us And let us detest that opinion which leads us upon this absurdity and learne we to confesse our blindenesse to pray that God will give us eyes and restore our understanding to its first perfection else though the light shine round about us making all things wherein God is to be knowne most appparant and visible yet wee may still lie in darkenesse and perish in our ignorance This is their first error touching the Vnderstanding of which I shall have occasion to speake more in handling the parts of Faith I now proceed to the second touching the affections which is this 2. That even in Divine things the motions of the Affections necessarily follow upon the illumination of the Vnderstanding So that when the understanding is rightly informed and thoroughly convinced the affections are presently excited in all motions conformable to the things knowne It is very strange that men of so deepe learning should yet professe so much ignorance in the estate of Mans corrupt nature as to dreame of a Correspondency and dutifull subjection of our Passions unto our Reason so that when this is rightly taught they will be truly affected even in Spirituall things Nothing more could be said of Adam in his innocency and to affirme this touching Man corrupted is to give the lie to Reason Authority and all Experience which speake the contrary The truth is this as wee are falne out with God so are we at oddes with our selves and our affections are not more often mis-led by our erroneous understanding than our understanding and right judgement is haled aside by our vitious affections What man in the world that knowes himselfe but will confesse that even in naturalibus and moralibus much more in spiritualibus he may often say with Medea Video meliora proboque Deteriora sequor Wherefore we reject this Opinion that there is no vitious inclination properly inherent in the affections besides that which is brought upon them per tâ—nâ—bras mentis through the error of the understanding wee detest this assertion as a fond and false imagination and we confesse with the Apostle that even when we know allow of consent unto the goodnesse of the Law and delight in it in part yet then wee cannot alwayes doe what we would but through the Law of Sinne in our corrupt wills and affections are led captive to disobedience Their third error is this 3. That the affections may be excitati stirred up and quickened with true love of goodnesse and hatred of evill before such time as a man be converted The Arminians are wonderfull obscure in explicating unto us their new invented opinion concerning the Excitation of the Affections which they make the second worke of Grace preceding mans true Conversion They tell us not in plaine termes what affections they meane nor yet what kinde of Excitation and Vivification it is they would have Wherefore we are more particularly to enquire of both For Affections or Passions in man they are of two sorts 1. Sensuall belonging to the Sensitive Appetite and directed by the phantasie these are common to brute beasts with us and arise from one like temper and constitution in both The object of these
yet But that assertion of our Divines That the true desire of grace is from true grace and a part of true grace shall stand fast as founded on Scripture and sound Reason when all Arminianisme shall lie in the dust If these Motions in an unregenerate man bee not True but False Counterfeit then have they made much adoe to little purpose preparing a man to that Faith and Conversion which is true by counterfeit and hypocriticall meanes But they will say that these desires and affections though they are not Spirituall yet in their kinde they are true and not counterfeit because they are true Morall or Naturall desires To which I answer that the rule to judge of the truth of our desires is this Wee must compare our affections with the Nature of those things that wee doe affect if our affections towards them be such as the Quality of the things themselves require then are they right and good if not they are false and evill as to make it plaine by an instance or two When a husband loves his wife but only as his whoore to satisfie his lust this love though it may be very â—ervent and not dissembled yet t is a false love because it is not Matrimoniall agreeable to the qualitie of a Wife the object thereof When Balaam desired the death of the righteous no question but hee spake as he thought without dissembling but yet this his desire was false because he desired it not according to the true nature thereof as it requires a sanctified life to bring us to a happy end which Balaam would none of When a Turke hopes for heaven that there hee may live in carnall pleasures according to Mahomets beastly â—aw 't is true that hee hopes but 't is false that he hopes truly because he mistakes the qualitie of Heavenly joyes which are spirituall not carnall So in like manner generally when Spirituall things are affected spiritually in such a manner as is conformable to their nature and qualitie then are our affections rightly and well moved towards them as to love goodnesse because it is of God to hate sinne because 't is contrary to the holinesse of Gods nature and law to desire grace to the end that it may correct the corruption of nature to wish for heaven that we may have communion with God in the beholding of his glory and our constant worshipping of him These affections are true but they are such as never arise in the heart of man till it be purified and made Holy by the Spirit of Grace But on the contrary when Spirituall things are affected only as things that are Naturally or Morally good or evill such affections are false and of no worth as if a man desire grace because t is a commendable qualitie or redemption because t is good to be free from miserie or heaven because t is a pleasant thing to be at ease such affections are as farre from truth as the eye is from right seeing when it mistakes greene for yellow or a man for a post And such in a man unconverted are all his Affections about Spirituall things Wherefore when they tell us of a true Love of goodnesse a true Hatred of evill c. in a man unregenerate they speake strange paradoxes against reason and Scripture affirming that they who have not the Spirit are naturall men Iud. ver 19. and that the Naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit and cannot Spiritually discerne and therefore not Spiritually desire them 1 Cor. 3. and againe that whatsoever is borne of the flesh is flesh Ioh. 3. 6. Albeit therefore we denie not but that there are ordinarily many Preparations whereby God brings a man to grace and that the Word workes many effects both upon the Heart and lives of men even whilest they are as yet destitute of true Grace yet as for those affections which our Adversaries place in mâ—n unregenerate we affirme that they are not antecedents but consequents and parts of true Conversion For can hee that is dead in sinne bewaile his Spirituall death Can he that is in the flesh and so an enemie to God yet greve for displeasing of him Can he truly desire the Spirit of regeneration that is of the world and cannot receive the Spirit because it seeth him not neither knoweth him Can a man thirst after righteousnesse and yet not be blessed nor satisfied Can a man hate evill who yet loves not the Lord Can hee love God that is not borne of him Can he be humble that hath not the sanctifying Spirit one fruite whereof is meeknesse and humblenesse of minde May a true prayer be made without the helpe of the Holy Ghost Will there ever be a true Confession in the mouth when there is not Faith and Repentance in the heart How can that heart be a new heart a contrite and broken heart sensible of sinne which is not yet changed out of stone into flesh Can hee have a full purpose of heart to amend his life and cleave unto the Lord whose heart is not yet touched with sanctifying Grace Whatsoever shadow of these things may appeare in an unregenerate man it is certaine none can be done in truth but by those only in whom the Holy Ghost hath begun the worke of true Sanctification I might stand upon the further proofe of every particular were it needfull but I passe on to their fourth Error which is concerning mans Will 4. That the Will of man is not capable of any Habituall qualities inherent in it whether of grace or corruption Only a meere liberty it hath to Will or Nill any thing and besides this liberty there never was is nor can be in it any other quality Whence it followes that the Will is not to be termed good or evill from any inward disposition of it selfe but onely from the actions of it according as it is lead or mis-led by the light or darkenesse of the understanding and by the rectitude or depravation of the affections Of all the issues of Arminius braines this is one of the most deformed that the Will of man hath not in it eyther grace or corruption any vertuous or vitious inclination of it selfe a bare liberty to choose or refuse that it hath and nothing else Against which strange noveltie we have to oppose these reasons 1. The Image of God consisting in righteousnesse and holinesse was in every part of mans soule and therefore in the Will as well as the Vnderstanding And if so then besides the liberty of the Will there was in it a righteous and holy inclination towards God and Goodnesse in the first creation of it Which Habituall disposition to goodnesse is corrupted and a perverse inclination to evill come in place thereof If they deny that righteousnesse and holinesse is in the whole soule it will trouble them much to tell unto what part it must be restrained 2. The constant tenour of Scriptures
by his fall became like and in Scripture it is termed The flesh The old man The sinne that dwelleth in us The sinne of the world The law of sin The law in our members The body of death Concupiscence or Lust also The first death of the soule which Adam died immediately upon his sin in which death and separation of grace from the soule all Adams posterity remaine dead and rotten till they be quickned againe by Christ. Whereas then the soule being of a lively and active substance worketh altogether by and according to its inherent qualities where they are onely good all the actions thereof are regular where naught there all its operations must needs be crooked and incongruous as in men unregenerate of whom the Apostle gives this definitive sentence They that are in the flesh cannot please God And out of this roote growes that fruit which wee properly call mans aversion or turning from God to himselfe to Satan to any creature yeelding service and love to any but to God to whom onely he owes it 3. But there is yet a third estate wherein the habits of righteousnesse and sinne are not severed as in the former two but coupled both together and this is in the state of grace when holinesse is againe infused into our natures and corruption done away in part Which worke of the holy Ghost upon us is set forth by sundry appellations in Scriptures all signifying but divers circumstances of one and the same thing It s called the Spirit the new man the new creature our regeneration or begetting againe our renascentia or new birth our renovation or renewing the law of our minds viz. renewed the first resurrection from the dead our effectuall vocation our conversion and in one word which compriseth and expoundeth the extent of all the rest Our Sanctification which is nothing but that Image of God which we had lost in Adam restored unto us again by the supernaturall worke of Gods Spirit creating holinesse or grace in our unholy and gracelesse hearts For then only are we renewed being made new men and new creature then onely begot and borne againe by the Spirit then raised to life effectually called and turned from darknesse to light when we are sanctified throughout by this new quality of grace brought into us rectifying and repairing every part of our whole man In which state the operations of the soule are mixt neither simply good as in the first nor simply evill as in the second but partaking of both qualities according to the different habites of corruption and grace whereby the soule is depraved or perfected in her working Now the proper fruit of this renued grace is our Conversion or Turning unto God when upon the infusion of spirituall life and grace we begin again to acknowledge our Creator and forsaking our lusts Satan and the creature to fasten againe our love upon God that made our soules and best deserves our service But yet touching this our sanctification or inherent righteousnesse we are to enquire a little more distinctly and for the cleerer understanding of it to distinguish betweene 1. The Habit of Grace 2. The Operations proceeding from thence The sacred habite of grace is one supernaturall qualitie of holinesse universally infused into all the powers of the soule at once and spreading it selfe over all leaves no part unsanctified as corruption on the contrary leaves no part untainted And as this being one containes in it originally the seed of every sinne so doth the other of every gracious action It is bestowed on every elect person through the worke of the holy Ghost who when hee enters to take possession of the heart by his quickning and sanctifying vertue brings life holinesse not to one only part but to all at once I say to all at once in the habituall renovation of every part For grace comes into the soule like light into the aire which before darke is in all parts at once illuminated or as heate into cold water that spreads it selfe through the whole substance or as the soule into the body of Lazarus or the Shunamites childe not by degrees but all at once infused and giving life to every part So is our new man borne at once though he grow by degrees that is the soule in our conversion is at once reinvested with the Image of God in all its faculties so that howsoever the actions of grace doe not presently appeare in each one yet the habite the seede the roote of all divine vertues is firmely reimplanted in them and by the strength of this grace given they are constantly disposed to all sanctified operations The operations flowing from this blessed habite of renewed grace are many For Grace as in all parts it workes imperfectly during this life so in divers parts it workes diversly or rather because habits are not active per se thus Every faculty having proper operations belonging to it different from others which it produceth by the strength of its proper nature if it be perverted by corruption it doth the action ill if it be rectified by grace it performes it well As to know to assent to choose to desire to joy to love c. are naturall workes of the understanding and will or reasonable appetite But when they shall put themselves forth to action nothing will be done in a right manner nor directed to a right object unlesse the faculties be reindued with their Primitive perfection totally or in part For this rule is sure Nothing can worke as God would have it unlesse it be such as God made it Now by the restoring of grace or Gods image a man becomes in part like unto that he was in his first creation and consequently the motions of every faculty conformable to their first regularity Well then Grace like the Ocean is one Element but takes divers names according to the severall regions and parts of the soule which it washeth and sanctifieth according to the severall objects about which they are imployed and lastly according to the severall occasions that stirre them up to action As for instance Grace in the understanding is called spirituall wisedome in discerning of holy things Grace in the will is a rectified choice and embracing of its right object God and his goodnesse Grace in the affections are their pure and sanctified motions towards their proper objects Grace in the outward man is its prompt and ready obedience in doing the commands of a sanctified soule Now in all these parts albeit the seede of renewing grace bee so deepely sowne and rooted that as S. Iohn speakes 1. Ioh. 3. 9. it remaines within us the Image of God being though more imperfectly yet more firmely imprinted on the regenerate than on Adam himselfe yet the Actus secundi the actuall operations of this Grace appeare neither perfectly nor equally in every part but shew themselves sooner or later more strongly or weakely according as the strength of sinnefull corruption
actuall Concurrence yet we truly and properly ascribe such effects to their Visible apparant immediate causes But in this point concerning the replantation of Holinesse in a Sinfull man we affirme against Pelagians Semi-pelagians Papists Arminians or other sectaries however branded that as the Agent or Efficient of mans Sanctification is simply supernaturall viz. the Holy Hhost so is his manner of working altogether Divine beyond the power and without the helpe of any thing in man An assertion that layes nature flat on her backe and yet gives vnto her as much as Sinne hath left her and that 's just Nothing in matter of Grace And the truth hereof will easily appeare to any that will without pride and prejudice consult the Scriptures or common experience Me thinkes when we reade in the booke of God these and such like sayings that every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart is only evill continually that of the children of men there is none that understands and seeks after God that they are become altogether filthy none that doth good no not one that the naturall man perceiueth not the things of the Spirit nor can he know them being spiritually discerned that wee are blinde till God Open our eyes that wee are deafe till God bore our Eares that wee are Darknesse vtterly destitute of Spirituall light that the Wissdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the flesh is enmity or hatred against God is not nor can be subiect to him that the flesh lusteth against the Spirit rebelling against the worke thereof even in the regenerate much more before regeneratiō that of our selves we are not sufficient to thinke a good thought as of our selves but that our sufficiency is of God that it is God which worketh in us both the will and the deed of his good pleasure that in our conversion wee are New begotten New borne New creatures created in Christ Iesus to good workes in fine to put all out of doubt That wee are Dead in trespasses and Sinnes and that our Sanctification is the first resurrection from death effected in us by the same Almighty power which God declared in raising Christ from the grave When I say wee consider of these and the like places were wee not too much in love with our selves and held some scorne to con God all the thankes for our salvation our hearts and tongues would presently bee filled with a sincere acknowledgement Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name wee give the glory for thy loving mercy and for thy truths sake Besides I wish wee would descend unto an unpartiall examination of our owne hearts to make discovery by the light of the Spirit of that body of Death wee be are about with us what strong rebellion there is of the Law in our members against the law of our mindes what secret and powerfull attractives the affections of Sinne have to pull us unto disobedience what violent and bitter opposition they make against Grace checking their disorderly motions how seldome any blessed resolution tending to sanctity rises up in our thoughts how vnwildy we are in the managing of any gracious motion from the Holy Ghost with what slacknesse and cumber wee prosecute such holy inspirations to action and full accomplishment in a word how passing slow our course towards heaven is when wee have all helpes of nature and Grace to carry us forward I am fully perswaded that whatsoever any man may conceive in abstract speculation there is no converted person if he make application to his owne particular but will confesse freely if he deale truly with his owne heart that not only if God had not done More for him than he could for himselfe but if God had not done All for him he had utterly perished in his sinnes And he will acknowledge that it is impossible there should be in and of himselfe such Preparations and forward dispositions to worke his owne Conversion who being Converted is hindered by none so much in the finishing of his salvation as by his owne perpetuall indisposition to goodnesse This our disabilitie whereof wee are convinced in our owne sense and by testimony of the Scripture will inforce us if our pride bee not as great as our povertie to confesse whence wee have our riches without stammering shifting and mineing of the matter as the fashion of too many is who by many prety scholasticall devices distinguish God out of all or the greatest part or at least some part of his Glory due unto him for our Conversion and thrust in the Abilities of their owne Free-will as co-workers with Gods Spirit joynt-purchasers of this inheritance of Grace But let God have glory and every man shame and let all whom grace hath taught to judge of their Corruption say with the Church Es. 26. 12. Thou O Lord hast wrought all our workes in us I will not prevent my selfe by larger explication of this point at this time but wrapp up all touching this first conclusion in a needfull distinction or two and so passe on Mans Concurrence in the worke of his sanctifications is double 1 Passive which is the Capacity or Aptnesse that is in mans nature for the Receiuing of Grace for being a Reasonable creature hee is naturally prepared and disposed with such a substance and faculties as are meet subjects to receive the Habit and instruments to performe the actions of Grace This Concurrence of man to his regeneration is most necessary nor doth God sanctifie senslesse or irrationall creatures nor is man in his conversion in such sort passive as is a stone blocke or brute beast as our adversaries absurdly cavill 2 Active which is some Strength or Power that man hath in the Vse of his faculties especially of his will for the Production of Grace This strength of man in doing good is to be distinguished in regard 1 Of the Beginning and first Act of our Conversion when Holinesse is at the first reimplanted in the Soule 2 Of the Progresse of our Conversion in the practise of Sanctification In this second respect none denies Mans actuall concurrence with the Spirit of God for being sanctified and inwardly inabled in his faculties by Spirituall life put into them he can Move himselfe in and towards the performance of all living actions of grace even as Lazarus of Nature Whereas yet you are to remember that even in these actions wee cannot worke alone we are but Fellow-workers with the Spirit of God and this not in an Equality but Subordination to him we indeed move our hands to write but like raw schollers wee shall draw mishapen charecters unlesse our heavenly Master guide our hands Neverthelesse these actions take their denominations from the next Agent and though performed by speciall assistance of the Spirit yet are rightly said to be mans actions so that when a regenerate person Beleeves Praies gives almes rejoyceth in God c. we doe not say that the Holy Ghost in us
after its future estate conclude after diligent search that as yet it hath neyther part nor portion in the inheritance of grace or glory Be assured that conscience will not lye and flatter at such a time and that where it findes no reformation of manners no change of the heart no puritie in the affections and desires no sense of the powerfull worke of the Spirit of Grace conscience will not spare to tell such a man to his face That he is a man of death prepared against the day of slaughter one hated of God detested of Saints and Angels living without communion and fellowship with Christ and so in a continuall expectation of Gods vengeance to fall on him in hell assoone as death shall strike him to the ground This will put the heart into a cold sweate and make the powers of the soule to shake specially when it shall looke about to all those things whence succour may seeme to be had and then shall finde it selfe utterly forsaken by them in its distresse Againe consider with me that no stranger can partake or perceive the unspeakeable joy of that heart which upon the like examination finds it selfe to be translated out of the bondage of Corruption into the libertie of Grace washed from its uncleanenesse by the Holy Ghost linked in communion with the Saints and body of Christ and sealed with the Spirit of promise to the assured Hope of everlasting happinesse If any thing can these thoughts will melt the heart into most humble thanksgiving and make us fall on our knees and with hands and eyes lifted up to him from whom our help commeth to confesse with the holy Prophet I was brought low but thou hast helped me I was in thraldome but thou hast loosed my bonds the sorrowes of death compassed mee and the paines of Hell gat hold on mee I found trouble and sorrow but thou hast delivered my soule from death mine eyes from teares and my feete from falling What is now my duty I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the Name of the Lord My soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy Name And againe My soule praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits saith the same holy David Psal. 103. 1. 2. But wherefore was all this contention of Spirit why this striving with utmost endeavour to bee thankefull Oh there was good cause Grace was worth God-a-mercy and t is for that this holy man thus strives to bee thankefull to God who forgave all his iniquities and had healed his diseases Certainely where so undeserved mercy in such desperate misery in that shewed upon a wretch as not onely to free him from all evill but also put him into the possession of all blessednesse where this grace workes not the heart to Thankfulnesse and Humility it is most apparant that such a heart knowes not what such Grace meanes For our selves let us shew forth these vertues of the Spirit which hath converted us and dwells in our hearts let 's looke to the rocke out of which we were hewen to the pit whence we were digged consider what wee were and should have beene what we are and shall be and then take we up that most modest speech of that noble Athenian Captaine in the midst of all his glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from how great basenesse and misery to what great glory and blessednesse are wee advanced Make wee our confession with Iacob With my staffe I came c. and the Israelites Deut. 26. 5. A Syrian was my father ready to perish c. And now let us in like manner make unto God our thankefull acknowledgement and say in the words of the Prophet O Lord wee confesse unto thee that our father was an Amoâ—ite our mother an Hittite that our birth is of the land of Canaan wee were borne bond-slaves and children of the curse In the day of our nativity our navell was not cut we were not washed with water not salted with salt nor swadled in clouts none eye pitied us to doe any of these things unto us and to have compassion upon us but wee were cast out into the open field to the contempt of our persons in the day that wee were borne Onely thou O Lord when thou passest by and sawest us polluted in our bloud hast had mercy on us and saidst unto us Live even when we were in our bloud thou saidst unto us Live Of vile thou hast made us Honourable of sinnefull Holy of miserable Happy Wee praise thee wee blesse thee and wee beseech thee to finish the good worke thou hast begunne and as by thy mercy thou hast brought us into the kingdome of Grace so by thy power preserve us through faith unto thy Kingdome of Glory Amen I proceed to the third Circumstance considerable in this point of our Conversion namely the Subject wherein it is wrought Now this in generall is the Elect and they onely whom onely God hath called to glorie and vertue appointing them to that as the end preparing them unto it by this as the meanes I shall need to name vnto you but one place for proofe hereof and that 's Rom. 8. 30. Moreover whom he hath predestinate them also hath he called whom he hath called c. The linkes of this chaine are so surely fastned together that no power of hell no wit of man may breake and sunder them Whom God fore knew he predestinated to be made like to the image of his Sonne in grace and glorie whom he hath thus elected before all time those in due time he calls or converts those he justifies those he glorifies Wherefore Sanctification Iustification and Glorie are bounded within those limits which Gods predestination or election hath prescribed unto them extending to no other persons but such only as haue their names written in the booke of life and are enrolled in the List of Gods eternall election But this generalitie of the Subject is yet more particularly to be differenced The Elect in this life are of two sorts 1. Infantes Infants whose age permitteth them not the knowledge of good or actuall practise of evill 2. Adulti Such as are of age who may both know and doe eyther good or evill Both these are the Subjects of Conversion or Sanctification but with some difference in the circumstances or maner of working it in them Which will thus appeare our Vocation unto the state of grace is double 1. Inward in the worke of the Spirit of grace upon our hearts regenerating and sanctifying them by the infusion of Holinesse Now though this be properly a Worke yet it is metaphorically termed a Voyce or Calling whereby the Spirit speakes unto our hearts and perswades us to Obedience But you must know that this inward voyce or speaking of the Spirit to the heart of a man unregenerate is much more than a bare suggestion of some thing to bee done by him it
is a word of Spirit and Life as Christ speakes of his owne Iohn 6. 63. a working Word renuing in soule and creating in it all the graces of Sanctification 2. Outward in the Preaching of the Word calling us to Faith and Repentance whereto the Spirit joynes his secret vertue to make it effectuall in whom he pleaseth I will not now stand to justifie this distinction of our Outward and Inward Vocation so ancient so necessary but yet in these quarrelsome times derided and scornfully rejected Let us for the present take it as it is for a truth and so apply it to our present purpose thus Those of the Elect that die infants are internally called and converted that is Sanctified before they are capable of externall Vocation Those of the Elect that live to ripe age are converted and called both inwardly by the worke of the Spirit and outwardly by the voice of the Word In both sorts the worke of Conversion is the same and Infants have it the same in substance as others being Sanctified by the Spirit without the Word but those of yeares have it also in the circumstance of externall Vocation being Sanctified by the Spirit working in and together with the Ministery of the Word which is the voice of God calling men unto himselfe Now a voice presupposing ears to hear and an understanding to perceive infants cannot properly bee said to bee called by any such voice though they may properly bee said to bee converted and sanctified And this worke of our Sanctification is also not unusually in Scripture stiled by the name of our Calling Wherefore that wee may a little further insist upon this point touching the state of the Elect in their infancy let this be laid downe as a sure conclusion That the graces of Sanctification may bee and are infused into many of the Elect in their very infancie The truth whereof there is not any doth or can justly denie considering 1. That infants are as capable of the Habites of Sanctity as men are 2. That their soules may as well be now sanctified by infused Grace as if Adam had not fell they should have been Holy even from the wombe by Originall justice propagated unto them and inherent in them 3. That the Humanity of Christ was in this maner Holy even from the conception which was therein by speciall priviledge like unto that course which should have been ordinary in our conceptions and births if we had not sinned 4. That it cannot honestly be denied to bee so in Iohn Baptist but that so great a Prophet was sanctified by the Holy Ghost even from the wombe which may bee confirmed by that his extraordinary motion upon the Salutation of Marie the mother of our blessed Saviour Luke 1. 41. 44. And of Ieremie t is not unprobable by that which God saith of him Ier. 1. 5. Before I formed thee in the wombe I knew thee and before thou camest out of the wombe I sanctified thee and ordeined thee to be a Prophet unto the Nations Albeit here I will not deny but that Sanctifying here may well be taken not for the graces of Regeneration but for a designation unto such a function and a preparation of the Prophet thereto by the infusion of such qualities as might make him meet for the discharge thereof as extraordinary wisedome courage patience and the like In which sense the word Sanctifie is not unusually taken as Esa. 13. 3. Where God called the Medes and Persians prepared and designed for the destruction of the Babylonians his Sanctified ones i. e. set apart for his owne service in that businesse So also Paul of himselfe Gal. 1. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Separated me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Apostleship From this Conclusion that Elect infants may bee partakers of the grace of Conversion and Sanctification namely in the Habite implanted in their soules I desire you to observe foure Corollaries thereon depending each whereof have their necessary use 1. A Resolution of that doubt which troubles many tender consciences who having the care of their salvation in highest regard are suspiciously jealous over their deceitfull hearts and apt to thinke the worst of themselves where they see no manifest evidence to the contrary These men will often doubt of the truth of their Conversion because they know not the time when of starke naught they become Good and Holy They will tell you that their birth hath beene of religious parents their education under godly governours that from their youth they have beene accustomed to frequent the exercises of religion in publicke and to use themselves to all dueties of devotion in private some goodnesse and love of godlinesse they find in themselves but they know not how it hath crept upon them by degrees and they question whether all be right or no with them because they never remember in all their lives that ever there was such an alteration wrought in them as they heare and see to bee in other men To these I say there 's no reason they should bee sorry that they have not beene so bad as other men They ought to rejoyce and be thankefull that God did so soone stop up in them that bloudy issue which in others hath so many yeares run incurably that hee healed their wounds when they were greene and cured their impoisened nature before the venome thereof grow more ranke and raging that hee bowed their hearts when they were yongue and tender before they grew stiffe and old in sinne that hee hath preserved their youth from those corruptions which others in their age have decrely repented of Let such who from their infancie have with Isaac Samuel Timothy and other Saints beene bred up in all pictie and growne as in stature so in favour and grace with God and good men let such not doubt to say t was at my baptisme or at my birth or in my mothers wombe that God hath dealt so graciously with mee sanctifying me with the Spirit of grace which then was given me and hath ever since shewed itselfe in all blessed inclinations to religious courses 2. A justification of that Prayer in our publike Leiturgie where the congregation gives thankes to God for the childe baptized in that it hath pleased him to regenerate the Infant by his Holy Spirit and to receive him for his owne childe by adoption and to incorporate him into his holy Congregation For it cannot be denied but that this Holy Ordinance of Baptisme the scale of our Sanctification doth take effect many times immediatly in the Infusion of the present grace into the Infants soule though many times also it have not its effect till many yeares after But seeing t is questionlesse true in many wee may and must charitably suppose it in every one for when we come to particular whom dare we exclude And this wee may doe without tying the grace of regeneration necessarily to Baptisme as some complaine that wee doe by
occasion to handle at large Having now thus distinguished them let us see how these effects are appliable to their Causes the Word and the Spirit the dependance is thus 1. Common illumination and the naturall movings of the Will that follow thereupon are the effects of the ordinary grace of the Spirit in the ministerie of the Word preached 2. Proper illumination with the Spirituall affections thence arising are the Effects of the Speciall Vertue of the Holy Ghost in the ministery of the Word regenerating the Soule But we must goe further yet and whereas the Word and Spirit are both joyned together in this worke of regeneration wee must carefully see what belongs to one what to the other Wherefore we are to distinguish betweene the 1. Instrument For whatsoever can be ascribed to the Word agrees to it but only as it is an instrument of the power of Gods Spirit Now instruments are either Cooperative or Passive and the word must be one of the two Cooperative it is not moving and working on the soule by any inward force of it selfe For it cannot bee declared what operative force there should be in the bare Declaration of Gods Will to produce the reall effect of Sanctification in the unregenerate heart It is therefore in it selfe a Passive instrument working only Per modum Objects as it containes a Declaration of the Divine will and as it proposeth to the understanding and will the things to be knowne beleeved and practised Now 't is well knowne that no Object whatsoever hath any Active power per se to worke any thing upon the Organ but is only an occasion of working which some Force in or about the Organ makes use of But whence then hath the word its effect from the 2. Principall Agent the Spirit of God who by his immediate and proper vertue workes upon the Vnderstanding and Will causing in that a thorough apprehension of the things proposed and in this a cheerefull obedience to the things so understood The Object of this worke of the Holy Ghost is not the Word as if the Holy Ghost did infuse into it any speciall Vertue wherby it should worke together with himselfe as a partiall Coordinate efficient cause in our Coaversion the Word working one part the Holy Ghost another as the Arminians vainely dispute Act. Synod Defens Act. 4. p. 136. But the object of this Worke is the Soule of man whereinto this vertue of the Spirit is Infusa or Affusa or rather whereabout this Vertue is imployed quickening changing renuing the Faculties of the Soule with such spirituall strength and holinesse that so it may performe what the Word declares is to be done Which effect of Regeneration though properly it commeth only from the Sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost yet by a cōmon Metonymie it is ascribed also to the Word and for that cause wee are said to be borne againe by the Word 1 Pet. 1. 23. to get Faith by Hearing Rom 8. to bee begotten by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 4. 15. to be sanctified by the truth id est the Word Ioh. 17. 17. and hence such proporties as these are ascribed to the Word that it is the Power of God to Salvation Rom. 1. that it is mightie in operation sharpe as a two edged Sword Heb. 4. 12. that it is a Sword Eph. 6. 17. Revel 19. 15. that it is Fire and a Hammer to breake the Rocke Ier. 23. 29. that it is Powerfull to cast downe all strong bolds of Mans proud imagination 2 Cor. 10. 4. with many the like which though they properly belong to the invisible power of the Holy Ghost giving effect unto his owne Word yet are figuratively attributed unto the Word it selfe which he useth as his visible Instrument I cannot better expresse the manner how the Holy Ghost useth the Word in the worke of Sanctification than by a Similitude or two Christ meeting a dead Coarse in the Citie of Nain touches the Beare and utters these words Yongue man I say unto thee arise Heare the Command and that given to a dead man But could these words doe any thing to raise him No t was Christs invisible power that quickened the dead not his words which only declared what hee meant to doe by his power Againe to the sicke of the Palsie Hee saith Arise take up thy bed and walke Here 's the Command given to a sicke man But was it the vertue of these words that heald him No 't was that secret vertue which went from Christs Deity which did the Cure His words declared what that should bring to passe So in this matter of our Conversion Christ bids us Awake wee that sleepe and stand up on our feet he bids us Beleeve repent obey turne unto him c. But all these commands worke nothing of themselves but take effect by the only Power of God working upon the Heart In which case the Word is truly the Voice of God not of man Now Gods Voice is not a bare sound or word carrying such or such a meaning with it and no more as mans doth but it is Verbum factivum as well as significativum it deeth and really brings to effect that which it commands to bee done it makes a world when it bids a world to be made it raises us when it bids us arise it awakens us when it bids us awake it workes faith in us when it commands us to beleeve it gives repentance when it bids us repent it makes us holy when it commands us to be so According to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 10. The weapons of our warfare are mighty but it is through God and that in Esa. 59. 21. My word saith God shall abide in you but this cannot be till he have first put his Spirit within our hearts Wherefore where this vertue of the Spirit is wanting as it is in most there the Word hath no other vertue than to bee as a faire Mappe presented to the eye wherein are described many matters of excellent knowledge which the unregenerate may gaze upon in a kinde of shallow heartlesse speculation which will differ asmuch from good knowledge as the knowledge of a Countrie by the Mappe and by the eye in travelling it And this is the Sentence of the Orthodox Church touching the Nature and distinction of these two Callings Inward by the worke of the Spirit Outward by the voyce of the Word The Arminians are of another opinion whose judgement about this matter is thas The Word say they and the Spirit alwayes goe together and wheresoever either the Law or Gospell is preached there and then the Quickening power and effectuall vertue of the Holy Ghost is present in all even those that are unregenerate untill such time as by Contumacy and Rebellion against the Spirit they have made themselves unworthy of further helpe But now what is this effectuall power according to the Arminians and what doth it in all men It doth say
they inlighten the understanding it stirres up the Sensuall affections for as touching the Will it meddles not with that and so gives unto the heart Sensum verbi and by an inward power infused doth move and dispose the heart to Beleeve and Convert Yea but how is all this done Is it by any proper worke of the Spirit distinct from the power of the Word By no meanes say they It is done by a morall perswasion per Representationem objectivam by a proposall of what is to bee done with commands exhortations intreaties promises thereto annexed And is this sufficient to our regeneration Yea there is not there needs not any other immediate inward invincibilis actio as they stile it of the Holy Ghost upon the Soule The Word only the Word begins continues and consummates our Conversion Nay if an inward worke of the Spirit be granted they affirme that the preaching of the Word can by no meanes possible bee accounted any meanes at all of our Conversion What then Inward Calling there is none No say they there is no other inward regenerating grace but onely the forenamed Morall Perswasion to goodnesse by the outward Ministery of the VVord This is the summe of their opinion and that Chaos of confused errors which t is hard to distinguish into any good order I will touch upon them in these three propositions manifestly opposing their fundamentall suppositions in those their Assertions The first shall be this 1. That not so much as common Illumination and stirring up of the affections is given to all in hearing of the Word preached Shall wee goe any further than experience to prove this in thousands that heare the Word yet understand no more of it and are no more affected with it than the seates they sit on The Arminians as they 'le deny any thing reject this argument from experience except that though they doe not understand yet they might understand if they would To which I answer that t is true Such men shall bee condemned of wilfull ignorance because the meanes God afforded were sufficient to have brought them to more knowledge if they had done but as much as they might but yet the exception is here altogether vaine because here we inquire of the Act whether all men bee inlightned not de Potentià whether they may bee or no. For the Arminians hold that the Vnderstanding is inlightned and the affections moved in all and that Irresistably men cannot choose but know and be affected with the Word preached And this they stiffely maintaine because that God hath infallibly given unto all Potentiam Vires Credendi and this strength is nothing but Illumination of the Vnderstanding and Exciting of the Affections and therefore all must infallibly be illuminated and excited Wherefore when they affirme that a man may choose whether he will understand and be affected or no though it be true in part yet they contradict their owne maine position and confirme ours That God though he have given the outward meanes yet hath not given so much grace unto all as to make use of them for the gaining of ordinary knowledge in the Word The second proposition shall be this 2. That bare Illumination in the understanding of the sense of the Word preached is not sufficient for Sanctification of the heart i. e. to move to renue to quicken those affections with true love of goodnesse and desire of grace which before were disordered by reason of the darkenesse of the understanding This they affirme we deny it as a new and uncouth opinion and that upon these grounds 1. Because it presupposeth that in the affections there is no other vitiousnesse but that onely which is bred in them by the errour of the understanding which being deceived misguides the affections but being once rightly informed the affections are presently brought in order to follow the directions thereof Than which nothing can be more absurd and contrary to all experience 2. If bare Illumination or Morall Perswasion be sufficient to Sanctifie it shall work that effect either by it own simple vertue or by the help of something else besides If by it self then why are not the Divels sanctified who know more of Divinity than haply the learnedst man And why are not all learned Divines sanctified also what should hinder Or if there must be some speciall grace beside how can they affirm that to be of it self sufficient which helps not without the help of another thing And yet this is that wherto they are driven namely to confesse there must be a Special grace to make the Generall effectuall so in one word they dash all their dispute about the sufficiency of Vniversall grace Or if they like not that will fall to that shift to say that Bare illumination is sufficient though not to Sanctifie yet to worke true Faith and Conversion which is nothing else but to affirme that there is Faith Conversion before and without Sanctification Which opinion is a kind of phrensie The third proposition shall be this 3. That besides the Common illightning of the Vnderstanding and Motion of the affections in ordinary preaching of the Word there is necessarily required another immediate worke of the Holy Ghost upon the soule for its Sanctification throughout without which the preaching of the Word will bee utterly unable to worke true grace in the hearers This I prove by Scriptures and Reason The Scriptures are many I will name but one or two of the plainest places 1. Iohn 6. 36. Where Christ speaketh to the Vnconverted Capernaites thus But I say unto you that yee have also seen me there 's their knowledge of the Gospell by Christs preaching and miracles but yet yee beleeve not What was the reason of that t was this God had not given the Capernaites to Christ and therefore he gave them not grace to come unto Christ for All that the Father giveth me commeth unto me and he that commeth unto mee I cast not away vers 37. Yea will an Arminian say They came not because they were not willing to come there wanted nothing on Gods part but they might have come Yes but there did if wee beleeve Christ God did not draw them therefore they came not For No man can come unto mee except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day vers 44. But what is this Drawing it is the same which in the next verse he call Gods Teaching of us It is written in the Prophets They shall all be taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto mee Nothing can be more manifest than in this place the plaine distinction of an inward Drawing from an outward Morall Perswasion an inward Teaching of God from the outward Preaching of man Which is effectuall to true Conversion in all and onely those that are inwardly so drawne and taught of God which the Capernaites were
not 2. Deut. 29. 3. 4. The Israelites in the wildernesse had all instruction and perswasion that might be by the VVord and by Miracles from God and his servant Moses they had heard Moses and God speake and seene the great tentations miracles and wonders with their eies But was this sufficient to convert them No there wanted that within which God denied them for saith Moses Yet tho Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see and eares to heare unto this day vers 4. Parallell to which is that touching the Iewes among whom Christ had preached so much and so plainely done so many so singular miracles Yet they beleeved not in him Ioha 1â— 37. But what was the cause of that was not the meanes sufficient No God had denied to reveale unto them his arme or power in giving them the knowledge of the Gospell That he proves out of the Prophet Esay who of all the Prophets preacht the Gospell plainest and yet found small credit to his doctrine That the saying of Esaias the Prophet might be fulfilled that he saith Lord who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed vers 38. A very unreasonable complaint saith the Arminian if we construe it so for t is as if Esay had said Lord only the Elect to whom thine arme was revealed they have beleeved it but none of the Reprobates have beleeved it because thine arme was never revealed to them and so they could not beleeve And what reason had Esay then to complaine of them for not doing that which they could not doe I thinke the wisedome of God hath of purpose to checke these pestilent gainsaying Spirits added in the next words vers 39. Therefore they could not beleeve because thus Esaias saith againe He hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts that they should not see with their eies and understand with their hearts and should be Converted and I should heale them So Gods Spirit brings that for a good reason which these men count an absurdity They did not beleeve and the Prophet complaines of it yet it was because they could not beleeve And why could they not â—was the want of that Inward worke of grace wee stand for God had not inlightned their mindes nor softned and sanctisied their hearts and therefore they could not beleeve 3. 2. Tim. 2 24 25 26. And the servant of the Lord must not strive but bee gentle unto all men apt to teach patient In meekenesse instructing those that oppose themselves Here 's the Ministers dutie to preach uncessantly using all gentle and good meanes to bring men to repentance but will this diligence in perswasion and patient industry bee effectuall at last It may prove so but when it doth 't is not by it selfe but by Gods speciall grace If â—od peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth After all outward meanes used an inward gift is still to be expected Let vs in the next place come unto reason and experience where we have these perswasive arguments to confirme us in this truth 1. From the like experience in Christs calling of his Disciples to whom he useth no other words but Follow mee or Follow me I will make you fishers of men it is wonderfull that so shortan Invitation should worke so strange so speedy an alteration Sraightway they leave all and follow him what forsake all to follow after a stranger they never knew before with such constancy and yet through so much perill and disgrace and all for a word spoken Follow mee Nay in that word there was more then a word there went with it that Power which could have commanded the attendance of the Armies of Heauen and Earth And those few words accompanied with this secret vertue did more upon the hearts of the Disciples than many a long Sermon upon the Pharisees and obdurate Iewes where Christ was not pleased to shew the like effect of his power So Christ appearing to Saul accosts him with this expostulatorie salutation Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee hee saith no more but only tells him being asked That hee was Iesus of Nazareth whom hee persecuted and that it was hard for him to kicke against the prickes But see what a change these few words have made in a fierce raging persecutor hee is on the sudden as meeke as a Lambe and now all for obedience to that name which before hee furiously persecuted Lord what wilt thou have mee to doe command what thou wilt I am ready to obey Was it externall morall perswasion trow yee that hath made this wonderfull alteration Nor are these examples to bee accounted so extraordinary as if for the substance the same course were not ordinarily observed Were not men wilfully perverse they would confesse that when of many thousands that heare one and the same Sermon some one or two it may be the worst in the company are in a moment so changed that they are not the same men they were new hearts new desires new affections all new in them they would I say confesse that this is the very â—inger of God touching the Heart and not the force of any outward perswasion whatsoever 2. If only a bare proposing of Divine things to the understanding joyned with perswasions of command threatning and the like towards the Will bee all that is needfull to mans conversion it would bee knowne what difference wee shall make betweene the working of Gods word and of Mans of a Divinitie Sermon and a good morall speech Nay more what difference can be made betweene Sathans temptations and all the sacred suggestions of Gods word yea whether Sathans seducements to evill are not likely to prove alwayes more powerfull than Gods perswasions to goodnesse because in both cases the worke it selfe is left wholly to our arbitrement and then Sathan hath the advantage of our naturall Corruption cleerely on his side So that by this Arminian doctrine mans conversion is even desperate seeing Sathan is as powerfull and certainely he is as willing to Pervert as God is to Convert This blasphemous absurditie the Arminians cannot shift their hands of though they strive in vaine about it 3. The old rule must here be remembred Passio râ—cipitur non tam per conditionem agent is quà m dispositionem patient is all exhortations promises commands take effect not according to their owne but according to the quality of him towards whom they are used And so wee see a word doth more with some than a frowne or sharp menace towards another All Speech workes as the Heart of the Hearer is affected not as he intends that utters it Wherefore if there be nothing more to be done on Gods part towards our Conversion but the only proposall and perswasion of the acceptance of Grace it is manifest to all that can judge of the state of Corrupted nature that wee shall never accept of Gods offer but out
of that Enmity and Hatred of all goodnesse which is deepely rooted in our nature we should all universally and finally reject it if it be left to our discretion whether or no wee will receive it Except our tongues be first brought unto a right temper purged from the bitternesse of our corrupt humours that have overflowed and infected them wee shall distaste the sweetnesse of all heavenly doctrine and nothing will seeme so unsavoury to our relish as the things of the Spirit And therefore of necessitie our distempered disordered and crooked dispositions must be first Rectified by an inward worke of Gods Spirit before we can possibly take any true benefit by the Word preached Thus then the truth of our second maine conclusion stands good That sufficient grace to Sanctification is not given to all that Heare the Word preached because none of those other gifts that are given them are sufficient but only the inward Vertue of the Holy Ghost and this is not bestowed on all because wheresoever it worketh it is alwayes infallibly effectuall by no meanes possibly to be hindred Which shall be further shewed in our third Question touching the Controversie But before we leave this a scruple or two cast into our way by the Adversary would bee removed They prove that the Word and Spirit are never seperated and for it they bring Scriptures and reason Scriptures 1. Esa. 55. 11. The word that goeth out of my mouth shall not returne unto mee voide but it shall accomplish that which I will and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it To which I answer that this place intendeth no more but that God will certainely performe all his promises that he maketh unto the Church If it be extended to a larger sense wee grant that at every Sermon the Prophet or Preacher makes the power of Gods Spirit is alwayes present with his Word but how to make it powerfull unto conversion in all to whom it is proposed Nothing lesse It sufficeth that that be done in some only for whose sakes God chiefly sent it For others that are disobedient God hath his worke in them too namely the accomplishment of his workes of judgement though not of Grace 2. Act. 7. 51. Yee have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost viz. whose vertue was showne upon their hearts in and together with the preaching of the Prophet To this I answer That they that either neglect the Hearing of the Word or when they heare and understand it and are convinced of the truth of it doe wilfully refuse to yeeld obedience to what they know these are justly said to resist the Holy Ghost because they resist His Ordinance and His worke enlightening their understanding with the knowledge of Gods will The Iewes had both and resisted both but it cannot appeare by this place that there was any other Quickening vertue of Gods Spirit working effectually upon the Hearts of the Iewes only they had the Externall declaration of Gods will and also Illumination and Conviction of their Consciences which effect the Spirit workes ordinarily in most but not universally in all that heare the Word 3. Heb. 6. 4. 5. and 10. 26. 29. But these places as they touch only some of the Vnregenerate which are in that manner wrought upon not all who heare the Word preached so that worke of the Holy Ghost which appeares upon their hearts is not by that Saving and Quickening power which is the immediate and infallible cause of true Sanctification but only a more speciall degree of an inferiour grace as shall bee shewen hereafter Reasons which they alledge are thâ—se 1. If the inward worke of the Spirit doe not alwayes goe with the Word preached it will follow that God doth not sincerely meane that which hee makes profession of For outwardly by his VVord hee calls them unto him whom yet secretly he would not have come unto him For if he would have them come why doth he not give them that inward worke of the Spirit without which hee knowes they cannot come As for example when by the VVord he calls upon men and bids them repent and convert if hee will this seriously why doth not God bestowe on men all such helpes and meanes as are required on his part inward as well as outward without which they cannot convert If hee will it not seriously why doth hee command them to doe that which hee knowes they cannot nay we know he would not have them doe Is not this dissembling to say one thing and meane another to will one thing in word another in secret intent Answ. None more damnable hypocrites than they that will accuse God of counterfeiting Hee deales plainely fairely openly speakes as hee meanes and as it pleaseth him it should be If hee bid a wicked man doe well hee would truly have him doe so nor is it his secret desire hee should continue in his wickednesse when hee openly exhorts him to come unto repentance and amendment But here wee must distinguish betweene a double VVill in God 1. Voluntas approbationis of Allowance God as hee knowes so he likes of and approves of many good things which he intends never to bring to passe 2 Voluntas Effectionâ—s â—â—tentionis of Performance when God intends that shall actually come to passe which he approves as good in it selfe Now for the Conversion of all men by the Preaching of the VVord God wills it seriously by way of Approbation and allowance That the creature should convert to God and obey his Creator in all things is a thing truly good and God justly commands it and if the creature can by its owne strength performe it God doth truly approve and like well of it But God doth not will the conversion of all men Effectually by way of full intention to worke it in them If man can doe it as t is his bounden dutie hee should well and good God wills it as a thing in it selfe pleasing and acceptable to him But God wills not to bestow upon a man strength to doe it nor is he bound so to doe So that here is no fraud nor Sancta Simulatio or duplex persona in God as some impiously at least imagine as if his VVord had a meaning contrary to his secret intent No the meaning of his VVord is sincere what he commands he wills to be done as a thing in it selfe very good and on our parts our pure due obedience to doe it and his secret inient of not giving a man sufficient abilities to doe his dutie crosseth not his Approbation of the goodnesse and necessitie of our dutie to bee performed by us They are blinde that will not understand this that t is one thing to approve of an end as good another thing to will it with a purpose of using all meanes to effect it Gods Commandements or exhortations shew what hee approves and wills to be done as good but his Promises or Threatnings
it is through want of something in themselves namely sanctified abilities in the heart which as they come not from the VVord so God is not bound to give them by his Spirit It sufficeth that God onely command them if they cannot obey whose fault is that but their owne Gods commands presuppose that strength to obey is or should bee in the creature if that through sinne be made weake God is yet just in commanding and punishing And thus much of this second question by way of knowledge let us briefly see what use we may make thereof to our practice it learnes us a threefold lesson 1. What our affections are to bee in hearing of the Word namely the same that in teachable Schollars towards a most wise Master or in sicke Patients towards the skilfullest Physitian We must be content to be â—â—ld and every way submit our selves to the discretion of that our Heavenly Doctor Wee must remember we have to doe with more than man in this businesse t is the Holy Ghost that does all in all in this sacred ordinance When therefore we goe to heare let us put on all holy humble obedient and tractable affections A proud disdainfull selfe-conceited contentious minde is unâ—it for mans instruction most opposite to the wisedome of Gods teaching who must needs scorne to be their Master that thinke themselves to be too good to bee his Schollars Againe a malicious uncleane worldly voluptuous heart stands contradictory to the holinesse of this blessed Spirit Those proud affections hinder us in knowing these impure lusts in doing our Masters will both together or each alone make the Word utterly unprofitable unto us 2. What the duety of Ministers is in preaching the Word This is threefold one respecting the worke two the issue of it For the worke it selfe the nature and Spirituall quality thereof should teach them faithfulnesse to speake Gods Word as it ought to be spoke which is opposed as to negligence and accaused carelessenesse in the handling thereof contrary to the dignity and majesty of it so on the other side too overmuch diligence humane curiosity contrary to the simplicity and saving vertue thereof Not that a man can be too diligent in doing Gods worke or that it is easie to define precisely what and how farre humane helpes are to bee used in Divinity but yet this is apparant a singular fault there is in mens preparations to this worke who either intend not at all the saving of mens soules or if they doe they thinke themselves must doe as much in it as Gods Spirit Whence else or to what end should so much of man be mingled with that of God why so much study to please mens â—ares why so much care to winne credite to their owne persons c. Sure it cannot but be a thing very admirable to any that will observe it to heare a man standing as Gods Embassadour speaking as from his mouth in his Name to make a solemne praier for assistance of Gods Spirit in his preaching to blesse his Meditations that he hath put into his heart to make them effectuall in the hearers c. when in the meane time his conscience tells him that in his studied preparations hee sought for nothing lesse than the aide of the Spirit and his preaching tells us that he publisheth the words not of Gods but of mans wisedome In the Issue of this worke there is a double dutie 1. If it succeed well Thankefull Humility opposed to Pride that when men are converted by his Ministery hee ascribe all to God nothing to himselfe who was but the Saw in the workemans hand c. 2. If it succeed ill Contented Patience opposed to repining Thought as Why should not my Ministery be as effectuall as anothers is Let a Minister remember he onely sowes the seede God must give it a body of his good pleasure nor is it himselfe but God whom the people here cast off He may take comfort and shall have reward for his godly painâ—… in the conscionable discharge of his duety albeit God saw it not good that it should bee so blessed in the effect as 〈◊〉 could desire 3. This teacheth us how to judge of our â—onversion by the Word preached namely by the inward Sanctification of the heart not by having and frequenting the publicke ordinance Silly wretches they are that so farre misâ—ake themselves and the nature of these things as to thinkâ— the going to Church the hearing of the Sermon the remembring and discoursing â—f it the commending of the Preacher outward reverence to his Person and Ministery some kinde of Reformation of maners wrought out of very shame not to follow such plaine directions as they must needes confesse to be good and others allow of in opinion and practice that thinke I say these things sufficient arguments of a sound Conversion by the Word Let us not beguile our selves in a matter of this high consequence these things are outward but the effect of the Word is inward also upon the conscience in the change of the heart and sanctification thereof with all sacred affections to holinesses Looke then inwards and trie how wee are affected in and after the hearing of the Word Doe we finde an Holy feare to fall upon us when our sinnes are threatned are we willing to abide the Surgeons hand upon our tenderest sores and though it be painfull yet doe heartily rejoyce in the sharpest strokes and deepest cuts of the sword of the Spirit when it pierceth in to the dividing asunder of the Soule and Spirit marrow and joints parting us and our best beloved sinne Doe our hearts secretly rejoyce with joy unspeakeable and glorious in hearing those sure and stedfast promises of Mercy and Grace published in the Gospell Are our soules brought under the powerfull command of the majesty and authority of the Word captivating all our thoughts to the obedience of Christ so that no command of a King armed with greatest terrour can lay the like necessity of obedience upon our outward man as Gods injunctions do upon our consciences Hath the Word wrought in us an unfained hatred of that evill which we outwardly forsake a sincere love of that good which outwardly wee practise Can we truely mourne with much bitternesse and anguish when the Word discovers unto us the infinite corruptions and loathsome uncleannesse of our hearts so that we wish for nothing more in the world than to bee freed from the sinne that hangs so fast on us and to be cloathed with perfect holinesse Finally doe wee love the Word that hath begotten us preferring that food of our soules before our appointed bodily food If these things be in us we have a witnesse to our soules that the Word preached hath been unto us not onely in word but also in power and that the same Spirit which gave it unto the Church hath made it his most blessed instrument of our effectuall Conversion to God But if the case stand
so with us that wee know not what these things meane if to our apprehension there appeare more terror in the angry words of a King than the most peremptory threatnings of God if a reproofe of a knowne fault will be rejected by us with contempt and gall if we sleight the sweetest exhortations and the Consolations of God seeme a small matter to us if wee can with a Confident scorne of all Gods counsells hold a resolution to goe on still in our owne courses let God and his Ministers say what they list if our Corruptions trouble us not and of all things in this life we take least notice of the sinfull estate of our soules or of all pleasures and studies wee finde least content in hearing reading meditating on the Word These things are infallible Symptomes of Spirituall death that hath seazed on us and that as yet wee have not so heard the Word the Voyce of the Sonne of God as to be made alive by the hearing of it This tryall is certaine and this Change that the Word and Spirit worke in our regeneration is very sensible if wee be not sensible of it we may be bold to Censure our selves that as yet wee have it not To conclude they only heare the Word as the word of God which finde in it Gods power working Sanctification in their hearts others heare it only as the word of man which goes no further than the naturall care and understanding Where this change of the heart is not all reformation in the life is but counterfeit and hypocriticall In the two former Questions wee have examined the pretended sufficiency of Grace universally bestowed on all whether within or without the Church and shewed you that all those gifts which are ordinarily given either to Christians or Heathens are utterly insufficient for to worke their true Conversion unlesse there bee a further aide of the speciall grace of the Holy Ghost working on the Soule to the sanctification thereof Wee are at this time to come unto our third and last Question whether or no supposing such grace to be given as is truly sufficient to convert it be notwithstanding in mans power freely to choose whether he will be converted or not converted by it The Arminian affirmes that it is so and that when God directly intends to Convert a man and for that purpose affords him all gracious helpes needfull to be given on his part then Man by the liberty of his Will may resist Gods will and worke so as they shall not worke his Conversion A desperate error which whosoever maintaines it is impossible that Christian Humilitie and thankfulnesse can have any place in that mans heart Wherefore it behooves us much to be rightly informed in a point of such consequence wherein it is so easie to become an enemy against the grace of God The Question then is this Whether it be in mans power so to resist the grace of God as finally to hinder his owne Conversion In the explication of this Controversie I shall with Gods helpe proceed in this order 1. To shew unto you in briefe the Opinion and Errours of our Adversaries in this point 2. To unfold and confirme that Truth which the orthodox Church defends as touching this matter 3. To answer such Arguments as are made against it The Opinion of the Arminians touching the power of Mans free Will in the worke of Conversion is most fully and freely expressed by that perverse Sectary Iohannes Arnoldi Corvinus in these words of his so often mentioned in the acts of the late Synod and which are most worthy to be had in everlasting detestation Positis saith he omnibus operationibus gratiae quibus ad Conversionem in nobis eâ—â—iciendam Deus utitur manet tamen ipsa Conversio it a in â—ostra Potestate libera ut possimus non converti id est nosmetipsos vel convertere vel non converters id est Suppose all the operations of Grace which God useth to worke conversion in us bee present yet Conversion it selfe remaines in that sort free in our power that wee may be not converted that is we may convert or not convert our selves This is plaine dealing without ambiguity and doubling When God hath done all that is to be done for his part 't is still on our free choyce whether wee will convert or not Their explication of this conclusion is as strange as the conclusion it selfe is hereticall It is thus there are two operations of Grace precedent to a mans Conversion 1. Illumination of the Vnderstanding in the cleere knowledge of the Law and Gospell Sinne and Grace Which illumination is not you must thinke wrought by any immediate worke of the Holy Ghost opening the understanding to discerne of Spirituall things but by the very plaine evidence of the things themselves so cleerely declared and represented to the Vnderstanding that every man having the use of reason aâ—d judgement and being attentive in the hearing or reading of the Word may by the help of his naturall reason without other Supernaturall light understand the sense of all things delivered in Scripture needfull to be knowne beleeved hoped for or practised This is the first worke of Grace upon the Vnderstanding the next is in the 2. Renovation of the Affections which are quickened and rectified with new motions towards spirituall things So that a man not yet converted may truly Sorrow for his offending of God Bewaile his spirituall death in sinne be inflamed with the love of the truth Desire Grace and the Spirit of regeneration hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and eternall life truly wish for deliverance out of his sinfull estate in briefe offer up to God the Sacrifice of a contrite and broken heart in Humilitie in Confession of sinne in Prayers for mercy in a Purpose and an Assay of amendment of life And thus farre the heart or affections may be changed and quickened when yet a man is not Converted Now this alteration which is wrought in affections is if you will beleeve them not any immediate effect of the Holy Ghost working this change in them but the proper cause of it is the Illumination of the understanding whereupon followes necessarily the stirring up of the affections in their right orderly motions which formerly were dead and disordered by reason of the darknesse of the minde misguiding them These two workes goe before mans Conversion and are wrought in all that heare the Word Vniversally and Irresistably the plainesse of Divine truth is such that men though they would cannot avoide the knowledge of it and the dependance of the affections on the Vnderstanding is such that their motions must needs bee conformable to the knowledge and apprehensions thereof When these two effects are wrought in a man hee is then furnished with sufficient strength to Beleeve and Convert if he will This power and strength is given him irresistably will he nill hee but for the Act of
beleeving that depends wholly on his free will which after the forenamed illumination of the minde and motions in the affections remaines Free to choose or not to choose to consent or not consent unto the promise of Grace Which wondrous doctrine they unfold unto us in this manner The will of man say they never had hath nor can have any other qualitie inherent in it but only that which is alwayes Essentiall unto it namely Liberty Indifferenti◠indeterminati◠ad actus oppositos Wherefore as in Adam it had no spirituall gifts of Holinesse inherent in it so it lost none in the fall nor hath it now any inherent corruption as the other faculties have nor is it in our regeneration re-indued with any sanctified qualities whatsoever Only a pure naked Liberty there is in it to choose or refuse any good or evill whatsoever Spirituall Morall or Naturall after it is once knowne This Freedome though it bee so Naturall to the will of Man that Salvâ essentià it cannot be taken away yet in the exercise thereof the Will depends on the Vnderstanding and Affections So long as the understanding is darke and the affections distempered the Will though it have in it selfe a naturall abilitie to choose that which is good yet it cannot exercise it by reason of those impediments Even as the eye hath in it selfe a naturall power to see even in the darke but yet cannot make use of it till the object be inlightened So in the Vnregenerate the Will hath a naturall freedome in it selfe towards all Spirituall good or evill but it wants the free exercise of this power so long as the Vnderstanding is without Knowledge and the affections are disordered But as soone as the Vnderstanding is inlightened and the affections reneued then the Will is restored to the use of her Naturall libertie So that whereas Life and Death Good and Evill is now set before her shee may by her owne free power without any further help from God choose the good if she list or the evill if she please And this is that whereon they affirme consists Vivisicatio Voluntatis the quickening of the Will which is not the giving of some new power unto it which it had not before but only the restoring of it to the free use of that Power which it alwayes had but could not exercise Here 's then the summe of their opinion in briefe When a man unconverted heares the word of the kingdome hee understands it and is affected with it irresistably and necessarily By so doing hee hath a power to beleeve given him that is His will hath recovered the use of that naturall freedome which it alwaies had so that now hee stands indifferent hee may if hee will assent to the promise of grace he may if he will dissent from it this Act is absolutely in his owne power to doe or not to do it and by this Act done he is converted and not till then This is that leaven of Arminianisme wherewith of late the whole lumpe of sound doctrine hath beene sowred this is that fretting leprosie which will scarce ever bee healed but in the ruine of those our neighbour Churches wherein the disease first bred Let us alwaies pray that God wil keep this our Church us her Children safe from the danger of this infection That we may the better avoide it let us rippe up this swelling ulcer and wring out the rottennesse and corruption that is gathered together in it taking a particular view of the severall errors which are like a bed of snakes folded one in another in this dunghill They are these 1. That there is no other illumination of the understanding in divine things but the ordinary apprehension of the sense and meaning of the Word wrought in us by the cleere evidence of the things delivered and the ordinary helpe of the Spirit perfecting and assisting naturall reason and judgement For herein they all agree that although the Gospell could not possibly have been found out by naturall reason yet being once revealed it may be fully understood by naturall reason In so much that he who is industrious and hath a good judgement may know all that is needefull to be knowne without any Supernaturall light infused into his understanding by the Holy Ghost It seemes these men in their study of Divinity never sought after nor ever did finde any other helpe besides their owne naturall abilities and therefore they thinke other men have no more helpe than themselves had Wee may probably judge so by those Hereticall opinions the immediate off-spring of their naturall reason wherewith they have now so troubled the quiet of the Christian Church Had they beene taught of God and the eyes of their understanding opened to follow the directions of Gods Spirit more than their owne Naturall wisdome they might have learned to have judged otherwise of themselves and all their opinions too But how partiall soever their judgements are wee know the judgement of God to be just and infallible who knowes us better than wee doe our selves and He tells us That wee are blinde that wee are darknesse till wee be made light in the Lord that when the Light shineth in darknesse the darknesse comprehendeth it not that the Naturall man cannot perceive the things of the Spirit for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned Besides this censure of God upon our naturall ignorance in divine things wee have the practice of the Saints acknowledging their naturall disability and praying for the illumination of the Spirit which the Arminians scorne Hence those frequent supplications of the Prophet David Open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of the Law O give mee understanding that I may live Teach mee O Lord the way of thy statutes Make mee to understand the way of thy precepts with many such like prayers wherein it were much perversnesse to affirme that David prayed only for that knowledge of the meaning of the Law whereto by study and use of his Naturall parts he might possibly attaine And what shall we say to that prayer of the Apostle Paul which he makes for the Ephesians That God would give them the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of Christ the eyes of their understanding being inlightened that they might know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints Surely an Arminian will hardly say Amen to this Prayer For to what end is it had not Paul preached the Gospell to the Ephesians plainly enough had not they heard and beleeved it were they not men of reason and judgement that could understand what Paul meant when he preached or wrote unto them what need then to pray yet for the spirit of Wisdome and Revelation and inlightening their eyes when things were so revealed as they could not choose but know and see
is all Naturall good or evill 2. Rationall appertaining to the reasonable Appetite or Will and guided by the Vnderstanding These are proper to man and they have their originall from the substance of the reasonable soule in which they alwaies remaine not onely when it is in the body but even when t is severed from it For feare hope love hatred joy griefe c. are in the damned and blessed Spirits as well as living men The object of these properly humane passions is all Morall and Spirituall good or evill I neede not among so many learned Artists stand curiously upon the distinction of these two sorts of passions in man the identitie of names in both sorts hath caused some confusion but in reason the diversity of their nature is evident Wherefore I goe on to see what is meant by Excitation or Stirring up of the affections whereby we can understand nothing else but their right and orderly motions about their proper objects As in the particulars Sensuall passions are then duely excited when they are moved about any Naturall good or evill according to the instinct of Nature in brute beasts and according to the same instinct of Nature in man but guided and moderated by right reason Reasonable Affections are then duely stirred up when their motions about all Spirituall and Morall good or evill are conformable to the quality of the object affected and to the rules of a rightly informed understanding Let us now see what affections they bee that grace workes upon and how they are excited before men are converted For Sensuall affections tending to a meer Naturall good or evill albeit it bee most true that Grace sanctifying us throughout hath a singular work upon them too in moderating the excesse and repressing the distempered motions of such passions as arise from our Naturall or Personall temper as of choler lust c. yet we will not be so uncharitable as to thinke our adversaries meane these affections in this businesse For 1. It is a strange fancy to thinke that grace should begin to rectifie the inferiour faculties in a man before it have put in order the superiour to rectifie the sensitive appetite and leave the will disordered God is no such preposterous Physitian who cùm capiti mederi debeat curâ—t reduviam when the head is sicke applies a plaister to the â—ingers ends 2. Againe what singular preparation to Faith is it that our naturall affections be well qualified in their motions about naturall and bodily things I confesse t is good they should be so but what speciall vertue hath that to procure unto mans will a free exercise of its liberty in Heavenly or Spirituall things as the Arminians affirme the excitation of the affections doth Vnlesse we should goe further and make Spirituall things the object of the Sensitive Appetite which were to elevate it farre above its naturall power and is an absurdity too grosse to be imagined by any learned man Wherefore it must bee that other sort of affections which we call Rationall and Humane whose object is vertue or vice all Spirituall and Morall good or evill Of these then wee are to enquire how in an Vnconverted person they are stirred up in their motions about such objects as are Spiritually good or evill The Arminians give a very large allowance of grace to an Vnregenerate man and they tell us that Besides the knowledge of sinne a sorrow for it in regard of punishment a feare of Gods wrath a desire to be free from it all which we confesse may be in a man Vnregenerate besides these there are say they in such a one a deploring of his Spirituall death in sin and utter impotency to doe any good a griefe for the offending of the divine Majesty a desire of Grace and the Spirit of regeneration to be given him a hungring and thirsting after Righteousnesse and Life a love of Goodnesse and hatred of evill Humility Prayer and Confession of sinnes an inward purpose of heart to set upon a reformation of life in briefe an Vnregenerate man may offer to God the sacrifice of a contrite and broken heart yea God may give a man a new heart and yet he not be converted till afterward as some of them affirme shamefully abusing that place Ier. 24. 7. Yee will wonder what maner of thing these men make the Conversion of a sinner to bee who ascribe so many things to a man unconverted as they can hardly tell what more to attribute unto him after his Conversion But to make short let us aske them touching this change of the heart and affections in a man unregenerate whether these Stirrings of his affections moving him towards Grace and Godlinesse be true or counterfeit If these motions be indeed true and right so that an unconverted man doe truely sorrow for his sinnefull state truely grieve for Gods displeasure truely desire the grace of regeneration heartily thirst after righteousnesse unfainedly love the truth if he be truely humble can pray confesse sinne purpose amendment and all this truly without hypocrisie then wee desire to bee resolved in these doubts 1. What can be done by a man after his Conversion more than he can doe in these things before he be converted At all times he can but doe them truely that is spiritually and this he may doe as well before as after Conversion 2. Whether it be not admirable and unconceivable to any mans understanding how the affections can bee thus moved and yet the will remaine untouched For whereas they say that a sinner may out of true sense and sorrow for sinne truely desire grace and freedome by Christ before such time as his will doth assent to the promise of Mercy it is most strange how t is possible that a man should heartily and unfainedly desire the benefite of the Promise of grace in Christ and yet at the same time not assent and embrace the promise offered unto him T is as if we should say a man may Desire a thing and yet not Will it when as to desire is nothing but an action of the will And the very same is true of all the affections that they are but divers Motions of the Will about divers objects as the irrationall passions are of the Sensitive Appetite and therefore to make such separation betweene the Will and the Affections in the reasonable soule as that the Affections should be Excited and yet the Will not moved is to speak favourably a very unlearned imagination 3. Whether that argument used to comfort distressed consciences namely That he who truly desires grace hath true grace whether I say this argument of Consolation used by the skilfullest Divines and accounted hitherto unanswerable by men or divells be not now by this doctrine utterly made of no worth if this of Arminius his followers be to be allowed that a man may unfainedly desire to bee good and to be regenerate and yet be unconverted and so without all true goodnesse as
men unto God Repent and beleeve thâ— Gospell so often used in the New Testament Let us now for conclusion at this time lay all these errors together and see what is the finall upshot of this Opinion all things being reckoned t is this That in a man unregenerate there is naturally very little or no Corruption and unto his Regeneration there is required little or no Grace That I be not thought to slander them both will appeare unto you to be true thus First that they annihilate and overthrow the Grace of God for whereas the Vnderstanding Will and Affections are in our Conversion chiefly to bee respected it is manifest that by their doctrine Grace hath no worke upon any of these Not upon the Vnderstanding to inlighten it for say they that 's done by the cleere Evidence of the things that are to be understood Not upon the Affections to rectifie their motions for say they the affections follow the understanding and are presently in order as soone as that is informed Lastly not upon the Will to incline that to embrace the Promise for that say they is left absolutely to its owne Liberty and of it selfe it may consent or dissent Where then is any worke left for Grace unlesse that glorious Grace of God in bringing a Sinner unto himselfe so much magnified in Scripture and by all men be now at last nothing but only the Revelation of the Gospell unto mankinde Which we confesse is a great grace but yet without another that 's greater is not sufficient to Conuert a sinner Thus Grace is excluded Let 's see what they thinke of mans inherent Corruption This they also extenuate and tell us that we are not so weake nor wicked as wee have beene alwayes thought to be For why our understanding needs not any supernaturall restoring of decayed sight if divine things be plainely set forth to view we can see well enough Our affections are not of themselves vitiously disposed but only through the error of the minde correct that and all is amended Finally our Wills have not rebellious inclination in them but they can of themselves without further helpe choose that which is good So that if Arminius bee not deceived in his wee may now change our opinion of ourselves and thinke that we are at least something But what then is become of that Sinne that dwelleth in us of that Vniversall Corruption and Disorder of our whole nature so much spoken of so much complained of Is it vanished T is not so well but these men have vanished away in their imaginations and have disputed so long of Gods Grace and mans Corruption till in conclusion they have lost both and are become wilfully ignorant of the one and malitious enemies to the other Hitherto the Explication of their Opinion their Errors and the generall issue of them Wee are now in the next place to unfold and confirme that truth which is to bee maintained touching this question viz. Whether it be in Mans power so to resist the grace of God as finally to hinder his owne Conversion Wee maintaine the Negative that where God purposes to save no power of man can destroy The truth hereof will plainely appeare unto us if wee shall consider distinctly how a man may hinder the Worke of Grace 1. In the Antecedents and Preparatory meanes to his Conversion 2. In his Conversion it selfe For the Antecedent preparations to bring men unto Conversion they are either Outward namely The Observation of the externall parts of Gods worship as frequenting the Word preached Prayers Sacraments keeping of the Sabbaoth attention and industry in the hearing reading and meditation of the Word or Inward the effects of the ordinary grace of God in the use of those meanes as 1. Knowledge of the will of God in the main matters of Religion concerning Faith and Practice 2. Touch of Conscience in the sense of sinne arising from a cleere discovery and conviction of a mans forlorne estate 3. A Feare and horror of Gods punishing vengeance joyned with a naturall griefe of heart that hee is brought into so much unavoydable misery 4. A thought and wish for freedome by some meanes or other 5. Some slight hope of helpe from the promise of grace so generally made as none seeme to bee excluded upon the apprehension whereof some kinde of joy will also arise in the heart All which together may cause some kinde of reformation of life in doing of many things gladly and a not unwilling abstinence from others Touching these preparations unto Conversion you are to note these three positions 1. That they are in themselves good and necessary This is to bee observed against those overbroad and unadvised speeches of some which have given occasion unto our adversaries to fasten upon us this imputation that according to our Doctrine Zelus omnis cura sludium ad obtinendam salutem adhibitum ante ipsam Fidem Spiritum renovationis vanum est atque irritum quinimo noxium magis homini quam utile fructuosum Which assertion were most dangerous because it opens a wide gappe to let in all profane contempt of the exercises of Religion man having hereby a good excuse for the neglect of all dueties of Piety because all their care and diligence in the use of them were not onely to no purpose but to an ill purpose untill such time as they were truely converted But this is a slander our Divines teach no discouraging Doctrine to blunt the edge of mens good desires and to beat them off from all religious endeavours No they presse upon men ever whilst they are unconverted the necessity and profitablenesse of all those forementioned preparations in regard 1. Of the nature of the things themselves which are good and our very necessary obedience to doe them being strictly injoyned by the commandement of God 2. Of the event that followes upon them according to Gods promise and his ordinary proceeding in the worke of grace which is such that he bestowes not his grace ordinarily but upon those that conforme themselves to the doing of those things Neverthelesse our Divines teach this also which is true and warrantable 1. That all these preparations are no Efficient causes to produce grace of Conversion in the heart however they prepare a man to bee the fitter to receive it And therefore where God is not pleased to afford his Sanctifying Spirit they prove vaine and fruitlesse 2. That how good and necessary soever these preparatory works are yet the doing of them is unto a man unregenerate an occasion of sinning And so in the consequent to him they may prove harmfull As for example When an unsanctified man heares the Word Praies performes any duety in Gods worship or in a Christian life in the doing of these things hee alwaies commits some sin or other because he wants a pure Heart a good Conscience and Faith unfained without which hee cannot but errâ— in fulfilling Gods commandements But
the worke of Gods Spirit when hee intends to bestow this first grace of Sanctification upon a sinner This of Habituall Conversion in the internall renovation of all the faculties which cannot be resisted or hindered in the next place we are to consider of Conversion as it is our act consisting in the operations and exercises of all gracious habites infused as when we actually beleeue repent and doe other good workes This Active Conversion is nothing but the practice of Sanctification when being made holy and good wee doe good and holy workes as a man after he is raised from death or restored to health performes the actions of a living of a healthy man For that similitude of S. Austins is certaine Non ideo currit rota ut sit rotunda c. as a wheele runs not that it may be round but because it is round so the will beleeves not that it may be regenerate but because it is regenerate And therefore that is an errour of the coursest bran when our adversaries make the act of Beleeving to go before our Sanctification whereas nothing is more certain than this that all holy actions whether of Faith or any other grace come from that common root of holinesse infused into our soules Now then touching these actions proceeding from grace inherent the question is how farre they are in mans power to refuse the doing of them and the question may bee laid generally touching all good workes inward or outward thus Whether or no that man who is truely sanctified may refuse to doe any good and holy worke at all for if any one be in his power to refuse it all may be in his power by the same reason But yet because Faith is a principall grace and all the dispute is touching the act thereof we may restraine the question unto it though whatever can bee spoken of mans power about the action of Faith is appliable to all other gracious actions whatsoever The question therefore is thus Whether after that a man is once sanctified and regenerate it be in the freedom of his will to choose whether he will actually beleeve and assent to the Promise or not For the explication of this point How farre every good action is in a godly mans power to doe or leave it undone you are to note that there is a double beginning or Cause of every gracious action in a man regenerate 1. The spirit of God by his exciting and Cooperating grace 2. Man himselfe renued and sanctified in all his faculties The former is termed Principium à quo the latter Principium quod man worketh but hee must be moved thereto and assisted by the Spirit of grace both together concurre to the producing of every holy action I say both together for although man in his first conversion was meerely passive Gods spirit working all without mans helpe yet Man in performance of any holy act is not meerely Active able to doe all of himselfe without Gods helpe No he is partly Passive partly Active Passive as hee stands in need of Gods grace to stirre up guide and strengthen the endevour of each faculty in the doing of good Active in as much as being thus helped by Grace himselfe willingly moves himselfe to every godly worke Now by reason of this concurrence of man with God these operations of grace are properly called Mans worke not Gods worke in man So that when a regenerate man beleeves this act though it be caused by Gods Spirit yet it is done and exercised by Man voluntarily moving himselfe in that action and therefore wee say it is Man that beleveth not Gods spirit that beleeveth as if the act of beleeving were wrought in mans Will by the Spirit of God in the same sort as Iugglers worke strange motions in their Puppets which seeme to doe wondrous feats but t is an unseene hand that 's the cause of all Such grosse conceits should not have beene devised by ingenuous mindes and put upon so plaine and cleere doctrine as that is touching the concurrence of Gods grace with our strength in all Holy actions whatsoever The point is easie to him that will understand Every good desire and good worke is partly from man because he wills it hee workes it but principally from Gods Spirit because hee makes Man to will and to worke it Without which cooperating grace man by Habituall inherent grace could doe no good worke at all according to that of Christ Ioh. 15. 5. Without mee yee can doe nothing and of the Apostle Phil. 1. 6. He that hath begun the good worke will also performe it and againe Phil. 2. 13. It is God that worketh in you both the will and the deed even of his good pleasure and againe 1 Cor. 15. 10. I have laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which is in me These things thus explaned we are yet further to note that in a man Regenerate there are two contrary qualities inherent in every Faculty 1. Grace in a rectified holy inclination to goodnesse infused into it 2. Corruption in a vitious Quality disposing it to evill These two Qualities abide in the regenerate and oppose one another till sinne be finally overcome abolished by death Vpon these undeniable grounds let us proceed to declare what is a regenerate mans resistance that hee makes against the working of Grace in hindering the performance of any good worke which you shall perceive by these two conclusions 1. A man regenerate so farre forth as hee is Spirituall never resists the worke of Grace but is constantly most willing and forward to the performance of all holy actions None can be so ignorant in the mystery of Sanctification as to deny this therfore they tell â—…ge wonders in Divinity who teach that mans 〈…〉 put in aequilibrio hanging like a beame upon 〈…〉 to bow either way and indifferently disposed to 〈◊〉 good or evill A very dreame it is contrary to all Sâ—…â—â—d â—â—perience whereby we are taught that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—ing regenerate and made spirituall as it is so 〈◊〉 so farre from standing upon termes of indifferencie deliberating whether it shall yeeld or whether it shall denie obedience whether it shall beleeve or not beleeve c. as on the contrary it doth most constantly and eatnestly desire in all things to obey alwayes A man whose eye God hath truly inlightened and touched his heart by the finger of his sanctifying Spirit doth not stand in a mammering shall I shall I shall I beleeve shall I obey were I best doe this good worke or shall I let it alone No all his desire is now for godlinesse the weight and strength of his resolutions and affections leane wholy to obedience his will chooseth the good with full purpose to cleave to that only turning it selfe from evill with much hatred and detestation This constant determination of the spirituall will unto obedience and that only is a thing most manifest in
is manifest that when a regenerate man failes in his obedience it comes not to passe because his will is free and so willing to doe that which is evill but because his will is not so free from the power of his corruption as it desires to bee but is partly in bondage under the command thereof To conclude this point There is in every regenerate man a possibility or power of Resistencie alwaies remaining so long as any corruption abides in him which will perpetually make some opposition more or lesse in the performance of every good worke But for the prevailing act of Resistency whereby such good workes might bee quite hindered we affirme that by the power of assisting grace effectually ayding the regenerate Faculties that act is taken away The flesh may strive but the spirit doth overcome Infidelity may cast many doubts but Faith at last prevailes Sinne and the World may pleade much worth and lovelinesse but yet in fine the love of God overtops all earthly base delights and fills the soule with the only desire of enjoying that alone most blessed and infinite goodnesse Thus Amaleck may fight but Israell will get the victory a victory indeed certaine in regard of the event but with some uncertainty in the Combat wherein Israell is sometime put unto the worst For you are to note that albeit in the generall as touching those maine and principall Acts of beleeving repenting persevering in obedience c. grace doth work so effectually with mans regenerate will that corruption cannot hinder it in the exercise of those Acts neverthelesse in many particular actions after his first conversion in the continued practice of Sanctification hee may obey the enticings of his corrupt concupiscence against the motions of the Spirit of grace For many times in sundry particulars of Christian practice God is pleased to denie that effectuall assistance which at other times he affords and then he leaves us unto our owne strength for experiment to trie what is in us for humiliation in discovery of our weaknesse unto us for exercise of Christian watchfulnesse in making diligent use of all gracious helpes and the like good purposes In which case a man that is thus left unto himselfe presently lends an eare to the deceivable suggestions of Sinne and Sathan whereby wanting a rescue to bring him off cleere in this assault hee is vanquished and though with much unwillingnesse led away a prisoner unto those his spirituall Adversaries During the time of which bondage though grace shew it selfe so farre as to cause many an heavie sigh an hearty prayer and longing wish after its former freedome yet can he not make a faire escape from his corruption till Gods spirit returne and bring liâ—… with 〈◊〉 breaking the gates of Brasse and cutting in sunder the barres of Iron that is enlarging the heart that it may againe freely runne the way of Gods Commandements And thus we confesse that a regenerate man may resist the grace of God hee may Quench the Spirit hee may Grieve the the Spirit hee may Depart away from God through an evill and deceitfull heart he may Rebell against the words of God and contemne the counsell of the most high opposing all motions of grace in these raging fits of his corruption which still furiously struggles for life after it is mortally wounded in our regeneration But these desertions are not perpetuall corruption may for a time let the exercise of some particular graces but in all and alwayes it shall never hinder God who hath given unto a regenerate man a power to beleeve by the changing of his will through the infusion of a constant inclination to all spirituall good will also cause the Act of beleeving infallibly to ensue by the assistance of Cooperating grace so powerfully strengthening the regenerate will and so effectually restraining the rebellious motions of corruption that the will shall not choose but doe that which above all things in the world it most desires to doe namely beleeve and obey the Gospell Now to shut up all touching this point of Mans liberty in resisting the grace of God the summe of all is this Before true Conversion all unregenerate persons doe resist the gracious meanes and preparations to their Conversion the Reprobate finally the Elect for a time till Grace become victorious in their perfect Sanctification In this their first Conversion or Regeneration the Elect are no way Active either to worke it or to hinder it After their Conversion in the doing of all good workes immanent or transient they resist not so farre as they are Spirituall they cannot but resist so farre as they are Carnall And though in time of temptation and Spirituall desertion the flesh doe not onely resist but also prevaile to the hinderance of many particular gracious actions yet for those maine and principall Acts of Faith Repentance Love of God Hatred of Evill c. the Spirit is infallibly victorious both to doe them after the first Conversion and also finally to persevere in doing of them Which comes to passe thus 1. By Habituall grace infused the Sanctified will is constantly determined to embrace all Spirituall good 2. By assisting grace the will is stirred up provoked allured and inclined to obedience through the proposall of the promises and the heavenly suggestions of the holy Spirit 3. By the same assisting grace all contrary motions of concupiscence are subdued and kept under So that nothing can hinder obedience to follow because by grace the will is made willing to obey and by grace all impediments in obeying are taken away now when all lets are removed what can let a willing minde to doe that which it desires Hence you may perceive the vanity and odiousnesse of those imputations of Manicheisme and Stoicisme which our adversaries the Iesuites and Arminians throw upon this Orthodoxe Doctrine crying out upon us as if we destroyed nature offered violence to the will tooke away all liberty from the will and turned it in the meere necessity of those naturall instincts and inclinations that are in brute beasts yea as if wee made the will like a dull and senslesse blocke that cannot move it selfe a jot in any action of grace These are unworthie calumnies raised out of malice or ignorance in the great worke of Sanctification for refutation we neede but denie what they barely affirmâ— and tell them againe that by our doctrine grace doth not destroy but perfect nature It takes not away but restores unto the will the true liberty thereof which consists not in the instability of a Weather-cocke to move any way in an indifferency to will and do any thing but in a fixed determination to will and doe nothing but what is good Which determination is not from any violent compulsion of an externall Agent as if the will were moved by grace unwillingly nor yet by imposing upon the will any naturall necessity from some internall principle as if the will did
it unlesse himselfe had been acquainted with the like Revelations But this is certaine God-where he comes makes himselfe knowne and such were the lively characters of heavenly majesty brightnesse and cleernesse imprinted on those Revelations that mortall mindes were infallibly ascertained of their Divinity Yea Balaam himselfe though he could have wished with all his heart not to have knowne or beleeved those revelations that so unkindly crost his hope of preferment yet when once the Spirit of God comes upon him he utters his parable with this preface Balaam the son of Beor hath said and the man whose eies are open hath said Hee hath said which heard the words of God which saw the vision of the Almighty falling into a trance but having his eies open He that was at other times driven by the divell into furious motions of mind procured by spells inchantments is now as forcibly moved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or borne away by the power of the holy Ghost who in this revelation makes so cleere a discovery and strong impression of divine truth in the minde of Balaam that the Wizard cannot but speake what he knowes and beleeves though it quite undoe his owne desire of Greatnesse and Balacks hope of Victory Whence also this rule followes generally true That where the revelation is infallibly knowne to be of God there will be a firme assent to the truth of the things revealed Now we are further to note that upon such immediate revelations and suggestions of the Spirit is grounded that Faith which is usually stiled the Faith of working miracles A gift proper to the primitive times of the Church bestowed then on many for the better establishment of the Gospell among unbeleeving Gentiles or Iewes Though the words of the Promise runne largely Marc. 16 17. yet it seemes not likely that every private true beleever had this priviledge but rather that it was bestowed on such as were Preachers and Publishers of the Gospell for confirmation of their doctrine And amongst them t was given not onely to the truely faithfull beleever but to others also as appears by Iudas to whom this power was given as well as to the rest of the twelve Matt. 10 1. and in many other reprobate Matt. 7. 22. Lord Lord have wee not by thy name prophesied c The proper ground of this faith and assurance of working some miraculous effect was the speciall and particular suggestion of the spirit Other motives there were further off as the generall perswasion of Gods omnipotency the beliefe of that promise which Christ made to his Disciples Matt. 17. 20. Verily I say unto you if yee have Faith as a graine of mustard-seed yee shall say unto this mountaine remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible to you but more specially that larger promise hee made at his Ascension Mark 16. 17. 18. And these signes shall follow them that beleeve in my name they shall cast out divells they shall speake with new tongues They shall take up Serpents and if they drinke any deadly thing it shall not hurt them they shall lay their hands on the sicke and they shall recover But these grounds were not sufficient to give assurance of performing this or that miraculous act without a speciall and particular suggestion of the Holy Ghost informing them inwardly both touching the time when and matter wherin they should worke a Miracle For as all beleevers had not that power so such as had it could not doe wonders when and in what kinde they pleased but were to expect a speciall warrant and direction from the Spirit like unto Peter who though a faithfull beleever yet durst not venture upon a miraculous attempt of walking dry-shod upon the water without a speciall word from Christ bidding of him come unto him in that manner Matt. 14. 28. 29. In these times wherein this speciall direction ceaseth and also miracles have no use unlesse for conversion of a Countrey where the Gospell hath never beene preached this gift also is ceased Thus much of the first sort of Revelations to bee beleeved the other followes 2. Some Mediate delivered from God by others unto us Such were the answers Sermons which the Prophets and Apostles made by word of mouth unto the people such is now unto us the whole written word of God which is now the only ordinary object of our Faith Now touching the Scriptures wee are to enquire how farre things revealed in them may be knowne how farre they must bee beleeved You have heard before the difference betweene Knowledge and Beliefe that is an assent to things evident this to things not-evident therefore seeing those things that are written are generally the object of our faith wee must diligently examine what evidence there is to bee found in these things or whether any at all that so wee may know what to judge of that assertion of our adversaries the Papists who make obscuritie one essentiall property of Faith In the opening of this question Whether things revealed in Scriptures be evident to Mans understanding let these distinctions be observed in the first place 1. The Scriptures containe in them matters of three sorts viz. 1. Precepts and Declarations of the doctrines of Religion whether in the higher mysteries thereof as of the Trinitie Incarnation of Christ c or in other inferiour points of Sanctification Piety and morall Practice And unto this head may be referred all such discourses of naturall things as are found in the Scripture as of the windes thunder c. 2. Histories of matters of Fact past and gone as of the Creation Fall of Man the Floud c. 3. Predictions of things to come hereafter whether they be meerely Propheticall or withall doe containe some speciall Promise or Threatning concerning those to whom the prediction is made 2. There is a twofold Evidence 1. One of the Narration when it is made in Words and Sentences so plaine perspicuous that the Vnderstanding conceives cleerely what the Speaker or Writen meanes 2. Another of the thing it selfe that is related when either our senses doe plainely perceive it if it be a thing sensible or our understandings doe manifestly behold the truth and reason of it if it bee only intelligible This distinction is most manifest in all discourses and specially in Mathematickes where the meaning of a Proposition or Probleme may be cleerely understood what is to bee knowne or done before one jot of the Demonstration be understood how and wherefore it must be so 3. Wee must distinguish of Mans understanding in a twofold estate 1. Of Naturall corruption as it attaines no further light of knowledge than that which may be gotten by the ordinary gift of God in the course of a learned education and painefull studie of Humanity and Divinity for such ends as men propose unto themselves 2. Of Grace and Regeneration when the Vnderstanding is inlightened and
not book-learned doe conceive to the infinite prejudice of Christianity But however must the Scriptures be obscure because men are carelesse is the Bible a hard booke because common people understand it not in Latine are all things in it darksome and intricate because one man understands not this or that particular which yet another doth or those of the present age perceive not the meaning of such or such a prophecy which the next age may cleerly understand These are weak inferences and such as cannot overturne our first conclusion namely that all Doctrines Histories Prophecies and whatsoever else in Scriptures may be knowne and understood by the perspicuity of the narration in the literall meaning thereof by all sorts of men bad and good For what history of the Bible can be named that may not be plainly understood I say not by a learned or godly but even by any man What prophecy the meaning whereof hath not or will not be plainly found out What text of doctrine whereof some have not or shall not understand the right meaning and when t is once found out may not all understand what one doth yea take the deepest mysteries of Religion as about the Trinity Incarnation of Christ Resurrection Life everlasting Regeneration and the like there is none of them so obscurely set downe in Scripture but that the declaration of them hath light enough to discover unto us what that thing is which we do beleeve so that we may give an account of our Faith in that behalfe Nor is this knowledge of divine things by tht evidence of the narration any peculiar priviledge of the godly but common unto the unregenerate For Charity though it could wish yet cannot be so blinde as to suppose that every one who is able to interpret Scriptures and to write or preach soundly of the doctrines of Divinity is a man truely sanctified by the Spirit of grace Experience and Reason make good the contrary that a singular measure of knowledge and no measure of sanctification are competible Who sees not abroad in the world many wicked and ungodly wretches abounding in knowledge and yet destitute of all true piety and is it not so in the Divell who as in knowledge he surpasseth the best of men so in malice far exceeds the worst of all creatures The cause is for that this knowledge is onely a degree and necessary antecedent unto saving Faith and is not so essentially linked unto it but that it may be where Faith is not It s easier to informe the understanding than to subdue the will and affections the minde may be plainely taught whilst yet the heart remaines froward unbroken and untractable the very heart and life of Faith is the strong inclination and union of the Soule unto the truth and goodnesse of spirituall things preferring them in our choyce above all other things whatsoever which gracious motion is the proper worke of Gods spirit powerfully binding and drawing the heart to embrace that good which is offered unto it but it doth not necessarily follow the right and cleere information of the Vnderstanding Whence it is both possible and easie for an unregenerate Christian by the helpe of common illumination to goe farre I say by common illumination understanding thereby that course of the Revelation of divine truths now usuall in the Church consisting in the knowledge of all Arts skill of Languages use of other mens labours in their Writings and Commentaries conference and hearing of the learned living and accustomed painfulnesse in study of any kinde of knowledge By these meanes a Christian presupposing the truth of holy Writ may in the state of unregeneration prove excellent in the understanding of Divine mysteries Hee may understand all and every the Articles of Christian beliefe all Controversies in matter of Religion all duties of Piety in Christian practice any Sermon or Treatise tending to holy instruction any place of Scripture of darkest and doubtfullest interpretation Yea in these things many times Sanctity goes not so farre as those common graces doe and you may know by experience that the holiest men have not beene alwaies the happiest expositors of Scriptures nor soundest determiners of Controversies but that both of Papists and Protestants many times men of ungodly lives and Idolatrous profession have equalled and exceeded others in their Commentaries and Treatises And doth not the triall of every day shew that many a wretched man and vile hypocrite may yet make so good a Sermon even about the most spirituall points of Christianity and so heavenly a prayer that those who are of quickest sight yet seeing him but a farre off may deeme him sound hearted So easie a matter it is for love of this world to learne Religion by rote and to teach the tongue to speake what the heart doth not affect This of the first conclusion the next is this 2. All Histories and Predictions are knowne unto the most illuminated understandings by no evidence of the things themselves but only by evidence of the relation I shall not need stand long in proving this conclusion In many precepts and doctrinall discourses sense and Reason may have something to doe but in matters Historicall and Propheticall Faith only beares sway For Histories of things past and gone there is no knowledge at all to be had of them otherwise than from authority of Scriptures relation That the world was drowned Noah saved in the Arke c doth not appeare unto us by any argument from the things themselves evident to sense or reason but only by the story So for Prophecies promises threatnings they are not evident till the event make them evident As that the Iewes shall bee converted the Papacy rooted out c. we know these things only by the Word foretelling them In neither of these kindes can our sense be informed or our understanding convinced of their truth and therefore wee must rest upon Revelation beleeved Of these two kindes principally is the Apostle to bee understood in that description of Faith which hee makes Heb. 11. vers 1. where he useth two words to expresse the objects of Faith the one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Things not seene the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Things hoped for Things not seene are of a more large extent and comprise all both past and to come things hoped for have a speciall relation to promises of some future good Both are the proper objects of Faith which is alwayes drowned in the sight of things that were unseene and possession of things that were hoped for The third and last Conclusion followes which is this 3. Precepts and discourses of Dogmaticall points mentioned in Scriptures are in part knowne by the evidence of the things themselves both to the regenerate also the unregenerate This conclusion is of manifest truth as shall appeare thus In Scriptures there are doctrinall discourses of divers sorts some of matters belonging to Nature and Morality others of mysteries peculiar to Divinity
proue themselues by their owne naturall light manifesting their Diuine Originall whence they are and their right meaning how they must be vnderstood They are Primum â—â—sibile not like Colour which cannot be seene till light make it apparant but like Light it selfe which maketh all other things manifest it selfe too by it own proper Quality Wherefore when we are asked why we doe beleeue the Articles of the Creed we answer Because they are reuealed in Scripture Again How are you sure the Scriptures are the Word of God we answer we know it by the Scriptures themselues the Spirit of God opening our eyes to see those naturall and liuely caracters of Diuine truth which are imprinted vpon those sacred volumes Lastly If we be asked How know you that this is the right meaning of such or such a place We answer We know it by the Scriptures which being diligently examined and compared together plainly discouer their own right expesition In these answers we rest finally resoluing our Faith into the Word of God alone and nothing else As for the Authoritie of any one man or all men in the Church we giue it all due reuerence according to its place and degree We acknowledge the Decisions of Councels and Synods about controuersed Articles of Religion the continuall Preaching of the Word by the Ministers therof the manifold expositions of Doctrines of Diuinitie and Bookes of Scriptures by the Learned in their Writings all these we acknowledge with due regard thankefulnesse to be blessed meanes for the breeding and growth of Christian Faith because they all doe or should point vs vnto the Scriptures holding forth the light of them that we may the more cleerly diseern it in its true brightnesse Thus they are helpes to make vs see the truth but no causes why we beleeâ—e it this we do for its own sake not their saying And vnlesse what they teach doe appeare vnto vs cleerly out of the Scriptures we freely confesse that although their Reuerence will cause vs to Suspend our Iudgement and thorowly to examine the Cause yet their bare authoritie cannot command our assent to any article of Religion that shall be proposed vnto vs. The rule of the Apostle prohibits vs 1 Cor. 2. 5. Our faith may not stand in the Wisedome of Man but in the Power of God Our Aduersaries here thinke that they haue vs vpon an aduantage and caught vs in a circle too as if we also ran round from the Scriptures to the Spirit againe from the Spirit to the Scriptures thus How know you the Scriptures to be Gods Word By the Spirit reuealing the same to my heart and conscience But how know you this reuelation of the Spirit to be true By the Scriptures that testifie The secret of the Lord is reuealed to them that feare him Ps. 15. But how know you this the like places of Scriptures to be Gods Word By the Spirit again Thus they suppose we are intangled but they mistake vs and our doctrine greatly in this particular We teach indeed that we know the Scriptures to be the Word of God by the Spirit of God inwardly Reuealing and Testifying the truth of them vnto our Consciences But it must here be diligently obserued what kind of Reuelation or Testimonie of the Spirit it is wherby we may be said to be sertified assured of the Scriptures Diuine Truth It is not any inward suggestion and inspiration different from those reuelations that are in the Scriptures themselues as if the Spirit did by a second priuat particular reuelation assure me of the truth of those former reuelations made in the Scriptures We haue no warrant for any such priuat reuelations now nor is there any need of them and such as looke for them may easily embrace their own presumptuous fancies in stead of a Reuelation from heauen How then doth the Holy Ghost reueale vnto vs the truth of Scriptures I answer By remouing those impediments that hindred by bestowing those graces that make vs capable of this knowledge There is in vs a two-fold Impediment First Ignorance whereby our eyes are closed that we cannot see the light 〈◊〉 Second Corruption whereby although we see the light yet we cannot but naturally hate it and turne from it The Holy Spirit cures both by a double remedy First of Illumination restoring our decayed vnderstanding to some part of its primitiue perfection Second of Sanctification infusing into our desires and affections some degrees of their primitiue Holinesse and puritie By this worke of the Spirit Opening the eyes of our minds that we may Vnderstand the Scriptures see the wonders of Gods Law and also Rectifying our corrupt affections that we may loue and embrace the Holinesse of Diuine things by this meanes I say is the Diuine truth of Scriptures reuealed to vs. For presently vpon this Opening the eyes of our minds we see the glorious brightnesse and light of the Scriptures shining into our hearts and we discerne in them the apparant characters of heauenly Maiestie as cleerly as a seeing man beholds the Sunne Also after this renewing of our Sinfull inclinations we find presently that our Soules and those things which the Scriptures do reueale vnto vs haue a singular sympathy one towards another our loue that we beare to the beautie and Holinesse of the Word is strong that command which the Word hath ouer vs is most powerfull awfull so that now we haue as kindly a relish of the goodnesse and excellency of Scriptures as a healthfull stomacke hath of wholesome food By these things which we cleerly see in the Scriptures euidently feele in our selues we are fully ascertained in our soules that none but God is the Authour of so He menly Holy Mysteries In this sence we still pray for the Spirit of Reuelation Eph. 1. 17. so called in that place because it inlightens the eyes of our vnderstanding as in vers 18. that then we may see the excellency of Diuine mysteries reuealed to the Church Other inward and secret reuelation of the Spirit we acknowledge not in this businesse Now there is no such circle as our Aduersaries would driue vs into but a plain straight way How know you that the Scriptures are Gods Word We answer By the Scriptures themselues by that wonderfull light excellency of truth and Holinesse shining in them Here we would rest and goe no further But yet if we be asked How we come to see this Light We answer It is by the only worke of the Spirit of God giuing vs eyes to see and hearts to loue this Light If we be further vrged How know you that you doe indeed perceiue such a light as you speake of or how can you make it appeare to another that you are not deceiued therein To these questions we answer That the former is idle iust as if one should aske him that gaâ— then the sun How know you that you now see
it is injoyned and that in the first Commandement as a singular part of that inward worship due unto our Creator consisting principally in those three graces of Faith Love and Feare These things thus explaned let us proceede to the unfolding of Faith taken in the forenamed double relation and first as it hath reference to the whole Will and Word of God True â—aith respects all this and onely this Only this because in divine revelations onely is to be found that Infallible truth which gives satisfaction to the soule And againe all this because every part of Divine truth is Sacrosancta worthy of all Beliefe and Reverence threatnings as well as promises precepts exhortations admonitions historiâ—s every part of the Word falls in some degree or other within the compasse of Saving Faith By the same holy Faith whereby a penitent sinner beleeves the promise of mercy of Christ doth hee also beleeve all other promises of this life with other inferiour matters declared in Scriptures This is certaine but the chiefe point to bee noted here is an essentiall property of true Faith which standeth in Vniversality and Vniformity of assent to all things that are from God This Vniversality of assent is to be taken in a twofold regard 1. Of the Object the things beleeved when the faithfull soule gives full assent unto all things revealed by God not onely to such as it may assent unto without crossing its owne desires and purposes but unto those also that directly crosse and oppose carnall reason carnall affections worldly pleasures and all other provocations to infidelity 2. Of the Time and other particular circumstances whilst it doth most heartily and inwardly acknowledge the truth and goodnesse of these things not then alone when this may bee done without any contradiction and resistance but even then also most eagerly fixing the aâ—â—iance of the heart upon them when temptations rise when Heretickes dispute and cavill when humane reason failes and falls to arguing of impossibilities and unlikelihoods when sinnefull lusts hale this way and that when the world threatens or slatters when Satan rages or speakes faire then doth true Faith supported by the Spirit of grace stand fast as Mount Sion or if shaken a little t is not moved out of his place but looking beyond all present temptations to unbeliefe unto the everlasting and infinite truth and goodnesse of God it preferres that which he saith above all that the flesh the world the divell can promise or threaten to the contrary Now in this point stands an essentiall difference betweene the faith of Gods Elect and of Hypocrites These have alwayes their limitations they beleeve something but not all if all t is but in generall when it comes to particular proofe they bid â—arewell to saith when such circumstances come in the way as they love or feare more than they doe God But the faith of Gods Elect is sincere faire open universall without distinctions equivocations mentall reservations or other hypocriticall and Iesuiticall shâ—fts The reason is because the sanctified soule rightly apprehends the soveraignty of Gods truth and wisedome outstripping in Certainty and Excellency all things that can be set against it it judgeth than no good can be equall to that which God promiseth no evill so great as what hee threatens no course so safe as what hee prescribes whereupon absâ—lutely without all qualifications the soule casts it selfe upon God resolving to beleeve and doe as hee pleaseth Whereupon though in particular practice it may be ignorant of some things and weake in the application of others yet in the Habituall resolution and disposition of the heart it doth willingly yeeld assent and conformity to all T is most true that David in a passion may call Samuel a lying Prophet for 〈◊〉 him hee should be King and after abusie dispute maintained upon politicke worldly considerations câ—nciâ—de that therâ—â— no remedie but he must one day perish by thâ— hand of Sâ—â—l So Peter in a bodily feare may chance denie him in whom yet hee truly beleeves so in aâ—l a strong sit of pleasures or other violent incounter may push their buckler of faith aside but yet it cannot strike it out of their hands if they give a little ground they will not flye the field but because the heart is holy and entire they returne to themselves and their standing where the shame of a foyle taken makes them knit their strength together and stand more stoutly in the combat But my brethren here 's the mischiefe and miserie of all when there is a false heart within that keepes it selfe in an habituall resolution not to beleeve and trust God in such things or upon such and suchoccasions For in this case what ever shew of true faith they seeme to have in the generality or some few particulars t is most certaine that there is indeed nothing at all in that heart but horrible hypocrisie and infidelitie Such neverthelesse is the temper of all those who having not thoroughly searched out and resolved to renounce their evill affections nor exactly calculated what the profession and practise of Religion will cost them nor yet duly considered upon what grounds they undertake this profession are become their owne carvers in matter of Religion taking only so much of it into their beliefe and practice as the love of the world and their deere lusts will give leave These men are just of the Samaritans Religion that feared God and served their Images so they will beleeve God yet obey their lusts But as it was then none were found more bitter enemies to the restoring of the Iewish Church and State than these Samaritans who by reproaches accusations and conspiracies cruelly vexed that poore people and hindered the restauration of their afflicted estate even then when with fained flattery they proffered their service telling the Iewes they would build with them because they also sought the Lord the God So fares it with these men whose beliefe and forwardnesse in some things cannot make demonstration of so much friendship to Religion as their constant baulking and faltering in others testifies their hearts to be full of rottennesse and corruption bearing hatefull enmity against God and his Grace Take me any man who bewitched with custome commodity or pleasure gives himselfe scope and liberty to live in the breach of any of Gods commandements be it secret or open as constant neglect of the duties of religion in private accustomed mispending of pretious houres due to the businesse of our studies and callings usuall swearing secret thoughts and practices of uncleannesse unsatiable desires of earthly greatnesse and abundance unjust increase of wealth by usury bribery or other secret indirect courses excusing love of some though lawfull pleasures c. I say take me such a man that allowes himselfe in these or the like practices contrary to Gods most holy law and hee will be found though in name a Christian yet in heart an Infidell For trie now
to muster up their owne forces and duly consider their abilities lest venturing rashly they at last sit downe with losse and disgrace The same I speake to you my brethren Sit yee downe first take counsell reckon the cost see what religion will stand you in your lusts must be crossed the world must be displeased and despised too Sathan must be fought withall hazzard of disgrace and dammage must be undergone friends and goods and life must be parted withall if need require the crosse must be borne daily If now upon these conditions thou art heartily and freely content to plight thy faith to God and take Religion with all its inconveniences then goe on and prosper in this resolution thy heart is sincere and thy faith sound But if upon heady and slight considerations thou hast put thy selfe forward upon the profession of Religion not forecasting the worst aswell as the best of it then know that thy case is like that of the Scribe Mat. 8. 18. who there tells Christ in great forwardnesse Hee would follow him whithersoever he went But when the silly man heard Christ reply otherwise than hee lookt for The Foxes have holes and the birds of the ayre have nests but the Sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his head implying that there was little hope to be rich and honourable by being one of his followers this now fits not his covetous and ambitious humour and therefore upon such an unexpected answer hee slinches Christs company is too meane and poore for his great hopes and for him he shall goe alone A miserable thing it is for a man thus to come in at last with a Non putâram I had not thought religion had required such absolute obedience I thought I might have done so and so and yet have beene a true beloever Hadst thou not thought it The more foole thou that wouldest not bethinke thy selfe better in so serious a businesse Thinke then of it now and thinke alwayes of it that hee who beleoves and does only what him pleaseth hee neither beleeves nor doth any thing as hee ought Thus wee have done with Faith as it respects the whole course of Religion and every part of the Word of what nature soever Next wee are to consider of True Faith as it lookes towards the particular promise of Grace and is directed unto Christ. Which Act though it be particular yet is of greater necessity and excellency than all other because it gives life as to our soules so to our beleefe of other things which are beleeved with relation unto Christ. Faith in regard of this particular Object and Act I thus define It is a grade of sanctification wrought by the holy Ghostâ— in every regenerate man whereby for his owne particular hee trusteth perfectly unto the promise of Remission of finnes and Salvation by Christs righteousnesse I neede not stand at large upon every particular That Faith is a sanctifying Grace part of our inherent righteousnesse that the Spirit of God is the onely author of it that a regenerate man is the onely subject of it these things have beene shewed heretofore The Object also of it is manifest by what names soever the Scriptures expresse it namely the Lord Iesus Christ or God in Christ or the Gospell or the Promise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all comes to one and wee neede not be curious But touching the proper Act of Faith as it justifies us a little more at large It consisteth in Trust or Reliance upon the promise for our owne particular when the soule depends wholly thereupon looking after no other helpe You have heard heretofore that to Beleeve the truth of a particular promise is to Trust upon the performance of it to mee and that the Assent of Faith which is given to such a promise is properly called Fiducia or Trust. Now the Promise of grace in Christ is made unto us in particular termes both in the Word preached and Sacraments to assent unto this promise is not barely to acknowledge that there is such a thing in the world as Remission of sinnes by Christ to bee bestowed on some God knowes who for this is to beleeve the Promise not as a promise but as an History but this assent is of the whole heart in Trust Reliance Dependance Adherence Affiance or if there bee any other word expressing that action of the regenerate soule whereby it casseth and reposeth it selfe onely upon Gods Promise in Christ for the obtaining of eternall happinesse That Fiducia is of the essence of Iustifying Faith wee make good 1. From the phraso of Scripture used in this businesse Those phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Beleeve in or upon or into God Christ the holy Ghost are not used as the learned know by prophane Writers but only by Ecclesiastical implying that in Divine matters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies besides the naked acknowledgement of the Head the confidence and affiance of the Heart 2. From that opposition which is made betweene Faith and distrust or Doubting â—am 1. 16. Let him aske in Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing doubting and Rom. 4. 20 Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doubted not thorough unbeleefe 3. From that excellent place 2. Tim. 1. 12. where it is apparant that to beleeue is as much as to commit our selves to Christs trust and keeping I know saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom I have beleeved or whom I have trusted for as it followes I am perswaded that he is able to keep◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thing wherewith I have entrusted him or delivered up to his keeping What was that His Soule unto everlasting Salvation Wherefore to Beleeve the promise is with Confidence and Trust to relye upon it resting our soules upon the performance of it Which assent of Faith is wrought in the soule in this manner 1 A man is inlightned to see his sinne and miserie and therewith an utter impossibilitie to satisfie God for the one or free himselfe from the other by any power and merit in heaven or earth but onely by the Name of Iesus Christ And this drives him from seeking helpe elsewhere 2 The promise of Grace is proposed and Christ freely offered unto him 3 Whence in the third place the Heart touched by the Spirit of Grace drawes neere unto Christ throwes it selfe into his armes grasping about him with all its might hiding it selfe in the clefts of this rocke from the stormes of Gods furious indignation It bespeakes Christ in all termes of confidence and affiance My Lord my God my hope my fortresse my rocke my strength my salvation Save me or I perish Have you seene how a tender infant in the apprehension of some danger approching runnes into the armes of his Parent for succour so doth a soule pursued by the terrors of the Law and affrighted with the fearefull sight of
Gods frowning countenance fly with speed into the bosome of Christ hang upon him and most importunately sues to be taken into his protection Now one favourable looke from him is worth a thousand worlds and if he will but say unto it I am thy salvation it will not exchange the comfort of that word for all the kingdomes of the earth Wherefore the soule now thinkes of nothing but Christ to live or die Christ is all in all with it him it followes with all strong cries and teares for mercie and comfort in him it apprehends plentifull redemption and all sufficiency of salvation and therefore having once laide hand fast upon him to die for it no force shall make him loose his hold This worke of Faith as it doth greatly glorifie God by ascribing the whole honour of our Salvation unto his only free Grace in Iesus Christ so God againe is pleased highly to honour it above all its fellow Graces by making it the blessed instrument of all the comfort we enjoy in this present world thereby giving us assurance of our Iustification in his sight by Christs righteousnesse Whereupon followes in their times a double comfort unto the soule 1. Peace of Conscience resting it selfe secure upon the stability of Gods promise It hath now what to oppose against the severity of Gods justice and the accusations of the Law even an All-sufficient Righteousnesse in Christ able to satisfie them both to the full whereupon it s quieted and injoyes abundance of sweetest peace being freed from those terrors which before compassed it about on every side 2. That kinde of Fiducia which wee call assurance and full perswasion of the pardon of our sins This is a fruit of that other Fiducia or Trusting unto the promise it selfe wherein stands the proper act of justifying faith And it followes it not alwayes presently but after some time haply a long time after much paines taken in the exercise of Faith and other graces For how many faithfull soules are there who stedfastly beleeve and rest themselves only upon Christ for their salvation who yet would give a world to be assured of Gods favour and fully perswaded that their sinnes are pardoned yet aske them in their sorrowes and feares can you beleeve in Christ committing your soules unto him depending only upon him and no other They will answer yea I cast my selfe upon him let him doe with me as he pleaseth while I live I le trust in him But now this although it should yet will not satisfie them they want joy in the Holy Ghost there 's no testimony of the Spirit in them they have no peace no sense and inward feeling of Gods love and therefore they cannot be assured that their sinnes are pardoned and that they be in Gods favour Whereupon they 'le be ready to fall backe and tell you they doe not nor can beleeve in Christ at all A great mistake and that which casteth many a Conscience upon the racke tormenting it with unsufferable feares where there is no cause They have no justifying faith Why Because they want full assurance of the pardon of sinnes A false argument Iustifying Faith is not to be assured of pardon But to trust wholly upon the promise for pardon Which point duly considered would helpe us to a singular remedy for the consolation of consciences distressed about point of their salvation who whilst they eagerly labour and I cannot blame them for an experimentall and sensible assurance of Gods favour doe too too much neglect that comfort which their faith would afford them in that notwithstanding their feare they are able still to commit their soules unto God as to their faithfull Creator and Redeemer These men should doe with their soules as David did with his in the like temptations Why art thou cast downe my soule why art thou disquieted within me Here was little peace and joy doubts still arising which causeth him to aske the question once againe and a third time But see how he still answers Wait on God wait on God and againe wait on God for I will yet give him thankes who is my present helpe and my God Psal. 42. 5. 11. and 43. 5. See when hee hath no comfort here 's his comfort even his faith that he can still depend upon God for comfort The further explication of this point depends upon the resolution of that practicall Syllogisme whereby certainty of Salvation is concluded which is this Whosoever beleeveth His sinnes are pardoned and hee shall be saved But I beleeve Ergo My sinnes are pardoned and I shall bee saved The Major here is of Faith The Minor of Sense and Experience The Conclusion is of both but chiefly of Faith as it followes on the premisses by infallible argumentation and partly of sense as it is founded on the inward experience of Gods grace working upon our soules Wee may take comfort in this conclusion as we are assured of it by faith even when experience and sense it selfe failes But of this more when we shall speake of the fruits and consequents of Faith FINIS Zach. 6. 13. Hist l. 6. c. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Heb. 6. 7 8. AElian Vat. hist. l. 1. c. 17. * shew much love nâ—rans * Whereof yet many as left unto us as the Cananites among the Israelites Acâ—â— 27. 〈◊〉 A clean heart a right spirit * Therefore it is our body of death which yet hath many earthly members The new man is created a perfect man though but an infant * As infidelity of our corruption Gal. 5. 22. As the Will renued is at once disposed to love our neighbour as well as to love God c. * So Tilenus with others generally makes Faith to be the instrument of Instification and Sanctification with this difference Fides Iustificationem percipit Sanctificationem etiam efficit In the one faith is an instrument only in the other an efficient cause also Tylen Syntag. part 2. disp 45. thes 41. Ob. * As who should say a dead man must first see speak and goe before he have life in him Sol. Eph. 1. 22. 4. 15. Gal. 2. 20. 1. Cor. 6. 17. None can call Christ Lord but by the holy Ghost Rom. 10. 20. Christ is made unto us life righteousnesse c. Vnlesse we will maintaine the Popish Limbus He hath loued vs and chosen vs c. Deut. 7. 7. 8. 10. 15. 1. Ioh. 4. 19. 1. Pet. 1. 3. Tit. 3. 5. 7. Eph. 1. 4. 9. 2. Tim. 1. 9. Rom. 11. 5. 9. 11. God so loved the world c. Col. 1. 13. Ioh. 6. 29. and 1 Cor. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 102. 2 23 1 Pet 1. 28. The loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Col. 2. 9. Act. 10. 38. 1 Cor. 3. Ioh 9. 25. Anat. Armin. For in him we liue and move c. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Psal. 115. 8. Psal. 116. * Iphicrates Arist Rhet. l. 1. cap. 9. * Rom.