confessor that is one inwardly and that the confession to Salvation which is of the heart and of the Spirit whose praise is not of man but of God Rom. 2 28,29 10.9,10 They are the onely Citizens of Sion which is above who speak the truth in their heart Psal 15.1,2 1. How are you affected towards Christ then and to his truths and goodness which you confess You have it may be received the truth in the light of it but have you received the truth in the love of it Otherwise you cannot be saved but your end will be to be damned who take pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thess 2.10,12 Saving profession loves the truth it doth profess and that not onely because of the truth as most suitable to the understanding but for the goodness of it as sanctifying the will as staying and limiting the affections from sin and about sensual objects Thy word is very pure therefore doth thy servant love it saith David Psal 119.140 Let conscience speak Can you say with him Oh how I love thy Laws My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore I love thy testimonies Psal 119.97,167,119 2. How do you appretiate Christ and his truths which you confess Desire you to know nothing so much as Christ and him crucified Do you count all but loss and dung or dogs meat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in comparison of the excellency of him as your Lord and that you may win or enjoy Christ and be found in him 1 Cor. 2.2 Phil. 3.7,8,9 The pious confessor prefers Christ in the esteem of his judgement and in the election of his will to all creatures to all comforts yea not onely so prefers his pleasant communion but his precepts and commands How sweet are Christs words yea sweeter then the honey and the honey-comb Psal 119.103 19.10 Can you then in your integrity affirm before him with that holy confessor Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever they are the rejoycing of my heart I love thy commandments above gold yea above much fine gold and esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right Psal 119.111,127,128 19.10 Thirdly Whence ariseth it Is it from sanctifying the Lord God in your hearts within or from strength of arguments or secular attractives without Is it from internal principles or external perswasives Special confession hath its spring in the conscience it is a stream and issue from sanctifying the Lord God in our hearts 1 Pet. 3.15,16 The language and life without are from the Law within 'T is the renewed minde transformed into the likeness of truth within that runs forth by the mouth and members without If you have indeed learned Christ and have been taught the truth as it is in Jesus you will have put on the New man as well as profess new matters Psa 40.8,9,10 Eph. 4 20-25 Whence ariseth your confession then Do you believe and therefore speak Doth the confession of your Faith in Christ outwardly come from the closing of your heart by Faith with Christ as the Lord your righteousness inwardly This is the onely confession that is consequenced with Salvation Rom. 10.9,10 2 Cor 4.13 Fourthly How is it acted or put forth In what manner See Quest 8 What motions or acts of grace are in it Conference is an act of Reason as you are men but confession is or should be an act of Religion as you are new men What religious habits then are at work herein what graces are put into act what love to your Saviour what love to Souls what Faith in what fear of Christ c 'T is Reason put into act that discriminates your speech from a Parrot that speaks some words good or bad as he is taught as well as you But here wants the discourse of reason and so 't is a bruitish act in this Bird notwithstanding Brethren so 't is Religion put into act that discriminates your speakings of Christ from the painted hypocrites that can say as good things of Christ as you can do but there want the deliberations and acts of Religion herein and cannot therefore if materially yet not formally be called a Religious confession of him while their hearts are removed from him and he is far from their reins They make mention of the Name of the Lord but not in truth or in righteousness Isa 29.13 Jer. 12.2 Isa 48.1 Fifthly What are your ayms by it You should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father Phil 2.11 Special grace seeks his glory upmost and therefore confesseth both his sin and his Saviour that he may give glory to the Lord his God Josh 7.19 Phil. 1.20 What seek you then what is it your souls first intend by it and do most fervently desire should be the issue of it Is it your glory or the glory of God and growth of his Gospel that you principally design by it Oh! how can you believe and therefore how confess savingly and obedientially who receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only and while you love the praise of men more then the praise of God Joh. 5.44 12.42,43 The most splendid confessions by the mouth with the most delicious flourishes of Rhetorick or most demonstrative furniture of Logick yea the most cheerful sufferings of Martyrdom which arise not from Charity that disposeth the Soul to intend God chiefly profit nothing to salvation 1 Cor. 13.2,3 But if this be your ultimate end that by testifying of the Gospel of the grace of God he may be glorified by you and his Christ may be magnified in you If your main business be not applause with men but to approve your selves to him and to advance his concernments if it be in obedience to his Government and in order to his Glory you have then no cause to be ashamed of your confessions or afraid of your insincerity but should wear the comforts of them in your own consciences here and they shall be to you for a crown and glory when you shall be confessed of and by Christ hereafter Acts 20.24 Phil. 1.20 Isa 45 23-25 with Rom. 14.11 Mat. 10.32 QUEST V. Before whom are we to confess Christ VVHether we may or should confess Christ before God his Father and before the holy Angels as he also will confess us is not the intent of this Question but before what men we should confess Christ Here know that 1 Men are of a different consideration according to their different capacities and conditions Some men are only in a private capacity others are in a publick capacity and authority 2 And as this Authority is twofold either 1. Civil or 2. Spiritual and Ecclesiastical So also this publick capacity of men may be differenced into that which is 1. Civil and 2. that which is Spiritual and Ecclesiastical In that capacity in their circuits limits
salvation is not onely intimated Isa 45.22,23 but insisted on Rom. 10.8.9,10 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus thou shalt be saved for with the mouth confession is made to salvation 'T is in vain to plead for salvation upon believing with the mind if there be not confession also with the mouth in a capable subject An habitual disposition to confess all the known truths of Christ is still found in all such as are saved 1 Jo. 5.10.14 Job 34.22 And though there may be found in such an actual declining of that confession they may be called to make at some times and under strong tentations which we read to have been in Jeremy and Moses as well as in Jonah yet an allowed and habitual declining of and with-drawing from the confession of Jesus in any his known truths and ways is not consistent with a state of salvation For God doth not will not save them that go on in any allowed iniquity Ps 68.21 125.5 3 Is not God celebrated or glorified by it Yea if you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord it is to the glory of the Father Phil. 2.11 And will you not glorifie the Father who is so willing to glorifie you and hath created and kept you for his glory Ps 4.3 Is 43 7.21 Sirs you break all the bonds wherein you stand indebted to him as Creatures as Men as Christians if you do not glorifie him And you cannot glorifie himself but in and through his Son Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 4.11 Col. 3.17 4 Hath not God himself confessed Christ in a sense witnessed and attested to his excellencies Yea by an immediate voice from heaven once and again Math. 3.17 17 5. And our Savior instanceth and improveth this testimony Jo. 5.32 8.18 O you that call God Father why are you so flat so fearful should you not be followers of him as dear children according to your several capacities and callings He received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased Eph 5. â— 2 Pet 1.17 and shall he receive no honor from you whom he hath so richly honored 5 'T is a glory that God put 's upon you when he calleth you forth to confess his Son Jesus Christ The godly have acknowledged it to be such Jo 21.24 Act. 26.16 and God accounts it to be such Joh. 1.7 Act. 9.15 None of the Angels were ever called to confess Christ in a passive way as you are who are called to suffer for him Nor any other of the creatures can confess him in an active way as you may who are called to speak of and for him and to perform reasonable service to him Consider this and can you be henceforth averse to what so much concerns both your eternal glory in the highest heavens and your eminent glory here upon earth likewise II. Look you to our glorified Savior Brethren 1 How is he dignified He hath a name above every name he is the brightness of his Fathers glory the express image of his person far exalted above all principalities and powers c Is he not worthy of your witnessing to Is there any cause of shame as to him Or covert for silence as to you Where can you match me with such matter of confession and for celebration Lo the thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand that are saying with loud acclamations Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing c. Rev 5 11,12,13 4,11 2 How he is described The witness the faithful witness the faithful and true witness Rev. 1.5 3.14 He faithfully declared the whole will of his Father that was requisite for us either to know or do in order to our happiness Jo. 15.15 Heb. 3.2 And can we preachers or people unfaithfully detain what is due from us to acknowledge to his honor especially when our own happiness is bound up therewith also His followers are described by their faithfulness and by having his Fathers name written not in their backs or in their breasts or in their hands more occultly but in their foreheads more observedly and openly and they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Rev. 17.14 14.1,4 3 What is he doing Now that he is entred to the holiest of all and hath enough to take up his heart to all eternity Yet is he bearing our names upon his heart as the high priest did the names of the tribes upon his breast-plate for a memorial before the Lord continually Exod. 28.29,30 He is now appearing and advocating for us to his Father and against our accusers Hebr. 6.20 9.24 1 Jo. 2.1 with Rev. 12.10 Where is our loyalty and thankfulness where is our love and tenderness while so many assume the liberty of appearing against him of accusing and condemning him in his holy word ways and worship that yet there are so few found to appear for him and plead his cause against the wicked and to advocate his concernments before the world was it so in the primitive times even in the most terrible of persecutions You know it was not where then is your faith love sense zeal or gratitude 4 What a disquisition doth he make True it is that as to his bodily presence he is now in heaven But his eyes behold his eye-lids try the children of men And if you shall deny his name decliâ—e his truths and interest or defile his worship and institutions shall he not search it out Yea he seeth it and will requite it with his hand his eyes are as a flame of fire he seeth by his own light as fiery eyes are said to do needeth not any forreign light or medium to see or judge by He searcheth the inmost recesses of the heart and actions he will easily pierce and break thorough all those subtil coverts and secret vails of self-ease sensual indulgencies self-interest c. which men weave unto themselves and he will burn them up He knoweth his confessors in the Asian Churches by name and signally commends them he knoweth the careless temporizers and Laodicean neuters and severally chides and threatens them Rev ch 2 and 3. III. Look you to the glorified Spirits Angels and souls made perfect Lo there the Thrones and Crowns of and for the true confessors None that did ever here seal a good confession but are there set down with Christ in his kingdom Rev. 3.21 Mat. 19.28 Yea behold not onely the glorified condition of every true confessor but how they have and do give testimony to our Lord in glory Rev. 19.6,7 10.6.9.11 Behold the Angels those glorious Spirits 1 How gratefully they are imployed herein as their highest work and business These Golden Cherubims are still with greatest admiration looking on and with greatest affection looking into the ark of God the things of Christ which are now reported