and on Earth the Wonder of Angels and the Center of Excellencies but not so to us until we believe They that do not know Christ cannot love him for as we apprehend so we affect they that believe not in him do not know him the God of this World has blinded 2 Cor. 4 4. the Eyes of them that believe not to them therefore he is a disallowed Stone 1 Pet. 2. 7. not worth the owning This Beloved Isa 53. 23. no more than nor so much as any other Beloved without Form and Comeliness or any thing to attract their Quantum credimus tantum ditigimus Love but to them that believe he is the Head of the Corner the chiefest of Ten thousands altogether lovely so in himself and so to them as loved by them above their Souls and Happiness they see not only a need of him but an excellency in him Excellency and nothing but Excellency a Superlative Excellency eclipsing the Glory of all created Excellency more than the Sun does the Light of the Stars enough to beget wonder and astonishment as one that is as far above their Praise as Love as appears by their sincere Amor lex sive severissima Obedience to him the effect of Divine Power constraining to it and their uncessant desires after him the sparks of that Holy Flame that are ever-ascending Animus est ubi amat to him Knowledg precedes Faith Faith produces Love Love evidences Faith it shews it to be true it is not the cause of Faith but the 2 Cor. 6. 6. 2 Tim. 1. 5. sign of it as Breath is of Life and a full Tide of a full Moon Vnfeigned Love to Christ shews unfeigned Faith in him for to them that believe he is precious 1 Pet. 2. 7. 3. It is fruitful in good Works By Faith our Persons are justified Rom. 5. 1. and by Works our Faith is justified by that our Persons before God by these our Faith before Men by that our Persons are acquitted from Sin by these our Faith is acquitted from Hypocrisy by that our Persons are made Righteous by these our Faith is made Jam. 2. 22. 2 Cor. 12. 9. 1 John 5. 12. Fides foeta operibus ubi bona opera non ad extra fides non ad intra Faith produces Works Per modum causae efficientis motivi impetrationis quod lex operum minando imperat lex fidei credendo impetrat perfect i. e. made manifest as God's strength is said to be made perfect that is made manifest in our weakness by that we are in a state of Life he that has the Son has Life by these our Faith appears to be alive Christ prov'd his Deity by his Works and Faith proves her Divine Original viz. the Faith of God by Works too There is no Love without the labour of Love nor any Faith without the Work of Faith For As Works are dead without Faith so Jam. 2. 17. Faith without Works is dead also 4. It is accompanied with Holiness Justification and Sanctification are as one saith always distinguish'd but never separated Distinguish'd The Righteousness of Justification is in Christ the Righteousness of Sanctification flows from him that is Relative and without this is Real and within in that there is a change in our State in this a change in our Na-Nature that is perfect and alike in all but this is imperfect in all as to Degrees though not as to Parts by that we are acquitted from the Guilt of Sin by this we are cleansed from the filth of it in that we have Peace with God in this we are made like to him one by the Merit the other by the Spirit of Christ Not Separated They that are justified by the Grace of God are sanctified by the Spirit of God for the justifying Vertue of Christ's Blood is ever accompanied with the purifying Vertue of it moral Vertues are as the Philosopher Indiâ—iduus virtutum comitatus says inseparably connected and so are Divine Graces too the Fruits of the Spirit are of a Cluster the Spirit infuses the Habits and Faith quickens the Acts it is as the Sun to the World and the Soul to the Body that influences all the radical Grace that maintains the Life of them the Leader and Commander in chief as the Brain is the facultas mandans as it is the Seat of Sense as the Heart is of Life by whose Conduct they are guided according to whose motion as the Primum Mobile they all move and proportionably to the strength or weakness of it they are strong or weak rise or fall as some Fish as is said wax and wane with the Moon Our Justification was merited by Christ is applied by Faith and by these as concomitant with it assured without which we can never make out our Title to it for as Life of any kind is known by the Actions of Life a Tree by its Acts 15. 9 Fruits and a Fountain by its Streams so a pure Faith is known only by pure Acts if it has not Virtue to sanctify it has none to justify nor can it be Fiducial unless Obediential An obediential Faith justifies it self Abraham believ'd and obey'd A DISCOURSE OF Self-denial Being an APPENDIX TO THE Treatise of FAITH OUR first Parents fell by Infidelity and Self-seeking and we rise by Faith and Self-denial Self-denial is of the Essence of Christianity it is founded in the Nature of it and we have no more of one than we have of the other it does not abound as the Stoical Philosophy did with Improbable Opinions Contradictions and Irreconcile-Paradoxes yet with many things above Reason though with none contrary to it things harsh and difficult to Flesh and Blood And that 's the Reason Christ has so many idle Retainers and so few true Servants so many that follow him as Peter once did afar Mat. 26. 58. off and so few that keep close to him that will not like Politick Souldiers stir an inch upon disadvantage nor venture like wary Merchants all in one Bottom nor sail so far into the Sea like those that go thither for Pleasure only but that they may return when the Storm arises They study more the Doctrine of Self-preservation than of Self-denial how they may keep all from Christ rather than forsake any thing for him and therefore will not venture their whole stock with him lest they should as they think be undone by him Many such followed Christ for a time when he was here in the days of his flesh thinking it an easy pleasant and gainful Life but when told what they were like to meet with the good things they must forsake the evil things they must endure and after all follow him they took their leaves of him and went no more after him A bare profession of Christ will not entitle us to him for all that outwardly profess him must be Followers of him nor a bare following of
time only but for ever The Throne and Bed admit no Rivals and Christ will be all or nothing a Lord for ever or not at all 1. Then they are much mistaken in Faith that think it is no more than a bare believing Christ to be the Saviour of Sinners without any conformity of their Lives to him To make the Conclusion more than the Premises is Sophistry to put Freedom from Sin into the Premises and Liberty to it into the Conclusion is the Devil's Logick the Premises are God's the Conclusion is the Devil's Presumption and not Faith to lay claim to Christ's Person without being 2 Pet. 1. 4. partaker of his Nature to cling to his Cross and cast off his Yoke to challenge a share in the Privileges offer'd and reject the Duties commanded to pretend to his Righteousness and contemn his Grace to trust to his Righteousness and indulge our own Unrighteousness is to reject Christ and not to receive him or so to receive him as that we shall never receive any benefit by him viz. No benefit by the Blood of Propitiation 1 John 5. 6. Rom. 5. 9. if we cast away the Water of Purification 2. And as much mistaken are they that think it an easy thing to believe it is but believing they say and that they think they can do when they please Let him come down from the Mat. 27. 42. Cross said the chief Priests and Scribes and we will believe but they were much mistaken for it lay neither in their Will nor Power to do it for they were faster bound under Unbelief than Christ was nail'd to the Cross nor could his coming down from the Cross have wrought it in them without a Work of his Spirit upon them Neither they could nor any of themselves can believe as will appear if we consider 1. The Opposition that is made against it 2. The Power that is exerted in the working of it 1. The Opposition made against it viz. By the Devil and our Selves 1. By the Devil Who out of envy to Christ enmity and malice to Us raises all the Force and Power of Hell against it of all our Comforts and Graces he fights neither against small nor great so much as against Assurance and Faith as knowing what a hindrance the want of one will be in Duty and how destructive the other will be to it for what is not Rom. 14. 23. of Faith is Sin One a Bar to our Peace here the other to our Safety and Happiness hereafter 2. By our selves Not only as to the things that are preparatory to Faith viz. Contrition and Humiliation which are both necessary but things that we are naturally averse to but as to the Work it self For We are naturally proud and would do something to merit Salvation To believe is to abhor our selves and to love another better than our selves and to love him for that in him viz. his Holiness which is contrary to us to hope in him that we verily believe is our Enemy upon the account of Sin and to love him too when he is displeas'd and angry to trust to him upon his bare Word and deny our selves for him to enquire what his Will is and comply with it tho' never so contrary to ours to do what he commands and when done to look upon all as nothing to hate our selves and become Enemies to the things we love to fall out with that which is as dear to us as our Lives and so as to part with it to be fed at the Cost maintain'd at the Charge supported by the Strength and sav'd by the Righteousness of another Hard Terms for proud Nature to yield to but yet must be done and are by believing for Christ's Righteousness alone is the meritorious Cause of our Salvation and will avail us nothing without the denial of ours We must go out of our righteous as well as our sinful Self when by Faith we go out to Christ 2. If we consider the Power that is exerted in working Faith which is no less than that which raised Christ from the Dead To raise the Dead to Life is an Act of creating Power but it was more to raise Christ than any other from Death to Life in that he was not only totally depriv'd of Life for a time but bound under Guilt having by imputation more guilt of Sin on him than any kept in the Grave the strong-hold of Death with a Stone upon it Mat. 27. 64 65 66. seal'd and guarded by Souldiers and all the Forces of Hell as it were upon the Watch with them to hinder him from rising and was not barely rais'd to Life but as a Conqueror over-powering that great Enemy Death trampling on it and triumphing over it Now this Power this great Power this exceeding great Power the supereminent vastness and working activity of this exceeding great Power and all in the abstract that was put forth in raising Christ from the dead this and no less than this is put forth in working Faith in us For we believe Eph. 1. 19 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the working of God's mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead But yet tho' difficult in it self and a Work that we of our selves are wholly unable to God has appointed to work it in us for there is a Promise John 6. 27. Ephes 2. 8. of Faith as well as a Promise made to it and Christ has receiv'd a Commission to enable us to it and when we seek unto him that which we are commanded to do by the Ministry of the Word we shall be enabled to by the efficacy of his Spirit That which is now God's Will shall 1 Thess 4. 3. then be our Work Of the singular Worth and Excellency of Faith It is usual in the Hebrew Language the Mother-Tongue of the World for the setting forth the Greatness and Excellency of a Thing to add the Name of God to the Word whereby the Gen. 23. 6. 30. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Sam. 14. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thing is signified viz. great Wrestlings and Tremblings the Wrestlings and Tremblings of God The Soul's Excellency is set forth by this it is called the Spirit of God not only in respect of its immediate proceeding from him but of its resemblance to him Explaining as one saith by the plurality of Powers in the Vnity of Essence the plurality of Persons in the Vnity of the Deity And no less is it the Excellency of Faith in that it is call'd God's Work John 6. 29. not only in regard of Efficiency but Excellency in that no Work pleases him more than this nor any without it Faith's Excellency appears in its Usefulness and its Usefulness in the great Benefit and Advantage we receive by it For by it 1. We have Union with Christ 2. We have Peace with God 3. Our Duties are accepted 4. We have an
we read not that ever that time Acts 24. 25. came and linger with Lot as unwilling to come out of Sodom So that unless God be merciful to them as he was to him and by his Omnipotent Power rescue them from their state of Sin and Misery they are like to perish in it To pray against sudden Death and Bp Vsher not to prepare for it is to add contempt to presumption 4. A Power to repent at pleasure Presumptuous Sinners look on Repentance as a thing within their reach and that which they can come at when they please but it is not for it is God's Gift that which he must give to Acts 5. 31. us before we can offer it up to him and that we may we must receive it when offer'd for it is not in the Power of any to receive that when they will that they must only and freely receive from another Free Gifts must be taken when the Donor and not when the Receiver will 5. Examples of those that found Mercy upon late Repentance Despairing Sinners as is usually said will not take a thousand for one for if but one of a thousand miscarry they presently conclude they shall be the next but presumptuous Sinners encourage themselves by one of a thousand for if but one of a thousand repent at last they conclude they shall do so too but it is prodigious folly for any to think so and the next way to their ruin to presume upon it In that Such Instances only shew what God can do not what he will How great the folly of such Presumptions how absurd and irrational such Conclusions from these Premises are will appear by considering That present Repentance 1. Is the best for Ease 2. Is the best for Acceptance 3. Is the best for Safety 4. That singular Examples constitute no general Rule Life is the only Time for Repentance and the present Time the best Life is the only Time The Day of Grace may continue as long as the day of Life and may end before it but it ever ends with it when the Sun of our Life sets that Eccles 9. 10. Isa 38. 18. more glorious Sun sets as to us too Repentance is not a Doctrine taught in another World nor a Work to be done by us in the Grave for it is the Work of the whole Man and cannot be done when the Soul and Body are parted the Manicles of Death are to keep the Prisoners of Death in the strong Hold and Prison of the Grave until the Day of Judgment the great Assize come when a Sentence either of Absolution or Condemnation shall pass upon all then shall the Kingdom be given up to the Father the Work of Mediation shall cease and all impenitent Sinners shall be put into an unalterable state of Misery and set at an irrecoverable distance from God all means both outward and inward either of doing or receiving Good shall be taken from them they shall neither have the grace nor space of Repentance nor any Spirit but the Evil One to torment them nor any Conscience but a guilty one to accuse them There is no Repentance in Hell but ad Poenas Life is the only Time for Repentance and the present Time in Life is the best 1. For Ease 2. For Acceptance 3. For Safety 1. The best for Ease Presumptuous Sinners think they can repent with as much ease as he who with one dash of his Pensil turn'd a Smile into a Frown but their Experience upon Trial will confute their Belief and shew them to be as much mistaken as Sampson was when he Judges 16. 20. went out to shake himself as at other times when the Philistines were upon him and God was departed from him if so easy why did not Cain and Judas repent And why do so many complain when dying that they cannot and wish that they could The sooner a ruinous Building is repair'd the less difficult and chargeable will its Repairs be The sooner a Disease or Wound is undertaken the sooner it will be cured the sooner those Wounds and Breaches made upon us and in us by Sin are under Cure with far more ease will they be heal'd than when Sin as a Disease is grown upon us with our Years Jer. 4. 3. 13. 23. the sooner the fallow-Ground of our Heart is plou'd up the less pains will be required to it less than when our Hearts by custom in Sin are become hard like the high-way by constant treading upon it floods of Tears may not soften it then which at first a few might have done and this partly in reference to Conscience and partly in reference to Sin Partly in reference to Conscience which by delay grows more blind hard Ephes 4. 18. and deaf More blind and so cannot see Sin The older we grow the dimmer our Sight More hard and so cannot feel Sin Omne peccatum vilescit consuetudine fit quasi nullum Custom in Sin takes away the sense of it More deaf And so less able to hear the Call to Repentance by reason of the clamorous and continued Voice of Sin Partly in reference to Sin which hereby becomes more sweet multiplied and firm More sweet And the sweeter Sin is the more bitter the Repentance will be For every Sin is as a drop of Poison into this Cup which will make it the more bitter to us More multiplied For Every Act of Sin adds a Figure to the Sum. More firm For Every Act of Sin confirms and strengthens the habit of it and cannot without great difficulty be removed Late Repentance is always difficult and so is early Repentance but less difficult of the two for the longer it is deferr'd there will be more Sins to repent of and less time to repent in 2. The best for Acceptance The Lawyer says When no particular Time is exprest the present Time is meant The Grammarian says The Imperative Mood has no Future Tense and all God's Commands are in praesenti and so must our Obedience in this and in all things be nothing must come betwixt the Command and Obedience It is now viz. not only the present now of Life but of Youth Strength Acts 17. 30. Health and of the Spirit 's striving with us that we are commanded to repent and therefore must with David make Psal 119. 60. haste and not delay it is now that we are commanded to mortify our Lusts therefore must not beg a Reprieve for them that they may live a little longer in us but with Abraham when commanded to sacrifice Isaac arise early Gen. 22. 2. and slay them It is to day that we are call'd to hear God's Voice and live therefore must not lie down to Psal 95. 7 8. Heb. 3 7 13. 1 Sam. 34 10. sleep nor wait for a second third or fourth call nor stay till are answer'd but arise and cast away all that may hinder us as blind Bartimeus Mark