Use. Not to set a period to our growth in Grace Triall of our estate by desire to grow Simile Doctr. Every blessing a Grace Use. To look on every bâ—…nefit as a Grace Thankfulnesse Application 〈◊〉 the Sacrament Observ. A good man must take all occasions to do good Saint Paul's Circuit Observ. A commendable custome for Christians to bring one another on their way Religion teacheth not incivility Observ. Men prone to suspition Suspition what Whence it is 1. From guilt 2. Envy Quest. Answ. How to arm against suspition 1. By Innocency 2. Patience 3. Prayer 4. Apology Quest. Answ. Suspition when evill 1. 2. 3. Doctr. Publick men to avoid the imputation of lightnesse Reason To preserve Authority Obstinacy like Constancy Grounds of lightnesse and inconstancy 1. Temper of body 2. From the disposition of the mind 1. Inconsideration 2. Passion Inconstancy mistaken Simile 5. Want of dependance on God Christians modest for the future Remedies against lightnesse 1. Deliberation 2. Suppresse passion Inconveniency of passion Dependance on God Flesh what Why so called Wicked men called the world Use. Take heed by whom we are led Observ. A Christian to avoid the imputation of carnal policy Reason It is Gods and our enemy Use. To suppresse it Observ. To purpose according to the flesh a ground of lightnesse A wicked man no sound friend Nor a good Christian. How to know we consult with the flesh We consult not according to the flesh 1. In denial of parts 2. Of opportunities 3. When we are humble in our consultations Quest. Answ. How to avoid fleshly wisdom God judgeth us not by passion but by our tenour of life Worldly men make all serve the flâ—…sh Application to the Sacrament Observ. Carnal men inconstant Not over-much to trust carnal men Observ. Carnal men vehement Simile Ground of yea and nay Falshood and dissembling Equivocation 1. If it be allowed there can be no lie 2. It hinders suffering 3. Equivocation a lie A lie what Quest. Answ. S. Paul sustained three persons Holy men are but men Not knowing things to come no sin Difference in the things delivered by Apostles as Apostles and as men Our journey to heaven certain Men prone to censure mens callings for particular actions Saint Paul's care to fence his doctrine from suspition An Oath what Kinds of oathes Conditions of an oath An oath not good unlesse necessary Qualifications of an oath What meant by the prohibition not to swear at all Observ. A matter of consequence to believe Gods Word is certain Reason We cannot else resist temptations to sin Or to despair Ground of going on in sin Use. To be thankful for means of strengthening faith in this Doctr. God is true and faithful God true out of necessity of his nature Object Answ. Promises absolute or conditional That God is and is true the prime truth Evidences of faith in us ground of it out of us The relations of God to us comfortable from his truth Use 1. Gods threatenings true Use 2. Comfort Use 3. Gods Word Judge of all Controversies Properties of a Judge No other Judge alway yea Use 4. What agrees not with Gods Word is false Popery crosseth the Word of God Popery contradicts it self Popery full of uncertainties Quest. How to know the Word to be true Answ. 1. 2. Quest. Answ. To yield obedience to Gods Word Four Points Doctr. 1. Chrise the main object of preaching Prerogatives of Christs Generation Preaching an instrument to work faith Use. To desire most to hear of Christ. How to think of Christ. Doctr. 2. All good by Christ conveyed by the Ministery Doctr. 3. Consent of Ministers a help to faith Doctr. 4. Evangelical truth is most certain Quest. How to know the doctrine of the Gospel true Answ. Office of the Church concerning Gods Word Simile Object Answ. How God speaks in the Church Quest. How to know our faith is the true ancient faith Answ. August One Faith One Catholike Church Rock what Object Answ. Papists and we have the same affirmatives Popish negatives novelties Quest. Answ. Additions in Popery dangerous Quest. Answ. Safer to be a Protestant then a Papist Quest. Answ. Whether a Papist may be saved Papists give what sense they will of Scriptures No dispensing with Gods Lâ—… Use. To get certainty of faith answerable to the certain truth Three senses of Amen God since the Fall hath made a Covenant of Grace Observ. God deals with man by Promises Reason 1. Else man dares look for nothing from God Reason 2. To exercise faith and hope Reason 3. To arm us against discouragements Quest. Answ. Promise what Three degrees of love No promise no faith nor hope Observ. 2. All Promises in Christ. Christ first beloved 1. As God 2. As Man 3. As Mediatour 4. As our Head and Husband Our nature odious to God since thn fall Gods love first in Christ and then in us in regard of execution All in Christ first Use. Ground of boldnesse to God Observ. 3. All the promises yea in Christ. Christ the first promise All types fulfilled in Christ. 1 Personal types 3. Real types 2. All promises and prophecies All good things by Christ yea Benefit to former ages by Christ. Simile Inlargment of Grace by Christs coming Christ the word how Use. A comfortable way to study Christ in promises and acplishment All other promises Amen for Christ. Pròmises yet unfulfilled Use. Direction of judgment that every man cannot be saved by his own Religion Use. To magnifie God for promises Use Direct in to go to God in Christ. Severall kinds of promises 1. Universal to all mankind 2. Concerning the Church Manner of promising 1. Absolute 2. Conditionally propounded but absolutely performed Conditional of outward things Use. To get into Christ. Object Answ. The good things wicked men enjoy are not blessings How to know blessings are snares How to know we have them in love Attend on the meanes to get into Christ. Rest in Christ. Use. The stability of the estate of a Christian. Comfort in dangers * 1625. Quest. Answ. Till a man be in Christ he hath no good by the promises Quest. Answ. Hope of wicked men while they live Object Answ. Object Answ. How the promise is made to the poor in spirit Quest. What right a man out of Christ hath to claim the premises Answ. Wilful rebellion keeps men from Christ. Comfort from the promises to them that are in Christ. Of forgivenesse In want of Grace In imperfections Object Against falling away In Troubles of this world For issue of our labours In weak performances Promise to posteritys Comfort to Parents Comfort to Children Wicked Pare cruel to poste rity How to make use of the Promises To suit the promises to our wants Look to Christ in whom they are made Look to God in Christ. God our Father God our Husband Christ our Head Christ our brother The Spirit ours What to do when we remember not particular Promises Rules touching the Promises 1. Not to
himself for they run from the Church essentiall to to the Church representative they run to Councels and when we force them with Councels that they may erre then the Pope he is the Church virtually so I say the Church their mother is nothing but the Pope their father and what manner of men they have been Histories tell us well enough We see on what ground they build Jesus Christ that is the Gospel by him is not yea and nay but yea that is it is certainly and infallibly and eternally true Hereupon we may answer that curious question that hath been and now is every where How we may know that our Church was before Luther's time or no as they idly say How we may know that the faith that we professe is the ancient faith I answer hence take these grounds First there is but one faith men have varied but faith hath not varied as S. Austin saith well for there is but one faith as there is one God one heaven and one happinesse There was one faith from Adam The times vary but not the faith of the times the same fundamental truth hath been in all times Sometimes it hath been more explicated and unfolded as we have the Canon inlarged now in the time of the New Testament in many books There is not a new faith but a larger explication of the old faith Divine truth is alway the same It was one faith from the beginning of the world from the first promise to Adam in Paradise till now Abraham believed as we do now so they were all saved by faith Heb. 11. Even as there is one Catholike Church consisting of all the members the triumphant being the greater part from the beginning of the world to the end of the world so there is one faith take that for a ground Indeed the Church varies as a man varies when he is a child and when he is a man he hath one manner of cloathes when he is a child and another when he is a man so the Church varies in cloathes it was cloathed with Ceremonies then which were cast off in Christ but this is but a variation of garments the Church had one faith Hereupon comes a second there is one Catholike Church that is built on that one faith one essential Church one Catholike company rhat believe in Christ from the beginning of the world to the end of the world which we believe in the Apostles Creed Well then this being so as it is undeniable that it is so what Church is built upon that one faith that was yea in the Apostles and was yea before then as the Apostle saith here Our Preaching was yea certain and true you may build on it what Church builds on that that Church all the while hath been for there is but one faith and one truth that runs along in all ages which is the seed of the Church therefore there must be a Church in all ages that is a branch of the Catholike Church why The Church must be built upon that one faith therefore all particular Churches before us that were branches of the general Church were built upon that preaching of the Apostle which he saith was yea There is but one faith and therefore all Churches that are true are built upon that one faith If we can prove that the Apostolicall doctrine agrees with our times that ours hath consanguinity with the Apostles doctrine then our Church was before we were ever since the Apostles it hath been alway yea for there is but one truth The Church is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and Christ saith Matth. 16. when Peter said to Christ Thou art the Son of God c. saith he Thou art Peter and upon this Rock that is upon this confession of thine will I build my Church So the confession of faith is the Rock of the Church Now there is alway one Rock of the Church that is alway yea if our Church be built upon that Rock then it is founded upon Apostolicall doctrine upon the Prophets and Apostles it was before we were and if there were any Church then it was ours which professeth that one faith If we conjure the Papists they are silent they dare say nothing Dare they say their doctrine is nearer Apostolical then ours they dare not say but ours is nearer why then our Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles why so All the Churches since have been built upon one foundation because there is one faith and one Church unity of faith makes the unity of the Church The seed of the Church is the Gospel is Divine truth now if Divine truth hath been alway there hath been a Church alway and if there hath been a Church alway there hath been Divine truth that hath been yea alway Now it is an Article of our faith in all times to believe a Catholike Church therefore there is a certain truth that is alwayes yea to be the seed and foundation of that Catholike Church Therefore we must search out what that yea was what was the Apostolical doctrine the positive doctrine in those Apostolical times in the Virgin-times of the Church before the Church was corrupted The Church was not long a Virgin as the Father said What was the yea of those truths some there must be alway that held Apostolical truths in all ages Our Church holds that positive truth that the Apostles held for directly in so many words we defend the Apostolical faith out of the Apostles Therefore we say our Church was before Luther because our doctrine is Apostolical and the Church continually hath been Apostolical because it was built upon the Apostles doctrine Our Church hath no doctrine in the positive fundamental points of it contrary therefore our Church hath continued Put case we cannot name the men as idly and ridiculously they urge what is that to the purpose shall we go from ignorance of particular men to ignorance of the Church we must believe that there is a Catholike Church and there must alway be a positive doctrine and truth the seed of that Church The Papists cavil with us and say we professe a negative Religion Ye cut off our opinions say they but what have you of your own what affirmatives have ye It is most certain that all our affirmatives have been ever since the Apostles time for we and the Papists differ not in affirmatives onely they adde patcheries of their own Religion stands most in affirmatives that is the ground first For we believe negatives because they agree not to affirmatives we believe a lie to be a lie because it is contrary to positive truth and the truth is before a lie the affirmation is before the negation a thing is before the contrary is not This laying for a ground affirmatives being truths our positive truths that we hold have been held in the Apostles times before and since even in
not believe the Articles of the Creed do we not believe the first four generall Councels we do who then will not say that these are sufficient being understood and believed to make a man that he be no heretick I may answer hence another question whether a Papist may be saved or no It is a curious question you will say but it is so ordinary that somewhat I must say I answer no doubt but many of them are saved How comes that to passe They reverse their false grounds and stick to those positive truthes that they and we hold together they reject their owne workes and help of Saints and go to Christ onely for as I said Poperie is full of contradictions Now a Papist when he comes to have his conscience awakened heleaves the Pope Indulgencies their 5. Sacraments Justification by works and then imbracheth only Christ and then he comâ—… our part They live by their Religion and die by ours So the question is whether living or dying Luther saith If they live and die peremptorily in all the points professed in the Tridentine Counsell they cannot But no doubt many of them the Lord hath mercy on to open their eyes to see the vanity of their works and of all their fooleries which those that are wise and have their consciences enlightened turn off then and so may be saved but it must be with reversing the grounds of their religion and sticking to ours which is agreeable to the Word Nay to speak a little more of it I say we do more safely believe we are more safe and on better grounds led into some lesse errours then they do believe maine truths It may seeme strange but it is most true For if so be a sound Protestant maintain an errour it is because he thinks it is in the Scripture that it is in the Word if it be discovered out of the Word of God to be an errour he leaves it as St. Cyprian and other Fathers blessed Saints in heaven they held some errours but if they saw the Scripture held otherwise they had prepared minds to believe otherwise therefore holding the maine fundamentall truths though they held particular errours they were saved The Papists maintaine fundamentall truths with us they believe the Word of God they believe in Christ and to be saved by mercy but upon what grounds They believe the truth upon heretical divellish grounds As upon what grounds do they believe the Articles of the faith to be so and the Scriptures to be so because the Church saith so Who is the Church but the Pope And what man is the Pope oft-times A man if we believe their own Writers led with a divellish spirit some of them have been Magicians If they believe the truth they do it not as divine truth they believe the truth for matter but the grounds of believing those truths are humane nay worse many times divellish for you know in the Revelation the beast is inspired with the spirit of the Dragon with the spirit of the Divell and teacheth the doctrine of Divels Now to teach that which is materially true upon reasons that are diabolicall or humane at the best it is but humane as the testimony of the Church is what an unsafe thing is this Nay I say it is the most horrible witchery the most horrible abomination one of them that ever was since the beginning of the World this principle that their Church cannot erre that is the reason of the believing of all divine truths Hereupon they come to practise most abominable treacheries hereupon they defend lies hereupon they kill Princes and dissolve the bonds of allegiance that Subjects owe to Princes And all humane and Divine things all the light of nature and Scripture all becomes a nullitie Why because the Church cannot erre And this they have from their holy Father the Pope he is above all Councells and all and cannot erre We know if principles be false all other things are false an errour in principles is a dangerous errour An errour in the ground is the worst thing in the VVorld As to maintaine treason to be lawfull it is worse then to be a Traitor for his judgement is convinced alreadie but he that maintaines a false principle he is a dangerous man indeed So to have this abominable principle that the Church that the Pope cannot erre Hence come all those dangerous practices in this Common-VVealth ever since the beginning of Queen Elisabeths time Who would have thought but that God gave up bitter proud poisonfull spirits vain spirits that rejected the Word of God that men of parts and understanding should ever be so sotted to believe such a thing that a wretched ignorant man should get into the Chaire and he should judge infallibly of the truths that he never knew in his life being of another profession as some are Canonists and not Divines But I leave that point To touch one thing more that borders a little upon this that Divine truth is of an inflexible nature whatsoever men think of it and that crosseth another rule of theirs that they will give what sense they will of Scriptures and the Current of the present Church must judge of all former Councels Now doth truth vary according to mens judgements according to the pcesent Church Must we bring the rule to the crooked timber or the timber and the things to be measured to the rule Shall the judgment of any man be the rule of truth shall it be the rule in one time and not in another shall present men interpret it thus and say it is so now and others that succeed say whatsoever it was now thus it must be believed Hereupon likewise if it be the constant nature of truth alway to be believed hereupon it comes to crosse another thing their dispensation no man can dispense with Gods Law truth is truth indispensible Laws divine and naturall are indispensible because they are alike in all things Reason is reason in Turkie as well as here the light of nature is the light of nature in any countrey as well as here Principles of nature varie not as languages do they are inbred things If the Principles of nature be invariable and indispensible much more divine principles saith the Heathen filthinesse is filthinesse whether thou think it to be so or no. Opinion is not the rule of things but the nature of the thing it self Therefore whatsoever is against nature none can dispense with God cannot deny himself What was naught in one age is naught in another and is for ever naught Whatsoever is divine or natural is indispensible No Monarch in the world can dispense with the law of nature or the Divine Law the Word of God for the opinion of any man in the world is not the rule of his course but the undoubted light of God whether the light of nature or the light of Divine truth I speak this the rather to crosse base
Parasites that when God calls them to stand for true causes what do they make their rule Not Gods constant yea but they bend and bow to opinion as if the opinion of any man in the World were the rule of their faith and obedience This is to make men and no men Is not the written Word of God the VVord of God Is not the law the law politike lawes I speak not of shall a man yield to mens opinion especially if the VVord do not warrant it shall he yield to any man living that is inconstant by his disposition There is truth which is certain that a man must maintain to the Death He is not onely a Martyr that maintaines Religion John Baptist was a Martyr that stood out in a matter that was not against heresie but for the standing out against Herod he did not yield as many thousands would have done in such a case Thou must not have thy Brother Philips wife it is unlawful Men ought to suffer for the truths of nature and not deny truth whatsoever because it is a Divine sparkle from God If it be any truth whatsoever it must be stood in because it is constant and it is the best thing in the world next to Divine and saving truth If this be so that the Gospel and Divine truth be yea and that the Church at all times hath been built on that and that whosoever is saved is saved by that yea Let us labour to have a faith answerable to our truth We say and distinguish well there is a certainty of the thing and a certainty of the mind apprehending the thing It is certain the Sun is bigger then the earth but you shall never perswade a simple Countrey-man that it is so There is a certainty of the object but not of the subject he will never believe it because it is against sense But now there must be both in a Christian. The Apostles doctrine the truth he doth believe the truth in the Scripture is yea that is it is certain and true and not yea and nay it is not flexible it is not as the Heathen Oracles were that is doubtful and wavering Let our assent be answerable to the truth let us build soundly on a sound foundation As a Ship that is to rest in the middest of the waves there is a double certainty necessary that the Anchor-hold be good in it self and that it be fastned upon somewhat that is firm if it be a weak anchor or if it be fastned upon gound that will not hold the Ship is tossed about with waves and so split upon some rock or other So our soules require a double certainty we must have an Anchor of faith as well as an object of faith we must have an Anchor of hope as well as an object For the object we may cast Anchor there it is Divine truth which will hold there is no doubt of that it is yea but then our Anchor must be firm our faith and affiance Let us labour to build soundly and strongly upon it It should be our endeavour continually to stablish our faith to stablish our hope that we may know on what terms we live and on what terms to dye Do but consider the difference between an understanding strong Christian and another A Christian that is judicious and understanding ask him in what estate he is why comfortable what is the ground of his faith why thus I live in no known sin I confesse my sins to God my doctrine is yea and I labour to bring my life to my doctrine Ask another What do you mean to live so loosely and carelesly why will you stand thus will you be content to die so perhaps he doth not know sound doctrine or if he do it is confusedly he doth not build on that rock on that foundation O let us labour to build stronger and stronger on the truth Our building strongly makes us eternal Gods truth is eternal truth because it makes us eternal Is it not a strange thing that man that is chaffe and vanity and smoak whose life passeth as a tale that is told that yet notwithstanding if he build on this yea which is certain and infallible the doctrine of the Gospel it will make him a rock a living stone it will make him eternal All flesh is grasse but the Word of God endures for ever What a comfort is this our life being a vapour and vanity and growing to nothing that the time will shortly come when we shall be no more no more in this world then to have Divine truth that will make us eternal Psal. 90. Moses a good man he saw men drop away faith he Thou art our eternal habitation from Generation to Generation What is the meaning of that That is We dwell in thee here in our Pilgrimage to Canaan we drop away but Thou art our habitation from Generation to Generation So when a Christian considers his life is uncertain all things are vanity that support this life yet notwithstanding I have a yea to build on the Divine truth The Word of the Lord endures for ever and it will make me endure for ever It is a Rock it self it makes me a Rock it will make me a living stone built on that foundation that all the gates of hell shall not prevail against my faith and hope What a comfort is this We have nothing without this Yea we are yea and nay and our happinesse is yea and nay we are so happy now as we may be miserable to morrow Let us labour to build on Divine truth which is like it self that in all the Changes of the world we may have somewhat that is unalterable that is as unchangeable as God himself As S. Paul here brings God himself As God is true my word to you was not yea and nay but yea So much shall suffice for that Verse I go on to the 20. Verse VERSE XX. For all the Promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen THis comes in after this manner My Preaching to you saith he was invariable and constant because Christ himself is alway yea if Christ the matter of my preaching be alwayes yea and I preach nothing but Christ then my preaching is invariable and constant How doth he prove the minor how doth he prove that Christ is alway yea All the Promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen Christ is invariable and my preaching of him was not yea and nay Christ is not yea and nay because all the Promises of God in him are Yea and Amen The Promises of God in him are Yea that is they are constant and in him they are Amen There is some diversity in reading the words But most constantly the best Expositors have it as this Translation hath it All the Promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen The literal meaning is this All the Promises of God in Christ are Yea that is they are
more perform the conditions of the Covenant of grace of our selves then the Covenant of the Law Nature cannot do it because it must be done by the Spirit altogether Now here is a foundation for faith to stand on God so farre condescends as he gives his Word and his Seal and his Oath with his Word to convey that Word by way of a Covenant and to make that Covenant a Testament and Will to us that he will do this and to seal that Will with his own blood for a Testament is of no force till the Testatour be dead his own blood hath sealed the Testament you see here what ground there is for faith to stand upon Then again the sweet relation that God hath taken upon him in Christ he is our Father faith builds not on naked God divested of his sweet relations for then he is a consuming fire but upon God a Father in Christ what a sweet thing is it to consider God a Father In Christ the nature of God is Fatherly to us and our nature is sweet to him We are sonnes in Christ his nature is sweet to us and ours to him he will surely perform his relations For in Christ he is a Father not in creation onely but in the Covenant of grace Faith relies upon the Word of God upon the Covenant and Testament and upon God himself altered and changed in the Covenant of Grace to be a sweet Father But what is a further ground of this The nature of God himself who is a Father for if God himself were not cloathed with properties that might satisfie faith and satisfie the soul fully though he were a Father it were not a sufficient ground for faith But now who hath taken the relation of a father upon him God who is infinitely good infinitely merciful above all our sins it must be infinite mercy faith would not have footing else For the soul will so upbraid in the sense of sin that if God were not a Father and a Father infinite in mercy nothing but infinite mercy will satisfie the soul when conscience is awaked and infinite power to subdue all enemies and infinite wisdome to go beyond the reach and subtilty of all the Devils in hell God is such a Father as in his Nature is of infinite mercy and wisdome and power here is a foundation for faith to lay hold upon indeed to have a Father and such a Father that is Jehovah there we must rest in his essence he is Jehovah I am he is eternal and immutable an eternal being of himself and he gives being to all and all things have their dependance upon him The Devils in hell and wicked men he can quell them all and substract their being and turn them to their first nothing from whence they came You see if we resolve all to Jehovah I am to the eternity of God and then to his nature cloathed with power and wisdome and mercy and then to his relation of a Father and then how he condescends to convey himself sweetly by way of Covenant and Testament I beseech you is not here a foundation for faith to build upon in the Word of God when God hath thus opened himself to us You see what this standing is And how by faith we stand and what faith stands on and may well stand on To come to some Observations then First of all Observe hence That The foundation of faith must be out of a mans self That bottom that a man must lay his soul upon must be out of himself it must be Divine it must be God For the soul rests not till it come to God and if the Word were not Gods Word it would not rest on that God must open himself by his Word It must be Divine revelation that the soul must stand upon and at last resolve to pitch and build and rest there It must not be humane authority therefore not the authority of any creature that the soul must stand on because that that the soul stands on must stand it self Now nothing hath a firm consistence but that which is Divine Which I prove thus There is no creature but though it be true and good yet it is changeably true and may be otherwise then it is and yet be a creature still and a good creature There is no man but he is changeable and is changeable as a creature and as a creature severed from the consideration of sin he is changeable The very Angels are changeable as they are creatures all things created are mutable it is the Observation of Damascene Now that that is the foundation of faith must not onely be true but infallibly and unchangeably true there must be no danger of errour in that that faith layes it self upon It is an old rule Falshood cannot be under faith because faith must lye upon truth infallible and immutable truth and who is so but God and what revealed truth is so but Divine truth Therefore faith onely relyeth upon the first good and the first truth upon God and his truth Therefore we may see what to judge of that controversie between us and our adversaries that would have our faith to be resolved into the authority of the Church and not of the Scriptures and by consequent not to the authority of God himself The question is Who hath the best standing the Papists or we We say we stand by faith therefore we stand better then they They say they stand by faith too but how Their faith is resolved into the authority of the Church at length and there they rest But I say even by the confession of themselves or of any reasonable man the Word of God is more Divine then the authority of the Church can be For the authority of the Church is therefore infallible and true because the Word of God saith so That he will be with the Church c. and save his Church The ground is determined upon the Word Now the Word to which they have recourse to prove that they cannot erre that must be trusted before them if they have credit from the Word the Word must be believed before them before men for there is no man if God speak by him but he speaks by him so far as he understands the Scripture and builds upon the Scriptures first Therefore we must first found our selves upon the Scriptures and upon men as far as they agree to the Scriptures If the Scriptures were not the Word of God indeed they could not be the foundation of faith we could not stand upon them but they are the Word of God indeed for men wrote as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost Now that that comes from men it is not infallibly the Word of God but if they speak any thing that is good it is so far as it is agreeable to the first truth the Word of God Indeed the resolution of their faith is very rotten and unsound and bewrayes what their
Church is for they come at length in the grand Point of all to meer traditions What is the present Church The Pope is the Church virtually How do they know that he cannot erre he is Peters Successour How do they know he is so the Scripture saith not so it is Tradition so that the foundation of their Religion is meer tradition a thing from hand to hand that is questionable and uncertain that is the foundation of all their Religion what a resolution of faith is this We stand upon this against the gates of hell and against all temptations and tryals whatsoever we believe and fasten our soules upon this truth why It is the Word of God How do we know it is the Word of God Indeed the Church first of all hath an inducing leading power perswading to read to hear the Word of God and to unfold the Word by the Ministery and that is all that the Church doth but when we hear this there is a Divine intrinsecal majestie in the Word it self by which I know the Word to be the Word How do I know light to be light from it self it gives evidence from it self so Divine light in the Scriptures gives light of it self to all those for whom the Scripture was penned For whom was the Scripture penned For Gods people To all that have gracious hearts the Word carries its own evidence with it as light carries its own evidence it discovers it self and all things else so doth the Scriptures You have a sure Word of the Prophets Our Saviour Christ himself founds what he teacheth upon the Word Shall not we therefore ground our faith upon the Word when he that was the Head of the Church brings all to the Word in his teaching Therefore we have a better resolution for our faith then they have For indeed to say the truth as we may say of their kind of prayers when they may to Saints c. They worship they know not what So we may say of their faith they believe they know not what they believe in a 〈◊〉 man for the present Pope is all their Church which is an ignorant man many times in the Scriptures perhaps he never read them and he must determine controversies and get into the Chair and judge that that shall judge him ere long he must judge the Scripture that must be his Judge and the Judge of all mankind I list not to be large in this point a 〈◊〉 discovery is enough I hasten to something more practical We see then that faith hath an establishing power to stand by faith Then hence we may see these truths which I will but touch First that faith is certain it is a certain thing and makes the soul certain it is not a weak apprehension Again in that it is said here By faith ye stand we see here the perseverance of faith But you will say That faith whereby we stand is changeable and therefore we may fall No S. Peter makes a Comment upon this place We are kept by faith to salvation and receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your soules We are kept through faith to salvation So God by his power keeps that faith that keeps us There is a divine power that keeps faith that faith may keep us so we stand by faith and that faith stands to salvation because it hath a firme bottom to stand on and because it is kept by God himself We are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation Mark how it runs along to salvation Salvation is not onely certain in it self but that faith that layes hold on salvation is sure By faith we stand not onely for the present but we continue by faith and stand even to the death Again in the third place which followes from the other faith is a certain thing in it self and we are assured of our continuance we are assured that we shall be saved he that believeth may be assured that he shall be saved First faith is a certain thing in it self laying hold upon a strong foundation the Word of God And it is sure to continue it builds upon the rock Therefore a man may believe and he may know that he shall be saved he may know that he shall continue in a sure faith There is a latitude a breadth in faith and sometimes there is doubting and sometimes faith but yet there is alwayes faith more or lesse There is a little and a great faith but there is alwayes faith By faith we stand These things need not further inlargement I onely shew how they spring from this Text. In a word hence we learn That it is by faith that we stand and withstand all opposition whatsoever for faith is our victory This is your victory even your faith 1 Joh. 5. 4. By faith we overcome the world by it we stand and stand against all opposition whatsoever To make it a little clear The reason is partly because faith doth present to the soul greater good then the world can therefore nothing on the right hand can shake the soul of a believing Christian. Shall pleasures and profits and the honours of the world draw a Christian from his faith when faith presents better honours better pleasures at the right hand of God plesures for evermore No they cannot for there is nothing in the world but there is better in Religion incomparably better There is no comparison of the pleasures of Religion and of the world between the honour of being a child of God and the honours that the world can give Therefore there is nothing on the right hand in the world that can overcome the faith of a Christian but he can stand against all though it be a Kingdome Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter why Faith presented him greater honours in the Church of God he accounted the very reproach the worst thing in the Church better then the best thing in the world the reproach of Christ better then the treasures of Egypt Let discouragements be offered to Faith by Satan and the world let them come with all the terrours and threatenings they can faith is victorious and triumphant against them all it stands against them all because it sets before the soul greater good then the ill that the world can inflict and sets before the soul greater ills if it apostatize then the world can inflict Saith the world If you do not thus and thus you shall be cast into prison or perhaps you shall lose your life O but saith the soul If I yield to the temptations of Satan and my own vile corruptions I shall be cast into hell is not that worse There can nothing be presented to the soul that is terrible but faith will present to it things more terrible therefore if there be faith in the soul it will stand against all those terrours whatsoever Fear not them that can kill the body when they have done
whose company they will not be severed from now If thou see an Adulterer a Blasphemer a wicked licentious Atheisticall person and thou runnest into the same excesse of riot with him thou wilt not be drawn by any perswasions ministeriall or friendly or by thine own light which knows his course to be naught to retire from his society dost thou not think to share with him afterwaâ—…d in his judgment As you are all Tares so you shall be bound in a bundle and cast into Hell together As the wheat shall be gathered into Heaven so the tares a cursed company that will cleave together though they be damned for it as they clave together as burrs and tares here so they shall be cast into Hell together that is the end of dissolute unruly creatures that nothing will sever them from those who in their own consciences they know rheir courses to be naught Our hope of you is steadfast There is a double certainty a certainty of the truth of the thing and a certainty of the estate of the person The certainty of the truth is this Those that suffer with Christ his Church shall be glorified with Christ and his Church the certainty of the truth is more certain then Heaven and Earth Now besides the certainty of the truth or thing there is interposed a certainty of the persons that as they were interessed in the sufferings so they should be in the comforts And this is true as well as the former for Gods promises are not meer Idea's wanting truths that have no performance in the persons but if the thing be true it is true in the person to whom the truth belongs Suffering goes before Glorie therefore if we suffer we shall be glorified But this is the condition if they suffer with Christ then St. Paul takes it for certain that they shall be glorified with Christ. There is not the same certainty of the persons as of the truth it self the truth is certain by a certainty of faith but the certainty of the persons is the certainty of a charitable perswasion I am perswaded that you will suffer with me in sympathie and therefore I am perswaded in the certainty of charity that you shall of a certain have the comfort Our hope of you is steadfast St. Paul you see hath a good conceit of them that he might incourage them to sympathize and take to heart his crosses and to take good by them A good hope of others hath a double efficacy It hath one efficacy in the partie that hath the good hope of another It stirs him up to be diligent to take all courses that may be for the good of another As the speech is Hope stirs up to work it stirs up endeavour so it doth in the husband-man and in every kind of trade hope quickens endeavour A man will never sowe upon the sands he loseth his cost a man will never bestow his pains upon those that he thinks are desperate And what is it that dulls and deads endeavour I despair of ever doing such a man good when those despairing thoughts enter into the soul there is a stop of all endeavour And surely Christians are much to blame that way when they might have ground if charity were in them at least of hope of others upon some hard despairing conceits they cast off hope and so neglect all endeavour of doing good to others The Spirit of God is wittie in the hearts of his Children to observe all advantages of doing good therefore it is willing to entertain all offers of good in others if they be but willing to hear reproof if they be willing to hear comfort and to hear good discourse it will make a good construction of their errours if it may be except it be those that are maliciously obstinate it will impute it to passion or to ill company to one thing or other as far as possible it will admit of a good construction love in Gods Children will admit of it and love stirs up to hope and hope stirs up to deal with them for their good I know that charity is not sottish but yet it is willing to think the best where there is probability of good for the present or where there is a tractablenesse where there is a willingnesse to entertain communion where there is any propension we must be of our blessed Saviours disposition who will not quench the smoaking flax nor break the bruised Reed we must draw all and drive none away This is one speciall fruit and effect that hope hath in the partie that doth hope toward another Now as it is good for the Speaker to be well conceited so it is a good preparative in the Hearer it hath a winning power in the partie hoped of it is a great attractive for we willingly heare those that conceit good of us St. Paul here works upon the naturall disposition in all which is that they love to be well thought of and natural dispositions are strong It is the natural disposition for every man to love where he is well thought of and it is not sinful unless it be in vain-glory to desire to have good place in the esteem of others And there a man will labour to carrie himself answerable to the good conceit had of him There is a conflict in the worst man where he is well conceitd of he labours to maintain it except it be those that are mightily inthralled as some wretches are to blasphemie and to a cursed life that they care not but else if they be well thought of it will stirre them up to maintain it he is a dissolute man he is not a man so farre as he is careless of this he is brutish and sensless St. Paul in saying Our hope is stedfast concerning you He wins himself into their good opinion and so by that meanes he hoped to prevail with them for greater matters So hope it stirs up men to do good and it makes the other willing to receive good for it makes them willing to content them that hope well of them St. Paul was led with this heavenly wisdome and that which made him so industrious was hope of prevailing and that which made him prevaile with others was the good conceit he had of them He would gather upon every one when he saw Agrippa come on a little Agrippa believest thou the Scriptures I know thou believest Almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian saith he and so he comes in a little It is good as much as may be to have hope of others But what is his degree of hope Our hope of you Is stedfast He had a stedfast hope that if they were sufferers they should be partakers of the comfort The Observation may be this that Divine truthes are such as we may build a stedfast hope on the performance of them Divine truthes divine comforts they are of that nature that though we doe not yet injoy them
to live by sense but to live by faith it is a remote thing to lead our lives by reasons drawn from things that are not seen to live by promises it is a hard thing when things â—…at are sensible cannot work upon us When we see men dye and see the vanitie of things sensible it will not work upon us how then doe we think that things that are supernaturall which are remote farre above sense should work on us it is a hard thing not to trust to our selves we are so adicted to live by sense and there is some corruption in St. Paul in the best men to trust to present things Who doth not think but he shall live one day longer and so trusts to life As the Heathen man could say There is not the oldest man but he thinks he may live a little longer one day longer who makes that use of mortality and the uncertain fading condition of this life as he should and all because of a false trust as in other things so in the continuance of life we see we are prone to trust to put base false confidence in somewhat or other while we live in this world Again our nature being prone to outward things and sunk deeply into them it can hardly be recovered it cannot be sober without much ado and brought from trusting of present things You have some men that have things at will in this world they never know what faith means all their life they live by sense their conscience is not awaked and outward afflictions seize not on them and supply of earthly things they have what Religion means and what God and Heaven means they have heard of them perhaps but throughly and inwardly what it means they never came to know in this world without there be some alteration and changes they must have some changes The wicked have no changes saith the Prophet but while they be as they are they know not God nor themselves nor the vanity of earthly things We speak the truth of God to a company oft-times that are besotted with sensuality and that have perpetual supply of earthly things speak to them of faith and of things that are remote from sence c. they hear them as if they were in a dream Nature is prone to trust in present things even in the best in St. Paul himself Now our pronenesse to it doth justifie Gods dealing in many things As why doth God humble great ones with great afflictions why doth he humble great men great and excellent Christians with great falls that they might not trust in themselves no not in their own present graces God will not bring a man to salvation now by grace in himself to give him title to heaven his graces must onely be to help his evidence that he is not an hypocrite and to give evidence to others that others may see his good works c. but if he come to trust in them once to set them in Christs stead God will abase his pride by suffering him to fall that he may go out of himself to be saved by Christ and to seek for mercy in Christ. And this is the reason why God in his providence doth great things by small means without means and against means sometimes when he crosses and curses great means it is that we might not trust in our selves we are prone to self-confidence and because God will cure it for we must not carry it to heaven with us therefore he is forced to take this kind of dispensation Proud flesh will alway devise something but that which it should do to uphold it self withall it will not be driven from all its holds God hath much ado to work it out from all its holds if it have not wealth it will have wit and policy or if it have not that it will have Civil life and outward works to trust to and to swell it with but to come and give God the glory of Salvation onely by mercy and to depend onely on God and to see an insufficiency in any thing we do it can hardly be brought to passe Insomuch that that Article of Justification by the obedience of Christ onely it is meerly a spiritual thing altogether transcending nature No marvel if we find such opposition from the Church of Rome and all unlesse it be the true Church they understand not the main Article of salvation onely by mercy because nature is so desperatly prone to self confidence Let us take heed of false confidence in the things of this life of confidence in any thing but in God But to come to some tryals You will say how shall we know whether we put over-much confidence in them or no It is an easie matter to know it We trust them too much when we grow proud upon any thing when our spirits are lifted up Charge rich men that they be not high-minded insinuating that they are in danger to be high-minded If riches increase set not your hearts upon them saith the Psalmist there is great danger when the heart is set on them and lifted up when men think themselves so much the better as they are greater Indeed if they weigh themselves in a Civil balance it is so but the corrupt nature of man goes further and thinks a man intrinsically better and more beloved of God for these things It is a dangerous sign that we trust too much to them Again over-much grief if they be taken away any of them or if we be crossed in them the grief in wanting betrayes the love in enjoying It is a sign that Job had gotten a great measure of self-denial not to trust in himself or his riches though he were a rich man because when they were taken away Blessed be God saith he thou gavest them and thou hast taken them away He that can stand when his stay is taken from him it is a sign he trusts not too much to his stay he that is so weak that when his stay is taken away down he falls it is a sign he leans hard Those that when these things are taken from them when their friends are taken away or their honours or riches are taken away yet they can support themselves out of diviner grounds it is a sign they did not overmuch trust these things nature will work something but over-much grief betrayes over-much love alwaies Again which is but a branch of the other we may know that we over-much set by them by fretting to be crossed in any of these things A man may know Achitophel trusted too much to his policie and wit when he was crossed he could not indure it we see he made away himself for very shame When a man is crossed in his wit and policy when he is crossed in those projects he hath laid when he is crossed in his preferment or riches or friends then he is all amort he frets which is more then grieving when
of trust in God True trust lookes to Gods truth and promise and Word in one part of it as well as another Thou trusts God for thy salvation and the promises of that but thou must trust him for the direction of thy life too Faith doth not single out some objects I will believe this and not that faith is carried to all the objects it believes all Gods truths therefo if I believe not the threatnings and the directions to be ruled by them I believe not the promises in what measure thou believest the promise of mercy to save thy soul in that measure thou believest the directions of Gods Word to guide thy soul. He that receives Christ as a Priest to save him he must receive him as a King to rule him All the directions and all the threatnings and all the promises must be received and believed A man hath no more faith and trust in God then he hath care to follow Gods direction for faith is carried to all divine truthes all come from the same God Thousands go to hell and think O God is a mercifull God and I will trust in him but how is thy life is it carried by Gods directions thou art a rebel thou livest in sins against conscience thou wilt trust in God in one part of his Word and not in another thou must not be a chooser Again the last that I will name at this time if thou trust God for one thing undoubtedly thou wilt trust him for all if thou trust him with thy Soul certainly thou wilt trust him with thy Children Some men hope to be saved by Christ O he will be mercifull to their souls and yet even to their Death they use corrupt courses to get an estate and to make their Children rich and except they have so much they will not trust in God If they have nothing to leave them they think not that there is a God in heaven who is a better Father then they Put cafe thou hast nothing hast thou not Gods blessing canst thou trust thy soul with God and canst thou not trust him with thy family Is he not the God of thy seed hath he not made the promise to thy posterity as well as to thy self If thou trust him for one thing thou wilt trust him for all Wilt thou trust him for Heaven and wilt thou not trust him for provision for daily bread Wilt thou not trust him for this or that but thou must use unlawfull meanes He that trusts God he trusts him for all truths and for all things needfull with his Family with his Body with his Soul with all And so much for the tryalls whether we trust in God or no. Let us not deceive our selves it is a point of infinite consequence as much as the salvation of our souls What brings men to hell in the Church false confidence they trust to false things or they think they trust in God when indeed they do not The fault of a ship is seen in a tempest and the fault of a house is seen when winter comes Thy trust that is thy house that thou goest to and restest in the fault of that will be seen when thou comest to extremity in the hour of death then thou hast not a God to go to then thy conscience upbraids thee thou hast lived by thy shifts in carnall confidence and rebellion against God and how canst thou then willingly trust God whom thou hast made thine enemy all thy life-time To go then to some helps If upon search we find that we do not so trust in God as we should Let us lament our unbelieving hearts complain to God of it desire God whatsoever he doth that he would honour us so much as that we may honour him by trusting in him for it is his glory and our salvation But because I will not go out of the text the best way is that which followes to know God as he is How come we to trust a man When we know his Honesty his Fidelity his Wisdom and his sufficiencie then we trust him therefore St. Paul adds here that we should Trust in God that raiseth the dead that is in God Almighty From whence I raise this general that The best way to trust in God is to know him as he is We know his attributes by his principall works we know his nature by his works as here is one of the principall set down he is God that raiseth the dead A sound sanctified trust in God is by knowing of him They that know thy Name will trust in thee Psal 9. There are three waies of the knowledge of God His Nature Promises Works To know what he hath engaged himself in in all the promises that concern us and then to know his strength how able he is to make good them promises And then to know his works how his nature hath inabled him to make good those promises Especially his nature as to consider his goodnesse and his wisdom every attribute indeed doth inforce trust for he is good freely he is good to us of his own bowels VVe may trust him that hath made himself a Father out of hiw own mercy in Christ when we were enemies His goodnesse and wisdom is infinite as himself and his power and his truth As the scripture saith oft-times Faithful is God that hath promised St. Bernard a good man in Evill times saith he I consider three things in which I pitch my hope and trust Charitatem adoptionis the love of God in making me his Child and Veritatem promissionis the truth of God in performing his promise his Love is such to make me his Child his truth is such to perform his promise Thirdly I consider his power that is able to make good that that he hath promised This threefold cable is a strong one his love in adoption his truth in performing his promise and his power in making good all this This threefold cable will not easily be broken Let my Sottish flesh murmur against me as long as it will as the flesh will murmur who art thou that thou darest trust in God What is thy merit that thou hopest for such great glory No no saith he I know whom I have believed as Saint Paul saith I answer with great confidence against my Sottish murmuring flesh I know whom I have trusted He is able he is good he is true This that Holy man had to exercise his faith I name it because it is the temper of all believing souls that are so in truth The believing heart considers the nature of God the promise of God and though the murmuring rebellious flesh say what art thou how darest thou that art flesh and blood look to God O he is faithful he is good and gracious in Christ he hath made himself a Father I know whom I have believed God is al-sufficient Trust and confidence doth grow in the soul in what measure and proportion the knowledge of him
estate is not good because it is not such an estate So foolish and as a beast was I before thee saith David because I regarded such things No marvell if men be uncomfortable that are led away by scandals Look to faith goe to the Word to the Sanctuarie I went to the Sanctuary saith he and there I saw the end of these men So conscience must be suffered to have its work to be led by a true rule Again conscience sometimes concludes not comfort when there is ground of comfort from the remainders of corruptions and infirmities whereas we should be driven by our infirmities to Christ. And conscisence sometimes in good men doth not exercise its work in good men it is drawn away with vain delights even in the best men And conscience of its owne unworthinesse and of the greatnesse of the things it lookes for being joyned together it makes a man that he joyes not when he hath cause As for instance when the soule sees that God in Christ hath pardoned all my sins and hath vouchsafed his Spirit to me and will give me heaven in the world to come to such a wretch as I am here being a conflict between the conscience and sense of its own unworthinesse and the greatnesse of 〈◊〉 good promised the heart begins to stagger and to doubt for want of sound faith Indeed if we look on our own unworthinesse and the greatnesse of the good things promised we may wonder but alas God is infinite in goodnesse he transcends our unworthinesse and in the Gospell the glorie of Gods mercy it triumphs over our unworthinesse and over our sins whatsoever our sin and unworthinesse is his goodnesse in the Gospel triumphs over all In Innocency God should have advanced an innocent man but the Gospel is more glorious for he comes to sinners to condemned persons by nature and yet God triumphs over their sins and unworthinesse he regards not what we deserve but what may stand with the glory of his mercy therefore we should banish those thoughts and enjoy our own priviledge the promises of heaven and happinesse and all comforts whatsoever so much for the answer of that objection Now if we would joy in the witnesse of a good conscience we must especially in the time of temptation live by faith and not by feeling not by what we feele for the present but as we see Christ in his greatest horrour My God my God why hast thou forsaken me he goes to my God still We must live by faith and not by sense And then if we would rejoyce in extremities remember that God works by contraries God will bring us to heaven but it must be by hell God will bring us to comfort but it must be by sense of our own unworthinesse He will forgive our sins but it must be by sight and sense of our sins he will bring us to life but it must be by death he will bring us to glorie but it must be by shame God works by contraries therefore in contraries believe contraries When we are in a state that hath no comfort yet we may joy in it if we believe in Christ he works by contraries As in the Creation he made all out of nothing order out of confusion So in the work of the new creation in the new creature he doth so likewise therefore be not dismayed Remember this rule likewise that in the covenant of Grace God requires truth and not measure thou art not under the law but under the covenant of Grace A little fire is true fire as well as the whole element of fire A drop of water is water as well as the whole Ocean so if it be true faith true grief for sins true hatred of them true desire of the favour of God and to grow better truth is respected in the covenant of Grace and not any set measure What saith the Covenant of Grace He that believes and repents shall be saved not he that hath a strong faith or he that hath perfect repentance So Saint Paul saith as we shall see after This is our rejoycing that in simplicity and sincerity we have had our conversation among you he doth not say that our conversation hath been perfect So if we would have joy in the testimony of conscience we must not abridge our selves of joy because we have not a perfect measure of Grace but rejoyce that God hath wrought any measure of Grace in such unclean and polluted hearts as ours are for he least measure of Grace is a pledge of perfection in the world to come This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience c. Hence we may gather clearly that A man may know his own estate in Grace I gather it from the place thus Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity c. Where there is joy and the ground of joy there is a knowledge of the estate but a Christian hath glorying and a ground of glorying in himself and he knowes it he hath that in him that witnesseth that estate he hath the witnesse of conscience therefore he may know and be assured of it If this testimony were not a true testimony it were something but all men naturally have a conscience and a Christian hath a sanctified conscience and where that is there is a true testimony and true joy from that testimony therefore he may be assured of his salvation and have true joy and comfort a Heaven upon Earth before he come to Heaven it self If conscience testifie of it self and from witnessing give cause of joy much more the Spirit of God comming into the conscience The Spirit beares witnesse with our spirits If our spirit and conscience bear witnesse to us of our conversation in simplicity and sincerity and from thence of our estate in grace much more by the witnesse of two By the witnesse of two or three every thing shall be confirmed but our spirits and conscience and the Spirit of God which every Child of God hath witnesseth that we are the Children of God Rom. 8. The Spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sons of God Therefore a Christian may know his estate in Grace The spirit of a man knowes himself and the Spirit of God knowes him likewise and it knowes what is in the heart of God and when these two meet the Spirit of God that knowes the secrets of God and that knowes our secrets and our spirit that knowes our heart likewise what should hinder but that we may know our own estate It is the nature of conscience as I told you to reflect upon it self and upon the person in whom it is to know what is known by it and to judge and condemne and execute it self by inward fear and terrour in ill and in good by comfort and joy in a mans self It is the property that the soul hath above all creatures to return and recoyle upon it self If this be
good we have is it not from him And the nearer you come to him the more your happinesse is increased the more you are striped of earthly things the more you have in God Hath not he mens hearts in his hands when you think you shall endanger your selves thus and thusby plain direct dealing without doubling if you be called to the profession of the truth c. Hath not he the hearts of men in his hands to make them favour you when he pleaseth In Pro. 10. He that walketh uprightly walketh boldly He that walketh uprightly not doubling in his courses he walketh safely God will procure his safety God that hath the hearts of men in his hand as the rivers of water he can turn them to favour such a man A mans nature is inclined to favour downe-right dealing men and to hate the contrary You see the three young men when they were threatened with fire come what will O King we will not worship the Image of Gold which thou hast set up They would be burned first What lost they by it Howsoever if we should lose as it is not to be granted that we canlose any thing by direct dealing For the earth is the Lords the fulnesse thereof and the hearts of men are his But suppose they doe yet they gain in better things in comfort of conscience and expectation and hope of better things Faith is the ground of courage and the ground of all other Graces that carrie a mans courage in a course of simplicitie in this World Therefore if we would walk simply and have our conversation in the world in this grace let us labour especially for faith to depend upon Gods promises to approve our selves to him to make him our last and chief end and our communion with him and to direct all our courses to that end This is indeed to set him up a Throne in our hearts and to make him a god when rather then we will displease him or his Vicegerent his Vicar in us which is conscience that he hath placed in us as a monitor and as a witnesse we will venture the losse of the creature of any thing in the world rather then we will displease that Vicar which he hath set in our hearts This I say is to make him a god and he will take the care and protection of such a man S. Paul here in all the imputations in all crosses in the world he retires home to himself to his own house to conscience and that did bear him out that in simplicity he had had his conversation in the world The next particular is In Sincerity The Apostle addes to simplicity this Godly sincerity and he may well joyn these two together for plainnesse and truth go together a plain heart is usually a true heart Doublenesse and hypocrisie which are contrary they alwaies go together he that is not plain to men will not be sincere to God Simplicity respects our whole course with men sincerity hath an eye to God though perhaps in matters and actions towards men Sincerity is alway with a respect to God and so it is opposed to hypocrisie a vice in Religion opposite to God Now this Sincerity that the Apostle speaks of it is A blessed frame of the soul wrought by the Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right in a purpose to please God in all things and in endeavours answerable to that purpose and to offend him in nothing I make a plain description because I intend practice there may be some nicer descriptions But I say It is a blessed frame of the soul wrought by the sincere Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right to purpose and to endeavour all that is pleasing in Gods sight and that with an intention to please God with an eye to God or else it is not sincerity It is such a disposition and frame of soul that doth all good that hates all ill with a purpose to please God in all with an eye to God And therefore it is called sincerity of God or godly sincerity and it is called so fitly because God is not onely the authour of it but God is the aim of it and the pattern of it for he is the first thing that is sincere that is simple and unmixed God is the pattern of it it makes us like to God and he is the aim of it A man that is sincere aimes at God in all his courses wherein he aimes not at God he is not sincere It comes from God and it looks to God For naturally we are all hypocrites we look to shewes therefore sincerity is from God And it is the sincerity of God especially because where this sincerity is it makes us aime at God in all things it makes us have respect to him in all things as the creature should have respect to the Creator the servant to the Master the sonne to the Father the Subject to the Prince The relations we stand in to God should make us aime at him in all things The Observation from hence is this A Christian that hopes for joy must have his conscience witnesse to him that his conversation is in the sincerity of God As the Apostle saith here This is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation c. Now to go on with this sincerity and lay it open a little Sincerity it is not so much a distinct thing as that which goes with every good thing Truth and sincerity it is not so much a distinct vertue and grace as a truth joyned to all graces As sincere hope sincere faith sincere love sincere repentance sincere confession It is a grace annexed to every grace it is the life and soul of every grace and all is nothing without it Therefore it behoves us to consider of it I say not so much a distinct thing from other graces as that which makes other graces to be graces without which they are nothing at all so much sincerity so much reality So much as we have not in sincerity we have nothing to God it is but an empty shew and will be so accounted In Philosophy you know that which is true onely hath a being and consistence all truth hath a being all falshood is nothing it is a counterfeit thing it is nothing to that it is pretended to be An Image is something but S. Paul calls it nothing because it is not that which it should be and which the Idolater would have it to be he would have it to be a God but it is nothing lesse All is nothing without sincerity Therefore let us consider of it And that we may the better consider of it let us look upon it in every action All actions are either Good Ill. Indifferent How is Sincerity discovered in good actions Sincerity is tryed in good actions many waies First of all a man that is
we must swear by him And indeed it is a service of God and to good purpose when Christians swear to stablish and determine truths that otherwise are doubtfull They were doubtfull of S. Paul's doctrine and his person saith he To put you out of doubt of the truth I speak to you I dare call God to witnesse it is true and sound The Apostle doth so once after in this Chapter therefore I reserve the further handling of an oath to verse 23. because the word there is more infallible I call God to record upon my soul c. The next thing I observe hence is this That The believing that Gods Word is Gods Word and is certain it is a matter of great consequence It is of great consequence for Gods people that look to be saved to be stablished in their opinion and judgment of Divine truth that it is certain and not flexible and mutable according to our wills and conceits and dispositions but is yea alway the same as God himself the Authour of it For laying this for a ground that I said before that S. Paul takes God to witnesse he would not enterpose an oath but in a matter of great consequence therefore it is a matter of great consequence to be setled in this that the Scripture is Divine truth unalterable and unchangeable An oath is never good as I said but when it is necessary It must not onely be in truth but there must be a necessity It must not only be taken in righteousnesse but in judgment a man must do it in discretion when the thing is not determinable any other way Therefore it is a matter of great consequence that men take the Word of truth not to be as the Oracles of Apollo and of the Devill true one way and false another The Devil would escape the imputation of a lie though he be a liar but Gods Oracles be Divine they be yea And it is good that we think them to be so to be constant undoubted certain and unmovable Therefore the Apostle seales it with an oath he would not seal a slight truth by an oath but saith he As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay c. And Saint Paul saw a disposition in them to suspect the truth of God as indeed we are proner to believe the lies of our own hearts and the suggestions of Satan and the counsell of Politicians of carnall friends then to believe God himself Therefore partly for the indisposition in us and partly for the great exigence and necessity of the thing to believe that Gods Word is his Word that it is truth he seales it with an oath God is true It is a point of great consequence The reason is God can have no service else and we can have no comfort If we do not believe the Word of God to be undoubtedly true in great temptations and assaults what armour of proof shall we have we can have no comfort nor grace For sometimes subtile and strong temptations to evill come if the Word of God be not more undoubted to me then the present profit or pleasure or whatsoever if the temptation be ready and I be not built on and settled on some grounded truth that I know to be true as God is true when the temptation is strong and our faith weak where are we a man presently yields to base lusts and temptations And so in matter of danger and despair when a man is tempted to despair if he cannot build on this God is true and his Word is as true as himself he will not the death of a sinner c. here a man is swallowed up It is no matter how strong the foundation be if the building on that foundation be weak If a strong man stand in a slippery place down he falls if a man stand slippery and have a weak standing on a strong place on a strong foundation if he have a weak building on a strong foundation he shall soon be cast off So the Word of God is true in it self but if we be not perswaded so that it is infallibly true that it is alway yea we shall be shaken with temptations When we are tempted to sin the temptation is present we are sure of the temptation if we be not more sure of somewhat against the temptation somewhat out of the Word to beat back the darts of Satan when we are tempted to sin and to despair for sin down we go and therefore it is a matter of infinite consequence to be perswaded of Divine truth What makes many as they are in courses that are corrupt in their callings nothing but this they stagger whether it be true or no that there shall be a Judgment they stagger whether it be true or no that the Scripture saith if they were perswaded that it were yea as true as God is in heaven as true as they have soules so their soules must be called to Judgment for that they speak and do would they do as they do Therefore S. Paul stablisheth them by an oath God is true and as God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Therefore take in good part with thankfulnesse the means that God hath ordained to strengthen our faith and assurance of the Word of God and the Promises of God Therefore he hath appointed the Sacrament for that purpose I say there is nothing in the world so strengthened as the soul of a Christian if he give himself to Gods truth to be ruled by it For if we will believe God we have his promise That Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life rich promises precious promises as the Scripture calls them We have not onely promises but they are sealed with an oath Now an oath is an unchangeable thing Heb. 9. 16. we have promises and oath that we might have strong consolation whatsoever might secure man we have Besides his oath we have his seal his Sacrament It was his love to condescend to make any Covenant with sinfull creatures that upon any terms he would give them life everlasting It was a higher degree of love to set Christ to be the foundation of this peace and of this Covenant that now God and we may be at peace with satisfaction to Divine Justice that he is the foundation of the peace between God and us Now God may be mercifull without wrong without impeachment to his Justice that is a higher degree of mercy to enter into Covenant and to give Christ to be the foundation of all And then it is a higher degree then that to secure us of the Covenant that Christ is ours to seal the Word with an oath and with the Sacrament which is the seal of the Covenant what could God do more What a horrible sin therefore is unbelief that we should tremble at to call Gods love and truth in question But yet we are prone to it
there is a God and God is unchangeably true there would be nothing true in the world for all truth is therefore true because it is answerable to that exemplar truth that is true in God answerable to Gods conceit and decree of things This I observe the rather because it is a fundamental thing it doth wondrously stablish our faith in Divine truths when we know it comes from God that is true If we would seek for evidences of our faith then we must go within us and see what love and what hope what combat between the flesh and spirit there is but if we look for any thing to stablish our faith go out of us consider the unchangeable truth of God whose truth it is God as God creating a reasonable creature he must give him some revealed truth he could not be worshipped else How must we know this revealed truth whereby he will be worshipped by the reasonable creature for no man will be served by his servant as he pleaseth how shll we know these certain truths because they come from his nature God is true and as God is true so our word to you was not you and way that is it was true There is the same ground of the certainty of Evangelicall truth as there is of God himself to be true To add a little further in the Point consider the truth of God every way the faithfulnesse of God as it signifies in the originall as God is faithful Consider what relations God hath put upon him in his divine truth how he will be thought on And then bring those relations to his nature for there we must pitch at last What is he to us and how hath he revealed himself to us Thus and thus What is he in his nature So and so and there we must rest For instance The Lord hath made many promises who is it that hath made them he that is true and unchangably true there the soul rests in the nature of God But what relations hath he put upon him he is a God and a Lord and a Judge and a Father c. Now as he is God he is true therefore he will do all things that a true God should doe he will uphold his creature while he will have his creature continue he will give it life and being and motion And as a Lord he will do with his own what he list and it is not for us to contend with him why he will do this or that why he makes one rich and another poore He is Lord of all and a true Lord therefore we must give authority to this true Lord. And then as he is a Judge he corrects men for sin and rewards them for the good they do As a Judge sometime he punisheth them inwardly in conscience sometimes outwardly All the good we have is from this that he is a faithful and true God therefore there we must rest He is a true Judge he rewards every man according to his works whether they be good or evill And so in the relation of a Father he is a true Father he corrects when time serves he rewards and encourageth when time serves he gives an inheritance to his Children and hath pity and compassion on his Children when time serves He is a true Father Other fathers do this and that out of passion not out of truth and goodnesse but he doth So when we consider God in his relations consider of the attribute of his truth All truth in his Word comes from this God is true This truth is sealed by this that our truth to you our word to you was not yea and nay uncertain Gods truth is not uncertain and variable There is no shadow of change in him and his Word is like himself We say usually in the word of an honest man and that is something In verbum Sâ—…rdotis in the word of a Priest it was accounted in former times a great matter it should be so indeed In the word of a King is a great matter But when God saith in the Word of a God The Word of the Lord hath spoken so It is not yea and nay it was not flexible and doubtful because it is the Word of him that hath the command of all that he saith it is his VVord that is Lord of Heaven and Earth Now when he that saith a thing is the Lord of Heaven and Earth he is Lord of his own Word therefore what he saith is not yea and nay uncertain for he can make good what he saith There is the same ground of Evangelicall truth as there is of God himself to be true I will speak no more in the unfolding of the Point it is plain that God is true Is this true that God is true that he is truth it self then many things issue from hence It is a ground of many other truths It was the ground of all the Uses that S. Paul makes of the Word of God it is profitable every way I will name some principall to avoid multiplicity in a plain Point God is true and his Word is true hereupon the threatenings of God must needs be true even as true as God himself If this be so then unlesse we will make another Scripture another Word this Word is yea That Word that threatens sin that Idolaters and covetous and wantons shall never enter into the Kingdome of heaven Be not deceived saith the Apostle that Word is yea it is true God is true this must follow therefore that whatsoever he saith is true therefore his threatenings are true It is a truth that hath influence into all other truths whatsoever that which is prefixed here by S. Paul not onely as an oath As Gad is true so his Word is not yea and nay but certain but I say it hath influence into all other truths whatsoever threatnings promises directions all are therefore true because God is true Therefore those that shuffle off the threatnings and think they shall do well and blesse themselves Gods wrath shall smoak against them for God must alter his nature and his Word must be altered or else his judgments must stick on them to death and damnation without repentance If God should not be avenged on ordinary swearers and blasphemers if adulterers should live in such sins and ever come to heaven they must have another God and another Word of God this hath said they shall not enter into heaven that live in these sins If it be true as God is true what horrible Atheisme is in the hearts of men to think that God will change his nature though they do not change their course and that the Word of God shall alter though they will not alter what hope can prophane blasphemous persons have that make but a trifle of swearing when God hath said they shall not go unpunished and those that live in a filthy course when God hath said Whor emongers and adulterers God will judge without horrible
the Church of Rome a thousand years after and even now the affirmatives that we hold Do not they believe the Scriptures to be the VVord of God Yes but they adde patcheries of their own the Apocrypha and their own traditions to be the VVord of God too Do not they believe that Christ is Mediatour Yes but he is the onely Mediatour for Redemption and not for Intercession they joyn others with him Saints and Angels We are saved by faith that is the affirmative and so say they but they adde of their own That we are saved by faith and works Then again we say there are two Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper and so say they but they adde five of their own So I might run over all their opinions whatsoever we hold they hold Therefore in their own confessions our affirmatives have been ever since the Apostles times if they had any Church we had a Church because our foundations are included in their Religion All that we say they say but then again they say many things that we do not Therefore they account us hereticks because we make not that that they hold to be our yea too Again the negatives that they believe and we do not believe they are but novelties in experience they are not of the ancient Apostolical faith That the Apocrypha should be had in equal authority with the Word of God in Scripture alas such a conceit was not thought of for 600 yeares after the Apostles That the people should not read the Scriptures it was but since the other day Transubstantiation since the Councel of Laterane a thousand years since Christ. That the Pope should be Supream and depose Princes such a thing was not heard of a thousand years after Christ. That he should have authority to Canonize Saints it was but since the other day Equivocation but of late time and so their idle babling of Divine service in Latine and twenty other trumperies So the things that we deny that are grosse and abominable in the judgment of every man that knowes any thing they were but since the other day they were not yea in the Apostles times Then the Apostolicall Church being not built on them they must be devised after As indeed a thousand years after Christ the most of these were never heard of The most of the points of Popery wherein they differ from us nay not any of them were never established by a Councel till the Councel of Trent except Transubstantiation by the Councel of Laterane which was a thousand years after Christ. The affirmatives that we hold and they hold too we say they are constant from the Apostles time they have been in all ages maintained and affirmed Our positive Points that we ground out of S. Paul and out of the Scriptures We seek the old way and the best way as Jeremy adviseth us There was none of the Popish trash in Abraham's time in the Patriarch's time in Christs and his Apostles times or in many hundred years after they came in by little and little for their own advantage a meer policy to get money and to abuse people I say they hold all our positive truths but their errour is in addition Now this question may be made whether their additions may be dangerous or no because it may be supposed that some among them will say that heresie is not in addition but in contrariety to the faith and detracting but when one holds more then they should that is no heresie because there is somewhat superabounds now we hold the truth and more too I say it is grosse and false foe if additions did not overthrow the foundation there should never be any idolatry nor never any heresie in these times What was Idolatry especially in the Church of God Among the Jewes was there not the worshipping of the true God Yes but before an Image their additions their false manner overthrew the true There is none of them fundamental Points as we call them though they make them fundamental they make their Traditions of as much authority as the Word of God and their fooleries as the Articles of faith they overthrow the main foundation they are such additions as are destructive to joyn with the Word of God Traditions To worship God under another species and kind is to be an Idolater though they worship the true God if it be after a false manner it is prohibited St. Paul saith and with a commination Gal. 1. If I or an Angell from Heaven teach otherwise beside put case it be not plainly and directly contrary if he teach other things that are not necessary to be believed Let him be accursed VVe ought not to go from the Scriptures in any fundamentall point of faith under pain of a curse Therefore Poperie is a cursed Religion in respect of their very additions Doth not St. Paul tell the Galatians they were fallen from Christ if they added circumcision to Christ He doth not say if they did that which was directly contrary to faith no but in adding circumcision and works to Christ they were fallen from Christ whole Christ or no Christ. In some cases additions are heresies and overthrow the foundation If this be so we may answer another question easily The Apostolical doctrine you see is onely yea Whether then it be safer to be a Papist or a Protestant considering that whatsoever we hold they do hold I answer to be a Protestant it is safer in any mans judgement because all that we say themselves say it hath been Apostolical we can prove in all ages of the Church our affirmatives we have a Catalogue of witnesses in all ages of them that held what we say it was founded in the Apostles and then came down to all ages But what they say distinct and differing from us they have not the like testimony for for indeed they are so beaten that Bellarmine hath this The authority of all Councels and Fathers and all depends upon the authority of the present Church bring to them Councels and Fathers Tush tush all authority depends upon the present Church VVhat authority gives the present Church when 20. yeares after the Church varies What certainty is there when all authority of former times shall depend upon the present Church In those things wherein they differ from us and that we deny any understanding reasonable man may see that they are novelties and corruptions As for the Pope to depose Princes if a man have but his naturals he may see it abominable To pray in a strange tongue to debar the people of the wine when Christ saith Drink ye all of it who that hath ordinary discretion but will think it absurd There is nothing that we differ from them in but a man that hath but his naturals will condemne Therefore ours is safer a great deal by their own confession the learnedest of them that it is enough to believe as we do Do we
yea and amen to be yea and nay We make truth a lie and do rather believe our own lying hearts then Gods immutable and unchangeable Promises Therefore let us see the fulnesse of our hearts and complain of them to God and desire him to cure it and redresse it and he will do it This is to give glory to God indeed we cannot honour God more then to believe his Promises and build on him This will breed love when we feel the comfort of the Promises Foolish men think to honour God by complements by dead performances filly men consider that the principal honour in the world to God is to seal his truth that thou shouldest not make him a liar Hath he promised all things in the world get faith that will honour him and he will honour thy faith What makes God honour faith so much He that believes he will bring him to heaven Faith honours him it gives him the glory of his truth the glory of his goodnesse of his mercy of his truth c. as it honours him he honours it The Believer shall come to heaven when the idle fashionable Christian shall vanish with his conceits that thinks to serve God with empty vain shadowes Honour God with the obedience of faith man cast thy self upon him trust in him in life and death and then thou givest him the honour that he requireth at thy hands For as the honour of his mercy is the greatest honour he will have in this world more then that in the Creation so thou honourest him more in the Gospel to cast thy self on him for forgivenesse of sins and life everlasting and for the guidance of thy daily course of life thou honourest him more then by looking on the creature or by doing him any service He is honoured more by faith in Christ then by any other way Let faith go to him as faith honours him so he will honour it Let it be according to thy faith Let not all be lost let us bring vessels for the precious Promises the vessel of a believing heart Shall all this be lost for a vain heart that will not lodge up these promises shall we have a rich portion and neglect it shall we have so many promises and not improve them and make use of them Therefore I beseech you let it be our practice continually every day of all portions of Scripture make the Promises most familiar to us for duties follow promises if we believe the Promises with our heart they are quickning Promises we will love God and perform other duties Faith works by love If we believe love will come kindly off Therefore he saith here All the Promises are Yea and Amen insinuating that all is included in the Promises Let us empty our hearts of confidence in any thing and fill them with the Promises in Christ that are Yea and Amen Let us stablish our hearts with the Promises let us warm and season and refresh our hearts every day with these In these times of infection what do we those that are careful of themselves that go abroad in dangerous places they have Preservatives they take something to preserve their spirits and to strengthen them against the contagion abroad and it is wisdome so to do it is folly to neglect it and to tempt God not to be careful in this kind it is very well done But what is this if thou do not fence thy soul and thy spitit and take a draught of the Promises every day afresh Let us take out our pardon of course every day of the forgivenesse of sins We sin every day let us go for our pardon If we sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ and he is the propitiation for our sins And the blood of Jesus Christ shall purge us from all sin And he is in justifying us still every day he is acquitting our soules and there is a pardon of course to be taken out every day Let us renew and refresh our hearts with the Promises of pardon and forgivenesse of sins every day Let us strengthen our soules with renewing the Promises of grace for that day to walk comfortably before God that he will keep us by his Spirit from sin that he will be a shield and a Sun to us that he will give us wisdome to carry our selves as we should and he will give us his holy Spirit if we beg it Let us every day take these Promises to be Cordials in these dangerous times and then come life come death all shall be welcome why because we are in Christ and have imbraced the Promises and Christ and all in Christ is Yea and Amen it shall go well with us What a wondrous comfortable life would a Christians life be if he could yield the obedience faith answerable to the promises What a shame is it that having such rich promises we should be so loose so changeable that we should be cast down with crosses and lift up with prosperity It is because we believe not the promises of better things therefore we are proud of present things and cast down with present crosses and are fast and loose Now we have good things for the present afterward the devil comes between us and the promises and makes us let go our hold Religion stands on this which makes me to presse it the more If this were well taken to heart and digested we should know what Religion means if we know Christ and the promises all other things will come off All others are but formalities they will never comfort without the confideration of knowing God in Christ and the rich promises to us in Christ. Likewise if this be so that the promises of God in Christ are Yea and Amen This teacheth us how to make use of all former examples of others and of all former goodnesse to our selves Was God merciful to Abraham and to David Our father 's trusted in thee and were not confounded Psal. 22. Therefore he reasons If I trust in God I shall not be confounded for the Promises are Yea and Amen they are true to one as well as another And whatsoever was written afore was written for our comfort Rom. 15. And this is a singular good use we may make of reading of the stories of the Scripture and of holy men that the same God he lives for ever his arm is not shortened he that was is and is to come and therefore we should read histories with application Did God make sure his Promises to them surely he will make sure his Promises to us Had David forgivenesse of sins upon his confession surely so shall we Abraham believed and it was accâ—…ed to him for righteousnesse and â—…o it shall to us if we believe It is alledged for that end Rom. 4. And S. Paul prefixeth his example to all posterity God was mercifull to me and not so onely but to all that believe in him 2 Tim. 2. This is an Use
certainly these promises being apprehended by faith as they have a quickning power to comfort so they purge with holinesse We may not think to carry our filthinesse to heaven Doth the swearer think to carry his blasphemies thither filthy persons and liars are banished thence there is no unclean thing He that hath these promises purgeth himself and perfecteth holinesse in the fear of God He that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure 1 Joh. 3. So these promises affect and quicken and purge And then the promises they do settle the soul because they be Yea and Amen they make the soul quiet If a man believe an honest man on his word he will be quiet if he be not quiet he doth not believe so much faith so much quiet Being iustified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So much faith so much peace Philip. 4. In nothing be carefull but let your desires be known to God in prayer supplication and thanksgiving and when you have done this The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall preserve your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus So where there is prayer and thanksgiving and doing of duty The peace of God which passeth all understanding will keep the mind in Christ and where there is not quiet and peace to preserve the heart mind there is neglect of duty before not committing our selves to Gods promises to build on them Again where there is a believing the promises there is not only a staying of the soul in generall but when all things are gone when all things are contrary that is the nature of faith in the promises Put the case that a Christian that is of the right stamp have nothing in the world to take to only Gods Word and Promises surely he knowes they are Yea and Amen It is the Word of God al-sufficient he is Jehovah he gives a being to his Word and to all things else therefore he hath the Name Jehovah therefore thinks the soul Though I have nothing yet I have him that is the substance of all things all other things are but shadowes God the Father Son and Holy Ghost are the substance that give all things a being and therefore I will cast my selfe on God here now is the Tryumph of faith when there is nothing else to trust to nay when all things else are contrary when it is faith against faith and hope against hope when there is such a conflict in a man that he sees nothing but the contrary here faith will shut the eye of sense and not look to present things too much though I see all things contrary though I see rather signes of anger then otherwise yet I will hope and believe in God for this or that Here is the wisdom of a believing Christian that believes the promises he will shut his eyes and not look on the waves on the troubles they will carry him away and dazle him but he looks to the constant love of God in Christ and to the constant promises of God his nature is constant and his truth is as his nature he cannot deny himself and his own Word when he hath made himself a debtor by his promise and bound himself by his Word Therefore in contraries say as Job Though he kill me yet will I trust in him True faith when it is in strength will uphold a man when all failes nay it will hold a man when all is contrary This our Saviour Christ in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen did excellently teach us by his own example For when all was contrary and our blessed Saviour felt the wrath of God which made him sweat drops of blood and made him cry out My God My God why hast thou for saken me yet here faith wrastled with My God my God still even under the wrath of God He brake through the seeming wrath of God into the heart of God Faith hath a piercing eye it will strive through the clouds though they be never so thick through all the clouds of temptation Christ had so piercing a faith it brake through all he saw a Fathers heart under an angry semblance So a Chistian triumphs by faith in oppositions to faith when all is contrary to faith yet notwithstanding he can say My God still This is an evidence of a strong faith in the promises Again an evidence of faith in the promises is faithfulnesse in our selves in our promises to God for surely the soul that expects any thing of God that he should be faithfull it studies to be faithful in the Covenant Psal. 25. All the wayes of God are mercy and truth All his dealings to his Children are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant For you know the promises have conditions annexed and where God fulfils his promise he gives grace to perform the condition to walk before him to allow our selves in no sin for if we allow our selves in any sin we perform not the Covenant on our part Now God will give grace to perform the Covenant where he will perform his own Therefore those that are unfaithful in their Covenant and yet think God will be faithfull to them it is presumption When we come to the Communion we think we do God a great deal of service but we must consider we enter into Covenant with God as well as he binds himself to us He gives us Christ all his blessings he reacheth forth Christ with all in him if we will receive him I but we bind our selves to God to lead a new life and to be thankful and to shew it in obedience And so in Baptisme we do not only receive in the Sacraments but we yield we bind our selves to God And we must be careful of what we promise to God as well as expect that which he promiseth to us if we expect his truth we must be faithful and careful of performing our Covenants to him Oh but how shall I do that saith the distressed soul I have no grace God knowes that well enough therefore he that promiseth he promiseth grace to perform the condition that is one part of the Covenant to give grace to fulfil the Covenant For he that saith If we believe and repent c. he will give us hearts to repent if we ask them he hath promised to circumcise our hearts to give us new hearts and to give us his holy Spirit if we ask him Why Lord thou knowest I have no grace in my self to fulfil the Covenant no but thou must perform both parts thou givest the grace and good thing promised and grace to keep the Covenant too therefore let none be discouraged Many things are required it is true but the things are promised that are required if in the use of means we depend on him by prayer For the promises are Legacies as well as promises what is the difference between a legacy and a
had at the first as Gods mending is ever for the better The state of grace and glory is better then ever the state of nature was spiritual is better then natural Therefore it is much for the glory of the wisdome of God that he can in Christ reconcile justice and mercy and shew more mercy then ever he did in making man out of the dust of the earth and all is to the glory of God These attributes especially are glorious in the promises in Christ. His Justice is glorious in punishing sin in Christ there sin is odious in the punishing of Christ God-man if we speak of justice there is justice If of Mercy to put it upon our surety for God to give his Son for us there is transcendent mercy and transcendent justice in the punishing of our sin how could it be punished greater And then the glory of his Wisdom to bring these together infinite mercy and infinite justice in Christ. Infinite Power for God to become man and without sin to be so farre abased a humble omnipotency to descend so low that God could be mortal and then to raise himself again And then the glory of his Truth that whatsoever was promised to Abraham to David to the Prophets all was performed in Christ all the Types here is glory by Christ of Mercy Justice Wisdome Truth for all are Yea and Amen in Christ. Therefore he may well say all this is To the glory of God Therefore consider how the glory of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ as the Apostle saith If you would see God see him shining in the face of Jesus Christ see his Mercy shining in Christ and his Justice in the punishing our sin in Christ see his Truth his Power his Wisdome shineing in Christ and shining more then in the Creation or in any thing in the world besides Can you honour God more then in believing the Gospel Can you dishonour him more then to call his truth into question that is Yea and Amen If you believe the Gospel you set to your seal that God is true 1 Joh. 3. What an honour is this that God will be honoured by you in setting to your seal that he is true you give him the glory of all his attributes In not believing what a dishonour do you do to God you deny his Mercy his Wisdome his Justice his Truth you deny all his attributes you make God a liar what a horrible sin is unbelief Therefore fortifie your faith The Devil layeth siege to our faith above all other things if he can shake that he shakes all for holy life goes when faith goes Who will love God or obey God when he knowes not whether he be his God or no Let faith flourish and it will quicken life in the heart Let the promises grow in the heart and the Word be graffed in the heart and all will flourish in a Christians life all will come off clearly and freely obedience will be chearful and free when we see God reconciled in Christ. Then love will be full of devices when I see Gods love to me what shall I do to shew love again to shew thanks to God where is there any that for Cods sake I may do good unto How shall I maintain the truth and resist all opposers of the truth Can I do too much for him that hath done so much for me Love quickens The Devil knowes if he can shake faith he shakes all Let us fortifie faith and we glorifie God more then by any thing else He is glorious in the Gospel and how shall he be so by us except we set our hearts to believe him Therefore let us seal Gods truth by our faith and set to our seales that God is true God vouchsafes to be honoured by weak sinful men believing of him and that faith that honours him he will be sure to honour By us By us Ministers How When the Gospel is preached God is carried in triumph as it were and his banner is set up and the Promises displayed and sinners called unto him and God is glorified by the discovery of these things and faith is wrought in people to whom they are discovered and they glorifie God when they believe they blesse God that ever they heard these tydings so every way God is glorified The Ministers they open as it were the box of sweet oyntment that the savour of it may be in the Church and spread far They lay open the tapestry the rich treasures of Gods mercies they dig deep and find out the treasure Therefore these Promises in Scripture being so made and performed in Christ they tend to Gods glory but by us by our Ministery God to knit man and man together will convey the good he means to convey by the despised Ministery The enemies therefore of the Ministery of the Gospel what are they here is a double prejudice against them they are enemies of the glory of God and of the comfort of Gods people for they glorifie God in the sense of his mercy when it is unfolded to them God gets glory and they comfort What do we think then of Popish spirits that feed the people only with dead and dull ceremonies but let them go I go on to the next Verse having dwelt somewhat long on this VERSE XXI Now he that stablisheth us with you in Christ is God who hath anointed us c. AS the riches of a Christian consisteth in the promises of God which as we have heard in Christ are all Yea and Amen so unlesse he be stablished and built upon this strength all is nothing What if a man stand on a rock if he be not built on it what if the foundation be never so strong if he be not stablished thereon It is not sufficient that the Promises be stablished but we must be stablished upon them The Promises of God are indeed Yea and Amen might the soul say but what is that to me Therefore the Apostle addeth He that gives the Promises will stablish us upon the promises Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ is God The first thing that I will observe before we come to the particular handling of the words shall be onely this in the general from the connexion and knitting together of this Verse with the former viz. That there must be a double Amen There is an Amen in the Promises they are in themselves true there must be an Amen likewise in us we must say Amen to them that is we must be stablished upon them There must be an Echo in a Christians heart unto God that as God saith These and these things I promise and they are all Amen so the soul by faith must Echo again These things are for me I believe them For as we say in the Schooles to good purpose there is a double certainty a double firmnesse a certainty of the Object and a
the Israelites fell to Idolatry Paul did but leave the Galatians a little and they were removed presently from Christ to false Teachers The nature of man is wonderful unstable very loose and unsettled Divine truths are supernatural we have need of stablishing therefore Again stablishing grace is necessary in regard of those oppositions that are made against us after once we be in Christ For with what malice doth Satan pursue a Christian when he is once taken out of his Kingdom And the world runs a clean contrary Byas in the several examples thereof How many scandals do there arise daily even in the very Church it self How many things are in our natural disposition joyning with them all which will make a man fly off and unsettle him if he be not stablished in grace And indeed what is the difference between one Christian and another that lives in the bosome of the Church between a temporizer and another The difference is but in their radication in their stablishing for all have the general knowledge of the truth but here is the difference the true Christian is radicated and rooted in the truth a false Christian is not and thereupon when temptations come either from within from conscience or from without from Satan and the world he falls away because he is not rooted but the other holds on because he is established And the best of us all have need of stablishing for there be degrees of truths degrees of faith in all the parts of faith there is conjecture a certain suspicious knowledge and there is opinion which is with fear of the contrary and there is knowledge and there is faith which is founded upon the Authority of the speaker And yet this faith though it be founded upon the Word of God it may receive further and further strength in all the parts of it In assent there may be a higher degree in affiance there may be a higher degree c. And therefore the best of us all have need of strengthening But where shall we have it Christ is the Basis the foundation of all our stability Now in the Covenant of grace we are stablished in him not in our selves The Point is this That Christ is the ground of our firmnesse As all the Promises are made to us in Christ in regard of the execution so God he brings us to Christ all is conferred to us in Christ as the Promises are made so they are executed God stablisheth us in Christ he drawes us to Christ. None come to me but God the Father drawes Therefore God doth reveal Christ to us in our conversion and our stablishing is in him Therefore our salvation is so certain because it is laid upon one that is so certain in himself Christ Jesus And happy it is that we are stablished in him that loves us so well that is both a low high Priest that will pity us and a great high Priest equall with God able to do all things to God for us and between God and us Adam we know had his strength in his own keeping and being left to himself we see what became of him The Angels had their strength in their own keeping and we know how soon they fell But since the fall we are founded and bottomed upon a surer foundation now we stand not by our own strength but we are established in Jesus Christ we are surer then the Angels were before they fell surer then Adam was in Paradise for now we arestablished in Christ the Mediatour God and man and because we could not keep our stability in our selves we are stablished in him that wrought it for us and that possesseth it for us in heaven and that keeps it for us and as it is laid up and kept for us so we are kept for it You are kept by the power of God to salvation 1 Pet. 1. And therefore as there be many differences which advance the state of grace above the state of nature so this is one that our state in grace is more stable and firm as being stablished upon a better ground even upon Jesus Christ the second Adam God never mends but he mends for the better and he never restores but he restores for the better the new heaven and the new earth shall be better then the first so the new creature the new Adam is more glorious then the first and as that which we recover in Christ is more and better then that we lost in Adam so the certainty and security of our estate in grace is far beyond the other this being stablished in Christ. But what in us is stablished in Christ and in Christ how considered First of all our Judgment that is stablished in Evangelical truths concerning the Natures and the Offices of Christ concerning the priviledges that we have by him and this is the ground of all other stablishment we cannot firmly cleave to that with our Will and affections which we do not clearly apprehend with our understandings When we have a clear and judicious apprehension of things then followes a firm affection to them the adhering and cleaving of the will and affections it comes from the discerning of the understanding and therefore as we say of the first concoction if that be naught all is naught and if that be good and sound it makes way for all concoctions after so if things be well digested in the Judgment if there be a sound illumination and apprehension of Divine truths it makes way for a constant and firm adhesion therefore the first stablishing is of our Judgments Secondly as our Judgments so our Wills are stablished in cleaving unto Christ making choyce of him above all things in the world that as he became man to sue unto us for our love and to become our Husband so we then marry him when upon judging what an excellent person he is and how fit for us we choose him and cleave unto him constantly without all separation for better for worse in our joy in our love and delight for indeed he is the only excellent object and most fittest for our affections to be placed on whatsoever other things besides we place our affections on too much they make us worse then our selves onely he can advance us to a better estate then we are in that can raise us higher In a word the whole soul judgment will and affections and all the inward man for so the Apostle takes it in that latitude Ephes. 3. 16. is stablished in Christ and this carries the outward man with it We are stablished in Jesus Christ not in our selves Now when we are stablished in Christ whatsoever Christ hath or is is ours It is a most excellent condition to be in Christ and to be stablished in him for to be established in Christ is to be in a firm estate in an everlasting estate once Christs and for ever his it is a glorious state for he hath
care not to encrease their knowledge The more we know of God the more we shall trust him The more we know of a man that we have bonds from that he is an able man and just of his word we shall trust him more and the more our security upon his promise and bond is encreased so the more we know of God as he hath revealed himself in his Word and his voluntary Covenant he hath made with us and performed in the examples of Scripture the more we know him the more we shall trust him And this must be a spiritual knowledge not onely a bare naked reading but it must be spiritual like the truth it self We must see and know spiritual things in their own light to know them by their own light is to know them by the Spirit You know the Spirit dictated the Scripture to the Prophets and Apostles the Spirit did all they wrote as they were acted by the Spirit Now the same Spirit must inform our understanding and take away the vail of ignorance and infidelitie I say the Spirit must do it we must know spiritual things in their own light Therefore a carnal man can never be a good Divine though he have never so much knowledge an illiterate man of another calling may be a better Divine then a great Scholar Why Because the one hath onely notional knowledge discoursive knowledge to gather by strength of parts one thing from another Divinity is a kind of Art and as far as it is an Art to prove one thing by another so a natural man may do wonders in it and yet know nothing in its own spiritual light That is the reason the Divel himself knowes nothing he is a spirit of darknesse because he knowes nothing spiritually and comfortably therefore as there must be humility and faith for our stablishing so there must be spiritual knowledge It is said here that God stablisheth us the same God that stablisheth us must give us faith whereby we are stablished and he must give us knowledge Beg of God that he would vouchsafe us his Spirit when we read the Scriptures beg of God that he would open our understanding by his own Spirit that as there is light in the Scriptures so there may be in us You know an eye must have light before it can see the light light is full of discovery of things in it self I can see nothing except there be light in my eye too there must be a double light so there must be a Spirit in me as there is a Spirit in the Scripture before I can see any thing God must open our eyes and give us spiritual eye-salve to see and then the light of the Scripture and our light together is suficient to found a saving faith as stablishing faith on What is the reason that a Christian stands to his profession though he be weak when the greatest learned men in the world flinch in persecution The knowledge of the one is spiritual and heavenly he hatht ligh in him the other hath no divine spiritual light when light is ioyned with light the light in the soul with the light in the Scripture it makes men wondrous confident To this end labour to be acquainted with Gods Word study the Scriptures and other Treatises of that kind that you may be able to hold fast the truth that it be not wrung from you upon any occasion And in reading it is a good course to observe the main principal undeniable truths such Dogmaticall truths as are clear and evident and to lay them up and oft make queries to our selves Do I understanst this or no Yes I do this I know is true build on it then and bottom the soule upon it And so if it be matter of promises these promises are undeniable true I will stay my soul upon them And so when we meet with plain evidences in the Scriptures that crosse our coruptions that meet with our known sins then consider of those places as Jewels and lay them up that you may have use of them as occasion serves All things have not an equall certainty in Scripture to us some things we may have an implicite faith in but the main we must have a clear apprehension of There are some things that concern Teachers more to know then others by reason of their standing in the Church it is sufficient that in preparation of mind we be ready to imbrace further truths that shall be discovered but in fundamentall truths it is not so we must have our hearts stablished upon them that as they are certain in themselves so they may be certain to us And often let us examine our selves Would I die in this and for this would I stand in the defence of this against any this will make us make much of so much truth as we know and labour to grow in truths in that kind And take no scandal to hear that any shrink from the profession of the truth and the maintaining of it that are of great reputation Was Christ the worse for Judas betraying of him and for Peters denying of him was Paul's truth the worse because he had many enemies Elymas the sorcerer and others Is the truth the worse because there are many that have carnall outward dependance that seeme to shrink when they should stand out The truth is not the worse it is the same truth still truths are eternall in themselves and in the good they bring if they be believed The Word of God endures for ever it is not variable as man is and therefore be not discouraged though men discountenance it remember whose truth it is for whose good it is given the Word of God it is a soul saving truth And retain the truth in love Love is an affection with which we should receive the truth or else God will give us over to uncertainties They in 2 Thess. 2 10. had the truth but because they received not the Love of the truth therefore God sent them strong delusions that they should believe a lie O how lovely is the truth The certainty of our estate in Christ the glorious priviledges that come by him that the gifts of God are without repentance that God looks on us not for foreseen faith or works but such as he had decreed to work himself How comfortable how lovely are these truths being the Word of God notwithstanding some seek to shake them These very truths should be retained in love And indeed the truth is not in its own place till it be fixed in the heart and affections and in a good conscience which S. Paul makes likewise the vessel of the truth and those that care not for that they make shipwrack of the truth And what truths you know labour to practise and then you shall be stablished If any man do the will of my Father saith our Saviour Joh. 7. 17. he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God
or whether I speak of my selfe Be true to known truths be not false in disobeying them To him that hath shall be given We have a little stablishing by an uniform obedience to the truth we shall have more God will increase it I say let us be faithful to the truths we have ' and not crosse them in any sinful course let us not keep the truth prisoner to any base affection as those in Rom. 1. that had but the light of nature yet because they imprisoned it and held it in unrighteousness and lived in sins contrary to that light rhat God had kindled in them though I say it were but the light of nature God gave them up to sins not to be named much more will he do to us if we withhold the light of the Gospel take heed therefore that we inthral not the truth to any base lust whatsoever and that is a means to be stablished in the truth And be oft in holy conference with others Conference if it be rightly used is a special means to stablish that is most certain which is certain after doubting and debate because that which is doubted of at the first we come to be resolved of at the last comparing reason with reason Remembring alwayes that of S. Ambrose That there must not be striving for victory but for truth And then when we have tryed all we must keep that which is good and not be alwayes as the Iron between two Loadstones haled this way and that way alwayes doubting and never resolved there must be a time of resolution This the Apostle observes to be an excellent way of stablishing oft to confer of things doubtful And labour to get experience of the truth in our selves nothing stablisheth more then experience Our Saviour Christ in Joh. 6. 68. when many left him out of dulnesse not understanding the spiritual things that he taught as many whose wits will serve for matters of the world and to make them great amongst men but when they come to heavenly things they have no understanding they cannot apprehend them he asks his Disciples Will you go away also Peter who had his heart opened by the Spirit of God saith he Lord whither shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life insinuating that the experience that he had of the power of that truth that Christ taught did so establish him in the present truth that with a holy kind of indignation at the question he replyes Whither shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life I have found thy words to have a spirituall life in them So when we come once to have an experimental knowledge of the truths we learn then our hearts are stablished indeed then it is an ingraffed Word as S. James saith then the Word is true leaven when it altereth and changeth the soul in such a case there is no separating from fundamentall truth when it is one with our selves and digested into us And pray to God oft as David did Psal. 86. to knit our hearts to fear his Name Lord my heart is loose and ready to fall off of it self Oh knit my heart it is unsettled Oh settle my unsettled heart settle my judgment and affections this should be our meditation And because it is God that stablisheth alway maintain spiritual poverty in the soul that is a perpetual dependance upon God see the insufficiency that is in our selves that we cannot stand out What is the reason that God suffers great men to fall from the defence of the truth and from the profession of it in their lives as we see it in the case of Peter to shew that we stand not by our own strength therefore we should be alwayes in this temper of spiritual poverty to know that as Samsons strength was in his Hair so our strength is in God God is my strength of my self I have no strength And therefore upon every new defence of the truth when we are called to it we should lift up ejaculations and dart up strong desires to God that God would strengthen and stablish our souls that we may not be traytors to the truth but that we may stand to it for in his owne strength shall no man be established And grow every day more and more in detestation of a luke-warme temper Your Ancipites as Cyprian calls them your doubtful flatterers of the times that have their Religion depending upon the State and the times that are neither fish nor flesh Bats as we say that are neither Mice nor Birds but of a doubtful Religion that out of carnal policy are fit to entertain any thing Oh this is a devilish temper Howsoever we in our luke-warm disposition value the truth God values it highly it was purchased by Christs blood and sealed by the blood of Martyrs and shall not we transmit it to our posterity as safe and as firm and retain it come what will Let us grow into dislike of this temper atemper that we should as much hate as God hates it such a temper as is in Popery they are in an adiaphorisme temper in Religion a luke-warm cold temper a temper of Religion according to reasons of flesh and reasons of policy this will make us be spued out of Gods mouth at the last Do we think to lose Religion alone Oh no never think to part with Religion alone it came with peace and prosperity and if we keep not this Depositum this truth delivered to us God will take it away and that which we betray it for Peace and Plenty Let us labour therefore to be radicated in our Judgment in our Affections in our Love in our Faith in our whole inward man in the truth revealed To be stablished in the truth it is our best inheritance it is that will stand by us when all leaves us What consistence hath a man out of the truth are you rich or honourable death will drive you out of all your riches and honours in the world and strip you of all What stablishing hath any man but in Christ in the truth Take a man that is not bottomed that is not fastened on Christ he is the changeablest creature in the world he is vanity he is nothing Oh love this state that we may say Though I be variable here though I be not so rich as I was or have not that favour of great ones that I have had or it is not with me as it hath been but in all changes I have somewhat that is unchangeable my soul is settled upon Christ and upon the truth in him which is certain As it is a glorious being to be found in Christ so it is an eternal and an everlasting being once Christs and for ever his he will never lose a member Labour we therefore to be stablished in Christ in all the changes and alterations in the world and then we shall have something that is unchangeable to fix and stay our selves upon
have it in Psal. 1. As the chaffe that the wind driveth to and fro because it hath no consistence it is a light body or as the drosse Psal. 119. God shall destroy the wicked as drosse see how the Scripture compares men not onely for their wickednesse but for their misery that have no certain being but on earthly things though they be never so great and as they think deeply rooted when troubles come they are as drosse they are as chaffe that hath no firmnesse before the wind when the wind of Judgment comes they are as stubble presently wasted and brought to nothing I beseech you therefore without deceiving of our own hearts let us enter into our own soules and examine for our knowledge first and then for our boldnesse What doest thou know in Religion that thou wouldest die for or die in we are stablished in no more to purpose then we would dye for Are those truths thou knowest so firmly wrought in thee by the Spirit of God hast thou such experience of them such spiritual sense and taste of the goodnesse of them that thou wouldest be content to part with thy life rather then to part with them thou art stablished then by the Spirit of God in Christ. I do not speak of every little truth it needs not that a man should die for that but I speak for fundamental truths canst thou prove them so out of the Scripture and doest thou find the testimony of Jesus Christ witnessing to thy heart that they are true then thou art confirmed and stablished in these truths I beseech you let us often examine upon what grounds and how firmly we know what we know For have we not many that if the Adversaries should come would conform to Popery and joyn themselves to Rome because they cannot back their principles with Scriptures and because they have not a spiritual understanding and apprehension of Divine truths Now he that is stablished stands firm against temptations and against arguments he will not be won away from his faith but remains unmoveable Therefore I say let us often examine our selves in this particular I believe this and this against the Papists and others I but how shall I stand out for this If tryals should come am I able to prove this from the Scriptures so clear as if it were written as he saith with a Sun-beam The temptation and assaults of the Devil by mens subtile wits and arguments will shake our judgments will hurt more and if time should come try us better then fire and fagot Those Spies that brought an evil report upon the Land of Canaan we see that though the Land when it was won was fruitful enough and the conquest of it honourable c. and therein those Spies discovered their own weaknesse yet when they had made that shrewd Oration and brought subtile arguments to the eye of flesh and blood we see I say how the people were discouraged and how they staggeted So a man that is not stablished he may sometimes have shrewd men to deal withal perhaps Atheists Papists Jesuites and the Devil joyning with them to unsettle men and they will prevail if men be not well settled and stablished before And so for the course of our life and conversation amongst men we should examine how we are stablished in that for we are not onely to stand firm in cases of Religion but for causes of honesty John Baptist was as good as a Martyr though the cause he dyed for was not Religion but a bold telling of Herod when he thought he took an unlawful course in keeping his brothers Wife An honest man may dye and suffer much for civil matters Therefore examine your selves in this I have undertaken this cause upon what ground in what confidence how far would I willingly go in it could I be content to lose the favour of great ones to dye in the quarrel if need be So far as a man is stablished by Gods Spirit so far is he settled also in this You have had Heathen men that would stand out firmly even to the death against all disfavours against all losses and crosses for evidence of Civil truths as you have it storied of Papinian an excellent Lawyer that in the defence of right stood forth to the losse of his life and many other the like examples have been But much more doth the Spirit of God stablish men this I understand this cause is good this I will stand in come what will when I am called to it Let us oft call our selves to an account what we believe and upon what ground what we do and upon what ground we undertake it whether on grounds of conscience or out of spleen and passion When a man undertakes things on natural grounds in great temptations if God do not assist him he will sink Take the strongest courages that are if they have no more but nature though they may stand out sometimes to the shame of Christians yet in some cases they will shew themselves to be but meer natural men And therefore labour for the Spirit to stablish us It is not necessary that we should enjoy our wealth nor the favour of men nor our life it self but it is necessary that we should keep a good conscience it is necessary that we should be saved it is necessary that we should look upon our Judge with confidence at the day of Judgment It becomes Christians who besides the light of nature have the Spirit to stablish them to be settled in their courses to look that the conscience be good the cause good the aym good If such a one give over when the cause is clear and good it is a sign that his heart is not stablished by the Spirit of God in Christ he hath either corrupt aymes or else he is weak and understands not the grounds of Religion and the vanity of this life as he should do There are none that flinch and give over in a good quarrel but either it is from hypocrisie that he pretends to believe in Christ and life everlasting and yet he doth not or else it is from extream and wonderful weaknesse which if he belong to God he shall recover as Peter did and shall stand more strongly another time It is but a forced a false encouragement and stablishing when a man that hath not the Spirit of God shall set light by death though perhaps he die in a good quarrel and with some comfort For when a man shall know that after death there is a Judgment and that God hath many things to lay to his charge when his conscience shall tell him that he is guilty of a thousand deaths if he be not in Christ and his pardon sealed by the Spirit of God in the blood of Christ is it not madnesse to be couragious in that which he cannot conquer It is good for a man to be couragious in time of conquest It is a dastardly thing for
things Magistrates and Officers go with their broad Seal and deliver things that they would have carried with authority sealed and the Seal of the Prince is the authority of the Prince so that a Seal is to make things authentical to give validity to things answerable to the value and esteem of him that seales These four principal uses there is of sealing Now God by his Spirit doth all these for God by his Spirit sets the stamp and likenesse of Christ upon us he distinguisheth us from others from the great refuse of the world he appropriates us to himself and like wise he authorizeth us and puts an excellency upon us to secure us against all when we have Gods Seal upon us we stand against all accusations Who shall separate us from the love of God we dare defâ—… all objections and all accusations of conscience whatsoever a man that hath Gods Seal he stands impregnable it so authorizeth him in his conscience for it is given us for our assurance and not for Gods God seales not because he is ignorant He knowes who are his But what is the Spirit it self this seal or the graces of the Spirit or the comforts of the Spirit what is this seal for that is the question now whether the Spirit it self or the work of the Spirit or the comfort and joy of the Spirit I answer indeed the Spirit of God where it is is a sufficient seal to us that God hath set us out for his for whosoever hath the Spirit of Christ is his and whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his but the Spirit is the Authour of this sealing and the sealing that is in us is wrought by the Spirit so that except you take the Spirit for that which is wrought by the Spirit you have not the right comprehension of sealing and so the Spirit with that which the Spirit works is the seal for the Spirit is alway with his own seal with his own stamp Other seales are removed from the stamp and the stamp remains though the seal be gone but the Spirit of God dwells and keeps a perpetual residence in the heart of a Christian guiding him moving him enlightning of him governing him comforting him doing all offices of a seal in his heart till he have brought him to heaven for the Holy Ghost never leaves us it is the sweetest inhabitant that ever lodging was given to he doth all that is done in the soul and he is perpetually with his own work in joy and comfort though he seems sometimes to be in a corner of the heart and is not discernable yet he alway dwells in us the Spirit is alwayes with the stamp it sets upon the soul. What is that stamp then to come to the matter more particularly what is that that the Spirit seales us with especially what is that work I answer the Spirit works in this order for the most part and in some of these universally First the Spirit doth together with the Word which is the instrument of the Spirit the Chariot in which it is carried convince us of the evil that is in us and of the ill estate we are in by reason thereof it convinceth us that we are sinners and of the fearful estate that we are in by sin this is the first work of the Spirit on a man in the state of nature it convinceth us of the ill that is in us and of the ill due unto us and thereupon it abaseth us therefore it is called the Spirit of bondage because it makes a man tremble and quake till he see his peace in Christ. When the Spirit hath done that then it convinceth a man by a better by a sweeter light discovering a remedy in Christ who is sealed of God to reconcile God and us And as he enlightneth the soul convinceth it of the all-sufficiency that is in Christ and the authority that he hath being sent and sealed of God for that purpose so he works on the affections he inclines the heart to go to God in Christ and to cast himself on him by faith Now when the soul is thus convinced of the evil that is in us and of the good that is in Christ and with this convincing is enclined and moved by the holy Spirit as indeed the holy Spirit doth all then upon this the Spirit vouchsafeth a superadded work as the Spirit doth still adde to his own work he addes a confirming work which is here called Sealing that seal is not faith for the Apostle saith After you believed ye were sealed so that this sealing is not the work of faith but it is a work of the Spirit upon faith assuring the soul of its estate in grace But what need confirmation when we believe Is not faith confirmation enough when a man may by a reflect act of the soul know that he is in the state of grace by believing It is true as the natural conscience knows what is in a man as the natural judgment can reflect so the spiritual understanding can reflect and when he believes he knowes that he believes without the Spirit by the reflect act of the understanding except he be in case of temptaton what needs sealing then This act of ours in believing and the knowledge of our believing it is oft terribly shaken and God is wondrous desirous as we see by the whole passage of the Scripture that we should be secure of his love he knowes that he can have no glory and we can have no comfort else and rherefore when we by faith have sealed to his truth he knowes that we need still further sealing that our faith be current and good and to strengthen our faith for all is little enough in the time of temptation and therefore the single witnesse of our soul by the reflect act knowing that we do believe when we do believe it is not strong enough in great temptations for in some tryals the soul is so carried and hurried that it cannot reflect upon it self nor know what is in it self without much ado therefore first the Spirit works faith whereby we seal Gods truth Joh. 3. He that believes hath put to his seal that God is true when God by his Spirit moves me to honour him by sealing his truth that Whosoever believes in Christ shall be saved then God seales this my belief with an addition of his holy Spirit so that this sealing is a work upon believing and as faith honours God so God honours faith with a superadded seal and confirmation But yet we not come particularly enough to know what this Seal is When we honour God by sealing his truth then the Spirit seales us certainly then the Spirit doth it by presence by being with us in our soules What then doth the Spirit work when we believe How shall we know that there is such a spiritual sealing I answer the Spirit in this seaâ—…g works these four things First a secret voyce or
hath lived as in the presence of God all his dayes He that hath presented to his soul as it were the barre of Christ in his life-time that hath lived as one that could give an account and reckoning when he comes to the point that he must give up his account how joyfully and comfortably will he do it So much for that verse I come now to the last Verse of the Chapter VERSE XXIV Not that we have dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy for by faith ye stand SAint Paul is yet in his clearing he is yet in his apology Not that we have dominion over your faith c. I do not tell you I came not yet to spare you as if I meant to domineer over your faith when I came because those words I came not yet to spare you might seem to carry some highnesse some Lordlinesse with them as if the Apostle would have taken much upon him therefore he corrects those words in this Verse Not that we have dominion over your faith c. So that in these words he removes a suspition of spiritual tyranny over them because he had said before he came not to spare them they might think What would he have done if he had come would he have enforced us Oh no indeed your reformation hath spared me a labour and you a chiding but if I had reproved you sharply it should have been for your good Then he sets down the true cause We are helpers of your joy If I had come and told you of your faults if I had not spared you it should have been to help your joy and now I came not to you it is to help your joy my scope in all is to be a furtherer of your joy So these words are a reason of the former why he did not come to domineer over their faith For by faith ye stand You stand by faith and you stand out by faith against all oppositions whatsoever therefore your faith must not lean on me I must not domineer over that you stand by if your faith should rely on me I am but a man faith must rely on God it must have a better pillar then my self you must stand upon Divine strength therefore you stand by faith and if you stand by faith we have no reason to have dominion over your faith These words are declined by many Interpreters they know not what the dependance is but this is the best dependance of the words We domineer not or rule not over your faith because by faith you stand as upon a bottom you stand against all adverse power by faith Therefore you had need to have it well founded you had need to plant your faith well by which you stand against all opposite power and against all humane authority For a man may be a liar and do good in many things a man hath a deceitful nature as far as he hath a corrupt principle in him he may deceive and yet be a good man too in particular cases he may shew himself a changeable creature But there must be no falshood or uncertainty in faith for it is a grace that must have truth and certainty it must have unmoveable and unchangeable truth to build on therefore we domineer not over your faith God forbid we should do so for faith is the grace whereby you stand if you should build upon us as men you could not stand alway The Point is clear That No creature hath dominion over the faith of another The faith of a man is onely subject to the Spirit of God to God and to Christ. And by the way S. Paul taxeth those false Apostles and false Teachers that laboured to creep into the consciences of people to have higher place in the hearts of people then they should have that so they might rule the people as they list Now that should not be the scope of the Minister to have dominion over the faith of others for the Ministery is a Ministery not a Magistracy A Minister so far as he is a Pastor he is a Minister that is he is to deliver things from God that may stablish the soul not to domineer over mens faith as if he could prescribe what men should believe Now to unfold this Point I will first shew what it is to have no dominion over mens faith And then what it is to have dominion and rule over other mens faith and who are guilty of this Not to have dominion over another mans faith it is not when a Church doth force prescribing to the Articles of Religion that is not to have dominion over the faith of others to draw people to conformity of the same Religion in the substantials of it as some that seek extravagant liberty lay that imputation perhaps it is used in all Churches Again it is not to domineer over faith to suppresse that that they call of late in neighbour-Countreys a liberty of prophesie to suppresse a liberty of preaching when men list that men should have an unbridled licence We see in Polonia and those Countreys what abundance of Hereticks there are where there is more liberty to preach and to publish what men list Those Countreys are like Africk where they say there are alway new Monsters Or like to Egypt when Nilus overflowes it leaves a slime behind and when the Sun works upon that slime it breeds many imperfect strange creatures So those Countreys where there is liberty of Religions there are alwayes some strange novel opinions some Monsters experience of forreign Countreys shews it too true therefore to hinder that extravagant liberty is not dominion over faith Nay to force men to the meanes of faith it is not to domineer over faith S. Austin himself was once of this mind that people were not to be forced it is true but they may be compelled to the means though they cannot be compelled to believe Men may be compelled to the means by mulcts and other courses of State And it is a happy necessity when people are forced to the means under which means by Gods blessing they may be reduced to abetter habit and temper of soul. Therefore it is cruelty to neglect this care to leave people to their own liberty to attend upon the means or not to attend on them Therefore our State is and may be justified well for those violent courses to Recusants And many of them after blesse God they have done it and they have cause For there is a Majestie in the Ordinances of God if people were brought under the means Gods Spirit would make the means effectual And there is not a greater snare of the Devil whereby he holds more in the Romish Church in perdition then by perswading them that it is a dangerous thing to come to our prayers and to attend upon the means of salvation when as in our Liturgy there is nothing that may justly offend Therefore to force to the means it is not
to domineer over faith because it is onely a drawing from outward inforcement to the use of means Again it is not a ruling over faith nor a base slavery when men hear the Word of God opened directly and clearly when men shall perswade others according to their own judgment that this is so and when others shall yield There is some faith that may be called in some degree implicite faith and obedience that is not sinful but good and discreet As when men by their standing in the Church and by their experience and holinesse of life are thought to be men that speak agreeable to the ground of Scripture though they have not a direct rule and place of Scripture for it other mens conscience may follow what they say I have been directed by such men at such times that by reason of their calling have opportunity to advise But this frees it from base service that it must be with reservation till it appear otherwise by some place of Scripture or till better counsel may be yielded obedience to others with reservation and counselling with others this is no domineering because it is with reserving our selves to a further discovery and a further light That the Moralists use to call the opinion of an honest man where the Law speaks not it is much to be esteemed especially an honest discreet Christian when the Law of God speaks not directly then he that speaks out of conscience and some light he may perswade another man with this reservation till further light be discovered this is no domineering over faith I might take away many things that might breed a suspition as if we domineered over the faith of others when we do not But to come to shew you this positive truth what this tyranny over the faith of others is and where it is practised Those tyrannize over the faith of others that do equalize mens Traditions some Canons of their own with the Word of God and presse them with equal violence perhaps more because they are braâ—…s of their own brain Those that will devise a voluntary worship of God and so intangle people and tell them This you must do when there is no ground for it in the Word of God it is will-worship God loves willing worship when we worship him willingly but he loves not-will-worship when it is the device of our own brain how we will serve him As if a servant or a slave must devise how his Lord will be served what impudency is this if we consider what God is They tyrannize over peoples consciences that equalize their own dotages though they account them witty devices and their own inventions with the worship of God that jumble all together as if conscience were equally bound to any device of their own as to Gods Word Again those do tyrannize over the faith of others that think they can make Articles in Religion to bind conscience Those that think to free themselves from the danger of errour as if what they said were unfallible they tyrannize over others Those that for trifles excommunicate whole Churches because they hold not correspondency with them in their errours they tyrannize over the faith of others Those that withhold the means of knowledge that so in a dark time all their fooleries may be more admired As we see masks and such like overly things they must have the commendation of some light that is not so glorious as the Sun to win admiration of men so those that would win admiration of their fooleries they shut people as much as they may in darknesse that they may have their persons and all other things in admiration this is to tyrannize over faith and to hinder them from that that is the means to reform them better But who are guilty of all this We see what Church especially is guilty of this of domineering over the faith of others that is the Church of Rome The Councell of Trent equalizeth Traditions with the Word of God they divide the Word of God into the written and unwritten and under a curse they pronounce that all must be received with the same reverence And then they have devised a will-worship of their own and follow and force their will-worship with greater violence then the worship of God and they set Gods stamp upon all their fooleries to gain authority under the name of Christs Church and the Word of God they carry all Again you know they hold the Church to be infallible they hold the judgment of the Pope the man of sin to be infalible he cannot erre and hereupon whatsoever he saith it must bind conscience because he is in his Chair and cannot erre whatsoever he saith is the scope of Gods Word infallible And this is a fundamental errour as we call it a first lie a leading lie This is moving to errour this is the mover that moves all other errours under it For where upon is all the abominations of Popery justified They are iustified by this though they seem ridiculous grosse and blasphemous they came from the Church and the Church is virtually in the Pope An absurd Position that the whole Church should be virtually in one man yet that is the Jesuitical opinion and the Church cannot erre therefore it is good because these tenents come from him whose judgment is infallible That is the errour that leadeth to and establisheth all other errours under it it is the first lie And in lies there is a leading one goes under another they never go alone so this is the leading lie of all Popery that the Pope cannot erre by this means they domineer over the faith of others and make the people even beasts indeed But to see the indignity of this that the Pope cannot erre it is the greatest errour of all and the prevention of all amendment on their side do you think that they will ever amend their opinion when they hold this that is a block in the way of all reformation that the Pope can erre for deny that and you call all the fabrick of their Religion in question and grant that it stops all reformation on their side What reformation may we hope for on their side that hold this Position that they cannot erre Hence come all their treasons and rebellions they have some dispensation from the Pope and he cannot erre though he prescribe rebellion and treason Another opinion they have that the Church is the Judge of all Controversies in which the faith of men must be resolved at last but it is the Pope that the Jesuits mean Now this is indeed to domineer over the faith to make a man of sin to be a Judge over all points of faith and faith to be resolved at last into that into the judgment of the Church The Church hath an inducing power a leading power perswading to the belief of the Scriptures and to hear what God saith in his Word but
after there is inward intrinsical grounds in the Word that make us to know the Word without the Church Now they would have the authority of the Word depend upon the Church and so over-rule mens consciences in that case Whereas all that the Church hath is a leading inducing perswading to hear the Word under which Word and Ordinance we shall see such light and majestie in the Scriptures that from inward grounds we shall be perswaded that the Word of God is the Word of God Therefore the Church is the first inducer to believe the Word of God not the last object to which all is resolved For they themselves crosse it in their tenents when they speak discreetly Is this opinion so and so The Church holds it but what authority hath the Church to maintain it where is the authority of your Church then they bring some place of Scripture I will be with you to the end of the world And He that heareth you heareth me c. I do but a little discover to you the danger of this errour They make the Word of God to be believed because the Church saith so they make truth to be believed because their man of sin whom they depend upon saith so Do we believe the Trinity or that Christ is our Redeemer because the Church saith so should we not believe it except the Church say so what if the Church teach the Doctrine of Devils as they do they cannot shake it off we must believe because the Church saith so so upon equal grounds they shall teach the Doctrine of Devils and the Doctrine of Christ because the Church saith so As it was said anciently he that believes two things the one for the other he believes not two but one in effect because he believes the one for the other So in effect they believe nothing but the Church that is themselves believe the truth to be divine because they say so so they may believe any devillish errour because they say so so any treason or rebellion must go current because they say so because they cannot erre Yyou see how they domineer over the faith of others shall not Christ be Christ nor God be God nor the Devil be the Devill except the Church say so Again in the very matters themselves in the points that themselves do not urge the Church of Rome domineers and tyrannizeth over the souls of people For example they hold that the intention of a Minister in the Sacrament makes it effectual What a fear doth this breed in the souls of men that they know not whether they be baptized or no because it must be in the intention of the Minister And then in confession they must confesse all what a tyranny is this to the souls of people when perhaps there is somewhat that they have not confessed and so their confession is of no worth And in satisfaction perhaps I have not made satisfaction enough by their injunction laid on me and therefore I must satisfie in hell what a rack is this to conscience So what a rack to conscience is that opinion that the Pope cannot erre when I cannot tell perhaps whether he be the right Pope or no if he came in by Simony or is not in Cathedra and many conditions they have to salve that Point If any of those conditions be not observed he is not the man he should be what tyranny do they force upon people over their faith Therefore they are called in the Revelations scorpions indeed they are spiritual Scorpions that sting the souls of Gods people The Devil is the King of darknesse and is not he the Prince of darknesse that maintains ignorance of the Word of God that all his old tenents and opinions may have the better sway that he may sit in the blind and dark consciences of people It is said 2. Thess. 2. that he sits in the Temple of God that is in the Church nay he labours to have another Temple to sit in mans soul which is the Temple of the Holy Ghost It is not sufficient for him that is the man of sin to have any other place he must sit in the very souls and consciences of men Satan hath a special malice to sit in the place of God since he was turned out of heaven and cannot come thither he will come to that place if he can upon earth where God should be and where will God be God will especially be in the hearts of his people in the souls and consciences of his people Conscience is Gods throne Satan being thrust out of heaven labours to stablish his throne there Now they that are Satans vicars led with his spirit they are of the same mind let them be what kind of great ones they will they desire to sit in Gods throne in the conscience and if a man will not tie his conscience to them he is no body to them This is the property of Antichrist in the highest degree as far as any are addicted to this that they will not be satisfied but the consciences of men must be tied to them they must deny all honesty and justice and law and all to please them and to gratifie them with particular kindnesse so farre they are led with the spirit of Antichrist and of the Devil himself who labours to sit in Gods throne that is in the hearts and consciences of people And therefore as I said they labour to keep people in darknesse for this very purpose that people may let them into their consciences and rule them as they please As Sampson when they had put out his eyes they led him to base services so do they with Gods people they put out their eyes and then they lead them to grind in the mill to all the base services they can It is not to be spoken of the brutish slavery and ignorance that is in Spain and other Countreys where that Devillish Inquisition reigns which is a great help to Popish Tyranny What should I speak of the state of the Romish Church indeed the main scope of it is to subdue all to them to subdue all Kings and Kingdomes to them that is the grand scope of the greatest of them others have their particular scope for their bellies and base ends but those among them that have brains that are Governours their scope is to bring all under their girdle and how shall they do this They cannot bring their persons but they must bring their consciences for where the conscience is the person will follow presently therefore they labour to lay a tie upon the conscience of Prince and people upon all that so they may domineer and rule over their consciences And for that end they labour to nourish them up in blindnesse for by blindnesse they rule in the conscience and ruling their conscience they may rule their persons and Kingdomes This is their main scope this hath been their plot for many hundred years So
book comforts against sin comforts against trouble outward and inward and all but till the Comforter come till God send his holy Spirit we shall not make use of them Therefore let us labour to have more communion with God before we come to hear the Word and after we have heard it let us have communion with God again that he would seal whatsoever is spoken to our soules and make it effectual to us Therefore we must learn to give the just due to the Ordinance of God and not to idolize it to make it the means of comfort not to make it the chief Comforter but the Spirit of God by it What is Paul or Apollo what are we but Ministers of faith and by consequent Ministers and helpers of comfort but not the authors of comfort Oh if I had such and such here I should do well I should be so and so Alas all is to no purpose unlesse thou hast the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God that can help by weak means Therefore we must not tie comfort and joy to this or that means but in all means look to the ground of comfort and the spring of all the Holy Ghost The reason why men do nor profit more that they are not more cheared and lift up with the Ministery of the Word which is a Word of reconciliation and of joy and comfort it is because they are more careful in the use of means then in going to God for his Spirit to blesse the means Now these must go together a care of using the means and a care to pray to him that he would give us wisdome and strength and blessed successe in the use of all means Then if we would joyn religiously and conscionably these two together the use of all means conscionably and in the use of all to lift up our hearts to God to blesse them we should find a wondrous successe upon the Ministery and all other good means likewise So much for that I go on to the last clause of the Chapter For by faith ye stand Why doth the Apostle vary the word we have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy whereas the consequence it seems might run thus we do not domineer over your faith but are helpers of your faith he puts joy instead of faith and afterward he brings in faith again for by faith ye stand This is one main reason because joy riseth from faith therefore he names it in stead of faith for the Holy Ghost is not curious of words but when the same Spirit wroks both he names that which he thinks will fittest suit the purpose Faith breeds joy How is that Because faith first of all doth shew to us the freedome from that that is the cause of all discomfort whatsoever it takes away all that may discourage For it takes away the fear of damnation for our sins it shewes our reconciliation in Jesus Christ. Faith shewes liberty and deliverance and so discovering deliverance by a Mediator it works joy Is not a prisoner joyful when he is set at liberty Then likewise faith discovers to us the face of God shining to us in Jesus Christ it shewes not only deliverance but favour It shewes us the ground of all the righteousnesse and obedience of our Saviour whereby we are delivered and brought into favour Now from this comes peace from the knowledge of our deliverance and acceptance with God founded upon the obedience of God-man a Saviour there comes in peace and peace breeds joy because faith discovers all these the ground of reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ and thereupon peace therefore it causeth joy For this is the pedigree and descent of joy as the Apostle hath it Rom. 14. The Kingdome of God is in righteousnesse and peace and joy There must be righteousnesse first of a Mediatur to satisfie the wrath of God and procure his favour From righteousnesse comes peace peace with God peace of conscience From peace comes joy there is no joy without peace no peace without righteousnesse And this whole pedigree of joy as it were is excellently set down Rom. 5. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord and have accesse to the throne of grace by which grace we stand and not only so but rejoyce So there is justification by the righteousnesse of Christ and thereupon peace with God and from peace boldnesse and accesse to God and thereupon joy So we see how faith brings in joy because it shewes the spring of joy whence it comes it shewes peace and peace riseth from reconciliation and reconciliation from righteousnesse of Christ Mediator whereupon we are delivered from all that we may fear and set in a state of true joy God being our friend When God is reconciled all is reconciled all is ours have we not cause of joy then Therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 15. The God of peace fill you full of joy in believing shewing that faith is the cause of all spiritual joy And the same you have in 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom ye rejoyced after ye believed with joy unspeakable and glorious In whom after ye believed that is in Christ you rejoyced with joy unspeakable and glorious And therefore you see the Apostle might well substitute joy in stead of faith because it springs and riseth from faith in Jesus Christ the Mediatour Hereupon we may come to make this Use of tryal how we may know whether our joy be good or no. Among many other evidences this is one that spiritual joy is good if it spring from the Word of faith If it spring from the Ordinance of God unfolded in the Word shewing us the ground of believing For he that truly joyes can shew the ground of his joy Herein joy differs from presumption from presumptuous swelling conceits true joy that is not the joy of an hypocrite it doth shew from whence it comes it riseth from grounds out of divine truth Then again this joy doth more immediately spring from faith in the Word from assurance that God is ours and that Christ is ours that God is at peace with us and that we are at peace with him it ariseth from peace that is wrought by faith Then again this joy if it be sound it is such a joy as S. Peter saith is an unspeakable and glorious joy joy arising from the Word of God and from faith and peace it is above discouragement because we have in the Word of God matter of joy above all discouragements and all allurements whatsoever It is a joy above the joy of riches or pleasures or profits why because the Word shewes matter of joy above all these The Prophet David rejoyced in the Word of God above Gold and Silver as one that had gotten great spoyles you see how oft he repeats it Psal. 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey-comb Psal.
19. It put his soul out of taste with all other things This joy of the Spirit it puts such a relish in the soul that it makes it undervalue all other things whatsoever the price of other things falls down when a man joyes in the Holy Ghost because it ariseth from the grounds of faith from peace and righteousnesse And likewise if it look forward from the hope of life everlasting and the favour of God the ground of all It riseth from things that are above all other contentments The loving kindnesse of the Lord that faith apprehends that is the ground of joy it is above life it self Now life is the sweetest thing upon earth but the loving kindnesse of God is better then that Therefore those that lose their soules in base contentments and joy in the dirty things of this life that are not fit for the soul to fasten on to place contentment in but are only to be used as those that take a journey to refresh them but those that are swallowed up in these things they know not what spiritual joy is that ariseth from the Word of God from divine truth that ariseth from faith for if they did this joy would raise them higher above all earthly contentments whatsoever Then again where this joy is this spiritual enlargement of soul which is called joy it is from true grounds it is with humility For the same Word that discovers matter of joy discovers matter of humility and grief in our selves by reason of the remainders of sin and of our own deservings So true joy it is a tempered and qualified joy it is not joyned with pride and swelling because it riseth from those grounds that teach us what we are in our selves alas such that we need not be proud in our selves but if we will glory we must glory in God Well it is not that that I mean principally to stand on but only I speak of it because it is placed here for faith as it springs from faith we are helpers of your joy To hasten then to that that followes For by faith ye stand This principally depends upon the first words We have not dominion over your faith because faith is such a grace as you stand by in all conditions Now what you stand by must be firm it must be on a good bottome and what is firm must not be humane but divine therefore we have no dominion over your faith for by faith ye stand Standing is a military word by faith ye stand that is first of all faith gives a standing a certain standing before any conflict it gives a standing in Christianity it sets the soul in a frame in a standing Nay faith helps us we stand by faith not only in a frame of Christianity and furnished with spiritual strength but then we are fit to encounter opposition by faith we stand to it and stand against all opposition we stand and stand to it by faith And standing likewise implies continuance in managing Christianity and opposing all enemies whatsoever by faith we stand and continue standing we hold out in all opposition Standing likewise in the next place implies a kind of safety together with victory at length By faith ye stand you stand so as you are not wounded to death you stand so as you are kept safe especially from mortal wounds and altogether safe so far as you use faith as a shield till you have got perfect victory and faith end in triumph So faith is that grace whereby we stand whereby we are in a frame of Religion fit to stand and whereby we so standiug encouter oppositions and continue so encountering and preserve our selves safe till victory be obtained this is the full expression and comprehension of the word By faith ye stand Now why is it by faith that we have this standing Because faith it is that grace in the new Covenant that makes the soul go out of it self it empties the soul of all things in it self and goes out to somewhat else whereupon it stands For in the new Covenant since Adams fall all our strength is in the second Adam our head we fetch it there And faith is the hand of the soul. Now because faith in the new Covenant is an emptying grace and likewise because as it is a grace that empties the soul so it fastens upon another thing whereupon it relies for faith is an uniting grace as well as an emptying grace now faith emptying and uniting so it makes us stand And likewise faith as it drawes it hath a drawing vertue an attractive force it is a radical grace it is like a root when it knits to Christ it sucks out and drawes vertue from him every touch of faith drawes spiritual strength and vertue so it causeth us to stand by the attractive vertue it hath And then it is the force of faith likewise to make things present For therein it differs from hope hope looks upon things as absent now the things that hope looks on as things remote and distant in time and place faith makes them present therefore it is said to be the evidence of things not seen Now that that makes the soul to be strong and able to stand it must be somewhat present however the full possession of things be reserved not for faith but for vision for comprehenders in heaven where faith ends and determines yet notwithstanding faith drawes so much for the present it sets things to come so far present with such evidence and force as it upholds the soul and makes it stand It is the evidence of things not seen And thereupon it hath a kind of omnipotent power to make things that are not to be Heaven and glory and happinesse they are not for the pesent but faith looking on them in the authority of God and the divine promises faith makes them present by a kind of almighty power that it hath laying hold on an almighty power and hereupon it upholds the soul it is the prop and stay of the soul as in Heb. 11. it signifies to stay up to hold up as a pillar even from this vertue it hath to make things to come present You see then what it is to stand and how faith is fitted for this purpose because as I said it is the grace of the new Covenant emptying us and drawing us to Christ from whom we draw all vertue and because it makes things to come as present By faith wr are set in a right frame and condition again as by want of faith we fell The same grace must set us right for want of which we fell How came we to fall at the first You know Adam hearkened to his wife Eve and she hearkened to the Serpent they trusted not in God they began to stagger at the promises to stagger at the Word of God Satan robbed them of the Word He observes and continues the same Art still to take the Word from us and to
cause us to stagger and doubt whether it be true or no. He comes between us and our rock the Word of God So Adam fell Now we must be restored by the contrary to that we fell we fell by unbelief and distrust by calling Gods truth in question we must learn to stand again by the contrary grace by faith Thus you see the termes something unfolded By faith ye stand To clear it a little further There be four degrees of a slent that the soul hath to any thing The first is a slight assent that we call opinion that is with some fear that it may be otherwise that is a weak a pendulous assent It is a wavering assent it yields not a certain assent Opinion is a weak thing it may be so I but it may not be so it is with a fear of the contrary The second degree of assent is that that hath a better ground that is the assent to grounds of reason a man hath reason to yield and assent to and those reasons satisfy the soul and rest the soul something thereafter as the strength of them is And that assent we call knowledge science this is founded upon grounds of reason There is a third kind of assent and yielding that the soul hath that we call believing which is meerly upon the credit of him that speakes though we know no reason why the thing should be so but only the person it may be is a person of credit and wisdome and knowledge and thereafter as we conceive well of him thereafter we fasten our faith and assent to his authority so that assent to the authority of the speaker we call beliefe The fourth degree of assent is when we do not only assent to the thing because we have reason so to do and arguments or because we have some man to confirm it by authority but because we feel it to be so by experience and by taste As a man assents that fire is hot and that sweet things are so not from reason altogether or from the speech or rehearsing of another man but because he feeles it so indeed he assents to it from experience Now you will say How come we then to stand by faith As faith especially relies upon the authority of God upon Gods Word so we stand by faith because it assents to an authority But Gods Word gives reasons too therefore faith assents to the authority of Gods Word first and then we see divine reason enough too when we once believe God And then experience in Divine things too after we believe there is an incredible sweetnesse in divine things there is a knowledge with a particular taste There is never a Divine truth but it hath an evidence in it when a man believes it once that a man may say I know whom I have believed from experience let the speakers of the things be what they will let them apostatize from that that they have spoken after a man believes he will see the things themselves have Divine reason in them as well as Divine authority stablishing of them Some Divine truths are altogether upon Divine authority we see no other reason but that God hath said it but some truths are both credible and intelligible Credible because God hath said it and there is reason to prove it as a man may prove by Divine reason that all shall work for the best why The Apostle faith We love God and God hath called us according to his purpose therefore all things shall work for them that God hath called to them that answer his Divine call There is both reason and comfort so it is credible as it hath divine truth and intelligible as it hath comfort There are homogeneal reasons with divine authority God doth not only presse us with authority but he gives us reasons Besides this there is experience for the doctrine of divine providence and of the corruption of nature and the doctrine of comfort in the Mediatour Christ altogether The doctrine of faith the doctrine of the issue of all troubles for good we find these by experience however the teacher that teachâ—…h them perhaps may have no sense of them himself let him apostatize and do what he will our faith stands upon them partly because God saith so that is the chief and because there is reason for them and because we find it so by experience in many divine things these three both reason authority and experience concur in faith But to come a Lâ—…de further What doth faith it self stand most on by which we stand that which we stand oâ—… must stand it self Let us examine a little what faith it self stands on by which we stand I shewed you before partly by Divine authority and experience which gives some light to it but we will follow it a little further That faith by which we stand must stand it self therefore it cannot be opinion it must be faith It must not be bare science neither it must be science that hath faith faith must come in Now faith looks to Divine revelation especially it looks to truth revealed from God now faith looking to the Word of God it builds and pitcheth and bottoms it self upon Divine truth Divine authority Divine revelation which we call the first truth the first verity And not only so but faith that it may stand the better hath together with the Word of God the seales for God hath added Sacraments as Seales to the Word that helps the Word to us at least Gods Word is true enough of it self in regard of him but he condescends to us and therefore that faith may stand the better that we may build upon his Word there are his Sacraments there are seales together with his Word and his oath too Again that his Word may be the better foundation for faith it is conceived under the manner of a Covenant the Evangelical part of it the Covenant of Grace wherein God in Christ promiseth to forgive our sins to accept us to life everlasting if we believe in Christ It is a gracious Covenant God condescends to make a Covenant that faith may stand shall not I believe him that hath made a Covenant and bound himself by Covenant that he will do so Nay in the Covenant of grace faith layes hold upon this that he will fulfill and perform both conditions himself both his part and our part For the same truths that are a Covenant are a Testament too in the Gospel A Testament bequeathes things without a covenant and therein it differs from a covenant A Testament is I bequeath and give this Now whatsoever Christ in the Covenant requires because that in the Gospel he makes good the Covenant as a Testament If we believe and repent Now he hath promised to give repentance and belief in the Covenant of grace to all that attend upon the meanes and expect the performance of the Covenant from him For we can no
fall into sin from this very ground for why do men fall into sin because at that time they stand not upon the Word of God revealed by conscience to be the Word of God Ask them why they sweat if they did believe the truth the Word saith I will not hold them guilâ—…lesse that take my Name in vain But I am not convinced by the Spirit assuring my soul that it is the Word of God if men did believe it would men bring a curse upon themselves And so whoremongers the Word of God saith Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge would men if they did believe this truth live in these sins But they have only an opinion of these things I hear that these things are divine perhaps they are not so and the knowledge that we have is not divine faith is not mingled with the Spirit Then again from sin we fall into despair for sin at last why because our knowledge of divine truthes is not spiritual nor from inward grounds of Scripture felt by experience the Spirit sealing the Scripture to my heart by some spirituall experience and thereupon men fall into despair for sin at length For Satan plies them with temptations from their own guilty conscience the grounds of their fears are present and the grounds of their terrours are present to their soules for they are there as it were sealed and branded in their very soules but their comforts are overly the promises are overly the Word is not rooted in their hearts by faith it is not sealed there by the Spirit of God the sanctifying Spirit never brought the Word and their soules together Hereupon they fall into desperation when their terrours are present and their comforts are overly If a man have never so sound a foundation if he stand not but float upon it he may fall and sink if a man be never so weak if he lie on a rock the strength of the rock is his so in our temptations if we have a strong foundation if we do not rest on it the foundation will not uphold us Now how can those rest on it that stagger in it that were never convinced by the Spirit that these things are so and that have had no spiritual experience Satan drawes thousands of soules to perdition because their terrours are present and their comforts are overly they are not built upon divine truth by the Spirit of God Again for Apostasie in the times of the alteration of Religion why do men alter as the State alters they are ready to have every Moneth a new faith if the times and Goverment alter why because they were never convinced by the Spirit of God of divine truths They had it from forreign arguments The former State of things countenanced this way now another State countenanceth another opinion therefore I will be of the safest This is because the soul was never convinced of the truth Therefore I beseech you labour to have arguments from the experience of the power of the Word in your soules and arguments from the Spirit of God to your spirits that it is the Word of God I will stand to divine truth I find such a majesty such a humbling pacifying satisfying power in it to all my perplexities and doubts that it cannot but be the Word of God it stayes my soul in all oppositions in all temptations and corruptions it gives a stay and foundation to my soul that no truth in the world else can do When the soul is brought to such a frame such a soul will not fall into grosse sins while it is in such a frame much lesse will it despair for sin and if there be altering of Religion a thousand times it stands as a rock unmovable because it knowes from inward grounds from the Word of God it self sealed by the Spirit to my spirit that it is the Word of God such a soul will hold out and only such a soul. We should labour therefore by all means to have our faith strengthened and amongst other meanes by the use of the Sacrament whereby God sweetly conveys himself to us by way of a banquet strengthening our faith in Christ he presents Christ to us as the food of our soules to refresh us even as the bread and wine doth Our blessed Saviour is wiser then we he knowes what we stand in need of that we have need to strengthen our faith For we have need to strengthen that that must be our strength which is faith And what is the Ordinance of God to strengthen faith is it not the Sacrament The proper use of the Sacrament is to strengthen faith which the Sacrament doth being a visible Sermon to us for here we see in the outward things Christs body broken and his blood shed it is a lively representation a visible crucifying of Christ a breaking of his body and pouring out of his bloud And withall here is an offer of Christ to us in the elements sealing of what it represents to our soules if we come prepared God feeds us not with empty signes but together with the outward things themselves he gives the spiritual to the soul that is a worthy Receiver Therefore come with a humble stooping to Gods wisdom in appointing these Ordinances to this end to strengthen faith And come with a desire to have faith strengthened that will uphold us against all temptations to sin or to despair for sin Oh beloved if we knew what good our faith must do us ere long we would labour to have it strengthened by all means What will become of us in the hour of death and in great temptations we shall be as chaffe driven with the wind if we have no consistence and stability in divine truth if our soules be not built on that if we have not faith whereby our soules may be rooted in Christ we shall be but a prey for Satan Therefore considering that faith is of such wondrous consequence it is the root of all other graces whatsoever as the Apostle saith here By faith ye stand He doth not say By patience or by hope or the like they are drawn from faith Strengthen that and strengthen all other that are infused from it As a tree we cast not water on the branches but on the root all the branches are cherished by the root so strengthen faith we strengthen love and hope and all if we strengthen faith and assurance of Gods love in Christ. Thus I have at length gone over this fruitfull portion of Scripture FINIS AN Alphabetical Table DIRECTING The Reader to the Ready finding out the Principal Points and Matters handled in this Book A. Achaia AChaia the Countrey wherein Corinth was Page 5 Acknowledge Acknowledge or Acknowledgment what p. 316 331 To acknowledge Christ what pag. 331 Christ acknowledged in the Minister p. 331 333 How to know whether we acknowledge the Minister p. 331 332 333 Action Three sorts of Actions good ill indifferent p. 254
abuse Promises of this life 2. Gods Promises wondrously performed 3. God deferreth his performance To wait Gods time Believe contraries in contraries To have Amen for Gods Amen Complaint of Unbelief Faith in the Promises honours God Why God honors faith so much To make the Promises familiar How to make use of former examples What use to make of the story of our own lives Comfort in the false dealing of men To deceive trust odious Comfort in all changes in the world How the Word of the Lord endures for ever To rely constantly on the constant Promises To observe how God daily fulfills his Promises 1. For temporals 2. For spirituals Turn Promises into Prayers Labour to know the Promises Work the Promises on our hearts Evidences of believing the Promises 1. They breed joy 2. They quicken to obedience 3. They purge 4. They quiet the soul. 5. A staying of tâ—…e soul when all iâ—… contrary 6. Faithfulnesse in our Promises to God Quest. Answ. God gives grace to perform the Covenant God promiseth the things be requires Promises Legacies Covenant a Testament Threatnings of God Amen as well as Promises 7. Opposition of flesh and fleshly men Carnal men despise those that trust in Gods Promises To go to God in Christ to perform the promises How to think of Christ. All in the world nothing without Christ. Observ. Gods glory manifested in the Gospel More then in the Creation Our estate in Christ better then Adam's Glory of Gods Justice His Mercy Wisdome Power Truth To see Gods Attributes in Christ. To honour God by believing the Gospel Glory of God by the Ministery Observ. A double Amen 1. In Gods Promises 2. In our Faith Necessity of application Difference between faith and presumption Observ. Stablishing grace necessary Reason 1. In regard of our indisposition 2. In regard of oppositions Difference between true Christians and others Degrees of faith Observ. Christ the foundation of our stability 1. Our Judgment stablished in Christ. 2. Our Will 3. Our affections A Christians stability more then Adam's or Angels None are firm but Christians Observ. God onely can stablish the soul. 1. By shewing our misery and Christs excellency The ground of believing Gods Word Reason of Apostasie The reason of unfruitfulnesse The reason of Despair Spiritual knowledge necessary Observ. God will stablish us 1. Because he is constant All of Grace from God Ground of a Christians not falling away God stablisheth bâ—… working stablishing graces Fear Wisdome Faith Peace To value all good Christians The Spirit works as we are in the body Bond of communion of Saints Use. To give God the glory of our stablishing Strengthen radical graces 1. Humility 2. Faith 3. Knowledge Knowledge must be spirituall 1. Be acquainted with Gods Word 2. Take no scandal at those that shrink 3. Retain the truth in love 4. Practise truths â—…nown 5. Be frequent in holy conference 7. Pray to God to stablish us 8. Be spiritually poor 9. Hate lukewarmnesse Use 2. Examination of our stablishing 1. When it is grounded on the Word 2. When weak men overcome strong temptations 2. By freedome from base fears cares c. Examine our knowledge Examine our course of life None but a Christ an truly couragious in death 2. Desire of Christs coming Why God useth so many several words to secâ—… us What the Spirit is an Earnest of The Spirit an Earnest 1. For security 2. It is part of the whole 3. An Earnest is little to the whole 4. It serves the party receiving it 5. It is never taken away Observ. A Christian man be assured of his estate in grace All in the work of Redemption is for that end Christians not alike assured at all times Double act of saith 1. Direct 2. Reflect The reflect act may be hindred Naughty hearte content with a state of doubling Observ. Gods Children may be assured they shall held out to the end Grace and glory differ but in degrees Observ. Those that look to be happy must first be holy Observ. We may be assured from a little measure of grace The Spirit appears not in all graces at once A Christian is a mixed creature Use 2. To examine the truth of grace We may know grace is true though little 1. The soul mournes that it is little 2. Wait 3. To wait with Patience 4. Constancy 5. To purge our selves 6. Desire of accomplishment Cautions 1. When conscience is wounded 2. Have been carelesse 7. Growth in grace 8. Quieting of the soul. 9. True gold will endure the tryal 10. It will persevere Christians get strength by their falls To labour for assurance Earnest given for our sakes To labour against unbelief Earnest the work of the Spirit 1. He proceeds from Father and Son 2. He only can quiet the soul. How to know we have the Spirit 1. By life and motion 2. By transforming us 3. By Conflict 4. By supernatural obedience 5. It dwells in us 6. It mortifies sin 7. It leads us 8 It is a Spirit of adoption 9. It teacheth to pray 10. And to wait Directions to have the Spirit 1. Attend Gods means 2. Not to grieve the Spirit 1. By cherishing Lusts. 2. Obey the Spirit 3. Pray for the Spirit The Spirit makes impregnable No thankfulnesse without the Spirit No joy without the Spirit No willâ—…ngnesse to dye without it Parts of the Verse Observ. Mans nature prone to suspition Grounds of suspition 1. The infirmity of men 2. Guiltinesse 3. From Probabilities Suspition more then fear lesse then judgment Suspition what Suspition makes the worst construction Why the Devil cherisheth suspition Mischief from suspition Observ. To labour to avoid suspition Suspition a Canker That that is suspected is made unprofitable God labours â—…o free himself from suspition Christ labours to be freed from suspition Sin must be censured and judged Doctr. Gentle courses first to be used Reason 1. It is suitable to â—…ns nature Reason 2. To Gods disposition Reason 3. To the carriage of our salvation Reason 4. Gods course Reason 5. It is most successeful Reason 6. It is tasting Use. To deal gently with others Doctr. When gentle means prevail not severe must be used Reason Men must not spare that God may Against selfrâ—…spects in reproos of sin Use. People to be willing to bear of their sins How to prevent severity in others Vexation in hell to those that were cherished in sin Three-fold correction 1. Private admonition 2. Before others Definition of an Oath None but good men should take an Oath To swear by none but God Invocation in an Oath Imprecation Oath to be taken onely in serious matters An Oath must be 1. In Truth 2. In Judgment 3. In Justice Against equivocation An oath only in matters in determinable Oath lawful Ordinary Swearing forbidden Object Answ. Swearing without good life nothing Object Answ. Custome no plea for swearing Object Answ. Company no excuse for swearing Swearing ordinarily argues a vile heart Original of common swearing 1. Atheisme 2. Cherishing passion 3. Affectation 4. Shame Men should abstain swearing in love to the Kingdome For love to theâ—…r own sam lies Conscience of lessâ—…r oathes Ordinary Swearers curse themselves A Christians life a kind of oath Doctr. No man hath dominion over anothers faith 1. What it is not to have dominion over the faith of others What â—…ranny over the faith of others is Quest. Answ. The Church of Rome domineers over the faith of others 1. By Traditions 2. Will-worship 3. That the Pope cannot erre A grand lie that hinders their Reformation 4. Church Judge of Controversies 5. In the intentioâ—… of the Minister in the Sacrament Confession Satans malice to sit in Gods throne Popery would subdue all Use. To be thankful for freedome from this tyranny How to think of Popery Grounds of spiritual Tyranny Salvation termed joy why Doctr. 1. The state of a Christian is joy Nature teacheth it God gives matter of joy 1. Freedom from ill 2. The good they are brought to Reason 1. That God may have glory Reason 2. It makes active in doing good Reason 3. And able to suffer ill Reason 4. To encourage others Doctr. 2. The Word unfolded helps this joy To comfort what The Ministers helpers of joy 1. By shewing people their ill 2. By shewing the remedy 3. By advice Light Liberty Victory 4. By forcing it as a duty 5. In death Object Answ. Ministers trouble the joy of carnal men Object Answ. Private means will not comfort when publick are neglected Object Answ. The sorrow caused by the Ministery tends to joy Simile Object Answ. Simile Comfort what Use. To esteem the Ministery To open the case of our soules to spiritual Physitians Doctr. 3 Ministers but helpers not the authours of joy Simile Gods Spirit only specks comfort 1. He only knowes our hearts 2. He only can set down the soul. Use To look for comfort from the Spirit by the means Not to idolize the Ordinances why S. Paul varies the phrase Observ. Faith breeds joy 1 Faith takes away all that may discourage 2. It shewes Gods love in Christ. Pedigree of joy Use. To try if our joy be good 1. If it spring from the Word 2. It springs from faith 3. It is above discouragements or allurements 4. It is with humility Standing what meant by it Quest. Answ. Why our stand ing is by faith Four degrees of assent 1. Opinion 2. Knowledge 3. Believing 4. Experience How we stand by faith Quest. Answ. What faith it self stands on God our Father The nature of God Observ. The foundation of faith out of us Faith withstands opposition Quest. Answ. How we stand by faith when conscience is awakened for sin The firmnesse of a Christians standing If our knowledg of Scripture be not spiritual 1. We fall into sin 2. To despair 3. To Apostasie The Sacrament strengthens faith Faith the radical grace
or else why did Christ ordain the Sacrament to strengthen and stablish our faith and to confirm us but that he knew our propensenesse to unbelief In the time of ease and prosperity it is easie to think God is merciful and Christ died but in the time of temptation all is little enough to shore and prop up the faith of a drooping Christian. Therefore God out of heavenly wisdome and love to us hath appointed these Ordinances for the strengthening of our faith And all is to no purpose unlesse our faith be strong in the Promises as Saint Paul takes an oath to build them on the Promises he taught them And so all is little enough oath and promises and seal c. Therefore we should with all reverence attend upon Gods Ordinances for the strengthening of our faith But to come to the words themselves As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay Take the words out of the form of an oath and the Proposition is That God is true and faithfull In this link of the sentence God is true First it is true that God is he is truly God his nature is true his properties true Likewise God is true and faithfull not onely in his nature and properties but in his free decrees in the things that freely come from him It was free for him to make promises of salvation or no as it was free for him to make a world or no and whether he would redeem mankind or no but when he had promised except he should deny himself and his truth he must send Christ. So in all the free promises of forgivenesse of sins and life everlasting by Christ if we believe in him we say they are certainly true because God that is true hath promised God is true in his Nature and true in his free Promises and threatnings he is true in his works true in his Word every way true He is true in his nature all is true within him and without him if any thing could change him from within he were not himself he were not God And from without there is nothing can change him for there is nothing stronger then God God is true in all his purposes true in his free and voluntary decrees It was free for him to decree but having decreed there is a necessity of performing it is of the necessity of his nature as he is God He is true in his free decrees they are not free in regard of the event but in regard of the Original as I said he might have made a world at the first or no and have redeemed mankind or no but having made these decrees of necessity as he is God he must be true in his free decrees There is a subordination of truths whereof one is the cause of all the rest Now all depends upon this grand truth God is it is the first truth that ever was of all truths in the world in heaven and earth that there is a God that there is such a thing such an excellency as God the Authour of all things in nature the Authour of all things in grace and glory I shall not need to prove this fundamental truth this Truth of truths that God is It infers all other truths For grant this that God is and a man must needs grant that that followes upon it that God is as a God should be that is unchangeable eternal immutable almighty al-sufficient and all the blessed attributes that he is the authour of all good in the creature that must needs follow God is the first truth and then God is so and so as becomes a God And then this must follow in the next place that he is a God immutable and unchangeable he must be so in all the manifestations that come from him in his free decrees and in the outward manifestations by promises and threatnings and whatsoever and therefore God is true immutably and unchangeably true or else he were not God he cannot be otherwise and be God A man may say of a man he is a liar and yet he may be a man a man may be a man and a good man and yet be unconstant and changeable because he is a creature but to say a God and not to be true is to say a God and not a God of the necessity of his nature he must be true It is not of the necessity of the nature of man to be true he may be a man and be a liar Every man is a liar because it is not of the essence of man to be true but God is true out of the necessity of nature he cannot be God if he be not true because God cannot deny himself Man is changeable because he is a creature as Damascen's speech is All things created are mutable and man as a creature is changeable a man therefore may be alterable and false and be a man but God cannot be so and be God It will be objected that God hath threatned oft and hath not performed as we see in the Ninivetes and Hezekias in his sicknesse and so in many others But the answer is easie God is true in all these for Gods Promises that come from his truth they are either absolute or conditional The absolute are those that have nothing annexed to them but shall certainly be As God would have sent Christ without all conditions Christ should have come without all peradventure as we say But now some promises have conditions annexed to them if a Nation repent of their sins God will repent of the evill he hath threatned as it is in Jeremy Now those threatenings that are on condition of repentance if the condition be performed the sentence is reversed All the Promises are made with exception of the Crosse all must suffer before they come to heaven and be glorified Now all the Promises with the exception of the Crosse are conditional So God is true both in his absolute Promises that are made without condition and he is true in his conditional Promises because where he performs the condition he will perform likewise that that is tied to the condition he changeth his sentence sometimes and his threatening but not his decree for his purpose and decree is to forgive and reverse the sentence if we repent I say it is a clear truth that God is true unchangeably and immutably true And it is the prime truth of all truths that God is and God is true As we say of the heavens unlesse the heavens were moved there would be no motion in the earth For if the Sun had not a motion in the Zodiack up and down where were Summer and Winter If he had not his course where were night and day The vicissitude and entercourse of all earthly things If the heavenly motion were not nisi moverentur c. if those did not move we could not move because we depend upon that So unlesse it were true that God were