peace and publike good Theol. These few then briefly I take to be the things which belong to our peace Ten things concerning our peace Let Solomon execute Joab and Shimei Let Achab and Eliah stay the Priests and Prophets of Baal Let Aaron and Eleazer minister before the Lord faithfully Let Jonas be cast out of the ship Let Moses stood fast in the gap and not let downe his hand Let Josuah succeed him Let Cornelius feare God with all his houshold Let Tabitha be full of good works and almesdeeds Let Deborah judge long in Israel prosper and be victorious Let us pray that the light of Israel may not be quenched And this I take to be the summe of all that belongs to our peace Phil. The summe of all our conference hitherto as I remember may be reduced unto these few heads First mans naturall corruption hath beene laid open Secondly the horrible fruits thereof Thirdly their evill effects and workings both against our soules and bodies goods name and the whole Land Lastly the remedies of all Now therefore I would grow to some conclusion of that which you touched by the way and made some mention of namely the signes of salvation and damnation and declare unto us plainely whether the state of a mans soule before God may not by certaine signes and tokens be certainly discerned in this life Theol. Besides those which beforâ— have beene mentioned wee may odde these nine following Nine signes of a sound soule Reverence of Gods Name Keeping of his Sabbaths Truth Sobriety Industry Compassion Humility Chastity Contentation Phil. These indeed I grant are very good signes but yet all of them are not certaine for some of them may be in the reprobates Theol. What say you then to Saint Peters signes set downe in the first chapter of his second Epistle which are these eight Saint Peters eight signes of salvation 2 Pet. 1.8 Faith Vertue Knowledge Temperance Patience Godlinesse Brotherly kindnesse Love Saint Peter saith If these be in us and abound they will make us neither idle nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Which is as much as if hee had said They will make us sound and sincore Professors of the Gospel Phil. All these I grant are exceeding good signes and evidences of a mans salvation but yet some of them may deceive and a hole may be picked in some of these Evidences I would therefore heare of some such demonstrative and infallible Evidences as no Lawyer can finde fault with For I hold that good Divines can as perfectly judge of the assurances and evidences of mans salvation as the best Lawyer can judge of the assurances and evidences whereby men hold their lands and livings Theol. You have spoken truly in that And would to God all the Lords people would bring forth the Evidences of their salvation that wee might discerne of them Phil. Set down then which be the most certaine and infallible Evidences of a mans salvation against which no exception can be taken Theol. I judge these to be most sound and infallible Assured faith in the promises Seven infallible signes of salvation Act. 16.31 Pro. 1.20 Job 1.41 Rom. 8.14 Job 4. â— 1 Thes 4.5 Rom. 5.1 Col. 1. â—3 Mat. 24.13 Sincerity of heart The Spirit of adoption Sound Regeneration and Sanctification Inward peace Groundednesse in the truth Continuance to the end Phil. Now you come neere the quick indeed For in my judgement none of these can be found truly in any reprobate Therefore I thinke no Divine can take exception against any of these Theol. No I assure you no more then a Lawyer can finde fault with the Tenure of mens lands and fee-simples when as both the title is good and strong by law and the evidences thereof are sealed subscribed delivered conveyed and sufficient witnesse upon the same and all other signes and ceremonies in the delivering and taking possession thereof according to strict law observed For if a man have these forenamed evidences of his salvation sure it is his title and interest to heaven is good by the Law of Moses and the Prophets I meane the word of God God himselfe subscribeth to them Iesus Christ delivereth them as his owne deed the holy Ghost sealeth unto them yea the three great witnesses which beare record in the earth that is water bloud and the spirit do all witnesse the same Phil. Now you have very fully satisfied mee touching this point And one thing more I doe gather out of all your speech to wit that you doe thinke a man may be assured of his salvation even in this life Theol. I doe thinke so indeed For hee that knoweth not in this life that he shall be saved shall never be saved after this life For St. John saith 1 John 3.2 Now we are made the sons of God Phil. But because many doubt of this and the Papists do altogether deny it therefore I pray you confirm it unto us out of the Scriptures Theol. The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 5.2 Wee know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed wee have a building given us of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heavens Marke that hee saith both hee and the rest of Gods people did certainly know that Heaven was provided for them Rom. 8.15 16. For the spirit of adoption beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God And againe the same Apostle saith from henceforth is laid up for mee the crown of righteousnesse â— Tim. 4.8 which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but to all them that love his appearing Here wee see that he knew there was a crowne prepared for him and for the Elect. And the same Spirit which did assure it unto Paul doth assure it also to all the children of God For they have all the same Spirit though not in the same measure Saint John saith also Herein wee are sure wee know him 1 John 2.3 if we keep his commandements In which words St. Iohn telleth us thâ—â— much thâ—â— if wee do unfainedly endeavour to obey God there is in us the true knowledge and feare of God and consequently we are sure we shall be saved Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 1.10 Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure Wherefore should the Apostle exhort us to make our election sure if none could be sure of it In the second of the Ephesians the Apostle saith flatly that in Christ Jesus wee doe already sit together in heavenly places His meaning is not that wee are there already in possession but wee are as sure of it as if wee were there already The reasons hereof are these Christ our head is in possession Therefore he will draw all his members unto him as he himselfe saith John 12.22 John 24.13 Secondly wee are as sure of the thing which wee
understand aright or to will and doe aright as it is written 2 Col. 5.3 Wee are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God And again 〈◊〉 2.3 It is God which worketh in you both the will and the deed even of his good pleasure And as concerning the other point Jam. 3.9 St. James saith That all men are made after the similitude of God meaning thereby that there remain some reliques and parts of Gods image even in the most wicked men as reason understanding c. so that our nature was not wholly destroyed Phil. Then you thinke there be some sparkes and remnants left in us still of that excellent image of God which was in our first creation Theol. I thinke so indeed and it may plainly appeare unto us in the wise speeches and writings of heathen Poets and Philosophers in all which we may as by certaine ruines perceive what was the excellent frame and building of mans creation Phil. Can a man please God in any thing which he doth so long as he continueth in the state of nature Theol. No not in any thing for till wee be in the state of grace even our best actions are sinfull as preaching prayer almes-deeds c. as it is written Who can bring a clean thing out of that which is unclean Job 14.4 The Apostle also saith They that are in the flesh cannot please God Rom. 8.8 that is such as are still in their naturall corruption And our Lord Iesus himself saith Doe men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles Matth. 7.16 meaning thereby that meer naturall men can bring forth no fruits acceptable to God Phil. This is a very harsh and hard saying I pray you for my further instruction make it more plaine Theol. Men in the state of nature may doe those things which of themselves are good but they do utterly fail in the manner of doing them they doe them not as they should be done that is in faith love zeal conscience of obedience c neither yet with any cheerfulnesse delight or feeling but then as it were forcing themselves to doe the outward actions Thus did Cain sacrifice the Pâ—â—risces pray Ananias and Sapphira give alms and the Iewes offer up their oblations and burnt-offerings Phil. Have men any true sight or lively and sound feeling of this misery and wofull estate so long as they bee meerly naturall Theol. No surely but are altogether blinded and hardened in it being nothing desirous to come out of it but doe greatly please themselves in it and can hardly be perswaded that they are in any such wofull case as appeareth plainly in the example of that Ruler who being commanded or rather required of our Saviour Christ to keep the commandements answered All these have I kept from my youth Luke 18.21 And againe although the Church of Laodicca was wretched miserable poor blinde and naked yet she thought her selfe rich increased with goods and wanting nothing It followeth then that so long as men are in the state of natâ—â—e they have no true sight and feeling of their miseries Phil. Doe you not think that all men being meerly naturall are under the câ—rse of the Law Theol. Yes certainly and not only so but also under the verâ—â—â—â—onny and dominion of Sathan though they know it not feel it not see it not or perceive it not for all that are not in Christ are under the curse of the Law and the power of darknesse and the Divell as appeareth Ephes 2.2 where the Divell is called the Prince that ruleth in the aire even the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience In another place hee is called the god of this world 2 Cor. 4 4. who blindeth the eyes of all unbeleevers And againe it is said 2 Tim. 2.26 that all men naturally are in his snare being taken captive of him at his will Phil. Few will be perswaded of that they will say They defie the divell and thank God they were never troubled with him Theol. Their hot words doe nothing amend the matter for the divell is no more driven away with words then with holy water but he sitteth in the tongues and mouthes nay possesseth the very hearts and intrals of thousands which say They defie him and are not troubled with him as appeareth manifestly by their particular actions and the whole course of their life Phil. Me thinks if the divell do so inwardly possesse the hearts and consciences of men they should have some sight and feeling of it Theol. The working of the divell in mens soules being an invisible spirit is with such unconceivable sleight and crafty conveyance that men in the state of nature cannot possibly feele it or perceive it for how can a blind man see or a dead man feel Phil. Shew this more plainly Theol. Even as a crafty Iuggler doth so prestigiate and blind mens outward senses by the delusions of Sathan that they think they see that which they see not and feele that which they feel not even so the divell doth so delude and bewitch our inward senses and the naturall faculties of our souls that wee having a mist cast before our eyes think wee are that which wee are not see that which wee see not and feel that which wee feele not For the deep cunning of Sathan lieth in this that hee can give us our deaths wound and wee shall never know who hurt us Phil. Few will beleeve this to bee true Theol. True indeed for few will beleeve the Scriptures few will beleeve this because few feel it Where it is not felt it can hardly be beleeved Onely the elect doe feel it and therefore onely the elect doe beleeve it As for all others they are the very prentises and bond-slaves of the divell which is a thousand times worse then to be a galley-slave Phil. How long doe men continue in this wofull state of nature being under the curse of the Law and the very slavery of Satan and sin Theol. Till they bee regenerate and born againe and so brought into the state of grace as our Lord Iesus saith John 3 3. Except a man be born againe hee cannot see the kingdome of God Phil. Do not many die and depart this life before they be born again and consequently before they be brought into the state of grace Theol. Yes no doubt thousands for many live forty or threescore yeers in this world and in the end die and goe out of this life before they know wherefore they came into it as it is written Hoâ— 4.6 My people perish for want of knowledge Phil. What may we think of such Theol. I quake to speak what I think for surely I doe not see how such can be saved I speak not now of infants and children whereof some no doubt are saved by vertue of the promise and covenant through the election of grace Phil. It seemeth then
and the master-pock of the soule Phil. Shew mee out of the Scriptures that pride is so grievous and lothsome Theol. Solomon saith Prov. 16.5 Every one that is proud in heart is abomination to the Lord which plainly sheweth that God doth detest and abhorre proud men And is it not a fearfull thing think you to be abhorred of God And in the same Chap. Ver. 18. he saith Pride goeth before destruction and an high mind before the fall Wherein he sheweth that pride is the for-runner of some deadly downfall either by disgracing or displacing For it is an old and true Proverb Pride wil have a fall And oftentimes when men are most lifted up then are they neerest unto it as the examples of Haman Nebuchadnezzar and Herod doe plainly declare When the milt swelleth the rest of the body pineth away even so when the heart is puft up with pride the whole man is in danger of destruction Moreover the holy Ghost saith Prov. 15.24 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud Job 11.5.25 Job 28.26 Job saith of such kind of men The spark of his fire shall not shine fear shall dwell in his house and brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation And in another place hee saith Job 23.13 The fire which is not blowne shall devoure him Mee thinkes therefore if there were any spark of grace in us these terrible speeches of the holy Ghost might serve to humble us and pull down our pride especially sith the Scriptures doe affirme that God resisteth the proud and setteth himself ex professe against them and therefore wo unto them for if God take against a man who can reclaime him for he doth whatsoever he will Phil. But tell me I pray you when you speak against pride what pride is it that you mean Theol. I mean all pride both that which is inward in the heart and that also which breaketh out in mens foreheads I mean that which apparently sheweth it selfe in mens words and works Phil. Do you mean pride also of mens gifts Theol. Yes surely for there is no pride worse or more dangerous then that Beware saith one of spirituall pride as to be proud of our learning wit knowledge reading writings sermons praiers godliness policy valour strength riches honour birth beauty authority For God hath not given such gifts unto men to the end they should make sale-ware of them and set them a sun-shining to behold seeking only themselves with their gifts the vain praise of the multitude and applause of the people so robbing God of his honour and proudly arrogating to themselves that which is due unto God which is the praise of his gifts but he hath given his gifts to another end namely that wee should use them to his glory and the good of others either in Church or Common-wealth especially of those which doe most concern us Phil. Yet wee see commonly men of greatest gifts are most proud Theol. True indeed for the finest cloth is soonest stained And as worms ingender sooner in soft tender wood then in that which is more hard and knotty and as moths do breed sooner in fine wooll then in course flocks even so pride and vain glory do sooner assault an excellent and rare man in all kind of knowledge and vertue then another of meaner gifts and therefore pride is said to spring out of the ashes of all vertues For men will be proud because they are wise learned godly patient humble c. Pride therefore may very fitly bee compared to the crab-stock spines which grow out of the root of the very best Apple-tree Therefore to say the truth this is one of the last engines and weapons which the Divell useth for the overthrowing of Gods own children even to blow them up with pride as it were with gun-powder For as we see it come to passe in the siege of strong holds when no battery or force of shot will prevaile the last remedy and policy is to undermine it and blow it up with traines of gun-powder so when Sathan can no way prevail against some excellent servants of God his last device is to blow them up with pride as it were with gun-powder Phil. I see it is a speciall grace of God for men of great gifts to bee humble minded and hee is an odd man of a thousand which excelling in gifts excelleth in humility and the more gifts he hath the more humbly he walks not contemning others but esteeming them better than himselfe For commonly wee are the worse for Gods gifts because we have not the right use of them and againe because they engender so much proud flesh in us that we had need daily to be coâ—zied Therefore God sheweth great favour and mercy to that man whom he humbleth and taketh downe by any afflictions or infirmities whatsoever For otherwise it is sure proud flesh would altogether over-grow us Theol. 2 Cor. 12. You have spoken the truth for the Apostle himselfe confesseth that hee was tempted troubled this way had like to have been puffed up out of measure with the abundance of his revelations but that God in great mercy sent him a cooler and a rebater to wit a prick in the flesh which hee calleth the messenger of Satan whereby the Lord cured him of his pride And even so doth hee cure many of us of our pride by throwing us to Sathan leaving us to our selves and giving us over to commit some grosse evill even to fall downe and break our neckes and all to the end hee may humble us tame us and pull downe our pride which hee seeth wee are heart-sick of It is good for us therefore to be humble in the abundance of grace that wee bee not proud of that which wee have or that which we have done For humility in sin is better then pride in well-doing Phil. Herein surely appeareth the great wisdome and mercy of God that hee so graciously bringeth go d out of evil and turneth our afflictions infirmities falls and down-falls to his glory and our good Theol. It is most true For even as of the flesh of a Viper is made a soveraigne medicine to cure those which are stung of a Viper and as Physicians expell poyson with poyson so God according to his marvellous wisedome doth of the infirmities which remaine in us after regeneration cure other more dangerous diseases as pride vain-glory and presumption O blessed therefore be his name for ever which thus mercifully causeth all things to work together for the good of his owne people of whom these things are specially to be understood Phil. Is there no cause why men of great gifts should glory in their gifts Theol. No surely none at all For the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 4. Who separateth thee And what hast thou that thou hast not received If thou hast received it why boastest thou as though thou haddest not received it Where the Apostle plainly sheweth that