this Rest of Faith for justification St. Paul shews in the next words that they rather confirm and ratifie the pardon than question or lessen it through that experience of Gods wise and faithful love in making all things work together for good to those that love him above all Who shall seperate us from the love of God in Christ shall Tribulation or Distress Persecution or Nakedness Famin or Sword in all these we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us If weak Christians coming to Christ with faithful desires and resolutions to weare his Yoke and bear his Burthen meekly and humbly find not this Rest of justification with such a degree of Peace and Joy as St. Paul expresseth 't is not because Christ giveth them not what he promiseth but because he giveth it them gradually according as they are able and fit by their Faith to receive it for he saith to every Soul now as to them in St. Matt. 9.24 Be it unto you according to your Faith if your Faith be strong and lively both in believing my promise and merit and in undertaking that Yoke of his Yoke though they find not as yet that Rest and Peace which their Souls desire pray and stay for Blessed is he that stayeth and waiteth with humble Prayer Gods leisure since he hath promised who cannot fail that he will not break the bruised Reed but give in time the Garment of joy for the Spirit of heaviness and Isai 57.15 16. I will dwell with the contrite humble Spirit to revive it for I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wrath lest the Spirit should fail before me and the Souls which I have made Thus you have seen the first Rest which true believers enter into even here in this life the Rest of Pardon and Justification upon their Repentance and Faith in Christ The second is a Rest from the Tyrannous reign of sin by those Motives of Hope and Fear Love and Gratitude which faith propoundeth from Christs Gospel and the Spirit of grace holiness and comfort which faith procureth by earnest Prayer Now this is so necessarily joyned with the other the Rest of Pardon that 't is its ordinary standing evidence and the means to obtain it more and more For we may not come to Christ for Pardon to give us the Rest of justification from sins guilt and condemning power by his Blood unless we so value that pardon and its price as sincerely to hate and be heartily willing to forsake that sin which the wisdom and holy justice of God could not or would not remit or forgive but at such a price as his own eternal infinite Sons humiliation to and in that humane nature which had offended We must feel as well the burthen of sins loathsom filth and hateful disorder as well as that of its guilt and punishment before we are those weary and laden those poor and humble ones in Spirit who have a Title to rely on Christ for Rest from both but to those who so come unto him our gracous Lord never denies what he invites to Rest from the slavish service of sin as well as from its intolerable guilt and condemnation His blood and spirit are never sever'd where-ever the one is actually imputed to justification the other is always imparted also to sanctification and therefore St. Paul joyns them together 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you but ye are washt but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And Rom. 8.2.9 The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath set me free from the Law of sin and death But if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is as yet none of his though he may be his by repentance and faith And indeed this Rest from sins dominion you will easily see to be a necessary and great part of the Souls happiness in this life if you will but consider the burthensome drudgery that wicked Men lie under until they obtain it and enter into it by such a faith in Christ Jesus as works by obedience For every person living in any course of impiety unrighteousness intemperance is a self-accusing self-condemning divided creature a terror and shame unto himself He cannot choose but wish and desire eternal Rest yet is customarily drawn by his lusts and passions to do that which certainly leads to eternal anxiety and tribulation His reason invites him to that good which is Spiritual immortal infinite and therefore a satisfactory Rest to his Soul to the only God who made him at first and who alone can make him happy But his lust and passions draw him away to that which is earthly sensual devilish Not only finite and fading and so disappointing him but filthy and base and so distracting and vexing his Soul with foul disorder and guilty shame His Spirits and conscience often tells him that he ought to maintain an humble holy communion with God by Faith and Hope and Love Prayers and Praises that so he may be prepared to see him in that immediate clear revelation of his glory but his lusts and passions so burthen and oppress him that he cannot lift up his heart to God nor draw near his holy presence with any delight but studies to shun him and live without the remembrance of his goodness and mercies that he may forget his power and justice To behold the Creator in the Creature and love the giver in his gifts to contemplate his power wisdom and goodness shining in his word and works to be thankfull for his past benefits rejoycing in his present favour and panting after his blessed presence to all eternity to fit himself for that presence by purifying himself as he is pure by being righteous holy and merciful as he is to govern himself and those that are under him in such order as God prescribes this is the Rest as well as the Labour of rational Souls in this life a pleasure and honour as well as a taske But sin is such a burthenous Tyrant and oppressor that it makes the sinner imploy his reason made to serve know love and enjoy God It makes him imploy this reason in the drudgery of covetousness in the brutishness of lusts and sensuality in the devillishness of malice envy revenge pride and ambition His reason was given to study God and his Will to please and delight in him here that he may for ever see and enjoy him with mutual complacency to help others to do so by word and deed and who is there that hath not quite unchristian'd and unman'd himself but in sober retirement thinks this a work that hath pleasure in it and Rest as well as Labour But sin is such a wearisom Tyrant and oppressor that it makes the reasonable immortal Soul that heavenly breath that Image of God a sneaking Pandor to his lusts a drudging purveyor to his belly and appetite a fawning
that of losing his rest of incurring his endless intolerable displeasure this is a wise and gracious fear not only the beginning of Wisdom and Grace but its safety and preservation its watchful Monitor Exciter and Furtherer all along for it makes us examine and prove our selves whether we are as yet in the faith well settled and grounded such a faith as works by love and sincere obedience not a groundless or fruitless credulity perswasion confidence of all being well on a bare profession and when we have found that we are sincere in faith repentance love obedience it awakes our care to continue so by growing in grace and persevering against whatever allurements or terrors lest we fall from our own steadfastness and hold not fast the ground of our confidence to the end It works on our memory and revives our humility for sins past it works on our reason and stirs up our care against sin for the future The fear of missing or falling short of Gods rest of incurring intolerable eternal trouble anguish and pain restrains us from running on in the ways of destruction In the restraint some hope of pardon shews it self in this hope we see the mercy and love of God and then at last perceive the horrour and ugliness of sin not onely in its punishment but in it self This last hath more of love than fear in it and the fear is now become filial for a good Son will fear the anger of his Father so much the more because he knows the greatness and sweetness of his love and by that fear preserves and increases his filial obedience Our Saviour commands his Apostles themselves who sure were Sons and had the Spirit of Adoption to fear him that can destroy both body and soul in hell fire that they might not fear but choose to suffer all that Man could inflict on their bodies rather than hazard the loss of his favour for what 's the fire of persecution to that of Gods wrath or the pains of a Rack for an hour or two to the torments of hell for evermore The Fathers call this fear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bridle of lusts or disorderly appetites and not onely the entrance to Piety but the Guardian of all Virtue S t Jerom confesses he owed the strictness of his life to this fear and S t Ambrose says Love it self is upheld by it Some would confine fear to Mount Sinai as if Mount Sion did exclude it whereas the Apostle having compared the Law on the one and the Gospel on the other Heb. 12.18 22. adds presently ver 25. See ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaks from heaven And then concludes the whole Chapter with these words Wherefore let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire I know that of S t Aug. is true Brevis differentia legis Evangelij Timor Amor. But 't is the fear of temporal punishment which is proper to the Law wherewith as also with hope of temporal promises they were in that Nonage allured or terrified first to outward then to inward spiritual obedience We should indeed for the great kindness and enamouring amiableness of our Redeemer and Redemption be all on fire with thankful love but we must consider not onely what 's the height of our duty we owe to our Lord but what 's that which at first entrance into his School we can perform and what afterwards through the remainders of corruption we still need and what he will be pleased to accept Thus to be frighted and chased to happiness is an Argument indeed of our imperfection but since our state is as yet imperfect 't is our Wisdom to use all such helps as our Lord allows of And yet even in the state of innocency our first Parents needed this motive and had not fell if they had used it they fell with this thought that they should not fall They who in this lapsed imperfect estate require such Christians onely as are made up of all love do but Votum accomodare non Historiam nec qualis est sed qualis esse deberet describunt They tell us what their wish is and our duty but consider not the real History of what is and what is likely to be effected Thus Tully says of Cato that optimo animo summâ fide utens nocet interdum Reipublicae with an honest and good meaning he did sometimes much hurt to the Commonwealth by imposing that strictness of Laws and Manners which 't was not able to reach or keep Tanquam in Platonis Republicâ non tanquam in faece Romuli fitting his sentence rather to Plato's phansied Utopian Commonwealth than to the real state of Rome So I may say of these Perfectionists they do not remember that they have to do with Men in whom some remainders of the old Man will still be lusting against the Spirit and those lustings must be check'd and chil'd and supprest sometimes with this fear of falling short of God's Rest and falling into intolerable Troubles And yet suppose they were as St. Paul and feared Sin more than Hell yet the height of some Mens grace is no ground for a general Doctrine nor because Love is the best of all therefore may Fear be made unlawful as if that were a Sin which God propounds to keep us from Sin Hell I am sure is a part of our Creed as well as Heaven and God hath propounded both a Tribunal and a Mercy-seat and if we may serve God as Moses did with an eye of hope to the recompence of reward why not with an eye of fear towards him who though a Father will-judge every man according to his works Our Saviour indeed Luke 12.32 bids his flock how little soever not fear because it is their Fathers pleasure to give them the kingdom but the fear he forbids is the fear of distrustfulness in him or his promises or assistances as if he would not or could not defend his obedient Children against the numerous Herd of the wicked not the fear of incurring his holy and just displeasure in case they should do what must displease him We do not fear as the Jews did present punishment to restrain us from that lust which otherwise we love and would willingly follow Our greatest motives of obedience are not from that spirit of bondage which looks chiefly on temporal things and thinks it self rejected for ever if chastised here or tried with afflictions for the Gospel directs us to things invisible and eternal much more clearly than the Law and makes afflictions patiently endured the sign of Gods favour rather than hatred nor is it contrary to the Spirit of Adoption to fear offending him that adopted us lest thereby he disinherit us Though we are received into the family of
powers Kings themselves are twice called by this very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Ministers of God Rom. 13. The Angels are called Ministring Spirits yet are still Principalities and Powers Thrones and Dominions Nay our Lord himself whilst he was yet on Earth in the form of a Servant is called by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God This must teach those in this high place humility and diligence but others it must teach obedience and thankfulness to esteem them highly for their works sake to obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves because they watch for your Souls as they that must give an account He that desires the Office of a Bishop desires a good work saith St. Paul Good indeed and a work indeed To govern and guide so many flocks and their Pastors with zeal to God and Charity to Man with unwearied patience and humility without corruption or partiality through favour or fear of high or low small or great poor or rich to govern and teach wisely and diligently to look so carefully to ordination that all the truth and none but the truth be constantly preached and the service of God be constantly performed with all reverence free from prophaness with all purity free from superstition That the Sacraments and discipline of the Church be administred in their power and beauty all this is a work indeed as full of labour and care as of honour Even the lower Administrations those of Presbyters and Deacons have not they their work too They have sure in their several places enough to spend their time and Spirits wholly in if they do their duty The Presbyter hath a great share of all The Bishops work is in a great part committed to him and would the People make that use of Gods Ministers which their Eternal Rest and Salvation requires it would quickly be found that preaching were not half of the Ministers work and care And yet Preaching is no small work To instruct clearly in all the Mysteries of Faith to exhort earnestly and affectionately to all the duties of life and practice to convince so many numerous errors as daily arise to rebuke and reprove so many sins and sinful Persons without fear of the great or the many to comfort the feeble minded to humble the haughty to stir up the slothful and temper the furious to uphold the falling and relieve the wavering and reduce the wandering to stop the mouths of so many and subtil gainsayers from the Atheist to the Schismatick from the Prophane to the Superstitious to clear those Obscurities to answer those difficulties remove those scandals which so many Men in weakness or wilfulness are subject to and to second all this with a life unblameable this certainly is a work of great variety study and pains and yet a work so necessary it is that better for us we had no gifts nor Ministry at all than not to perform it and the more it behoves the rest of the World not to hinder not to discourage not sacrilegiously to rob not to perplex us in this our work but to strive to make it as comfortable to us and as fruitful to your selves as you can seeing the end of these Ministeries these services these works the end of all our labour is to bring you to endless Rest All our abilities all our gifts are from the same Spirit all our works are wrought by the same Lord who worketh all in all that is well wrought both in him that writes and him that reads both in him that speaks and him that hears in him that is governed and in him that governs if this be so let us banish all pride If our gifts and places and works be never so high never so many Envy if our gifts and places seem never so few and low for what are the highest amongst us but the instruments and servants of this supreme donor and mover receiving all from him accountable for all to him And how can the lowest and meanest murmur or object any thing against it since they that have the lowest and meanest have it a gift and could not challenge it as due but have it by the wise disposal of that Lord whose wisdom knoweth what is fittest for each and whose goodness bestows that which is most fit and the meaner or less gifts and places any one hath the more easily is both his work and his account Away then with haughty Pride or mutinous Envy Let not one say with repining regret I am slow in apprehension weak in memory shallow in judgment whilst others are quick tenacious and solid I have neither wealth to buy voluminous Authors nor arts nor parts as others have to dive into those difficulties and obscurities and gain a clear solution of them as others have Nor let others say in haughty contempt of their inferiors or meaner Brethren how mean are such and such compared with me in graces and places I can lead my amazed Auditors whither I will with my eloquent Tongue whilst others freez in their Pulpits and tire their Auditors into wearisomness and drowsiness But let the one and the other say These are gifts freely bestowed where it pleaseth the giver and who shall say unto him what doest thou with thy own He owes nothing to any who can demand any thing of him as his due He is the supreme Wisdom who shall direct him in his Counsel where and how to dispose and bestow his gifts The supreme Lord who shall command him where and how to dispose and order his Administrations He is the only Almighty God who shall accuse his work of weakness or defect Let the lowest and meanest remember to say Though God hath denied me this or that which others have yet hath he given me something which others want He hath not given me an high place but he hath given me that retirement and safety of which those that are in high places are bereaved He hath denied me promotion but given me that health which they that are preferred before me would willingly purchase On the other side let those that have highest gifts and places say to themselves Why should we boast of our Lords bounty and not rather tremble to think of ascribing that to our selves which is his free gift and dispensation least he take it away when he sees it abused or if he continue it condemn us the heavier for being unthankful Since it is thus ordered by the wise disposer of all things let one and the other remember that all are the Spirits Almsmen in their gifts The Lord's Ministers in their Offices Gods Workmen in their works and thus when every one shall be contented with his Talent each one shall find peace and quiet and Rest within him here and be qualified for eternal Rest hereafter The World hath many pretenders to this Rest and those so contrary one to another that their very pretences to