in me With many the like Passages Now where there is a command on Gods part the Thing commanded to be done must needs be an Obedience on our part Secondly Faith is an assent upon Authority yea upon the highest and greatest Authority In believing of the Positive Truths of the Gospel Faith goes not upon the sight and evidence of the things in themselves but upon the Revelation Testimony and Authority of Gods Word 1 Thes 2. 13. Ye received the Word not â—s the Word of Man but as it is in Truth the Word of God This is it that Commands and captivates the understanding into a compliant persuasion Sic dicit Dominus Thus and thus saith the Lord. Since then Authority is the Ground and Basis of Faith in perswading Obedience must needs be the Act of Faith in assenting in submitting to that Authority Again thirdly Faith or Assent it comes from or depends upon an imperate Act of the Will and upon that score puts on the Nature of Obedience True indeed we do not believe with ouâ— Wills * See Dr. Stillingfleets Rational Account P. 137 138. against T. C. as some of the Pontificians seem to teach For no Man really believes as he list oâ— meerly because he please but upon evidence of Grounds and Reasons But yet since those Evidences will never produce Faith unless we bend and hold our Minds to a due and serious attention to them as 't is said of Lydia a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom in locum God opened her Heart to attend and so to believe Acts 16. 14. And since it is the Heart or Will b Recté Tho. Anglus in Sono Buccinae p. 197. Voluntas applicat intellectum ad cogitanda motiva cum sollicitudine desiderio veritatis that under God commands and fixes the Attention both unto the Matters and Motives of Faith it evidently follows that though we do not formally believe by our Wills yet â—ot a Non potest intellectus credere quando vult si absque eo quòd velit nunquam credat White Sonus Buccinae P. 201. See Dr. Stillingfleets Rational Account Pag. 138. without our Wills and that the assent of Faith though it be not the immediate Act of the Will yet 't is undoubtedly under God the Effect of the Will enforcing the Attention against all carnal fears or interests that would divert us from the Faith Upon which score the infidelity of Men seems to be resolved into their unwillingness John 5. 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye will not come unto me i. e. you will not believe or become my Proselytes by Faith Again fourthly and lastly Consider that our assenting to the Doctrine of Faith 't is expresly call'd by the Name of Obedience in Scripture 1 Pet. 1. 22. Ye have purified your Souls in obeying the Truth i. e. in a firm believing it Gal. 3. 1. Who hath bewitchâ—â— you that ye should not obey the Truth i. e. in not sticking to right Belief of the Gospel in the Article of Justification And so Rom. 10. 16. The Apostle having said They have not â—â— obeyed the Gospel expounds it â—â— the very next words by believing for Esaias saith Who hath believâ—â— our report So that 't is evident ouâ— very believing receiving embracing retaining of the Truths of the Gospel 't is a part and piece of our Evangelical Obedience All that I shall draw from this Head is only two short Inferences First is our assenting to the Matters of Faith a piece of Obedience then surely there is more of Disobedience in the World thaâ— some are aware of Even the forsaking or rejecting of Gospel Truths is a piece of Disobedience For Gods Truth comes with Authority comes in Gods Name and lays an obligation upon all that hear it or can hear it to attend and believe And therefore he that either shuts or casts it out of his belief he thereby refuses to be subject and obedient to God Who hindered you that ye should not obey the Truth says the Apostle to the erring Galatians This perswasion comes not of him that calleth you Gal. 5. 7 8. So that whosoever withholds or with-draws his assent or perswasion from such Divine and Evangelical Truths he therein with-draws his Obedience or Subjection Whatsoever Points of this nature we hear from the Gospel we must one day give an account of how we received or why we refused them For where God has a Mouth to speak we must have an Ear to hear and a Mind to attend and a Heart to believe or answer for the neglect of it Secondly Is this a part yea the first part of our obedience our assenting to Gods Truth ouâ— receiving and retaining it in opposition to Errour and corruption of Doctrine Then sure it is a thing of great consequence of what Faith and Belief or perswasion we are in matters of Religion that we mistake not 2 Cor. 11. 13 14. 2 These 2. 10 11. 1 Tim. 6. 5. 2 Tim. 3. 8. Darkness for Light Error for Truth that we embrace not Deceits and Delusions in stead of sound Doctrine the bold Fantasies and Novelties of corrupt Minds in stead of the Verities and Mysteries of Christ in stead of the Words and Truth of Soberness I say 't is a thing of some concern what we shut out or take in into our Minds as Matter of Faith because accordingly we shall be counted of the number either of the Obedient or Disobedient According to the soundness or rottenness of our Principles and Perswasions as to the main accordingly shall we be so John 8. 32. 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. far found either the Subjects of Christ or the Slaves of Satan of error and darkness Would we therefore be true that is obedient Servants unto God Here we must begin and hold on our course Labour for a sound establishment in the main Truths of the Gospel Read and meditate on the Scriptures of Truth as they are called Dan. 10. 21. Attend unto the guidance of those whose Office it is to divide â—nto you the Word of Truth Pray for the Spirit of Truth to 2 Tim. 2. 15. John 16. 13. â—ead you into all necessary Truth â—n a word as it is Prov. 23. 23. Buy the Truth and sell it â—ot that is spare no cost no â—ains in the getting of it And being gotten part with it upon â—â— terms barter not away the plain and pretious Truths of God for the meer fancies and bold presumptions of Men. Let the Word of Christ dwell Col. 3. 16. richly in you in all wisdom that ye may be strong and grounded Christians Not Children in understanding 1 Cor. 14. 20. Heb. 5. 13 14. 1 Tim. 3 9. but Men skilful in the Word of Righteousness and holding the Mystery of Faith in â—â— pure Conscience the best and easiest Depository for Divine Truth Quia facile male creditur ubi nâ—â— recte vivitur But I have done with the first
Hearts to consider That of our Saviour Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that says in profession Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father that is in Heaven That of St. Paul Gal. 6. 15. In Christ Jesus i. e. in the Profession or Religion of Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but a New Creature or as it is Chap. 5. 6. but Faith that worketh by Love or as it is 1 Cor. 7. 19 But the keeping of the Commandments of God Lastly that of St. John 1 John 3. 7. Little Children let no Man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous As if he should say take heed 't is an easie thing for a Man to slip into such a deceit as this Namely to think that if he has but some measure of knowledge in the matters of Christ and a Belief of the Doctrine of Christ if he has but the Name of Christ in his Mouth and a Profession of him in his Life with some attendance upon him in his Ordinances that then it is enough enough to righteousness enough to acceptance here and to Salvation hereafter Yea but let none flatter himself into so gross a deceit For he that doth righteousness is righteous He only shall pass for such in Gods account that brings forth the real Fruits of righteousness in the conscionable care and discharge of his Duty towards God and Man in every kind For as it is Acts 10. 34. God is no respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him And Rom. 2. 7 8. God shall one day render unto every Man according to his Deeds To them that by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality shall be Eternal Life But unto them that obey not the Truth but obey unrighteousness to them indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every Soul that doth evil Ye hence see what is it shall carry the main stroke with God what is it that shall weigh with God and cast the ballance of his favour to us another day Namely a beginning in Faith and a patient continuance in well-doing in short an obeying of his Truth in righteonsness And I would to God this it were a thing more preach'd and press'd upon the Consciences of Men and more practised in the lives of men For it will be found a true saying of His what ever his Judgment was otherwise in reference to the thentimes I say it will be found a great truth what I meet with in a fast Sermon delivered six and thirty years ago where speaking of the Duty of the Ministers he has these words Says Mr. Herbert Palmer his Sermon before the House of Commons June 28. 1643. P. 35 he ' When we all have preached up Repentance to which let me also add Obedience as much as we have preached first Confidence and then Faith we shall then be reformed and saved but I doubt not till then Tit. 1. 3. This Word or Witness true Thirdly and lastly by what has been said of the several Parts and Branches of Evangelical Obedience we may be able to make Judgment how much of it goes before the Grace of Pardon and Justification and what it is â—ust follow and come after Obedience to the Truths of Christ by â—elieving them and Obedience â—o the call of Christ by returnâ—ing and resigning up our selves to â—im These are clearly and fundamentally necessary as antecedents â—o our justification And beâ—ides what has been said were there no other Scripture save that only in Rom. 8. 30. it were enough to prove it Where 't is said by the Apostle That whom God calls them he justifies Them and them only does he justify whom he first calls that is calls a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quoe quando nobis contingit praedestinationem nostram ex effectu cognoscimus Paraeus And that this is the Judgment of our Church appears plainly from the 17th Article of Religion Wherefore they which be indued with so excellent a Benefit of God be called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit working in due season They through Grace obey the Calling they be justified freely they be made Soâ—s of God by adoption effectually so calls as that they fully answer to his Call neither can the words with truth bear any other sence So that the Blessing of Justification belongs to none but such as are the Called of God that is such as obey his Call by a sincere repentance towards God and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ And upon this measure b It is for the honour of Christianity to maintain that God for Christ's sake is ready to admit the Heirs of everlasting damnation into the Inheritance of everlasting happiness in never so short a time as we can believe they can change their resolution from following sin to prosess that Belief and Conversation which Christianity importeth Mr. Thorndike Epilog L. 2. c. 30. P. 256. of Obedience without more ado the true Believer who thus far answers the Call of God a The sincere undertaking the trust of a Christian really entitles him to the promises of the Gospel Mr. Thornd ibidem L. 2. C. 7. P. 38. It would be a disparagement to that Fountain which God has opened for Juda and Jerusalem that there should be â—â—y sin which it cannot cleanse supposing the change sinâ—â—re which the undertaking of Christianity professes Mr. Thornd ibidem L. 2. C. 5. P. 22. presently enters and passes into a state of favour and acceptance with God As for the third Branch of Obedience consiâ—ing in a course of holy Actions and in a continued observance of the particular Rules of the Gospel God stays not for this God does not suspend the Grace or benefit of Justification till the Person has run through a course of Obedience through all the Precepts and Instances of a Holy Life but forthwith bestows it on the faithful Believer upon his first Faith and Obedience unto Gods Call provided it be real and sincere which God can see and discern though Man cannot And therefore this last kind of Obedience i. e. to the particular superstructive Rules of a Holy Life though it be necessary in its place for we stand bound to it by the Law of Faith by the Rule of the Gospel and are obliged to it in the vertue of Gods general Call yet if we speak of it in relation to our Justification with God 't is not required as an antecedent to go before it but as a consequent to come after it as the Evidence that must prove and testifie the effectualness of that Call and our sincere obeying it For he that would be found a Tunc veraciter fideles sâ—mus si quod verbis promisimus operibus complemus Gregor in Evangel Hom. 19. true to that Call he must and will pursue and prosecute it through all the
needy 'T is all for communicating it does not shut but open Deut. 15. 8. Thou shalt open thy hand wide unto thy poor Brother It does not rake and scrape but scatter and disperse Prov. 11. 24. There is that scattereth and yet increaseth Psal 112. 9. He hath dispersed abroad he hath given to the Poor i. e. He is not tenacious or close-fisted does not hoard up or keep close his Goods for the gratifying of his covetous humour or the nourishing of his pride or the pampering of his sensuality but according as time and place and ability requires he sends them abroad for the good help and relief of others In a word the Charitable Man is one that is good and does good good in himself and good unto others He sucks not up his juice to himself he eats not his Morsels alone Job 31. 17. He does not like the Snail sibi vivere live to himself or hide up himself within his own Shell but rather like the Silk-work that even works and spends it self for the good of others For so runs the Apostles Exhortation Ephes 4. 18. Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his own Hands the thing that is good that he may have to give to him that needeth Not only that he may have a Peny against a rainy day that indeed is necessary thrift and good husbandry but that he may have to give to him that more needeth that 's Christian Charity True Charity will be giving not only out of its Lands and larger Revenues but out of its earnings something out of its own labour more or less to him that needâ—th This is the second thing implied â—n the Phrase of Communicating 〈◊〉 shews the Nature and Spirit of Charity to be diffusive and communicative There is yet a third thing intinated in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is â—pplied to Acts of Charity and that â—s the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Good that aâ—ises and accrues thereby both to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophylact in Rom. 15. Doer and to the Partaker 'T is â—he Note of Theophylact upon Rom â—5 25. That the Apostle does eâ—ery where call Alms or Charity â—y the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comâ—union or communicating beâ—ause there is a kind of Commuâ—ion that is a common or a muâ—ual gain by it both to him that gives it and to him that receives 〈◊〉 First he that receives our Chaâ—ity gains by it succour and reâ—reshment help and benefit And then 't is as evident from Scripture that he that gives out his Charity gains by bestowing it He gains blessedness Acts 20. 35. 'T is a more blessed thing to give than to receive He gains good to his own Soul Prov. 11. 17. The merciful Man doth good to his own Soul The good that he does reflects and redounds back unto himself He gains here and he gains hereafter Even here he gains a Blessing Quâ—s dederis solus habebis opes on what he possesses Luke 11. 41. a return and encrease Luke 6. 38. Prov. 11. 25. and as he gains here so much more shall he gain hereafter Luke 14. 14. Such shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the Just 2 Cor. 9. 6. He that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully And what shall they reap why Heavenâ—â— and Happiness Life and Glory For in thus doing they sow unto the Spirit says the Apostle Gal 6. 8. and of the Spirit they shall reap Life Everlasting Great Gains for so small laying out An Eternal reward for a temporary beneâ—icence This is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Trade the Traffick the blessed exchange of a Pious Charity It gives a way Earth and gets Heaven Miser homo quid foeneraris homini foenerare Deo centuplum recipies Vitam Aeternam possidebis praebe lutum accipe Deum praebe tectum accipe Coelum Aug. It gives the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the carnal things of this World and gains the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spiritual and Eternal things of a better And thus I have opened to you the Matter and Substance of the Duty which is a doing of good and Communicating And though the Text does not mention it yet it would be seasonable and pertinent to add unto the former the extent of the Duty the reach and compass of this Goodness the Persons whom it takes in and to whom it must extend and that is unto all Men. So says the Apostle Galat. 6. 10. As we have opportunity let us do good unto all though especially to the houshold of Faith Vnto all that is not simply and absolutely to all for that 's impossible but unto all first distributive to all in their degree and capacity to all according to the exigence of their necessities to all pro loco tempore according to the opportunity of time and place and the proportion of thy ability So St. Austin seems to interpret the Note of universality Omnibus Aug. de Doctrinâ Christianâ i. e. omnibus qui locorum temporum vel quarumcunque rerum opportunitatibus constrictius tibi quasi quadam sorte junguntur To all who are brought near and presented to us by Providence as the Objects of our present Charity And then secondly unto all indifferently without any undue exceptions exclusions or limitations that is not only to thy self but to others not only to thy own within doors that are as it were a part of thy self but to thy Neighbour without to them of the Vicinage not only to thy Kin but to the stranger yea not Beatus qui amat te amicum in te inimicum propter te Aug. confess only to thy Friend but to thy Enemy Rom. 12. 20. If thine Enemy hunger feed him if he â—hirst give him drink And so Mat. 5. 43 44. It hath been said Lex Vetus amorem docet in proximos Nova in extraneos yea inimicos Tertullian Thou shalt love thy Neighbour and â—ate ehine Enemy but says Christ I say unto you Love your Enemies do good to them that hate â—ou Ye see then though we do not take in singula generum all â—bsolutely and collectively here â—s yet a large Field for Charity to walk in a wide and a large Sphere â—o act in for the doing of good â—t must be still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to all whom the Law of God has made and whom the Providence of God presents to us as Objects of Chaâ—ity It must be Peregrinanti to the Stranger Fatherless and Wiâ—dow that they may eat within â—hy Gates and be filled Deut. â—6 12. James 1. 27. It must be Esurienti to the Hungry and Naâ—ed Isa 58. 7 10. If thou draw out thy Soul to the hungry and satisfie the afflicted Soul It must be Aegrotanti to the Sick and Weak to the Blind and Lame Luke 14. 13. It must be Indigenti