ways of God and People of God Oh such say they have the Spirit that they be Holy and they are so strict that they will not do such and such things as others do This is a degree of Blasphemy and borders upon the brink of the unpardonable Sin These are stiled by the Apostle Revilers 1 Cor. 5.11 6.11 and they as such shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven The giving out of the Spirit upon plain meaning people in the measure it now is is a new thing but not therefore to be despised and reviled Every Town and Family almost doth abound with this wickedness and dreadful provocation and 't is the saddest sign upon the generality of people whatsoever only 't is to be hoped they do it through Ignorance as Paul did 1 Tim. 1.13 and God as he hath done may humble and convert many of them to the praise of his Grace only let sinners that have been frequently shewed the desperate wickedness of such speeches of scoffing at the Spirit and Holiness and call it Hypocrisie tremble lest God give them up when they sin against Conviction and the clear light of the word in this matter Had I time to reason a little in the power of the Lord with such souls why Consider seriously and in good earnest Can you be so sottish and so wilfully blinded that have heard or read the Scriptures to imagine that you are God's and Christ's and have not the Spirit and are not made Holy nor crying to God that you may be holy He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his And without Holiness you shall not see the Lord How dare you then in the Atheism and devilish wickedness of your hearts scoff at the very Name of the Spirit and Holiness The lowest place in Hell will be yours that have been so often admonished of this unless God smite you to the Earth for it True Converts have the saddest Humiliation for this sin as they have been more or less guilty of it 2. Or you that are not so desperately carried forth in this open ungodliness of speaking evil of what you know not but yet make little Conscience of lying for your profit or in excusing a matter so you may do it covertly and count it a venial small sin or you that when provoked swear prophanely and desperately tearing the Name of the great and dreadful God wreaking your anger and wrath upon the Name of God and the blood of Christ your Tongues are set on fire on Hell and the Spirit of Disobedience the Devil worketh in you not a drop of the Grace of God in you 3. Or you who have your petty Oaths by your Faith by your Lady and by Creatures or make mention of the Name of God and Lord in your ordinary Discourse vainly and as a by-word crying Oh Lord upon every slight occasion and for God's sake and Christ's sake do this and this in poor trivial matters verily there is nothing of the New-Creature in you And yet these great Prophanesses you call your infirmities and 't is your infirmity to swear when angry and provoked and you say you forget your selves when you mention the Name of the Lord God sleightly or through Ignorance plead for it that you may do so I tell you Souls they are your reigning damning sins who are frequent in them And in carnal prayerless families as most are how oft in a day may these ungodly speeches be heard by men women and children If the fear of God were upon you or any work of Grace you durst not do it nor indeed could do Therefore do but observe your selves a day and see how often you are here guilty and tremble before God and go and humble your selves at his feet that you may find mercy and have another heart and mouth given unto you Pray and cry and wait for the good treasure of the Word of Grace in your hearts and 't will be otherwise with you 4. Yea you who are engaged in worldly Discourses on the Sabbath-day in your families at your doors in the streets in idle and vain jesting you are not of God born again by his Spirit you take no delight in the Word of God the meditation of your heart is not in it you speak little of it because you savour it not Tremble you Worldlings who shew it this way at that Word 1 John 5.5 They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them If ye are of the world you are not as yet of Jesus Christ the power love of this present World ruleth in you and that may damn you for ever Know sinners you that make little Conscience of vain prophane words though you pretend to make some conscience of your word of promise to Men for your credits sake and so think you have grace all which a Turk will do that by your words you shall be judged and of idle words you shalt give an account at the day of Judgment and by thy words thou shall be condemned Mat. 12.36 37. Such words as we have opened to be damning sins And therefore do not put off this guilt from you in saying 't is your infirmity and so make light of it but know 't is guilt which will send you to Hell if the Lord humble you not and change you 'T is a certain Rule a prophane heart and a prophane mouth a carnal heart a carnal tongue a worldly heart a worldly yea Sabbath-days tongue Therefore you are not New-Creatures in the least and therefore begin with the heart that the heart may be smitten of God for this sin and changed and seasoned with the word and grace of Christ upon you and it will be better with you and you will have a tongue to speak well of the Spirit and the things of God and his People and to speak for God and reverently of his Name and delight your selves in it 2. Let this be a word to such as through grace are become New-Creatures in Christ that you would shew it in this discovery in a new Tongue that you give not your selves that liberty of vain carnal much less prophane Discourses as formerly as indeed you will not if you be new Creatures Men's Converse do either lye among such as are wholly carnal and worldly or such as savour that which is good As to the former as in all our carriage so especially in our Words there is great caution to be had 1. Not to mix our selves with them unnecessarily unless we find we have strength enough through a dependency on the Lord to avoid their snares and do it with a purpose of heart to do them good by reproving or counselling them Many a good soul hath been sadly worsted by mixing unnecessarily with vain prophane or frothy company 2. If Providence cast thee amongst them sometimes it may be the Wisdom of a Child of God to keep silence as David Psal 39.1 I said I
on this side the grave yet at the great Judgment it will not be so No nothing but upbraiding of Devils for neglecting Gospel-Grace and refusing the terms of pardon and for gross security this will be the portion of every unpardoned sinner that neglects the day of his salvation therefore the pardon of sins requires the deepest thoughts of heart and can never be made too sure to a poor sinful Creature Vse 1. Is the pardon of sin be of so great and infinite weight how doth this meet with the wretched deplorable carelesnefs of a world of souls in this day that think of nothing less than whether their sins are pardoned that will hear of nothing that may call this great matter into question or may awaken them to it Oh how many poor souls I fear too many of you though so often and earnestly prest to it that were never before the Lord mourning after the pardon of your sins What a light matter would it be to be pardoned if there should be no more in it nor care about it than most sinners that call themselves Christians make about it Ah sinners why do you make no more adoe no more matter of it why so sensless of that which is alone worthy all the thoughts of thy heart if thou shouldst live a million of years to dispatch this one thing to get thy sins all pardoned You that are Elderly people have a large reckoning especially upon your account of sinning against Gospel-light and grace make haste what you do do quickly lay hold on eternal life the sun is ready to set upon you and wo with you as ever you were men and women if you fail of a good and sure dispatch of this one concernable thing that your sins are pardoned And you that are younger take heed least the day of grace set upon you and you be given up to your own hearts lusts and no word that is spoken from God or Man shall ever reach you Oh tremble at trifling with convictions and light but begin to honour the Lord Jesus and bow unto him and wait for the promised effusion of his spirit and the joy of the Lord shall be the joy of your youth and the Love of the Lord will be very sweet and precious to you 2d Exhort Oh then let every soul of us be deeply affected with this weighty matter let your souls say within you Oh the dreadfulness of an unpardoned condition what tongue can express it to have all my store little or much house corn cattle trade all under a curse and enjoy it as a curse and only to further my eternal damnation to be hated of the great God and not loved to be under all the condemnation of the Law wherever I read of wrath and wo it belongs to me to have not one of my prayers nor any thing else accepted of the Lord to be in a condition of expecting nothing from Jesus Christ at his coming but go go ye cursed when I shall see so many blessed souls that took pains for Heaven enter into the Kingdom and my self shut out Wo is me if I speak peace to my soul in such an estate one moment more Awake my soul Awake Away in to the blessed God for mercy pardon grace Christ his blood spirit holiness eternal life I will go the Lord helping me and cry in the bitterness of my soul for them all and if 't were possibe to weary the Lord with the cryes of my poor soul I will do it till he have mercy upon me and bid me go in peace the Gracious God shall as hardly deny me as ever he did any poor sinner that lay bleeding at his feet for mercy and grace from Heaven to heal a poor condemned soul Oh what have I been doing in the world all this while get a little something and my sins unpardoned in daily danger of dying in them and so be lost without all remedy for ever Oh! such will be the great thoughts of heart about the pardon of sins when the Lord shall speak to a poor sinner and the Conscience shall be throughly awake about it Oh! let me yet in the name of the Lord argue out this matter with thee Be serious for once and ponder it in thy heart what is health or wealth what is it to have something about thee in the world and lay up yearly and thou go deeper in debt with the just God every day What if all the world be at Peace with thee and God thy enemy and hate thee as thou hast been shewed What if all the world say of thee Blessed if God and his holy Word of truth pronounce thee Cursed because thy sins lye upon thy soul and the Spirit of grace is not upon thee Ah! poor Creature do not do not let thy sins lye upon thy precious soul any longer do not be contented to be a child of Gods wrath any longer Oh! do not thou poor careless soul if there be a spark of pity in thee Do not as the Devil flatters rest in this and say I hope better and I hope 't is better with me and I hope I am or shall be pardoned and so fall asleep till thou drop into Hell You that think it an easie common matter to be pardoned know not what it is you have yet no part in this blessedness Saith a poor convicted soul 1. 'T is a great matter that any sinner in the world is pardoned much more such a one as I if ever I attain to it 2. Souls that get pardon do make it their greatest care to be assured of it they do not leave the matter at sixes and sevens and put it off with bidding the heart hope well but they labour after a Gospel assurance of it 3. Such Souls will labour to see that nothing be wanting that must accompany pardon of sin and a state of salvation Heb. 6.9 4. They try all their pretenees to pardon and grace over and over and will take nothing upon trust from their hearts or the Devils flatteries or the flatteries of carnal Ministers but search and prove and lay their hearts under the Word and Spirit till it be sealed by the Holy Ghost and that they are wrought of God for this self same thing and that he hath given them the Earnest of the Spirit 2 Cor. 5.5 Well therefore say in thy heart in good earnest Oh! it hath not been so with me I have been careless I thought well of my self I ne're questioned this weighty matter to purpose Oh! the Lord give me grace to take pains in the use of means to be violent for Heaven Oh! I will not rest Oh! let me not till I am assured indeed that my my sins are done away and Christ is mine Go and say and do it and the God of all grace and might be with thee in it But yet further to press the weight of this matter upon thy Conscience that thou mayest go off thoroughly convinced and
resolved to pursue effectually the compassing of this so great a blessing of getting thy soul in a pardoned estate Do but weigh with me the matchless blessedness of such a condition and methinks thy heart should not but be taken with it 1. The first is Peace with God Jesus Christ having made Peace Rom. 5.1 Col. 1.20 2. Consider Pardoned souls become the dear Children of God see Eph. 1.5 c. Having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his Will to the praise of the glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins c. The glorious grace of Adoption comes in upon the forgiveness of sins therefore Chap. 5.1 the Apostle further hints this so blessed a priviledge Be ye followers of God as dear Children and Gal. 4.5 the Apostle gives it out as the great and blessed fruit of Redemption that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Oh! to be translated from being amongst the children of wrath to be numbered among the dear Children of God to come under the protection care tender love of God as a Father What soul would not be restless till he attain unto it 3. Pardoned souls have access to God Eph. 2.18 12. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need This is the blessedness of pardoned souls they have free access to God as a Child to a Father to speak and plead with the Lord As soon as ever they come before the Lord they are admitted into his presence and God's eye and ear is towards them and they have their requests either in kind or a better thing given to them This is another inestimable good of blessed pardoned souls 4. As they are Gods dear Children and have free access to him so when once he hath freely and fully pardoned them he loves them with an infinite unmixt unchangeable Love Behold what manner of love is this c. 1 John 3.1 The Lord doth freely let out love full love to his pardoned ones as if they had never sinned because he never looks upon them out of Christ when God takes a poor sinner to himself he doth not barely and meerly pardon him and save him from wrath and no more as earthly Princes pardon many whom they love not but God sets his Love upon them as it can never enter into his heart to hate them He that loveth me saith Christ shall be loved of my Father Joh. 14.21 And if God afflict them 't is to make them better more like unto himself to bestow more grace upon them Heb. 12.10 and Gods Love to his blessed children is like himself infinite unmixt everlasting This is another infinite blessing of pardoned souls to be thus loved by their God 5. Pardoned souls are brought into a justified state from which they shall never fall Thus runs the tenour of the new Covenant the bottom of all this blessedness I will remember their sins no more Heb. 8.12 No more Words of a sweet and blessed sound to whom they are spoken by the Holy Ghost that when poor souls that have come to Jesus Christ in a Gospel way for pardon and have pleaded and taken hold of promises of grace for that end and yet sometimes unbelief is stirring Oh! will not God one time or other call back to remembrance all my former iniquities and charge them upon me No saith the Lord it shall never enter into my heart I will remember them No More Blessed words and blest condition indeed Ah! who would be without it 6. Pardoned souls shall be kept in the hand of the Lord in all their ways 1 Pet. 1.5 His Love Fear Laws Power Spirit shall be in their hearts that they shall not fall from him Jer. 82.40 And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me He preserveth the souls of his Saints he keepeth the feet of his Saints Psal 97.10 1 Sam. 2.9 for their good Rom. 1.28 And if they fall the Lord humbles them heals them takes them up again puts new strength into them and his kindness must not depart from them c. 7. Pardoned souls are Gods Heirs Gal. 4.7 Rom. 8.15 c. Heirs of God through Christ and joynt-heirs with Christ Heirs of all his Promises of an incorruptible inheritance that never fadeth away reserved in Heaven for them 1 Pet. 1.9 Though the Lord give them no inheritance of earthly possessions yet they are his special Heirs of the heavenly inheritance Not the poorest believer in the world but may say with a heart full of blessed and humble rejoycing Though I am worthless in my self and am so accounted in the world yet through infinite grace I am one of the richest Heirs in the world a Co-heir with Christ of an exeeeding eternal weight of glory Vse 1. If such and more than is or can be named be the blessedness of pardoned souls Ah! what poor secure sinner that must also be everlastingly damned without it would miss of it Say sinner instead of being cursed hated damned and that for ever for as is mercy and love to pardoned ones so is to such as miss of it for ever I say instead of that which any heart but what is plagued with hardness would melt and tremble at to become a dear child of God and have free access to God be loved of God for ever justified no sin for ever remembred against thee every thing befall thee for good and be an Heir of God and be even as blessed as God can make thee and that for ever Ah! where 's the sinner that would be without this Who would slight that word of the Lord that would teach you and lead you to this blessedness Who would despise or neglect the day of grace now while within the reach of it who would run a dreadful hazard of being given up of God if you thus trifle with Gospel-salvation Ah! the good Lord pity you that do thus you are fit to be mourned over had we hearts to do it with tears of blood Yet once more Awake awake you careless ones before your bodies drop into the grave and souls into hell Oh! do not do not take pleasure in soul-murder do not put off the one only main necessary work and leave it undone till it may be impossible to have it done Tell me in good earnest canst thou well be without the pardon of thy sins here and for ever Soul thou may'st well enough be without much Land and much Money and many great friends and yet be well exceeding well contented nay better if
thou hast Christ and Grace than with them But say canst thou canst thou well be without the pardon of thy sins Canst thou well live and dye hated by the great and righteous God Canst thou well be where the fire it never quenched and the worm never dyes Say canst thou well miss the presence of the ever blessed God to all eternity Are damned screeking Spirits good company for ever and ever Away away sinner to the blessed God betake thy self put it not off an hour longer to crying repenting mourning to God for free pardon for Christ for the Spirit and look up to the Lord to give thee a heart to do it wait humbly and carefully on the Gospel of Grace preached and yet though thou hast hitherto been idle thou mayest attain unto this blessedness as well as the blessedst Saint in the world if thou wilt be serious diligent earnest as so weighty a matter requires about it The good Lord give thee a heart to do it 2. Do not rest in false Evidences false hopes of pardon Many sinners might seem to have got pardon and gone well to Heaven if they had not vainly and foolishly hoped so Oh rest in nothing and never rest without it as I have pressed thee in love till thou canst say from a well grounded Gospel-evidence wrought forth with fear and trembling Now I have the blessedness that accompanies pardoned souls Now oh now rejoyce with me blessed souls I am I am a Child of God I have access to the blessed God and my soul pleads with him every day Ah now God my God doth love me Now I am justified in a state of Justification from which my God will never let me fall Ah my sins though great shall be remembred no more no more I shall be kept safely kept in all my ways if I fall the Lord will take me up and I shall not utterly fall however it is or may be with me as to the world and the things of it I am rich though poor worthless nothing in my self with all the riches unsearchable riches of my Christ I am an Heir of God I need nothing Oh the sweetness peace joy contentment Heaven of such a blest and for ever blest condition Now tell me sinner and let it stick with thee till thou art got well to Heaven is not is not the pardon of thy sins the work of the greatest weight before thee on this side the grave which is that I first promised thee to prove to thy Conscience from the first Observation 3. I might hence insist to stir up poor souls who have been awake for Heaven and have been and are crying and waiting for the pardon of your sins to be in this matter with all your might because you see 't is wonderfully weighty and concernable to you beyond all imaginations get your doubts and fears and misgivings of heart well removed see from whence your doubts do arise and follow them home to your hearts and then be with the Lord much and in his Word and Ordinances till the Lord make it clear day in thy Soul and thou walk in a sweet spirit of Adoption before him 4. Let pardoned ones whom it doth cost much as to means to get it made good to you make much of your comfort and do not Trisse it nor sin it away and keep the sense of a pardoned condition warm and lively upon your spirits and then you will love the Lord much Luke 7.47 Lord thou hast forgiven much as much as to any Oh let me let me love love much very much Conviction of sin and self-emptiness THe second Consideration we observed from the words and proposed to be opened was this Obs 2. Such who come to God to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins Pardon mine iniquity for it is great c. The Original word as well signifies Many as Great my sins are great and many many great sins lye upon me pardon Oh pardon them Oh Lord c. Thus you have this blessed man David in several Psalms aggravating his sin Psal 38.4 Mine iniquities are gone over my head and are a burden too heavy for me to bear against thee only have I sinned Psal 51. So blessed Paul Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners whereof I am the chief that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful Rom. 7.13 So Peter at the first Glimpse of Christ and a word from him falls upon his knees crys out Depart from me for I am a sinful man c. Luke 5.8 So the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner agreat vile sinner nothing else but a sinner So the Prodigal Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight c. Luke 18.13 15.21 In the opening of this Point first I would shew Why such as come in a right way for pardon do look upon their sins as great sins 1. How they come to see them so 2. When a sinner may be said to have seen his sins so great as a pardoned soul should do 1. Sinners that come to God for pardon and find it do look upon their sins as great sins because against a great God great in power great in justice great in holiness I am a worm and yet sin and that boldly against a God so great for a worm to lift up himself against a great and infinite God Oh this makes every little sin great and calls for great vengeance from so great a God 2. Because they have sinned against great patience despising the goodness forbearance and long-suffering of God which is call'd treasuring up of wrath Rom. 2.4 5. Oh saith a poor abased sinner at Gods feet How have I wearied the patience of God! I have not wearied thee saith God but thou hast been weary of me and hast made me to serve with thy sins and wearied me with thine iniquities Isa 43.23 24. Oh this is an humbling and heart-breaking word to a poor soul before the Lord this makes his sin appear great indeed I have wearied the blessed God with my sin and yet he calls upon me that he may pardon me ver 25. of the same Chapter This greatens sin to purpose to a poor soul that hath abused much patience 3. Sins do appear great because against great mercies Oh against how many mercies and kindnesses do sinners sin against and turn all the mercies of God into sin Oh saith a poor soul drawing near to God I turned all the mercies of the Lord against him took his mercies and fought against him with them and served the Devil and my lusts with them if God will come and account with me for them how shall I answer him 4. That which greatens sin in the eyes of poor sinners that cry for pardon is that they have sinned against great light light in the Conscience this heightens sin exceedingly especially to such as are under Gospel-means and is indeed the sin of all in this Nation
Reprobate living Remember the same Paul that thought himself a blameless man Philip. 3.6 afterwards cries out of exceeding sinfulness Rom. 7.13 yea the greatest the chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 But I hope to meet with thee and with thy conscience as to this conviction more hereafter The next inquiry will be when a poor soul may be said to be under such a discovery of the greatness of sin as may lead him to get pardon through Jesus Christ 1. One discovery I have named already which is such a soul doth not go about to lessen his sin but greeaten it to his greater abasement 't is his fear he doth not see his sins great enough to lay him low enough before the Lord. 2. When such a sight and discovery of sin it begets trouble upon the spirit In Psal 28. you have David under a great discovery of sin and he cries out there is no rest in my bones because of my sin I am troubled I am bowed down I go mourning all the day such a trouble that will not admit of peace and healing but from Jesus Christ till it can take hold of Jesus Christ in a promise of Grace and Pardon and come to him and close with him to be justified and Sanctified by him and in him as I am at large to shew if God will I speak this because there is a trouble for sin that often ends in a more dangerous peace Many poor creatures have for a time been troubled for sin and they have made one shift or other to quiet themselves it may be leave their sins and do a little something more but never come in a Gospel-way to Christ which I am also through grace to evidence in the discovery of a false Conversion However so it is that every soul that is unbottomed from a false peace a peace in sin or resting in his duties he comes under trouble more or less in and for his sin as he gets to pardon 3. God smites a soul for some special particular sin Jer. 3.13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God and hast scattered thy ways under every green tree c. General acknowledgment of Sins comes to nothing 't is the note of a Hypocrite but particular Sins lying upon the soul speak forth spiritual convictions when joyned I mean with other workings of heart we are now setting forth So Christ dealt with the woman of Samaria Joh. 4.16.29 Found her at and smote her in her particular Sin 4. As God smites so the sinner is in particular confession before the Lord loads his heart with Sin till it breaks Object But who will not confess himself a Sinner you will say Answ Truly few in a Scripture saving sense A word or two more to this That confession of sin before the Lord is a duty and such as hath the promise of forgiveness of Sin such places of Scripture will clear Psal 32. I acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Prov. 28.13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 1 John 1.9 This being a duty to which so blessed promises are annexed 't is of much concernment to souls that are very serious about forgiveness to have it stated aright according to Scripture and saving Experience There is a confession of sin that doth not entitle to the promise which a hypocrite may reach to so Pharaoh Exod. 9.27 I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked here 's confession but no pardon so Judas Matth. 27.3 4. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood so Saul 1 Sam. 15.29 I have sinned for I have transgressed the Commandment of the Lord Here are verbal inforced confessions when the hand of God was upon them and yet did not end in mercy The confession of a Hypocrite proceeds only from judgment felt or feared but that which is sincere and ends in mercy and pardon goes upon better grounds 1. As first Confession that hath the promise of pardon is accompanied with hatred of sin So in that blessed draught of the New Covenant Ezek. 36. I will save you from your uncleannesses c. verse 29. and verse 31. Then shall you remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for you abominations Then when God comes in a way of mercy and pardon then God will make them remember their wickednesses that they had even forgotten and had thought that God had forgotten them also They thought they were good ways before but now the Lord shews them they were not good and they loath themselves Sin is not only a terror but a loathsom thing to them hateful to the soul that is under this conviction 2. Whence secondly Saving confession respects the pollution of sin They shall loath themselves c. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee In that 38th Psal David is in self-loathing this doth arise as presently I shall shew from a glimpse of Gods holiness which I humbly conceive no reprobate in the World doth reach to to loath sin because it makes him an unholy Creature 3. It follows therefore that such confession follows sin to the root to the fountain there sees it most abominable odious infinite So David Psal 51.5 I was shapen in iniquity c. A Hypocrites confession ends in outward gross sins from terror only and reacheth not to heart-sin pollution of nature and if he can reach to reform such outward gross sins he hath done as he thinks the utmost but never comes to loath and so to mortifie through the spirit sin at the root But sincere souls touched by the Holy Ghost with a saving sense of sin do drive sin home to its original to its root in the universal corruption of heart and nature and there the severest edge and indignation against it is let forth 4. Brokenness of heart for sin is an effect of such confession Psal 51.17 Isa 61.1 57.15 And this ariseth upon sense of Gods patience goodness love as hatred of the pollution of sin ariseth from a sight of Gods Holiness Pharaoh crys out he had sinned when he smarted with punishment but was still under the plague of his hard heart Ex. 9.27 34. There is indeed a kind of brokenness that the hammerings of terrour by punishments or by the Word may work which may a little wear and rough-hew the heart and yet go no further but yet leave the heart under its natural hardness but now that which is the Spirits saving work kindly melts
through grace to forsake Sin every Sin in heart and life He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Prov. 28. as before Mark well that famous promise Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Here 's forsaking ways and thoughts Sins of Heart and Life and not a forsaking or leaving of some great Sins but forsaking and warring against a sinful disposition sinful thoughts and not only a meer leaving of sin but a returning to the Lord which he cannot do if held under the love of but one Sin and a turning to God only upon the account of free mercy and then God abundantly pardons A good word suited to a poor soul under the sense of sinning abundantly therefore need of abundance of mercy and pardon Vse 4. Therefore the next Use will be of Examination Have you been under such a trouble as before opened about Sin and the pardon of it Such a trouble that would not be quietted but by clasping about Jesus Christ hath the Lord smitten you with the deep sense of a particular Sin your bosome Sin and thereby been brought to a deep sense of the evil of all Sin Have you been upon your knees your faces in as peculiar a confession as you could hating loathing Sin and your selves in it Oh have you driven Sin to the root the fountain Oh there 's a Hell of it within Say do you know what it is to gave broken hearts under the weight of Sin and the sense of the Patience Grace and Love of God held forth to you in Jesus Christ Do you know what soul-abasement is acknowledging in confusion of face that you are worthy of nothing from the Lord for ever not so much as a glimpse of mercy a good look from him because you have so sinned against him Have you glorified God though he never pardon you and is he holy and blessed though you are banished from him for ever Have you been so reduced to see that there 's not the least attom of good to commend you to the Lord and so lain down as nothing else but a Sinner before him thousands of Sins to damn thee but not a drop of righteousness to cover thee and so creep to the seat of mercy infinite free mercy yea hast thou seen and felt the difficulty of such a self-emptiness that thou wouldst rather part with all thy Sin than thy self-righteousness ☞ A poor soul would take up from Sin upon conviction of the damnableness of it and be more righteous and holy but to be reduced first to nothing nothing else but a poor vile unrighteous weak empty creature and so to Christ here the pride of heart sticks Now soul be narrow and close in the search of this for fail here and fail in all Vse 5. Let it exhort you that have never been under any trouble about your Sin and the pardon of it that you do not ward off and get from under such convincing searching words that may trouble you Many poor sinful Creatures resolve they will never hearken to such a word as shall trouble them and cannot bear such preaching as would trouble their Consciences One word with you Why soul Hast thou been dishonouring God abusing his patience and mercy transgressing his Holy Commands slighting his Grace and yet thou must not be troubled for it Wilt thou have thousands of Sins upon thy Soul unpardoned and tread upon the brink of Hell every step thou goest and not be troubled about it It seems then thou resolvest not to trouble thy self much about that petty business as thou makest it of being damned for ever or saved for ever No nothing about Sin Guilt Pardon Heaven and Hell must trouble thee Alas poor deluded creature what care it there to get to Hell peaceably for never any one got to Heaven so that was never troubled about getting his Sins pardoned Away away with such a cursed peace and let it now trouble thee that thou hast put off this work so long that Sin and thy Soul have been at such a peace so long Be now at a professed war against it and take part with the Lord and his word that it teaching thee how yet to arive at the blessed Haven of Peace not with Sin but with the blessed God against whom thou hast so greatly Sinned Oh look unto him to smite a hard secure heart to strike a Bosome Hellish Lust for whose peace thou hast so long and so foolishly contended yea go in secret and fall down before the great God parcitularly confessing and shaming thy self hating loathing humbling till thou cry out as David here Oh pardon what a great matter 't is for any poor soul to be pardoned Now great mercy for a great Sinner or I am lost for ever Out-sinned pardon thou hast not if thou comest in this posture to God for it But you may further enquire how doth God bring a poor Soul to this pass to such a deep sense of Sin such a fight of himself so as to be thus before the Lord in self loathing and abasement Only now a Word 1. When a Soul is brought to this pass God lets out an appearance of himself in measure upon a poor creature such a glimpse of light and purity that makes the creature fall down and cry out Oh I am vile vile as the dust I tread on 2. God gives out the Spirit in the word which convinceth and searchech the soul shews its condition state sin the damnableness and pollution of it the greatness of it as was shewed The spirit opens the holiness and spirituallity of the Law Rom. 7.9 and shews the Sinner as in a glass what he is The spirit gives a Sight of Jesus Christ pierced with the Sins of such as come unto him Zach. 12.10 These do cause loathing and bitterness upon the Soul of a poor Sinner drawing near to the Lord for pardon Therefore 't is great wisdom to be where God speaks where God appears where God gives out his spirit which is usually in the word preached powerfully and setting thy self in secret to muse and ponder about an eternal condition or when the afflicting Hand of God is upon thee do not say I am not so great a Sinner as to make so much ado about Pardon or Heaven if that be thy temper thou art the most likely to be in the road-way to Hell in peace that will end in woes and sorrows of any Soul in the world Oh wait for Gods appearance and every little Sin will be great a Hell of Sin within thee though outwardly civil and sober wait for the Spirit in the Word and go and pray for it 'T is one thing to know Sin by the Letter of the Law which commands this and forbids that and another thing to know see feel Sin and the infinite
and by the same power doth uphold them to which first Being all the creatures must owe their homage and conformity Now though such a glimmering of light can never suffice to lead a soul to the true worshipping of God as the Apostle there argues yet it leaves the creature without excuse which is that I am proving from it 6. All the Children of men do sin presumptuously wilfully and obstinately against the Law of God mans sin being not so much from his weakness to obey the law though weak he is but from the rebellion of his will against God and his law as it is in the case of disobeying the call of the Gospel also Now whatsoever a man doth presumptuously and wilfully it leaves him without all excuse and this is it that is charged upon the Children of men by the holy Ghost in the word that their sin was obstinate rebellion against the great God From all these the truth of the Assertion doth appear that every Transgressor of the Law is without all excuse before God 7. As the Creature hath no excuse for his sin so it follows he hath no pretence against the righteous judgment of God We are sure the judgment of God is according to truth Rom. 2.2 and Chap. 3.4 That thou may'st be justified in thy savings and clear when thou art judged that is whatever any sinner may dispute to the contrary God is righteous when he judgeth if the Law be just and holy and good once written in his his heart and had a power to have kept it that God hath given out this law again to him the remnants of it in his heart so much to be known of God in the Creatures and that he sins presumptuously and wilfully against God and so blessed a law made for his own good certainly must every sinner conclude the Lord is righteous when he judgeth and every mouth must be stopped Vse 1. If it be so that no sinner in the world hath any justifiable excuse for his sin then let this truth come in into your consciences and strike off all vain pretences and wretched excuses when you have sinned against the Lord which usually are such as these when sinners break forth into this or that rebellious way they cry Oh! 't is my nature my natural disposition and then they think that excuseth or allayeth the matter whereas it aggravates for we our selves corrupted our natures Saith another I have been so accustomed to such a way to drink to excess sometimes to swear to use the Lords name vainly and as a by-word whereas the custom of sinning is the greatest and most grievous aggravation of it Saith another 't is my company that draws me or the example of others or 't is my temptation when they are under the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Or that they do keep the Law as well as they can and think this will excuse Whereas nothing no plea that ever a sinful deceitful heart put up or that the Devil suggests can before God excuse any sinner in the world rich or poor knowing or ignorant from the exact and perfect keeeping of the Law if they are under the Law but upon one transgression of it the law doth most justly condemn and curse them Nothing is more natural to fallen man under sin than when having sinned to devise an excuse and thinks and surmiseth that because such an excuse will be taken by his own blinded Conscience therefore God will also accept of it and so flatters himself in his own eyes till his iniquity be found to be hateful Psal 36.2 Thus Adam as soon as he had sinn'd he thought how to excuse the matter puts it off to the woman and the woman to the Devil which trade sinners have well learnt and have driven it on ever since to their own damnation Observe this if every sinner yet under the law and the power of sin had not some vain pretence and excuse to ensilence conscience and foolishly thinks to insinuate unto God he or she must needs fall down before the Lord see all their pretences and coverts to be damnable flatteries and soul-cheatings and so Judge themselves and pronounce God most righteous if he damn them for ever Oh therefore Sinners Away with all your pretences no more excusing but judging and go to the great God and fall down at his feet crying out Oh I am a Transgressor the Law condemns me no excuse will be taken my mouth is now stopped whatever God do with me he is most holy and righteous If I were going to Hell I must justifie God and cannot say unto him why doest thou thus Thus 't is with a poor soul when the Lord by his word and spirit discovers sin reveals the law lays it in upon the conscience discovers the Holiness and Exactness of his Justice that the law shews no mercy but crys out for fulfilling or pronounceth absolute condemnation then I say a sinner crys out Oh I am cast by the Law I am gone by the Law All my Pleas are found too light All my endeavours to keep it is worth nothing if guilty in the least while I am under the law I must find out a righteousness elsewhere another way or Condemnation just condemnation is my portion for ever Here 's the first stroak of a convinced sinner when God is outing him from himself and all his Coverts or Excuses and brings him naked to put on the righteousness of his Son Jesus Christ freely held out in the Gospel which is the work in hand 2. If no excuse can be heard or taken for the the transgression of the Law for but one breach of it but every mouth is stopped how much less will any excuse be taken for withstanding the Gospel of grace by Jesus Christ Saith our blessed Lord If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin that is not so great sin and comdemnation but now they have no cloak nor excuse for their sin If a righteous law leave all the world without excuse much more a Gospel that offers free grace and pardon and righteousness by Jesus Christ to any sinner condemned by the Law that will come in as so condemn'd and accept of the free gift of Righteousness by him But that I may yet a little further labour to bring in the sense of Guilt upon the soul I shall prove every soul guilty before God of the transgression of the Law and shew what the sense of guilt is which few there are that have in a saving way Observ 3. Every soul in the world is guilty before God of the transgression of the Law And all the world may become guilty before God This hath been proved where we have shew'd that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God This guilt is threefold which is set home upon every sinners heart when convinc'd of sin by the spirit 1. The guilt of Adams sin which stands charg'd
rather do a thing himself than be beholding to another therefore upon Conviction of guilt he sets himself to make up the breach to satisfie God by some attonement or other that his own heart can contrive his sorrowing and repenting he hopes may pacifie God or some new sacrifice of more performances or being better for the time to come Thus the heart works secretly and upon his own account God letting forth some mercy as he thinks where he fails he hopes to make up any breach that sin hath made between God and his soul and thus he is still upon the Old Covenant under the law 3. A Sinner is more apt to keep to the Law than go to Christ from a secret pride of heart he would not be found at a total loss with God to be wholly undone and unable to do any thing towards his own peace and salvation A soul naturally had rather part with all sin and have his nature made perfectly holy than be quite undone in himself and come to have all his righteousness in another in Jesus Christ And here it is that most souls stick in the coming off their own bottoms to be justified in Jesus Christ In a word Man had rather do any thing than come a poor destitute sinner to Jesus Christ for all 4. Because 't is not suitable to the Light of natural reason that a soul should satisfie God or become righteous any other way than by his own endeavour to be righteous in another is of Divine Revelation which till a Soul hath he cannot let go the principle of self-justification The next thing to be considered will be this if all men are under the Law and the curse of it under the guilt of the whole law without all excuse before God under an impossibility of attaining righteousness or acceptance with God by the best keeping of the Law and yet a natural and strong aptitude to rest upon the law and that a soul may reform and take up be strict in obedience and yet still be under the law how then may a soul know whether in the way of his Obedience he be yet under the Law and not under Grace Some Discoveries I shall lay down at present resolving a fuller discussion of this And by the way know and consider that though thou art under the the profession of the Name of Jesus Christ and pretendest Salvation by him yet practically and really thou may'st be still under the Law 1. If thou hast never been convinc'd of this close evil in thy heart of resting on thy praying and repenting and endeavouring to keep the Law as well as thou canst I say if the Spirit of the Lord hath not convinced thee of it and of the great danger of it and so humbled thee and brought thee off it thou art certainly under the Law as yet 2. If thou dost not watch against this evil and dost not find a great difficulty not to rest upon a performance of any duty to God thou dost then certainly rest upon it 3. If thou art well satisfied that thou art kept from outward gross sins and the sin of thy 〈◊〉 is not thy greatest burthen mourning under the weight of it then thou must know that thou art yet under the law 4. If thou thinkest God will accept of the will for the deed if thou dost as well as thou canst in every duty so as to accept thee thereby as if it had been done perfectly this also bespeaks thee under the Law 5. If thou canst not experience how the Lord by the light and working of his word and spirit hath brought thee off thy legal foundation thou wast building upon and shew'd thee that such things as thou didst account gain became but loss unto thee for Jesus Christ Phil. 3.7 6. If thou art not troubled about the Hypocrisie of thy heart and not abased for it even in thy best performances then thou art yet upon the bottom of the Law and restest in it 7. If thou art not mostly troubled about believing and dost not find it the most difficult work of thy soul if no complaint to God of an unbelieving heart then thou art indeed a Hypocrite and under the Law 8. If thou art not humbled to God for the sinful mixtures of thy duties the deadness distraction of them and so seest thy acceptance cannot be in them but in Jesus Christ then thou restest in them 9. If thou dost not give up thy self to the leadings of the Spirit and doest not find that in the main of thy course thou art led by the Spirit then thou art under the Law Gal. 3.18 But if ye are led by the spirit ye are not under the Law 10. If thou art not troubled about thy inward growth in mortification of all sin and more holy Communion with God then thou art also under the Law One under the Law that is somewhat strict and conscientious may grow in the bulk of outward Duties but not in inward Holiness 11. If thy care be not to live in the sense of thy Justification by grace through Jesus Christ and to preserve the light and peace of a justified state which thou hast been called to by grace then thou livest in self-justification 12. If thy great care be not if thou findest it not thy greatest difficulty to be kept a poor empty creature in thy self and live in the fulness of Christ if self-fulness self-exaltation be not the great evils thou watchest against at least in some measure thou art sensible of the roots of them then thou art yet under all I have been proving the law guilt and a curse and all thy duties and doings as I have shew'd abhorred of God Examine thy heart by these particulars over and over and if by these thou canst not make out that thou hast been through rich grace brought off from thy own foundation upon the law and so come with much difficulty to the Gospel-grace and righteousness by Jesus Christ and that if thou hadst been let alone in peace in thy former state thou hadst been certainly damned sure thou art then as yet void of any interest in the Gospel saving righteousness thy pretended faith and hope and duties and works and conscience all 's in vain Now the soul that hath the blessed experience of all these and can say I have through infinite mercy been brought off my own foundation and I have found the difficulty of it I find my heart apt to settle upon my own performances and 't is that I would watch against and I can experience the sin of my Nature the greatest burthen and cry out of it daily before the Lord the Hypocrisie of my heart is an abhorring to me I do find believing the hardest work of my soul I do mourn under the sinful mixture of my duties I do give up my self to the spirits leadings I am troubled about my inward growth and humbled for the shortness of it I would learn more and
and thence concludeth ver 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge the Conscience c. A much more upon that above all the Sacrifices that were offered up to God which will appear 1. Because of the eternal Godhead of Christ's Person by which he offer'd up his blood unto his Father Heb. 9.14 Who through the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot to God Which put an infinite value and efficacy upon the offering of his blood inasmuch as Jesus Christ was God as well as Man though he could only dye in his humane nature yet the efficacy of his Godhead had an influence upon the price of his dying which put an infinite worth upon it and so renders it full and perfect Redemption 2. The price of the blood of Jesus Christ did not only give a bare Satisfaction to the justice of God but it had an infinite Merit in it a redundancy of Merit whereby it deserved at the hands of God that Sinners that are interessed in it should have remission of Sins grace the love of God and glory to come spiritual blessings which the death of Christ purchased for the elect which being also by the free purpose and compact of God there must necessarily arise an infinite Merit in it 3. The All-sufficiency of the price of Christ's blood is evidenced by his Resurrection and Ascension into Glory implying that he wrought forth full and perfect Redemption by his Death therefore he is said to rise again for our Justification Rom. 4. last and to be justified in the spirit 1 Tim. 3. last that is God by raising him from the dead justified him in the attonement he had made by his Death and that he did chearfully accept of satisfaction by it 4. The Blood of Christ procures boldness of access to God therefore there is an infinite worth in the price of it Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Brethren Boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus which boldness doth arise from the full satisfaction that is made to Divine Justice in as much as God upon the Acceptance of it hath nothing to charge upon the Sinner himself no quarrel against him having charged his sins upon Christ and therefore the poor sinner may come with an humble boldness into the Presence of God and this is that which puts boldness into the Conscience of a Believer when he appears before God 5. From the Experience of it the soulest Sinners that have come unto it have been washed from their sins by it as 1 Cor. 6.11 Idolaters Adulterers Sodomites Drunkards Revilers have been washed and justified and sanctified by it The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin 1 John 1.7 6. It cleanseth and perfects them for ever therefore called eternal Redemption once for all and for ever Heb. 10.10 19. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified once justified and for ever Now from this Satisfaction Merit All-sufficiency of the Sacrifice of the blood of Jesus to cleanse a sinner to commend him to God how safely may a sinner venture his Soul upon it which is the first act of Faith A poor sinner when under conviction and the terror of the Lord hath taken hold of him lies trembling before the Lord whether God will let out Justice or Mercy upon him he is ready to give glory to the justice of the Lord if he reject him for ever But now if a poor soul get a sight of the blood of Christ how it deals with the justice of God what full and all-sufficient Satisfaction it hath made to God for the sins of such as plead it to him how God more delights in it than in the condemning of the sinner what a stay is this to the wavering doubtful spirit of a poor sinner when he can come to see justice to have its due and so God can freely let out Remission to a poor Soul upon the very first Act of a poor sinners closing with it though not presently evidenced in his Conscience Oh sinner venture the Issue of all upon this price of the Blood of Jesus thou may'st see thou hast the greatest reason in the world to do so thou wilt never come to have a safe bottom for thy Soul till thou comest thus to deal with the justice of God as fully satisfied by the blood of Jesus Christ thou wilt still be off and on about Free-Mercy till thou come to fix here and be in some good measure established in it Be daily in exercising thy Soul in such ventures and castings upon it and the Spirit will at last witness Peace and Reconciliation to thy Conscience In a word Sinners you that have had no stay to your spirits for the forgiveness of your sins but a blind hope of Mercy look up look up to the justice of God and see this way of access to God for you by the blood of Jesus Oh! let not any prophane sinner trample it under foot cast it back upon the blessed face of God say not in thy heart Let God take the blood of his Son to himself I 'le not be washed from my Sins I 'le not be sanctified I 'le rest as I am Desperate Sinner of how much sorer punishment shalt thou be thought worthy than any Sinner under Heaven who rejectest the only worthy price of a Sinners Salvation Know the great God will let out all his justice upon thee to the utmost and Oceans of his Wrath shall fall upon thee if thou thus abuse the blood of his Son a greater guilt than all thy Ungodliness thou hast hitherto been wallowing in from thy youth up Oh! come thou despiser and cast thy soul under the droppings of this blood and it shall cleanse thee though thy soul were as black as Hell Zach. 13.1 And thou poor formal out-side Professor who never didst feel the vertue healing life and warmth of the blood of Christ upon thy heart Oh rest not in good thoughts of it only but come believingly to it as thou hast been exhorted Say and that with thy heart Now Lord I would know the power and efficacy of this Redemption upon my poor soul Wash me Lord wash me I renounce all but the blood of this Christ as to making way to God for me Oh! let it pacifie my Conscience and purge my Conscience and I shall be clean If the Spirit of the Lord shall work thy heart to come as a guilty helpless unholy sinner in thy self to this blood of Jesus and make thy approaches to God daily and argue for Grace and Remission upon it and purging thy Soul these inestimable blessings will be the issue of it which I will but name to thee 1. Thou shalt certainly find forgiveness of thy sins In whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our sins Ephes 1.7 God will remember them no more against thee and thou shalt have peace with thy God for ever 2. God will let forth
1. From the tenour of the New Covenant in which way God hath obliged himself to give out mercy and in no other Now thus runs the New-Covenant this is the great Article of it Make you a new heart and a new Spirit Ezek. 11.31 Which God promiseth to give to all he takes into a Covenant of mercy and peace with himself I will put a new Spirit within you and a new heart will I give unto you Ezek. 11.19 And to the same purpose Ezek. 36.26 Wherein as we shall shew lies the special part of the New-Creature 2. Because the Old man all that is of the First Adam the whole frame thereof is corrupted and polluted therefore it must be repaired renewed be made new if ever it enter into glory Ephes 4.22 That ye put off concerning the Former Conversation the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the New man that after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness 3. Whosoever shall be saved shall be a New-Creature from the great design of God in giving out his Son Jesus Christ which was that all the Elect should be made conformable to the Image of his Son Rom. 8.29 For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first born among many Brethren Jesus Christ is called the express Image of the Father Heb. 1. And to that Image all Believers shall be conformed Jesus Christ the first-born and all his Brethren to be made conformable unto him God was infinitely pleased with such a Pattern and resolved all that he gave to him and designed for glory should be conformed to his likeness 4. All the services that a sinner offers to God are not accepted till a New Creature till a Soul shall act from a new living holy principle towards God Pray and hear and give Alms God regards it not till a New-Creature So the Word of the Lord often casts back the services of unregenerate men upon their faces as loathsom to the Lord because they proceed from the old corrupt Adam from unchanged Natures Isa 1.15 When you cry I will not hear you Why You are in your uncleanness therefore Wash you make you clean Vse Oh let this make for your Instruction and Conviction that if ever you come to God in glory you must first be New-Creatures If you will have mercy you must have it in the way of the New-Covenant and if so you must be made new While you have nothing but the Old Adam you are corrupt and polluted and abominable If you shall become the Brethren of the first-born Jesus Christ you must bear his Image and have it renewed upon you Oh you that are yet in your old sins and walk after your Old Lusts you are not New Creatures You will not think so thefore sit down with this conviction That as yet you have no part in this blessedness Oh! All of you who are the same that ever you were whether living in gross sins or sober and civil from your youth up you are yet of the Old Adam nothing but corrupt nature upon you Your hope is vain and you are blinded in your sins and the Grace of God is not in you 2. Oh! Let me before I go further put this to tryal and suffer the word of the Lord which shall one day judge you can you say in good earnest Old things are past away and all things are become new in me Now I am a Vessel in the hand of God wrought by his Spirit and there is through infinite grace a new workmanship upon my Soul I shall lay down rules for the particular discovery of this only at present yield up your conscience to the power of the Word do not slink from under it if it find you out in your sin in nature the same that ever you were give glory to God and say the word of the Lord is quick and powerful and go off with this conviction in power upon thy soul I never expect to go to Heaven and glory if I become not through Grace a New Creature But before I go further I would open that every soul that is a New Creature must be in Christ and why So saith the Apostle to these Corinths in this Epistle 13. Chap. 5. Examine your selves prove your own selves know you not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates ye are created into Christ Jesus Ephes 2.10 If a man abide not in me he is cast out as a Branch and is withered John 15.6 Now herein lies the great Mystery of Godliness unto which all our Evidences for Heaven are resolved and therefore this is a weighty enquiry I am to speak of it especially as it relates to the making and forming the New-Creature This being in Christ is expressed by being rooted into Christ Col. 2.7 Planted into him Rom. 6. Built up in him Col. 2. All which bespeaks a real union with him that this is not a meer imaginary thing but as true and real as the union between the root and the branches John 15. and the foundation and the building Ephes 2. which is wrought by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus drawing and uniting true believers unto him the same Spirit dwelling in them Rom. 8.9 10 11. By his Spirit that dwelleth in you Now to consider Why all that are New Creatures according to the Gospel must be so in Christ 1. Such as are Gospel New Creatures must be in Christ because if they be New Creatures they must be Living Creatures Now God hath laid up all life that shall be dispenced forth in his Son Jesus Christ John 5.21 26. The Son quickneth whom he will for as the Father hath life in himself So he hath given to the Son to have Life in himself Because I live ye shall live also John 14.19 Now naturally all sinners are dead in the old Adam and utterly unable to beget life in themselves Who can make alive his own soul but when they were New-born as new Creatures they are said to be quickned in Christ Ephes 2.5 As God breathed life into man at first and so he became a living soul so in the new Creation the soul is said to be created into Christ Ephes 2.10 and to be made Alive in him Rom. 6.11 2. If there were not a real union of the soul with Christ life if it should be given without it would not be preserved in the soul Thou holdest our Soul in life Psal 66.9 As the branch though it was once quickned cannot preserve its life if cut off from the root and therefore a continued supply of life from Jesus Christ to the soul is necessary as to all its spiritual actings as a new Creature 3. By being in Christ the Soul is made partaker of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 by which the regenerate part all gracious
that sleepest Ephes 5. The voice of the Spirit doth awake that Conscience that before was asleep in sinful security 4. A good Conscience is convinced that all the keepings of the Law and keeping a Conscience to men cannot justifie the soul before God cannot commend it to God which a Second Table-Conscience imagines it will and so in peace Paul kept a Conscience as to many things Acts 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God unto this day meaning I conceive from his youth up when he was a Pharisee but when his Conscience was convinced and awakened and came to see Jesus Christ he saw that all his keeping a Conscience as to many sins and Duties could not in the least commend him to God A good Conscience is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 So that this is the efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ upon the Conscience of a Believer it pacifies it in the sense of the forgiveness of sins towards God so as it can draw near to God and it purgeth it from dead works sin and pollution to serve God acceptably This is a good Conscience indeed 6. A good Conscience respects all the Precepts of God as well of Holiness to God as Goodness to Men which the Conscience we have been speaking of doth not Such a one makes not conscience of this great and absolute Precept Be ye holy 1 Pet. 1. It makes not conscience of purging the heart of secret mourning to God of the purity of God's Worship It makes no Conscience of lesser sins as we have shewed not of all sin as Herod heard the Word gladly but made no conscience of persecuting John to death when he stood in the way of his Lusts Now I say a good Conscience respects Precepts of Holiness secret as well as publick Duties inward as well as outward Sins lesser sins as well as greater 7. A Scripture good Conscience is much taken up about godly sincerity So Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Conscience that with simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but with the grace of God we have had our Conversation in the world c. Thus a soul that walks with a good Conscience towards God labours to approve it self in all things with a godly sincerity to do all as unto God Lastly a good Conscience labours to keep it self pure and undefiled it is accompanied with a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5 Now the end of the Commandment is love out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned A Soul that would keep the Conscience good would keep it pure and the whole inward man pure as a Temple unto God Vse Now see how many ingredients go to make up a good Conscience in a Scripttre-sense and what a great mistake is in this weighty matter and how far abundance of people that make conscience of their dealings with men conclude thence they have a Scripture-good-Conscience to God when they are not savingly enlightned their Conscience never search'd by the power of the Word and throughly awakened out of a natural condition never humbled for resting in themselves and their Duties not having their Conscience sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ and purged thereby not having a tender respect to all the Precepts of God not to walk before him in godly sincerity nor with a pure heart You then that are short of these things you are wholly to seek in that which you so much pretend to and speak peace to your selves in the having or keeping a good Conscience you have as yet no part in this matter 2. What hath been spoken of a good Cnnscience may be for instruction and direction to the Called Ones of Christ how to preserve the Conscience good and peaceable and so to live and dye in the peace and comfort of it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Get it sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus Christ every day and under the searching of the Word and awake unto God and pure and undefiled respecting all the Holy Precepts of God as binding to your conscience so will the conscience be tender and peaceable and God will witness in your conences your acceptance with him in his Son Jesus Christ I would give out further some Notes of Tryal Whether you rest in false common grace or not as to what we have already spoken in so weighty a matter 1. By your never suspecting the truth of your grace but taking all upon trust never doubting but you have Faith and do repent and so of all the rest that soul that never suspected his grace may well fear that his pretended grace is no more than what a Hypocrite may reach unto The poor called children of God are exceedingly jealous their Faith is not sound that they are short in every grace because of the woful mixtures that they find more Unbelief than Faith more hardness of heart than softness more Pride than Humiliation and so of all Now that soul that goes away with an unsuspected confidence of every Grace sure flatters himself and his way will be found to be deceitful 2. That Soul that draws back his conscience from the searching power of the Word when it gives out ways of trial of Sincerity and truth of grace and puts it off as if not concerned in it this may well be speak a false heart A gracious heart would bring the Work over and over to the Touch-stone of the Word delivers up it self unto it yea is much with God to search him in point of a firm Work upon his Spirit as to any prevailing Iniquity in his heart as David Psal 139. When he was before the Lord appealing to him and opening his heart to him speaks thus ver 1. Oh Lord thou hast searched me c. thou hast And yet ver 23.24 begs of God yet further to search him Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me into the way everlasting 3. False Grace is discovered by its easie acting When you can easily believe easily repent easily be humble and so of all others Certainly 't is all naught There is great contradiction within and from the Tempter as to act Grace begun in a soul yea a daily supply from Jesus Christ must be to act any Grace livelily which the common pretending easie Believers are not sensible of It cannot be but every act of Grace must find more or less resistance from flesh and blood which is so vigorously opposite to the nature and acting of real grace in the Soul 4. Such as are
never humbled for the spiritual wickednesses of their hearts I call them so in opposition to the more gross and fleshly wickednesses now these are Hypocrisie selfishness spiritual pride vain-glory unbelief many that have had trouble for some gross sins and will withstand some gross corrupttions through common grace never come to be abased for these depths of the heart which are more hardly discerned I may well enough call that soul as yet a Hypocrite that is never humbled for the Hypocrisie of his heart for selfishness and the rest 5. Common-grace measures the soul chiefly by Negatives what it is not rather than what really it is as the Pharisee Luke 18. I am not as other men are pleaseth himself rather in what he is not than what he is I am not thus and thus as abundance of debaucht persons are but whether he be called of God emptied of his own righteousness sanctified in Christ Jesus a New Creature in him he puts off the Examination 6. Common grace doth at best respect a mans self in all it does and not the glory of God which it sees not let others be as wicked as they will it is not much to such a soul let every one look to himself such a soul doth not avoid sin as sin but only for fear it should damn him whereas the proper nature of Grace is to respect God his Holiness Name and Glory Thus have I laid down some plain Discoveries of the pretended New-Creature that which I have stiled a Legal New-Creature I shall now proceed a little further to make discovery of a more seeming Gospel New-Creature yet but seeming That which hath the nearest resemblance of the New-Creature is when from some common enlightnings of the Gospel of Grace and some overly tastings of the good Word the affections being something stirred therewith there is some affection expressed to the Gospel and some outward Reformation upon it and a Profession above the common formal rate taken up joyned also with common gifts of Praying or Prophesying knowledge c. Now all this may make so great a blaze and flourish that it shall be hardly discerned by such a Professor himself or others that are spiritual that all this may be 't is clear from several Scriptures Heb. 6.4 5. where mention is made of enlightning tasting gifts of the Holy Ghost and yet such to fall away and never to renew themselves again and to be nigh unto cursing verse 8. and verse 9. Beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany Salvation c. Implying that these things may be but do not always accompany Salvation So the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 2.20 speaks of such who had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ and yet again entangled therein and overcome and their latter end worse than the beginning They shall escape many gross pollutions and that through a kind of knowledge of Jesus Christ and yet be again overcome and return wholly to them So Matth. 12.45 Our Lord Jesus speaks of the house swept and garnished the unclean spirit cast out for a time some outward reformation a damp upon the lusts of the heart and knowledge and common gifts and yet the unclean spirit returning again Examples might be produced of such Professors in the Gospel as that of Judas an eminent Professor a forward follower of Christ suffered some persecution and gifted and yet proves a Reprobate Simon Magus baptized by Philip renounced his Sorceries took upon him a forward Profession of Christ accompanied Philip and yet his heart not right in the sight of God Acts 8.13 21. It may be more than feared this age to the high scandal of Sinners and Saints hath produced many such that have been much taken with the glorious grace of the Gospel their Consciences something awakened for Heaven the affections stirr'd have attained to flourishing gifts and yet returned to their first nothing turn'd blasphemers and professed Atheists And no doubt there is such a Majesty Excellency Sweetness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that may for a time much affect a carnal heart and may be recieved with joy Matth. 13.20 The very History of Jesus Christ dying for sinners may much affect that he will freely save Sinners the glory he hath provided for his own these and the like things may much take the affections for a time make a soul ashamed of gross pollutions and yet no New-Creature all this while And of such as these it is that Christ doth prophesie of Mat. 25. who shall have Lamps Light and Profession go along with the wise Virgins wise and truly gracious Professors not be discovered many of them till the Lords appearing and yet kept out of the Kingdom of Heaven Now of all others these have the most resemblance of a real New-Creature and yet fall short and perish for ever I should prevent my self should I at large discover wherein such Professors are short only a word or two 1. Such Souls are never emptied of themselves and humbled and so come poor and nothing to Jesus Christ though happily they may be able to speak of it as many Souls have a form of Gospel-Knowledge and can say We are nothing and yet never had the saving experience of it upon their own hearts 2. Such Souls have no true brokenness of heart for sin they much slight it yea say many 't is Legal brokenness for sin is a low dispensation as they will stile it without which in some measure no saving repentance which is as necessary to Salvation as believing on Jesus Christ and Free-Grace 3. Though such souls may reform many things yet there is some unsubdued lust in the heart that at last breaks out and carries an end the heart as with Simon Magus and Demas 4. Under all such enlightnings and tastings which may for a time affect the heart the heart still remains unchanged and so no New-Creature 5. They are not rooted into Jesus Christ which we have shewed is the root of the New-creature not rooted and built up in him Col. 2.7 Therefore 't is said of the Hearers with joy for a time that they had no root Mat. 13. What hath been spoken as to this may put the more forward Professors upon a close and diligent search and to see if their Attainments in enlightning tasting knowledge gifts reformation be no more than what a Reprobate may attain to and to lay their hearts under the searching Power of the Word and to open their hearts to God and cry unto him and keep a godly jealousie over their spirits And rest not till you get poor and emptied and humble your selves your hearts broken for sin every lust subdued and crucified the heart changed and your Souls rooted into Jesus Christ by a saving union with him yea to give up your hearts to what we shall further say through grace as to the plain opening the real Gospel-New-Creature The Gospel New-Creature positively
will not hide his Ear from the breathings of his poor Children Only let crying panting Souls take heed that this breath be not stopt nor intermitted 't is a most dangerous thing to intermit the breath of Prayer that it grows weaker and fainter it will be a sign unto you and a sad one too that the New-Creature is rather decaying than encreasing in you Be not contented with no more praying than will just as we say hold Life and Soul togerher that is to live at a very low rate but just to live if that As breathing takes in the Air revives enlargeth the Natural Spirits renders the whole man lively and lightsom and vigorous so doth this constant Spiritual breathing with God and after God it enlargeth the Heart revives the Soul keeps freshness and vigour of Spirit in the way of God when God comes in with a full gale upon the soul how sweetly is it refreshed how doth faintness weariness indisposition go off and the Spirit of a poor Creature is chearful with God and blessedly delights it self in him Oh delight to be every where in every way where God breaths upon the hearts of his people and where they breath after him And let new living Souls take heed by the way how their hearts do pant after the Earth and World and the contentments of it This will as much damp Spiritual Life and breath in the Soul as any evil whatsoever Lay your hearts to the fulness and sweetness of the Lord Jesus Christ and breath strongly for them and those things will be but wind and vanity 1. But I must proceed I come now to speak of the next discovery of the New-Creature and that is it hath new senses That you may see how fully it answers the frame of man as a Living Creature and what a New-Creation this is As the New-Creature hath a New-Nature a new inward life and hath a new breathing so it hath new Spiritual Senses So the Apostle Heb. 5.14 speaks of the Exercise of Spiritual Senses And as the Natural Life is exercised and preserved by Senses so is also this new Spiritual Life of the New Creature which I shall mention particularly First There is a New Ear given to this New-Creature This Jesus Christ hath frequently promised that he would open the deaf Ear So Job 36.10 He openeth also their Ear to Discipline and commandeth that they return from iniquity The hearing Ear and the seeing Eye the Lord hath made even both of them Prov. 20.12 By this opening the Ear is meant the opening of the Heart as 't is said of Lydia Act. 16. Whose heart the Lord opened The heart is shut up naturally and naturally cannot hear the voice of the Spirit till the Lord himself open it A natural man hears no more than the voice of a man and the Letter of the Word but when this New-Creature is formed he is ennabled to hear the voice of Jesus Christ himself the voice of the Spirit Joh. 10.27 My sheep hear my voiee A Soul can then say This the Lord speaks to me in special This is the voice of Christ that calls me to come to him and that Soul comes Jesus Christ speaks with a convincing particular powerful Word and the Heart being opened to receive it obeys it as his voice And so in every Ordinance 't is the voice of the Spirit of Christ the New-Creature waits for He that hath an ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 3. last Secondly The New-Creature hath a new seeing eye The eyes of the Understanding opened to see into the blessed and hidden mysteries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ saith the Apostle of the Natural man Eye hath not seen 1 Cor. 2.9 And seeing they see not Matth. 13. But Christ speaking of called Disciples saith Blessed are your eyes for they see c. They have a new sight of God in Jesus Christ which sight doth abase them and also draw them to Jesus Christ The Vail being in part taken away they can look into the things of God which they saw not before the Scriptures begin to be unveiled and they see beyond the Letter of them into the Life and Spirituality of them And thus the Lord Jesus promised of old especially as to New-Testament-days I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not I will lead them in paths that they have not known I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight c. Isa 42.16 Thirdly There is a new power of tasting given to the Soul as another Spiritual Sense which before the Soul had to no purpose A new and blessed tasting of the good Word of Life Thy word is sweeter than the Honey-Comb Psal 19. How sweet are thy words unto my mouth Psal 119.103 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious 1 Pet. 2.2 there is a new tast of the bitterness of sin The heart knows its own bitterness saith the Wise-man A Tasting of the special free and precious love of Christ A tasting of the goodness of God in mercies And thus there is a savoury spirit given to the New-Creature whereby he doth delightfully savour the things of Jesus Christ and can speak savourly of them to others Fourthly Add to this a new smelling to which the Spouse of Christ often alludes in Solomon's Songs Because of the savour of thy good Ointments Chap. 1.3 speaking of Jesus Christ who is a new and precious Perfume to the Soul Who is this that cometh out of the Wilderness perfumed with Myrrh and Frankincense Chap. 3.6 so saith the word of the promise Chap. 4.6 His smell shall be as Lebanon And when Jesus Christ breaths in his Ordinances upon blessed Souls it is as sweet and delightsom Perfume to them Fifthly There is a new feeling wrought as an effect of this new life which the Soul hath in Christ when a new Creature is in him The natural man is without feeling as a dead man is let never so great a weight lie on a dead man and he feels not but now take a Soul created into Christ and he feels a new weight within him Heb. 12.1 Sin is not only a burden as to the weight of Guilt but every corruption even when the sense of guilt is removed by Jesus Christ is a Weight to the Soul under which the Soul crys out mourns groans to be delivered Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Sin hangs like a dead body about him Vse If the Gospel-New-Creature is a living new-Creature and doth exercise Spiritual Life and hath new spiritual senses Let this then be a word of Tryal to discover the state of your Souls Can you say I that was dead am alive I was once spiritually dead without feeling did neither see nor hear nor tast in a spiritual way but now the Lord in rich grace hath opened my deaf ear and my blind
eyes now I have heard the Lord himself speak to my soul now I have seen the Lord and my heart is taken with him Now I savour the Word of Grace and the Ministration of the Gospel is a sweet savour in Christ to me the Name of Jesus Christ is as good Ointment to me Now I feel a body of sin and groan under it and press after the destroying and crucifying of it Souls If this be not your Experience you are dead your are without the Life of God and Christ in you Oh! Go to God Sinner as you have been exhorted and cry to him to open your ear to hear and your eye to see Be convinced that as yet your Ear hath been stopt as to hearing the Lord himself speak to you Oh say Wo is me that I am where the Lord useth to speak under the Ministration of his Gospel and yet he never spake to my Soul Doth the Lord love me and never speak to me Pity Lord Pity a poor deaf blind stupid unsavoury Wretch and breath life into me and then wait for the Lords Voice in his Word Now let the Spirit himself speak unto me and unveil my heart that I may see into the Mysteries of Jesus Christ and may savour them upon my poor Soul 2. Let living Souls in Christ exercise their Spiritual Senses keep the Ear open to and waiting for the Spirits Voice be prying into the Mystery of God in Christ and all Gospel-Truth get a clearer sight of Jesus Christ till you shall be infinitely taken with him and love him for himself And keep the heart savoury and the precious scent of Gospel-grace upon your Spirits and labour so to feel the weight of the body of sin how it poiseth polluteth cloudeth the Soul that you may come to that frame to cry out to be delivered from it And let it be abundant matter of Praise to the Riches of Grace that God hath given life and senses to your Souls which he might have left under the death of sin to all Eternity 5. The next Discovery of our Gospel-New-Creature is this namely He hath a new heart So Ezek Chap. 18.31 Make you a new heart and a new spirit which the Lord hath in Free-grace promised in the New-Covenant Chap. 36.26 A new heart will I give you Which I shall precisely consider and shew particularly wherein the heart is made new 1. The heart naturally in its old corrupt frame is a Rebellious heart Jer. 5.23 This people have a rebellious heart The usual complaint of the Prophets Now when the Lord makes the heart new he begins to take away the Rebellion of heart as it naturally opposeth the Word Power and Spirit of God and the heart is made obedient and pliable to the Power of the Word the Spirit 's Teachings Isa 1.19 If ye be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the Land but if you refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured c. My people shall be willing in the day of my power Psal 110. The heart of it self is stubborn obstinate unwilling to stoop to the power of Truth to yield to Jesus Christ but when it is made new it becomes of a yieldable frame to the practical Obedience of Gospel-Truths 2. The heart as an effect of the former is naturally hard and impenitent Rom. 2.5 cannot mourn for sin But when 't is made new God makes it soft Ezek. 36.27 I will take away the stoney heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh which is a soft and tender heart whereby a Soul can pour out its complaints to God Yea the heart will pour out it self like water to the Lord Lam. 2.19 The heart receives impressions of truth as by its softness 't is more and more wrought to a new frame as in the hand of the Lord. 3. The Heart is naturally proud and makes the sinner self-conceited and well opinioned of his own condition and will not suffer the sinner to abase himself to God and to take shame to himself But when a new work of God is upon it the sinner humbles himself under the mighty hand of God bears his reproach before him and crys out Oh! What shall I do for an humble heart Lord take away subdue pride in a wretched Creature James 4.10 Now he becomes a poor self-emptied Creature undone helpless and to a full Christ he at last goes 4. The Heart is naturally Hypocritical The Hypocrite in heart heaps up wrath Job 36.13 Now when God makes the Heart new then it begins to be sincere in some good measure for God before the poor deceived sinner thought he did all with a good heart that he did bear much upon that he did all with a good heart but when God shews him his heart by the Candle of his Word and Spirit then the poor Creature sees what a Hell of Hypocrisie was and is within him that he acted in all his Duties as from himself so to himself and not uprightly unto God But when the Lord new frames the heart then the Soul is after new sincere holy aims for God in all it does is most abased for selfish and hypocritical mixtures and would account nothing well done but as God is designed in it and labours to walk in simplicity of heart and godly sincerity as of God and in the sight of God c. 2 Cor. 1.12 5. The old heart is full of all uncleanness and impurity and cares not to be cleansed So saith Christ to the Jews Matth. 23.27 Within you are full of dead mens bones rottenness and of all uncleanness But now when the New-Creature is forming up then the heart is after purifying Purifie your hearts ye double minded James 4.8 Then what a blessedness would a pure heart be saith a poor creature Oh! that my heart were cleansed Wash thine heart saith God Jer. 4.14 Oh! that it were washed saith the New-Creature And this is one of the most special works a New-Creature will be after as he is more formed up in Holiness to keep the heart pure as a Temple for God 6. The Heart naturally is dead as already hinted and feels not its own deadness but when renewed then the heart doth live that seeks God Psalm 22.26 It feels and mourns over its own deadness and crys out Quicken Oh quicken me Oh God! No Duty is well performed then but as the Heart lives in some measure in that Duty Now it feels its own burdens pollutions lusts corruptions carnality earthiness and bewails it before the Lord. 7. The Heart is naturally divided between Christ and the World Christ and Lusts Hosea 10.2 Their heart is divided But under its renewings the heart as to the main bent of it makes a whole close with Christ the great business of a Soul then is to give the whole heart up to Christ and fears he can never do it fully and singly enough and when the heart lusteth after other things so far as
it is renewed it is fetcht in again to Jesus Christ 8. The heart of it self is unbelieving Take heed lest there be in you an heart of unbelief Hebr. 3. Now when the heart is made New there is a Work of Faith with power 2 Thess 1.11 And then the soul is made sensible of that bitter root of Unbelief that is naturally in their hearts and they find it the hardest work in the world to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to fix on Promises and that a believing heart is a special gift of God and a work of the Spirit which while a poor sinner was shut up under Unbelief he felt not Vse 1. To unchanged persons who are the same in heart as ever they were Oh learn by what hath been opened what is the natural make and frame of them There is in you a Rebellious heart against the Lord and wilful obstidacy against his Word and Spirit and therefore 't is that you cast the Word of the Lord from you and in your hearts despise it and say This is not the Word of the Lord and we will not obey it You have hard and impenitent hearts and therefore you do not mourn for sin you have proud hearts and are well-conceited of your condition though damnable and therefore you do not humble your selves to God you have Hypocritical Hearts and see it not full of Hell of Uncleanness dead in sin and without feeling a heart divided between Christ and the World unbelieving and yet say you have Faith If thou canst not make out a Newness upon thy heart as we have shewed thou hast still thine old heart with its lusts and thy estate is as yet damnable let thy Knowledge Profession Outward-blamelessness be what it will 2. Oh therefore let this Word be yet for further Tryal of your Estate Can you say to the praise of free and rich Grace that God hath in some measure taken away your Rebellious Heart from you and you can stoop and yield to the power of Truth and rejoyce in it that God hath made your heart soft in some measure and the Pride of your hearts in the false conceit you had of your selves hath a stroak from God upon it that God hath shewed you your deep and cursed Hypocrisie and how your heart was divided and was wholly unbelieving and that the Remnants of these wickednesses in you of heart rebellion hardness pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief are your greatest burden and you mourn over them daily If this be not your Experience let that man or woman know he or she is a Hypocrite and Unbeliever and sees it not c. 3. Therefore let it convince you and exhort you to go and fall down before the Lord and beg him to open your hearts which naturally are shut up in Darkness and to abase you in the sense of your Rebellion and that he would even do this for you in much Mercy to take away a rebellious hard proud heart from you and would make your hearts pliable to the Word and make them soft and humble before him and to close with the whole heart with Jesus Christ through a work of Faith upon you Do this in the fear of the Lord and through his Grace coming upon you and see what God will do for you and you will be your own wonders that ever such abominations should lye hid in your hearts and yet you not be confounded in your selves in the sense of them 4. Let Souls that are through infinite grace under some heart-renewings know that they have never done with this Work till they come to Glory Yea Soul thou hast depths of rebellion pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief which yet thou hast not reach'd to and therefore as thou must ascribe all to Grace for what the Lord hath done upon thee and remember to thy greater humbling how much adoe the Lord had with thee to bring thy heart under so much as it is so to consider that the Candle of the Lord must more and more search thy dark and deep heart and 't is to be thy daily work or else all these evils will again much prevail upon thee Love therefore a searching Word from the Servants of Christ that are over you 6. The next Discovery of the Gospel New-Creature is this namely The Gospel New-Creature hath New Affections Briefly to instance in some of the chief 1. The New-Creature hath new fear The fear of an eternal Condition that first usually seizeth upon a convinced sinner the fear of a just and angry God against sin and at last upon its renewing a holy awful fear of God as great and holy and good a fear of sinning against him and that because he is gracious Naturally this affection of fear in a carnal heart is conversant about the loss of outward things about shame in the World and the like and so far as it respects God his Soul 't is a slavish fear of breaking out of some grosser sins only lest God should damn him but not fearing the Lord with a gracious Son-like fear a fear that purifies the Heart a fear that is mixt with a blessed love of God and delight in his ways 2. The Heart is exercised with new Sorrow A godly sorrowing for sin such sins which were once the delight of the Heart such a sorrowing that works an Indignation against the Darling sins a taking of a kind of Revenge of our selves for it a vehement desire after pleasing of God and Holiness 2 Cor. 7.11 There is a sorrowing over a crucified Christ and a sorrowing after him and well is a poor soul when it can go in secret and have this affection most exercised with sighs and groans and tears and sad complaints against it self 3. There is a new joy by degrees instilled in the Soul of which though there are various measures to the Children of God yet every New-Creature can go thus far though not in that vigour of Spirit he would do that when the Spirit is free from great distempers it can say he hath some joy that he is deliver'd from the dominion and thraldom of lusts that 't is its joy to go before God I will go unto God my exceeding joy Psal 43.4 Even when under some disquietness of Spirit as verse 2. Why dost thou cast me off Yea will a poor soul say God and Communion with him could I see his face would be my greatest joy And the carnal joy of the heart when it breaks forth leaves the soul but more in heaviness and the New-Creature would have his joy run spiritual 4. Upon this the New-Creature hath New delights The Word of God becomes his delight seeking the face of God and the People of God Delight thy self in God Psal 37. And his chief delight is in the Saints Psal 16.3 The heart cannot as it could formerly delight it self in folly and in vanity and in vain carnal ways and people but is rather burthened with
which defile a man Which defilements unfits the soul for communion with God they make a filthy puddle in the Soul and what a case is a poor Creature in to come to God in Duty in such a pickle 5. Evil Thoughts do pervert the Heart from God which should be fixed upon him they draw away the strength of the heart from God they suck up the juice and marrow of the heart which should be spent in spiritual things in Jesus Christ 6. Such Thoughts do grieve the Spirit Nothing more the Spirit cannot delight to teach and comfort when the heart is mostly acted by foolish and unholy Thoughts 7. When such Thoughts are acted in the Soul God may leave you to the power of them to break out to some grievous fall and so may ship-wrack your peace and comforts for a great while and go with broken bones and it may cost you much bitterness before you are healed 8. If vain carnal Thoughts are not resisted at first but given way to they are hardly check't and subdued and turned upon other Objects and therefore to watch the first Risings of them Now not one of these Considerations but may make a Child of God to tremble how he lets forth his heart into vain carnal idle defiling thoughts and musings which do so much wast a gracious Spirit and lay him open to such woful dangers as these are To help a Child of God in this spiritual Work of looking to and a holy ordering the Thoughts of his Heart 1. Be deeply humbled to God with abhorring and loathing for Atheistical unclean proud vain foolish worldly thoughts that croud in upon you when you make them your Burden you will be the sooner eased 2. Delight thy self much in the Word of God not only in Publick Hearing but Daily Reading and not only Reading but getting some good word upon thy heart that may season thy thoughts and affections Saith David I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love Psal 119.113 The love of the Word of God made him be so far from cherishing vain Thoughts that he did hate them It doth appear this was a special part of David's exercise of Spirit to get some blessed Word upon his heart and he thinking of it and so it did turn into the sweet and wholesom nourishment of the New-creature Oh how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Blessed and holy practice worthy a gracious Saint indeed you have one word especially that David had much on his heart out of the Books of Moses for we know not whether any other Scripture were then exant 't is that of Exod. 34.6 where the Lord saith he will proclaim his Name and Glory The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth which you have in Psalm 103.8 Psal 86.15 and 145.8 Happily one of those sweet words which he often magnifies How hath a single word dwelt upon the heart of a Child of God and hath kept the heart savoury for Christ 3. The next Remedy against such Thoughts is Much Prayer diligence fervency pouring out the heart to God till the heart melts and runs forth sweetly spiritually and is engaged with God and hath a sight of him and a divine impression of God's Majesty left upon the soul 4. Get more and more brokenness of heart for sin when the Heart hath been broken 't will not so easily get into Vanity again At least a Child of God should take care that it should not when the heart is broken and mourning the Spirit doth wonderfully in that work refine the heart All the sleightness vanity defilement distraction that comes upon the New-Creature is mostly for want of this 5. Mortification of that Corruption that is most apt to stir doth much cure our thoughts Inordinate Affections are the Saints greatest Evils and do bespeak an unmortified heart as to what a Child of God should still be pressing after even to be dead and crucified with Christ Those that are Christs have crucified their Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.22 6. Contending for a Spiritual Heart So far as the Heart is spiritual it acts spiritually 'T is the carnality of Heart that works up all those frothy distempers that defile us Paul's corruption was much let out upon him when he cries out of the carnality of his Heart Rom. 7. which should be the daily complaint of God's poor Children 7. A great help to the preserving the Thoughts of the Heart according to the New-Creature will be to consider How precious the thoughts of God are to his people Psal 139.17 How precious also are thy thoughts O God unto me How great is the sum of them If I should count them they are more in number than the sands c. David in v. 2. was considering how God's Eye was upon his Thoughts and 't was a means to rectifie them and then David's Thoughts run forth in the sweet and blessed apprehension of the preciousness of Gods thoughts in him from all Eternity and in the ways of his Covenant towards him If Gods thoughts to us be holy and precious and ever towards us the thoughts of his Servants should be so also and as little common and unsavoury as may be More particularly let us yet consider what blessed and excellent and glorious things such as are New-Creatures in Christ have to exercise their thoughts about 1. Gracious Souls have the Attributes of God to exercise the thoughts of their Hearts in the Infiniteness of God his Greatness Holiness Glory c. A blessed Exercise for Saints indeed So we find the Scripture-Saints sweetly taken up with contemplation and admiration of the Excellencies of God himself Thou art glorious in Holiness Exod. 15.11 saith Moses But Thou art holy saith David Psal 22. Oh how great is thy Goodness Psalm 8.31 as might be abundantly shewed and the exercise of the thoughts this way hath a powerful influence upon the Heart as to its abasement purity sincerity 2. Saints have the riches and freeness of the grace of God in Jesus Christ towards poor sinners to be taken up withal Oh the free rich distinguishing Grace of God to a poor Creature that was posting to Hell that was a Rebellious Wretch a vile Hypocrite the worst of sinners the most unlikely to be converted of any sinner in the world We have David and Paul's hearts swallowed up in this above any other as David in many Psalms is in the admiration of grace and Paul in most of his Epistles makes it his great scope as the great Argument to be not only believing but humble and holy and heavenly all their days especially Col. 1. and Ephes 1st 2d and 3d. Chapters 3. Saints have the unsearchable Riches of Jesus Christ to take up their thoughts with the Excellencies and Dignities of his Person the Beauty and Glory that is in him the depths of his love the matchless price of his blood his bowels to sinners his care of his Churches Oh
That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the Old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed c. Knowing this that our Old Man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed Rom. 6.6 This is the main Work of the New-Creature where it is really formed in Christ to destroy and purge out the Defilements and Dregs of the Old Man of Sin Self Corruption that it may be as a new Lump as a Vessel made meet for the Lord's use as formed up set apart anointed sanctified for God and his use here and for ever AMEN To the Blessed God Alone be all the Glory FINIS Childrens Bread OR The First Principles of the Knowledge of GOD. To Season the Heads and Hearts of Young Ones betimes By way of QUESTION and ANSWER Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Prov. 22.6 And that from a Child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 By A. P. late Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed in the Year 1695. Childrens Bread or the first Principles of the Knowledge of GOD c. Quest WHo made you a living Soul Answ God who made all things made me a living Soul Gen. 2.7 Psal 139.14 Q. Who is God A. God is a Spirit the great and holy and good God Joh. 4.24 Jer. 32.18 Q. Is there but one God A. There is but one true and living God in three Persons the Father Son and Spirit 1 Thes 1.9 1 Ep. Joh. 5.7 Q. How is God known A. God is known by his works and by his holy Word Psal 102.24 Prov. 2.1 2 3 4 5. Q. Why did God give you such a Soul A. God gave me a Soul to know him and glorifie him Col. 3.10 Rev. 15.4 Q. What will become of your Soul when you dye A. My Soul must go to God in Heaven or else be damned in Hell Fire for ever Mat. 25. last Joh. 5.29 Q. How came your Soul to be in danger of Hell-fire A. Because I have sinned against God I deserved eternal Damnation Psa 9.17 Rom. 2.9 Q. How came you to sin against God A. The first Man Adam sinned and brake the Covenant of God and I in him Rom. 5.18 19. Gen. 2.17 Q. What is the sin of your Nature A. My Nature is corrupted with sin and hath the seed of all sin Psal 14.1 Psal 51.5 Q. What is sin A. Sin is the breaking of God's Commandments Deut. 11.27 28. 1 Ep. Joh. 3.4 Q. How many are the Commandments of the Law A. The Law of God contains ten Commandments written in Exod. 20. Deut. 5. Q. What is the first Commandment A. Thou shalt have none other Gods but me Exod. 20.3 Q. What doth the first Commandment require A. To have one God for my God and to love him above all things Deut. 6.4 5. Mat. 22.37 Q. What is the second Commandment A. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. Exod. 20.4 5. Q. What is required in this Commandment A. To Worship God according to his own Word and not after mens Inventions Mat. 15.10 Isa 29.13 Q. What is the third Commandment A. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain Exod. 20.7 Q. What doth the third Commandment require A. To think and speak of God with reverence and fear and not to take his Name in vain Deut. 28.58 Prov. 1.7 Q. What is the fourth Commandment A. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day c. Exod. 20.8 Q. What doth this Commandment teach you A. To keep the Lords day holy and not to spend it in vain sports and idle words Isa 58.13 Rev. 1.10 Q. What is the fifth Commandment A. Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Exod. 20.12 Q. What doth this Commandment of God teach you A. To give Honour to all to whom it is due and to obey my Parents in the Lord Tit. 3.1 Eph. 6.1 2. Q. What is the sixth Commandment A. Thou shalt do no Murther Exod. 20.13 Q. What is required in the sixth Commandment A. To do good to every one and not to have angry thoughts or angry words Mat. 5.21 22. Prov. 19.11 Q. What is the seventh Commandment A. Thou shalt not commit Adultery Exod. 20.14 Q. What is the meaning of this Commandment A. To keep my self from all Uncleanness and to be Chast in my thoughts and words Mat. 5.27 28. Eph. 4.19 Q. What is the eighth Commandment A. Thou shalt not Steal Exod. 20.15 Q. What doth this Commandment forbid A. It forbids me to take any thing that is anothers or to spend what is mine own vainly Eph. 4.28 1 Cor. 6.10 Q. What is the ninth Commandment A. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbours Exod. 20.16 Q. What is the duty of the ninth Commandment A. It requires the speaking truth to others and forbids lying Zach. 8.16 Ephes 4.25 Q. What is the tenth Commandment A. Thou shalt not Covet c. Exod. 20.17 Q. What is required in the tenth Commandment A. To be content with those things that I have and not to have a covetous heart Luk. 12.32 Heb. 13.5 Q. Have you kept these Commandments of God A. No I have sinned by evil thoughts and words and deeds and come short of fulfilling the Law of God Mat. 15.19 Rom. 3.23 Q. What is due to you for sin A. Sin hath brought the curse of God upon my Soul and made me a Child of Wrath by Nature Gal. 3.10 Ephes 2.3 Q. How may you escape the wrath and anger of God A. God in his rich mercy hath revealed Salvation from sin by Jesus Christ Joh. 2.4 1 Tim. 1.15 Q. Who is Jesus Christ A. Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Father and he took our Nature upon him and became God and Man in one Person Heb. 2.16 1 Tim. 3.16 Q. Why was Jesus Christ made Man A. Jesus Christ was made Man that he might dye for our sins and was raised from the dead Rom. 5.8 1 Cor. 15.3 Q. Why did Jesus Chrst dye for us A. Jesus Christ dyed to redeem us from the Curse of the Law and to work out Righteousness for us Gal. 3.13 1 Cor. 1.30 Q. Where is Jesus Christ A. Jesus Christ is sate down at the right hand of God in Heaven Heb. 1.3 Heb. 8.3 Q. What does Jesus Christ do for us in Heaven A. 1. Jesus Christ is our High Priest in Heaven to plead the shedding of his blood for us and to pray for us 1 Ep. Joh. 2.1 2. Heb. 7.25 2. Jesus Christ is our Prophet to teach us by his Word and Spirit Mat. 17.5 Acts 3.22 3. Jesus Christ is a King to Reign over us Acts 3.35 Rev. 15.3 Q. How may you come to be partakers of this Salvation A. I may become partaker of Salvation by coming to Jesus Christ as a poor
lost sinner to be washed from my sins in his blood and to be justified by him Rev. 1.5 Acts 13.38 39. Q. How doth God justifie a sinner A. God in his free Grace forgives a poor sinner for Christs sake and imputes Christs Righteousness to a Believer Rom. 3.24 25. Rom. 4.6 Q. How may you come to believe on Jesus Christ A. God works faith in dead sinners by his Spirit in hearing of the Gospel Preached Rom. 10.17 1 Thess 2.13 Q. In what manner doth God work faith in the Soul A. 1. By convincing me of sin and revealing Christ in the promise Luk. 7.37 Joh. 6.37 2. I must pray unto God to work faith in me and to reveal Christ to my poor soul 2 Thes 1.11 Ephes 1.17 18. Q. How may you come to pray A. I must beg of God to give me his holy Spirit to help me to Pray Luk. 11.13 Rom. 8.26 Q. How may you know the Spirit helpeth you in Prayer A. When I confess my sins and humble my self to the Mercy and Grace of God by Jesus Christ and beg all Mercy and Grace for Christs sake 1 Ep. Joh. 1.9 Joh. 14.13 Q. How must you be found a Praying Child of God A. 1. I must Pray to my Heavenly Father every Morning and Evening in secret Mat. 6.6 Psal 45.17 2. I must also read some part of the Word of God and pray that God will teach me by it Prov. 6.21 22. 2 Tim. 3.15 Q. What is the work of the Spirit of God A. I must be born again of the Spirit or never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Joh. 3.3 1 Pet. 1.13 Q. What is the fruit of being born again A. 1. I must be in Christ and a new Creature in him 2 Cor. 5.17 Ephes 2.10 2. I must press after all holiness in Christ Jesus in heart and life 1 Thes 5.14 1 Pet. 1.15 Q. What is required of souls that thirst after more of Christ A. It is the duty of such as would have more of Christ to join themselves to a particular Church of Christ Acts 2. last 2 Cor. 8.5 Q. What is a Church of Christ A. A Church of Christ is a Congregation of Saints by profession gathered by the Gospel and joyned together to enjoy all Ordinances and to Edifie one another in forbearance and love 1 Cor. 1.2 1 Thes 5.11 Q. What is the Covenant of Grace A. The Covenant of Grace is Gods taking us to be his peculiar people and our giving up our selves to him that he may be our God for ever by Jesus Christ Gen. 17.7 Isa 56.6 Q. What be the Ordinances of the Covenant A. Baptism and the Lords Supper Q. What is Baptism A. In Baptism by the washing with Water we are delivered up to the Name and Profession of Jesus Christ Mat. 28. last Gal. 3.27 Q. What is the Lords Supper A. The Lords Supper is the shewing forth of the Death of Jesus Christ and our Communion with his Body and Blood by Faith in which forgiveness of sins is sealed to Believers 1 Cor. 11.36 1 Cor. 10.16 Q. When are you fit to pattake of the Lords Supper A. When I can give up my self to Christ and my heart is drawn after him though I am weak in Faith Rom. 14.1 Rev. 22.17 Q. What priviledg is there more in being of a Church of Christ A. When I am in a Church I am in a special manner in the Prayers of Saints and to partake of all help and comfort from them Isa 5.15 16. Rom. 15.1 2. Q. What is the further comfort of new-born Souls A. 1. If I am new born of the Spirit I am a Child of God and Heir of Heaven John 1.12 13. Rom. 8.16 17. 2. I shall be kept by the power of God unto Salvation 1 Pet. 5. 1 Thes 5.23 Q. What further great priviledge have you if you be a Child of God A. If I become a Child of God God will love me for ever and is my Father and will hear my poor Prayers to him 2 Cor. 13 14. 1 Joh. 5 15. Q. What is the further duty of a Child of God A. 1. I am to grow in Grace and the Knowledge of Jesus Christ under the Word and Ordinances Mat. 25.30 2 Pet. 3.18 2. I ought to love all Saints as Saints though they differ from me in Judgment 1 Ep. Joh. 3.14 Col. 3.12 Q. What is the great Work God will do in the World A. To encrease the Kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ and to subdue the Nations unto him Isa 9.7 Revel 11.15 Q. Shall there be a Resurrection of the Bodies of all from the dead A. When Christ comes to Judgment all shall be raised from the dead and shall stand before his Judgment-Seat Heb. 6.2 2 Cor. 5.10 Q. What shall the reward of all be at the last Judgment A. They who be in Christ and have done good shall have Everlasting Life but such as have done evil Everlasting Damnation Mat. 24. last Joh. 5.29 FINIS
evil of it the exceeding Sinfulness and Pollution of it by the conviction of the Spirit so as to see it most in the fountain in thy nature and there loath and bewail it because it makes thee unclean and unholy and unlike God and unfit for God or holy communion with him Which is the way and most certain evidence of the Spirits saving conviction of Sin as distinguishing from that which a hypocrite may have and carries a soul to the fountain opened Zach. 13.1 that its iniquity may be throughly cleansed Vse 6. If Sinners that come to God for mercy and pardon see their Sin as great then it will follow that great Sinners may be pardoned and saved You that are great Sinners old Sinners Oh hearken to this you that are yet within the reach of Grace and Mercy and Pardon if you will come to Jesus Christ for it the greatness of your Sin is no bar to you but if you fail of pardon 't is because you will not come to Christ for it and accept it upon Gospel-terms you will not have pardon with a new heart and new life or you make a slight matter of pardon or you think 't will come of course or you are afraid to enter into a serious review and debate with your selves because your Sins are so great they will terrifie you or take you off your pleasure and peace of your minds and joy in the world Away away with any of these pleas though thou hast sinned much greatly long with all thy might come to Jesus Christ and those great Sins are no more before his blood to wash them away than the least Sin if any be little that ever was committed and pardoned Isa 1.18 Do not hence say securely Oh 't is well that great Sinners may be pardoned I ever thought so what need so much ado Do not thus harden thy self and make such a cursed use of so Blessed a Truth but therefore come in lay down thy weapons with which thou hast been fighting against God wilt thou hold up rebellion and yet cry pardon Is it equitable thou shouldst expect it No fall down at the feet of that God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned in the posture hath been shewed thee and then though sin hath abounded yet grace doth much more abound Rom. 5. last Great Sinners have become great Saints 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you Who were they Idolaters Adulterers Revilers Sodomites c. and such like You that have been such like God may have as much Glory in your pardon as he hath had dishonour by your Sin Only be not such a Devil to thy self as to turn thy back upon it and when thou hast thus long rebelled to tell God he must stay thy leisure for thy acceptance of his pardon thy Sins are too sweet to leave as yet I tell thee Soul and I have shew'd it that Gods pardons cost him dear and are precious and if thou deal thus they may be lockt up in Heaven from thy wretched Soul to all Eternity Who but a desperate wretch but would take mercy and grace from Heaven that may make him blessed for ever when God offers it by his dear Son let thy Sins be never so great why wretched Man or Woman Hast thou not done God wrong enough already but must thou stay yet longer in thy cursed Sin and wrong him yet more Hast not done enough already to damn a thousand Souls but wouldst do more and make as sure of Hell as thou canst I beseech thee Sinner great Sinner young or old do not put me off nay do not put the Lord off with a pardon in his hand a promise of Grace ready to be sealed by the Holy Ghost if thou wilt now from thy Soul readily say why then be it so Lord Jesus I come to thee if the terms be leaving all this deceitful Sin and to be made like unto thee be it so I accept of it tear my lusts from my heart I have served them long enough too long Oh now if there be any mercy in Heaven let me have it save me not in but from my Sins Oh Lord for they are great great indeed I will saith the Lord and he speaks it in Ezek. 36.29 I will save you from all your uncleannesses 't is as much as if the Lord should have now spoken it from Heaven Mark every tittle in such a promise Now thou cryest Oh will will the Lord save I will saith the Lord Oh but will he save me from such uncleannesses yea from uncleannesses what from All yea from All thy uncleannesses fall down and Adore and cry out Oh grace free rich infinite glorious grace admire Angels Saints Sinners Behold one of Gods wonders A great sinner saved Vse 7. And so seventhly it may serve to exhort blessed souls brought into a state of peace and pardon still to keep an eye upon the greatness of mercy If mercy were not great how could any Sin be forgiven Thus this blessed man David is breathing forth Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven Oh bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities Oh how great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell So should pardoned called redeemed souls see themselves call'd and taken out of Hell it self Out of a Hell of abominations pollutions wrath under which they were fast held by the power of darkness Say did ever such a soul get to Heaven shall I not be the wonder of Heaven and Hell how I got to Heaven and escaped that wrath into which thousands that were better than I are now plunged there 's no other reason but because mercy is great greater than the greatnesses of Sin with which I shall conclude the second Point namely When Sinners come on to find pardon they see their Sins great Obs 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the plea that a poor convinced sinner hath with God is that he will pardon for his own Names sake For thy Names sake Oh Lord pardon c. That is not for any worth that is in a poor creature not for my sake but for thy own glories sake thy mercy sake grace and mercy will be hereby glorified God gets himself a Name by the pardoning of a poor Sinner that Name which he proclaims to Moses Exod. 34.6 The Lord merciful and gracious c. Now God hath given forth the ground of this plea in the New Covenant where his Name is thus made most glorious And when he had given forth a brief and blessed draught of the tenor of the New Covenant Ezek. 36.21 The Lord gives out this as the great reason often mentioned why he would take such a way of making another Covenant wherein he wills all undertakes all does all works all as resolved it should be a Covenant and a way of grace that surely should hold He gives out this I say as the ground of all I had
an infinite unchangeable love upon thee Rom. 5.5 which love he bore thee from Eternity but will now manifest it to thee and estate thee in it for ever 3. Thou shalt have boldness of access to God Rom. 5.2 even into his intimate presence to speak with God face to face and ask of God what thou wilt according to his will Heb. 10. 4. All the Promises of Mercy Grace and all blessings here and for ever shall be thine made over sealed in the blood of Christ 5. Thou shalt rejoyce in the hope of the Glory of God Rom. 5.2 with all Saints and see thy self an heir of Heaven 6. Thou shalt be still a washing and purifying and fating for Heaven till thou shalt be taken up unto God and live in the Ocean of his Love to all Eternity Now if ease in thy sin and the world can do better for thee than this that I have named then keep in but if not as most certain it cannot Arise and come to this blessed Redemption and get thy part and portion in it and thou shalt say Blessed be thy counsel and advice for evermore But now upon this Redemption of Jesus Christ how is a sinner said to be justified that is to be put into an actual Possession of the Redemption of Jesus Christ through the Free-Grace of God 1. When the compact was made between God the Father and Jesus Christ as to the Salvation of those that the Father gave to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ undertook the fulfilling of the Condition of the Covenant God did purpose in himself to justifie them from Eternity and look'd upon them as in Christ 2 Tim. 1.9 Ephes 1.4 So they were justified as to the purpose of God from all Eternity 2. When Jesus Christ performed the Condition of Obedience in his dying and paid unto God what he required at his hands for the sinners redemption then did God as in the Court of Heaven discharge the sinner though not in the Court of Conscience and when Christ arose and came to Heaven the Father gave him in an absolution of them all from the guilt of sin and obligation to death and so at the death of Christ all the Elect were meritoriously justified inasmuch as the price was paid and accepted of the Father Rom. 5.10 3. When according to the purpose of God through the purchase of Jesus Christ a Sinner is called by grace hath Faith given him as purchased also for him to embrace Jesus Christ in the Promise to receive him as offer'd in the Gospel and with him all spiritual blessings then is the Soul put into the actual possession of what God in his purpose and love determined to give him and Jesus Christ by the purchase of his blood gave him a right to before and so there is an Act of God's pardoning Mercy passeth upon the sinnner he hath an actual discharge given in unto his Conscience hath the Obedience of Jesus Christ imputed to him and so is look'd upon by God not as a Sinner under guilt but as righteous in the Righteousness of Christ which bespeaks him justified that is made just and righteous before God by the imputation and making over Christs Righteousness to him as if righteous in his own person Upon which Act of God there is a full Remission of sin as in the Text and the believer is put into another State a State of justification unto life through Jesus Christ Rom. 8.1 who before was in a State of Death and Condemnation Before I speak of that Faith which through Grace puts a Soul in his pardoned and justified State I will briefly apply this to the capacity of the weak 1. It may inform and instruct you in this great Mystery that any sinner that is saved must be thus justified made righteous by the Obedience of Jesus Christ he must come to see the justice of God made up a price paid unto God and this to be actually made over to him As we shall presently shew most of sinners 't is to be feared do not consider this that speak of mercy and pretend they hope in mercy but are never convinc'd of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and what it is to pass from a state of guilt to a state of righteousness by Jesus Christ from a state of condemnation to a state of justification without which there can be no Salvation Oh be convinced sinners of this great matter of the necessity of the righteousness of Christ his obedience in fulfilling the Law to be made over to you to be brought into a justified state or you can never have pardon of sin and be accepted with God you can never stand before God but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Say If I do not get the righteousness of Christ made mine If I do not get thus justified I must never expect pardon of my sin and acceptance of my poor soul at the great day of the Lord. This is the Work of the Spirit to be savingly convinced of this John 16.8 Oh look up to the Father for the Spirit thus to convince you not only of sin and the damnableness and sinfulness thereof but of your infinite need to get not only some general hope of Mercy and Pardon but the righteousness of the Son of God to bring you into a state of Pardon Reconciliation Peace with God 2. It may further clear unto you that your justification before God is not within you but without you wrought forth by Jesus Christ for such as are or shall be called by grace and imputed to them not inherent or wrought in them 'T is not grace in you that doth or can justifie you though renewing grace shall be wrought in all that are so pardoned and justified Therefore though thou must be changed in thy self pray and be holy and obey God in all things yet thou canst not be hereby justified but still thy justifying righteousness is in Christ and not in thy self as the only procuring meritorious cause of Pardon and Peace with God Jeremiah 33.16 Isaiah 54. last 3. The great question therefore that should come upon thy heart is Whether thou art in a state of condemnation or justification If not justified thou art still as I have shewed under the condemnation of the whole Law Nothing thou hast yet done or shalt ever be able to do will stand between Wrath and Hell and thy poor soul till thou comest to be justified in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ Oh sinners ponder of this great thing that is now laid before you Can you say from a Testimony within you Oh! I was thus and thus once under the reign power guilt condemnation of sin but now now blessed be rich and free grace I am washed justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ See that Word 1 Cor. 6.10 11. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God Or at least that I may speak to poor weak willing trembling souls Is this it that your souls are restless after Oh that I were that I were in such a blessed state Oh that I could but believingly say the righteousness of Jesus Christ were mine and that now I am I am justified Oh what peace and sweetness and joy would fill my heart Why Soul If this be indeed the breathing of thy Soul Jesus Christ is thine and thou art justified and pardoned and God will at last give in unto thee if thou continue to follow him the sense and comfort of it in thy poor Soul Only by the way take a Discovery or two of the reality of thy Heart in this matter 1. If thou Soul from a Spiritual Conviction be under a real making out after justification by Jesus Christ then thou wouldst also be as really sanctified be made holy 'T was as much in the purpose of God to call thee out of a state of sin and to sanctifie thee as to pardon and justifie thee 1 Ep. John 5.6 2. If thou art brought into a justified state thy soul making out after it thou art made alive in the Spirit Rom. 8.1 Thou art in Jesus Christ and wouldst walk no more after the flesh and the lusts thereof but after the Spirit Gal. 5.18 If ye are led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law namely to condemn you but are free from the curse of it And verse 23. Against such there is no Law that is such as would walk after the Spirit be led by the Spirit and shew forth the fruit of the Spirit And this is that which the Apostle intimateth 1 Ep. John 5.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the Witness in himself namely of the Spirit So that every justified person hath the Spirit of Christ according to the measure of the grace of God dwelling in him is quickened in the Spirit being once dead prays in the Spirit mortifies sin through the Spirit is taught by the Spirit and so in all other saving and sanctifying vertues of it If it be not thus with thee thou as yet hast no part in this blessedness but art under condemnation unto death And therefore sinner come before God in the sence of thy condemned estate and give up thy self to Jesus Christ to be washed justified sanctified and then blessed for ever 3. Let called and sanctified Believers labour to live in the sense of a pardoned justified state that God is not off and on with them in the matter of justification though it may be sometimes darkned and clouded as to the evidence of it Oh! do you labour to preserve the sense and sweet and blessed peace of it in your souls and give glory to the riches of grace for now there is No No condemnation to you you are passed from Death to Life and the Blessed God imputes no sin unto you Let this be the highest and strongest Argument to Holiness and love to the glory that possibly may be and if indeed you walk in the comfort of it it will be so unto you Only let me give caution here to young Converts whose hearts at the first discovery of the free and glorious grace of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ are wonderfully taken and affected with it but after a time are apt to wanton with it unless the first humiliation be the deeper and to wax sleight in Duties and so their Lusts recover strength again and return upon them and either they fall or are near unto it to the fresh wounding of their Souls This hath been the condition of many therefore be well caution'd in it and walk with fear in the midst of your joyous apprehensions of the sweetness of grace and the endearing love of the Lord Jesus to you Having briefly shewed what the nature of justification is what it is to be in a justified state before God I now come to open more particularly how a Soul comes to be partaker of this justification through the Redemption of Jesus Christ namely Through Eaith in his blood ver 25. of this 3d. of Rom. Observ As God through Free-grace hath set forth Jesus Christ to work forth Redemption for sinners so there must be a special believing on and applying the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins by every one that is saved Therefore justification is attributed to Faith Rom. 5.1 Therefore being justified by Faith we have peace with God by our Lord Jesus Christ So Gal. 2.16 and 3.11 In all which places Faith is put in opposition to the works of the Law And so the righteousness of Christ is called the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 9.30 and 10.6 in opposition to the righteousness by Works Not as if Faith were the matter of our justification that it did as an Act or Work in the Soul justifie before God but that God doth thus make over the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ to a Soul by enabling the Soul to come unto to take hold of to apply to it self to appropriate the merit of the blood of Jesus Christ for its own Redemption and Salvation which may afford us a plain Description of justifying Faith precisely considered Namely Faith is a Work of the Holy Ghost in the Soul enabling it to appropriate or apply to it self the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ for the Remission of sin and its justification unto eternal Life So it is called the work of Faith with power 2 Thes 1.11 and 't is expressed by receiving of Jesus Christ Joh. 1. and believing on his Name coming unto him resting upon him So that plainly Faith is a going out to believing in trusting on another namely the Lord Jesus Christ For what it can never be able to find or bring about in or by it self which may lead us to the more particular way of the Holy Ghost's working this power in the Soul in the saved ones of God 1. In the working of Faith in the Soul it is first brought to see an impossibility of coming to God as in its self or by its self concluded under an utter unability to pacifie God or make up a righteousness in it self to get access to God The soul is emptied from vessel to vessel till all the things that it counted gain before become loss for Jesus Christ this is the first work of the Spirit it empties a poor sinful Creature of all its refuges all its dependencies all its sufficiencies and so becomes naked in its guilt before God and therefore is brought to this that its acceptance to God if ever it be accepted must be out of its self what ever become of him he must perish as in himself 2. In the work of Faith the Soul is brought to see that this was the end of the Revelation of Jesus Christ of God's setting him forth to be a propitiation that he might work forth Redemption and Righteousness