Means how hainous a Sin must it needs be To tread under foot the Bloud of the Son of God! I shall conclude my Discourse with some special Directions how to prosecute this Work with the best advantage 1. Because as we read in the following verse It is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure it behoves us to pray earnestly frequently and constantly for the effectual assistance of his grace That Godly fear and trembling which the Text requires serves to drive us to God in the humble sense of our own danger and impotency And we have a promise that Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10.13 Not that this is all that is required to Salvation but that he that doth so shall not want any assistance of Gods grace necessary to Salvation And that he will give the holy Spirit to them that aske it Luk 11.13 Alwaies supposed that we aske aright with sincere and earnest desire to receive and improve the gift which requires that we be carefull not to receive the grace of God in vain not to resist or quench the spirit as is usually done by many that daily pray for his grace in a formal and hypocritical manner The successe of our prayers depends upon the sincerity of our desires which is only verified by our diligent indeavors to obtain the things we pray for Secondly Because the Word of God and especially the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation able to save our soules to make us wise unto Salvation it concerns us to attend diligently to the reading hearing and meditating of this Divine Word and that not only because it affords unto us direction how to attain this end by informing us concerning the conditions thereof but also because it is a powerfull mean to work them in uâ— The holy Spirit by which God worketh in us both to Will and to do breathes in the Word and is ordinarily conveyed thereby into the souls of men Thirdly Because although this work cannoâ— be done for us by any other persons yet it may bâ— promoted by their assistance we have great reason to desire the assistance of Christian brethren by their charitable admonitions counsel conference and prayers And this help is most desirable from them that are best qualified to afford it and therefore especially from our spirituall Pastors and Teachers without neglect of faithful brethren It is Saint James his advice Confess your sins one to another and pray one for another Jam. 5 16. the effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much When men are to work out some temporall interest to save themselves from danger or to obtain any preferment they will desire the assistance of others especially such as are most able to further them in it And have we not as much and a great deal more reason to do so in this spiritual design Fourthly It behooves us to take great heed not only of all such things as do directly oppose this work as being contrary to it such are all sinful practices and customes but also of all hinderances and divertisements from it Such as are found in the world The men of the world and the things of the world First The men of the world by their vain company evil example and otherwayes are great impediments to the serious prosecution of this work And therefore it behooves Christians to have as little familiarity with them as they may Depart from me saith David for I will keep the commandments of my God Psal 119.115 it is not an easie thing to keep the commandements of God in the company of evil doers I have not sate with vain persons saith he again neither will I go in with dissemblers I have hated the congregation of evil doers and will not sit with the wicked As we shall have none of their company in Heaven so neither should we desire or delight in it on Earth because it hinders us in our way to Heaven Secondly The things of the World are very great incumbrances and lets in this holy work The profits Pleasures and Preferments of this world though innocent in themselves yet do very much â—ivert men from the pursuit of true holiness and happiness They that will be rich saith Saint Paul fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts 1 Tim. 6.9 which drown men in destruction and perdition 2 Tim 2.4 No man that warreth intangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a souldier Take heed of being too sollicitous for thy portion in this world lest that prove to be all that thou shalt have The generality of men lose all the treasures joys and glories of Heaven by being too covetous of the supposed lawfull riches pleasures and honours of this world Remember the words of our Saviour how hard a thing it is though not impossible for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven If thou wouldest be sure to save thy soul Love not the world nor the things of the world 1 Joh. 2.15 If thou wouldst once be happy indeed content thy self here in this world with the hopes of it in an other life and doe not seek to anticipate it in the injoyments of this world Fifthly Examine thy self often and seriously whether this work be truly begun and how it goes forward It is the exhortation of the Apostle Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves 1 Cor 13.5 It behooveth Christians to put the question to themselves whether they be in the right Faith whether they be true beleevers or no whether they be duly qualified for this Salvation according to the conditions declared in the promises Do I indeed believe in the Lord Jesus with an unfained Faith How is this Faith perfected or verified by my works Have I truly repented and brought forth fruits worthy of repentance Do I live after the flesh or after the spirit Is it my study and diligent indeavour to cleanse my self from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness in the fear of God Am I in the right way to Heaven or no This practice of self examination is so much the more necessary as it is easie to be deceived in a mans pretended title to this salvation multitude of persons are deceived and wil finally perish that make account to be saved and do not suspect their own condition This is certainly the case of most men For almost all men do hope to be saved and yet our Saviour tells us that the gate is so narrow and the way so straight that they are but few that will find it How much then doth it concern us To work out our Salvation with fear and trembling to be exact and curious in this business and to take heed of flattering our selves with vain hopes and false grounds 6. Lastly To secure this work let us remember and observe carefully the precept of our Saviour and his Apostles Mat. 13.13 Take heed watch and pray Watch ye stand fast in the faith 1 Cor. 16.13 Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil 1 Pet. 5.8 as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour 1 Thes 5.6 Let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober Take heed of spiritual sloth and that thou fall not asleep in sin and security Remember the parable of the foolish Virgins that slept away their opportunity of meeting their Lord and were shut out of his company There is no general practice so usefull and necessary to the keeping of a good conscience and the perfecting of holmess as this of constant watchfulness over our selves The want whereof is the cause of mens neglect of and miscarriage in this work THE END
of Good and Evil contained in the nature of some actions antecedent to any positive or express Law of God or man so doth it indispensably oblige to the practical observation thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is that effect of the Law written in the Heart Rom. 2.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which cannot be blotted out by any abrogation without blotting out the reason that is the nature of man That which is in it self Evil cannot without contradiction become indifferent or lawful But that which is not restrained or forbidden by any binding Law must needs be lawful Therefore the opinion of Libertines and Antinomians affirming Christians under the Gospel to be discharged from the duty of Obedience to any Law or Command of God as such is not only false and heretical but also impossible to be true in as much as it imports a repugnancy to the nature both of God and man and all distinction of Good and Evil and withall it evacuates all pardon of sin by concluding an impossibility of committing it For where no Law is there can be no Transgression I conclude therefore that the duty of Obedience to the Moral Law is common to both Covenants And that when Saint Paul saith We are not under the Law but under Grace Rom. 6.15 his meaning cannot be that we are not under any Obligation of the Law but that we are not under the rigorous Exaction of the Law requiring perfect obedience without affording either pardon for any Offences against it or any sufficient aid of Grace to perform it Christians by the Covenant of Grace which now they are under are delivered from that desperate state which the Law leaves them in that are under it being relieved by a double Grace first of pardon of Sin upon Repentance and secondly of ability through the assistance of God's Spirit to yield such obedience to the Law as will be accepted And so to the Objection of the burthen of that Obedience which by the premisses hath been asserted necessary to Salvation I answer That God's accepting by the new Covenant Repentance joyned with Faith in Christ instead of perfect Obedience required in the old is a sufficienu abatement of the intolerableness of the old yoke and as ample a dispensation as could be afforded to Sinners to qualifie them for salvation which will further appear upon these Considerations 1. That Repentance supposing men to be sinners admitted by the Covenant of Grace for the Condition of Salvation affords a remedy for Sin and a capacity of Life to them that by the old Covenant are absolutely excluded from all hopes thereof 2. That Reformation of life and future obedience which Repentance signifies is not the same which the Law exacts that is not absolute and perfect without any manner of defect Not the not-sinning at all but the not wilfully and presumptuously sinning and abiding therein impenitently after the receiving * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the knowledge or acknowledgment of the truth Heb. 10.26 A sincere desire and faithful indeavour of obedience is accepted for Repentance which may consist with some such things as the Law condemns as sins of ignorance not affected sins of Infirmity and surreption Imperfection in the performance of duty sincerely indeavoured with many frailties which a Christian labours under and against but cannot perfectly overcome Such things as these although as transgressions of the pure and perfect Law of God they have the nature of sin yet by the tenor of the new Covenant and through the mercy of God in Christ the Mediator thereof they shall not be imputed to the penitent sinner that by a true Faith layes hold upon that Mediator So that there be some sins which do not make void the effect and benefit of Repentance but are consistent with the truth of it and a regenerate state But because it is difficult to determine precisely and exclusively what they are it concerns every true penitent to take as much heed as he can of all sin and not to presume of any indulgence for the least that can be avoided by him And whiles it is said that some kinds of sin are consistent with such a Repentance as is available to salvation it is implyed that others are not so and such are all gross wilful and presumptuous sins But 3. Neither do such sins as these after a man hath once truly repented exclude a sinner from the benefit of the Gospel But are still capable of the same remedie which is allowed for all sorts of sin which a man is found guilty of before his first Conversion Although such sins do evacuate the benefit of his former repentance so far as to render him uncapable of expecting or claiming the Remission of them thereby suspending his pardon for the present till he hath renewed his repentance or repaired the breach of it Herein consists the abundance of Gospel-grace and the benefit of repentance that it is never out-dated not being restrained to one general pardon as the Novatians heretically taught nor limited to any number of Repetitions There is no sin at any time unpardonable under the Condition of Repentance For that against the Holy Ghost is supposed to be so upon this account only that it excludes that Grace by which a man should be inabled to repent These three things relating to the doctrine of Repentance duly considered I conceive to be sufficient to answer the Objection before suggested Especially if that be added which I take to be agreeable to the doctrine of the Gospel viz That whosoever imbraceth this second Covenant shall be sufficiently inabled by the grace thereof that is by the Spirit of Christ that helps him though not to keep the whole Law exactly and perfectly without sin yet to do all things which by that Covenant are required of him to work out his own salvation This sufficiency of Grace I take to be supposed in the Exhortation of my Text and confirmed by the Reason that follows after it For it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Of which afterward Thus far we have proceeded towards the resolution of that great Question What is to be done by him that desires to work out his own salvation from the distinct Answer of our blessed Saviour and two of his Apostles to the same Question Believe in the Lord Jesus saith Saint Paul Repent saith St. Peter Keep the Commandments saith our Saviour These three Answers comprehending whatever is required of a Christian in order to his salvation might suffice for a complete Answer to that Question But considering the infinite weight and moment of the Question some further Enlargement of the Answer from 3. or 4. selected Texts is not to be counted superfluous And the first of these additional Texts shall be that of the Apostle St. Peter urging the same Exhortation with that in our Text in other words 2 Pet. 1.5 And besides this giving all diligence add
to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity viz. to all Men as well 〈◊〉 Strangers and Enemies as Brethren to distinguish it from brotherly kindness or kindness to the Brethren that is to all Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore the rather Bretheren give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an Entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Where note these three things 1. That to give diligence to make our Calling and Election sure is the same thing as to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling For Calling and Election do signifie the free Grace and Mercy of God whereby Christians are called and elected to the state of Salvation by him that hath given unto us all things that pertain to Life and Godliness through the Knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Vertue vers 3. Life and Godliness Glory and Vertue are the things that comprehend the full sense of the word Salvation first declared as it signifies The being saved from our Sins that is from the power and practice of Sin as well as from the guilt and punishment thereof And to give diligence to make our Calling and Election sure is to take care that this Grace by which we are Called and Elected may prove effectual 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 firm and permanent and that we may obtain the benefit which was designed us thereby 2. The Direction given by the Apostle to this end is to add to our Faith Vertue c. that is to apply our selves with all diligence to the constant practice of all these Vertues and to labour for a proficiencie in them If these things be in you and abound and if ye do these things c. which agrees with the interposition of those words in the Vulgar Latin and some ancient Greek Copies vers 10. Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by good Works to make your Calling and Election sure Our Calling and Election is to be made sure that is firm and effectual by good Works in the practice of the above-named Vertues And this is to work out our own Salvation 3. This Direction is urged with an Argument drawn from the assured success in the use thereof in those words If ye do these things ye shall never fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For so an Entrance shall be ministred or afforded unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ The latter words do plainly shew that the assurance of our Calling and Election 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressed vers 10. doth not referr only if at all in this place to that certitude of the Subject as it is ordinarily called that is to our being assured or confident that we are Called and Elected or to our acquiring a certain Plerophorie of faith or hope that we are at present in the favour of God and in a state of Salvation but signifies also and rather a certainty of the Object that is that our Calling and Election shall be and remain firm and effectual See Rom. 4.16 and 15.8 unto our entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of Christ which certitude ariseth from the performance of the conditions of the Promise of entrance into that Kingdom A second Text of like general direction to this end is in Tit. 2. v. 11 12 13. For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath appeared or hath appeared to all men For the Greek words are indifferent to either Reading teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed Hope c. Where we are taught by the grace of God that bringeth Salvation that is by the Gospel what manner of Conversation is required of them that look to be partakers of this blessed hope of Salvation to wit that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts not indulging themselves in any known Sin against first or second Table they should live soberly in reference to themselves and their own Bodies in all temperance and chastity and righteously towards all others in all acts of Justice and Charity and Godly to God-ward in all Piety and Holiness of inward and outward worship both private and publick Hereunto agrees that of S. John 1 Joh. 3.2 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure And a compleat paraphrase of that Text we have in the words of S. Paul 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Salvation is promised in the Gospel under condition of sanctification 2 Thes 2.13 And is therefore no otherwise to be wrought out than by a through cleansing of our selves from all kinds and degrees of pollution both of Soul and body as far as is possible and labouring to perfect holiness in the fear of God I shall mention but one Text more by way of general Direction what a Christian should do to work out his own Salvation and that shall be from the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The word therefore referrs to the precedent discourse that takes up the whole chapter containing an ample confirmation and explication of that grand Article of Christian Faith viz. the Resurrection of the Faithfull to Everlasting life and the final accomplishment of their Salvation from sin and death The truth of which Doctrine to him that believes it affords an argument abundantly sufficient to perswade and incourage him to all that may be necessary or profitable to the attaining unto this blessed estate wherein his labour will be so fully recompenced And therefore together with this argument from the certainty of the reward the Apostle concludes his discourse with special directions how it is to be attained shewing 1. What that work is which is to be done to this end 2. How it is to be persued viz. with all constancy and diligence 1. He sheweth what that work is which is to be done by him that looketh for this reward It must be the work of the Lord and what 's that our Saviour hath told us in the Text before quoted Joh. 6.29 This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent But this