and I could powre out my soul in much sorrow and remorse for sin O me thought I could spend a whole night in praying for what my soul wanted That which I much desired in prayer was still that my sinful soul might be healed of sin and that running issue of sin that ran and ceased not might be stopped Yet in this my time and those dayes I seldom desired pardon of sin till I were fitted for mercies But now I see we are pardoned freely I cannot even now but say this O rest not therefore in your own duties lest you perish in the sparks you kindle as I had almost done I observed a good providence of the Lord to me in providing me still many Christians to complain to in this my condition OBSERVATIONS on the former Discourse I. Of the Preachers several dealings with this Party to settle them and not in a way of beleeving first I Observe That now this soul questioning the truth of all their assurances they labour to perswade it to faith or beleeving upon a ground of Sanctification in themselves which hath no evidence nor for the present can bring any demonstration to the spirit For Satan and the Parties own suspecting heart will not let them beleeve any truth in that which they have found so faulty As for instance a man that hath had cause to be jealous of his wife hath seen some miscarriages all the friends she can make are not able to satisfie and take away all grounds of fear jealousie from him by their perswasion but he will still suspect because he once had some real ground and unlesse they can take away this they cannot perswade him to that So in that soul where there hath been real failings and a spiritual discerning of its own unrighteousnesse all the perswasions of others cannot make it have any good opinion of it self nor perswade it of its righteousnesse unlesse they can take away that unrighteousnesse sin and make it to be no sin and no unrighteousnesse For the soul which is onely troubled for sin must be setled upon some thing which is not sin and upon a righteousnesse either in it self or some other or there can be no setlement peace or comfort in that soul And yet this is the common way of dealing with souls and bringing them up into assurance as thus Repent and pray and live an holy life and walk according to the Law of God and if they answer they cannot do thus O then say they can you not desire to pray and repent and if they say they cannot desire O but then say they can you not desire that you may desire And thus they winde them up by acts of their own spirit and run them out to the end of their own workings when alas these desires of desires and the spining of such fine threds in divinity are not strong enough to binde up a broken spirit This is but the broken work of a soul for how many have desired to enter in have not been able Nay Who is there not that have a desire All the world of common beleevers are carried on by this principle of a desire We see now the vanity of such reasonings with a soul troubled for sin and questioning the truth of the spiritual work in themselves Such kinde of arguing may give some hints to the soul that hath the Spirit of God in it some spiritual actings to pacifie and perswade it a while because it findes something in it self agreeable to such a discourse but these are too narrow and weak to bear up the burden of sin and legal terrours like the bottom and point of a top which being so small may for some time that it is in motion bear up the body of the top as wee see but when the motion is done the top fals having nothing proportionable to support it So the soul turns upon some hints of comfort a while but flattens again And this is the furthest and strongest satisfaction the discourse of such Divines can give yet I despise them not in this Light they have so they contend not against the more glorious light of truth but the Lord if he please reveal more unto them But you will say how will you deal then with a soul thus puzzled and questioning I answer I shall not dare to place them on any bottom of their own righteousnesse or to satisfie themselves by something only in themselves that were to take the disease for the Physitian to give them no oyntment but blood of their own wound to heal them nor should I take that other way which many do that are of this legal strain too as to apply promises to them first which many times instead of drawing the soul to Christ puts it further off bringing some conditions which the soul questioning in themselvs dares not meddle with before it be prepared by Christ and his freenesse But you will say what way will you take then I answer That way which the Scriptures reveal to me First the laying down and establishing and bringing forth a perfect righteousnesse even the righteousnesse of Christ and then shewing forth the way of common right and interest to this righteousnesse which is contained in the freest promises for bringing souls to close with and partake of this perfection and righteousnesse more plainly thus Christ crucified is the foundation and corner-stone and rock for sinners The righteousnesse of this Christ is every way perfect and compleat This righteousnesse is that which hath taken away the sins of the world so as no sin is now to be satisfied for nor no new righteousnesse to be wrought by any for salvation onely all that will be saved are to beleeve their interest and right in this righteousnesse and already purchased salvation And for the way of coming by a right or purchasing an interest in this righteousnesse or salvation it is held out without price or works in the freest clearest promises of salvation to sinners onely for taking and receiving beleeving in all being wrought to our hands So us this is as good a ground for one to beleeve on as another without exception and in this way of salvation to beleeve is life eternal and not to beleeve is condemnation He that beleeveth hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not is condemned and this being a Scripture way I would leave the soul upon these principles and under this Commandment Beleeve on the Lord Jesus Christ for this is the Commandment that ye beleeve on his Son c. But you will say what if a soul answer I cannot beleeve I am not elected I shall answer then to such a soul thus You are bound to beleeve because it is a Commandment and you are not to make an objection from election or reprobation against your beleeving for that were to set one part of the truth against the other And thus you misinterpret both God and his Word But you
will say How if a soul answer I cannot beleeve for all this I answer This being a Scripture-way and the clearest way revealed to salvation I shall commend such to the Lord who is the onely Author and finisher of Faith Heb. 12.2 And for establishing souls upon any works of their own as a way means or ground of assurance as that upon such a measure of repentance or obedience they may beleeve by I dare not deal in any such way of our own righteousnesse because I finde no infallible mark in any thing of our own sanctification save in a lower way of perswasion or motive I finde in the Old or New Testament scarce any beleever that stood the surest but they had some cause through sin and corruption and that unregenerate law in their members to suspect their righteousnesse as David and Peter and Paul c. And likewise the stream of the Word runs all against our own righteousnesse But you will say What are all the divers Scriptures which set us upon trial and examination of our saith and works I answer There is another kinde of analogy and rule to interpret these by more principal and not of assurance for salvation These are rather marks for others then our selves to know us by as in the Epistles of John and James c. And for those other few Scriptures they are rather to be interpreted to the testimony of the Spirit of God witnessing and perswading then to the mixt spiritually carnal works of our obedience and holinesse which can give but a mixed act of assurance at the best being of a mixed nature of flesh and spirit But you will say What way of assurance would you commend to a soul thus troubled I answer Christ in the Word and Promise to beleeve in for assurance This was that way the Lord himself commended to his Disciples as to Peter when he knew he should deny him and foretold him of it and knew how it would discourage him and wound him yet he puts not Peter to this course saying Peter thou art an holy obedient loving Apostle remember this to comfort thy self under thy denial But he says Peter I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not And thus he laid him in an encouragement from a word or promise to beleeve by and not from any thing in himself and so to his Disciples when he was to leave them he laid them not in assurances thus O my Disciples though I am from you yet ye have been thus and thus penitent humble loving obedient and let this be your ground and assurance when I am gone But he layes in words and promises You beleeve in God beleeve also in me I will sâ—â—d the Comforter and I will see you again And these are the grounds for their assurance to beleeve by and this was Abrahams way He beleeved the promise in hope against hope And so all that walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham II. The unstablenesse of such as are not converted in a pure Gospel-way I observe that the calling and conversion which souls have in a legally-Gospel-way not from a pure and clear apprehension of Jesus Christ revealed in the Gospel Covenant or Promises though there may be truth in such a calling and Christ received yet the manner being not in the way of pure Gospel-dispensation the soul may be exceedingly puzzled and perplexed so though Christ may be truely there yet being not in a Gospel-form but a legal the soul may mistake and lose the knowledge of Christ as when Christ was in the habit of a Gardiner many knew him not and when he walked with the two Disciples to Emans they knew him not And thus many under the Law though they had Christ as truely then as now yet not in that form not manifested in the flesh and the free Promises as now And Christ observes this to his Disciples Ye beleeve in God says he implying how their Faith was more carried out to God as then then to himself and therefore he addes Beleeve also in me that is Now let me manifested in the flesh be the truth whom you beleeve III. The several wayes which the Lord makes use on to salvation I observe That the Lord doth improve many ways and means to bring a soul under the power of the Gospel as several accidents and occasions though those things are not properly or principally to be called the ministery of Christ or the Gospel-Ordinance for revealing Jesus Christ but they are like the Chariot in which the Eunuch rid which was onely an outward accommodation to his receiving Christ but the proper and more immediate means was the Book of the Prophets which he had with him in his Chariot We see Paul was by a sudden accident brought into a way for the Gospel to have the free passage to his soul nor did that accident or occasion serve as the means of his receiving Christ but Ananias was sent to him the means instituted by the Lord to be a way of conveying the power of Christ upon his soul Faith cometh by hearing and the Gospel is that Power of God unto salvation and the Spirit comes by the preaching of Faith IV. The want of pure Gospel knowledge in Jesus Christ is the cause of many distractions in beleevers I observe When the Lord sends the light of Jesus Christ into a soul that hath formerly been in darknesse and in the shadow of death then it begins to see its corruptions and lusts and if there were any master-sin or chief-sin which had dominion as lust in some pride in others revenge in others worldly mindednesse in others then the soul presently is pricked upon the discovery of that and there is a remorse and perplexity in the soul They in the Acts after Peter had laid open their sin of shedding the blood of Christ were pricked to the heart for it and were inwardly troubled and wounded saying Men and Brethren what shall we do And if there be not a clear understanding of Jesus Christ and the Gospel the soul thus wounded will groan under many legal convictions the soul will hardly distinguish its condition from a worse or more miserable even that of sorrowing under the power of the Law Had not Peter been assured of the love of Christ and had his word that his faith should not fail his tears and Judas sorrowing had been all of one colour and kinde to the present and not clearly enlightned apprehension as Joseph who till he had opened himself to his Brethren was mistaken by them for a cruel and a harsh Governour but when they saw it was their Brother Joseph O what meltings and embracings were then amongst them Many a soul convinced by that Spirit which Christ hath sent to reprovo the world of sin walks sadly under the wound or burden not knowing the nature or condition of such a spiritual wound and many Preachers like some Chirurgions who keep their Patients
sanctification so far as the Scriptures do as a lower motive and more carnally mixed and uncertain way of perswasion and assurance of justification But a little to note to you two sides sadly mistaking one another in points of this nature The one cryes out against the other as if they held we were justified partly from our being sanctified or from our works the other on the contrary cry out that such would cast out all sanctification Now such opinions are in neither of them Justly in them I mean in those of both that can spiritually judge But there are some expressions on both parts which make the one passe for legal Teachers and the other for Antinomians The one giving too much in their Sermons and Books to Faith and Works in an unwarrantable jealousie lest holinesse should be sleighted some other lesse then is fit lest free-grace should lose her due and both in an unwarrantable jealousie And indeed the latter I must prefer before the former For if I must erre I had rather cry down men to exalt Christ then Christ to exalt men though I would do neither but let both have their place and order In this point I hope in the Lord to keep from dashing against the Scriptures either way the Spirit of the Lord lighting my candle The Doubt Because I feel not my self sanctified I fear I am not justified The Doubt being thus I shall lay down these particulars 1. If you suppose that God takes in any part of your faith repentance or new obedience or sanctification as a ground upon which he justifies or forgives you you are clear against the Word For if it be of works it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work 2. It must then be onely the evidence of your being justified that you seek for in your sanctification And these two things premised I now proceed 1. We must allow any to take in any thing of their sanctification to help their assurance which the Word allows as the Spirit and the fruits of it repentance mortification of sin new obedience c. But then it must be done in the Scriptures own cautions and way 2. The Scriptures lay down these following things 1. Christs sanctification to ours or his true holinesse 2. Faith about our own sanctification 1. As first Christ is revealed to be our sanctification Christ is made unto us righteousnesse sanctification I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Ye are Christs but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus He hath quickned us together with Christ We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith That new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones And be found in him not having my own righteousnesse I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me That we present every man perfect in Christ Jesus But Christ is all and in all Your life is hid with Christ in God See Heb. 13.20 21. All these Scriptures set forth Christ the sanctifiâ—ation and the fulnesse of his the all in all Christ hath beleeved perfectly he hath repented perfectly he hath sorrowed for sin perfectly he hath obeyed perfectly he hath mortified sin perfectly and all is ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods 2. The second thing is faith about our own sanctification We must beleeve more truth of our own graces then we can see or feel which the Lord hath in his infinite wisdom and dispensation so ordered that here our life should be hid with Christ in God that we should walk by faith and not by sight So as we are to beleeve our repentance true in him who hath repented for us our mortifying sin true in him through whom we are more then conquerours our new obedience true in him who hath obeyed for us and is the end of the Law to every one that beleeveth our change of the whole man true in him who is righteousnesse and true holinesse And thus without Faith it is impossible to please God This is the Scripture-assurance for a childe of God or beleever to see every thing in himself as nothing and himself every thing in Christ Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen Heb. 11.1 All other assurances are rotten conclusions from the Word and such things as true legal Teachers have invented not understanding the mystery of the Kingdom of Christ The Scriptures bid you see nothing in your self or all as nothing These Teachers bid you see something in your self so as the leaving out Christ in sanctification is the foundation of all doubts fears and distractions And he that looks on his repentance on his love on his humility on his obedience and not in the tincture of the Blood of Christ must needs beleeve weakly and uncomfortably But now to propose some questions to you Quest You say you feel not the change of the whole man Answ Yea. Quest Then I must prove your sanctification to you not your justification Answ Yea for they that are justified are sanctified too which I cannot finde in my self Quest Will you say a thing is not there because you feel it not there Answ But I do not know it to be there Quest But will you conclude it is not there because you know it not to be there Answ Nay Quest You say well for David cryed out in the bitternesse of his soul that his sin was ever before him and then his sanctification was out of his sight and that God had forgotten to be gracious But I said says he this is my infirmity You know in a house when it is dark all things are there that were before but you see them not till the candle be brought in The womans groat in the Parable was in the house but she found it not till she had lighted her candle Therefore you must say as David Light my candle O Lord and the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord Answ But I feel corruption more violent which would not be if it were mortified Quest You are mistaken in that it is from life in you and spirit in you that you feel corruption if you were dead in sins and trespasses you could feel nothing no more then a dead man These oppositions in you shew a twofold law within you A law in your members with the law of your minds Two natures in you of flesh and spirit the flesh lusteth against the spirit nor is the light of a meer natural conscience or a soul commonly enlightned such a strange opposer and complainer against the law of sin in the flesh as you seem to have in you besides John saith If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves But I dare not carry you on too far by signs
of this nature without Christ who is a beleevers sanctification as well as righteousnesse But to stop the issuâ— of the soul in these questions and scruples with this Question Quest Can you have any assurance that the change that is in any childe of God in this life or their sanctification is such in any particular act or work as there is no spot of sin in it Is it not mixt of flesh spirit Why then do you feel after it so as you do Since the best and throrowst sanctification in any is not pure enough for the eyes of the Lord why make you it then any bottom for assurance You see all the while you have so done you can finde like Noahs Dove no rest for the soal of your foot for saith Christ When you have done all you can you are but unprofitable servants and all our righteousnesse is but as filthy rags and while you gaze on your work of sanctification you finde a rottennesse in every part of it and call all into question and finde fault both with your repentance mortification and new obedience and all therefore you must take Christ in here for sanctification still to settle and establish your spirit Answ But what use is there then of my sanctification Are not the fruits and effects of the spirit in me such as follow immediately upon my being justified Quest Yea they are the natural flowings and workings of your faith they help to evidence your faith and comfort your faith in their kinde and degree But as I said before they are given to be a light in some measure to your own and others consciences Let your light so shine before men and glorifie God in your bodies and in your spirits Shew me thy faith by thy works they are the bracelets of the Spouse they are the beams of Christ the Sun of righteousnesse Now clouds may hinder the beams from enlightning a room but the Sun is still where he was the Tree you know is there where it was when the Apples or Grapes may be blown down so the glory of sanctification may be often darkned and the fruits of it blown down by the winde of temptation spoken on in the Parable Yet then such promises as these are laid in for such a season Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darknesse and hath no light Let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Isai. 50.10 And the vision is for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarry waite for it waite for it because it will surely come and not tarry But the just shall live by faith Habac. 2.3 4. Answ But why do the Apostles presse sanctification and the new man so and love and new obedience c. in all their Epistles Quest I answered this partly before Sanctification is the beginning of the forming of Christ here in this life in one part of him which is Holinesse which shall be perfected in the life to come when we shall be fashioned like unto his glorious Body Sanctification is the witnesse to the Righteousnesse of Christ which being a glory out of sight to the soul and the world is made clearer by faith and holinesse to both So as in sanctification both soul and body flesh and spirit joyn to glorifie the riches of Christ Ye are bought with a price glorifie God in your bodies and in your spirits and walk as children of the light and of the day So as the wisdom of the spirit is seen much in the Word in pressing sanctification and praising sanctification both to set forth the nature of the spirit in beleevers and to quicken flesh and blood against an empty formal Profession CHAP. V. The Parties third Doubt concerning Faith or Beleeving which I call the Great The third Doubt is WHether you do beleeve or no The great Gospel-secret concerning Faith or Beleeving FIrst I shall shew you my thoughts concerning the nature of this Doubt It is one thing to beleeve and another thing to know we beleeve I suppose none ought to question whether they do beleeve or no but to beleeve till they be perswaded that they do beleeve more and more of the truth of their faith or beleef righteousnesse being revealed from faith to faith My grounds for this are these 1. Christs command to beleeve and this is his Commandment That we should beleeve on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ Now Commands of this nature are to be obeyed not disputed Good servants do not reason their duty out first with themselves but fall to doing as they are commanded 2. I finde not any in the whole course of Christs preaching or the Disciples when they preached to them to beleeve asking the question Whether they beleeved or no or whether their Faith were true Faith or no I finde one saying Lord I beleeve help my unbeleef But not Lord whether do I beleeve or no And Lord encrease my faith But not Lord whether is this true faith I have or no It would be a strange question in any that were bidden to a Feast to ask the Master of the Feast whether his dainties were real or a delusion would not such a question disparage him for a Sorcerer So in the things of the Spirit to be over-jealous of the Truth of them as many poor tempted souls are doth not be come the faithfulnesse of Jesus Christ The way to be sure of the truth of the good things is to taste and see how good the Lord is Spiritual things are best felt and tasted with feeding upon them Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved 3. For any to doubt whether they do beleeve or no I finde to be a question onely fit and proportionable for Christ himself to satisfie who is called the Author and finisher of our Faith None can prove more properly to a soul it beleeves then he on whom it beleeves Who can more properly shew one that he sees then the light which enlightens him for that very purpose 4. Faith is truely and simply this A being perswaded more or lesse of Christs love and therefore it is called A beleeving with the heart Now what infallible signe is there to perswade any that they are perswaded when themselves question the truth of their perswasion There may be some things which may strengthen and help which I shall hereafter shew you from the Word which are by way of effects and properties of this faith and beleef but none can simply perswade a soul that it doth beleeve but he on whom it doth beleeve God shall perswade Japhet Who can more principally and with clearer satisfaction perswade the Spouse of the good will of him she loves but himself Can all the love-tokens or testimonial Rings and Bracelets They may concur and help in the manifestation but it is the voice of the beloved My beloved
of an higher order fell too as well as man so as by this the power of God was made known to the creature and the creatures subjection or dependency upon God to it self This change running through the order of the whole Creation Rom. 8. The creature being thus brought by it self under a change of condition God raises himself advantages and glory from hence to make out himself before the creatures in his power will mercy love c. that the world may know him more and know that there is yet an infinitenesse in him not to be known and all our knowledge is bounded in those things which he hath made out for himself to be known by To the time of sinning then or the first disobedience the Lord revealed himself only in glory and goodnesse his glory was in the creating and commanding his goodnesse in giving any thing a created being or subsistence for obeying and laying out his Image or resemblance upon one creature above all the rest and making man to have dominion under him yet for him over the Creation But man now failing under the power and curse of a law God reveals himself in mercy and in a notion of compassion and pitty and seeks out man who was now a sinner and brings to him the tydings of something in a promise which though it might be dark to him who was now in the region and shadow of death yet God made it something clearer by his dealings and carriage towards him making coats for him and cloathing him and taking care for him and so holding forth something of compassion towards him yet mingling it so with the curse and change in the creation and his condition that he might live as well under the anguish of the curse as the power and comfort of the promise And how much of Christ Adam knew how much the first Adam knew of the second is not revealed not much surely for this time and that under the law was the time of the hiding of this Mystery in promises and sacrifices and the keeping it secret till that which was called the Fulnesse of time was come and Christ was manifest in the flesh II. Gods Free-grace to sinners more discovered WE find the Scriptures set forth God in a notion of Free-grace and therefore we must so order our apprehensions and conceptions of God that we may know him in his Free-grace as well as in his Love and look on him and consider him in this order of working God first and more properly had mercy upon man faln and under the curse and he is called a God shewing mercies and great in mercy and rich in mercy and plenteous in mercy abundant in mercy and father of mercies and the Lord God merciful and gracious So as sinful man who by the power of sin and the curse was under condemnation for death entered by sin yet by a power more infinite then that of sin and the curse was raised up to be the subject of this mercy and that onely thing about which this free-grace or mercy was exercised And thus light was wrought out of darknesse and good out of evil And now a work of redemption more glorious then that of creation is beginning to the world and Gods work of mercy is exceeding the work of his power and yet infinitenesse in both for God himself was to become a creature or the son of man in this second work which he was not in the first And thus we see how this change in the creature makes only way and liberty for the fulnesse of God to work out to the sons of men as well in a work of redemption as creation and saving those that were made as well as making them yet this work of redemption was carried at first in a Mystery rather of mercy then love for there was little but a promise of the womans seed revealed so as here was rather mercy appearing as yet then love and a remedy propounded to man for sin by that time the sin was committed to shew that God was never an enemy though man was And so much of Gods good will onely revealed as man might rather conceive himself not destroyed then saved and rather not damned then redeemed And that in the Prophet sets forth God rather at first in mercy and compassion to us None eye pittied thee to have compassion of thee when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy blood I said unto thee Live Ezek. 16.6 And the Apostle cals us vessels of mercy that he might make known the riches of his glory on his vessels of mercy Rom. 9.23 So as in this manner of revealing the infinite work of Salvation we may be better satisfied then by going out into the glory of Gods counsels where we may lose our selves rather in the fulnesse of Truth then finde any So as thus God hath drawn out things more to our reason for how can we think God who is infinitely pure whose eyes are purer theâ— to behold iniquity can love a sinner as a sinner All love is from something amiable in the thing loved But what is there in man faln and corrupted for God to love or delight in to make his delight with the sons of men where is the comelinesse Therefore God must from mâ—er grace more properly then love order some righteousnesse or new glory for man in which he may beautifie adorn and love him And this is the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ in which we are said to be chosen and predestinated to the adoption of sons Thus God in free-grace had mercy on us and gave Christ for us and in him we are made capable of the love of God and â—ccepted in the beloved Ephes. 1.6 and not as some that man was elected before Christ the body before the head and Christ for man as shall appear more fully in another place III. More of Gods Free-grace and Love of mans sin and redemption discovered THe Scriptures reveal to us a pure God a just God a perfect Law the first man sinning a Law broken a Curse entering mercy working in a promise of life a way of salvation darkly discovered Jesus Christ this way this Jesus Christ given for sinners and yet purchasing sinners all this wrought in time and yet a predestination and election of grace before all time God loving us and giving Christ for us and yet loving us in the same Christ These things are thus brought forth in the Word and the Spirit of God can onely guide us into safe constructions of the mystery thus revealed and how to draw the work of Redemption into such order that sin death by the first man may appear and righteousnesse and life by the second and something of the counsels of God concerning both before either was brought forth to the world and yet but something and not all I finde before sin and righteousnesse did thus appear in the world that God is said to predestinate and