unable to obey the carnall minde is not subiect to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8. 7. The Reasons hereof are these First Our universall both naturall and personall 〈◊〉 wee are by nature all flesh children of the old Adam Ioh. 3. 6. Children of Gods wrath Eph. 2. 3. and so long it is impossible wee should doe any thing to please God for they that are in the flesh cannot please God Rom. 8. 8. a man must first be renewed in his mind before he can so much as make proof of what will be acceptable unto God Rom. 12. 2. This naturall Impurity in our persons is the ground of all impurity in our workes for unto the 〈◊〉 every thing is uncleane Tit. 1. 15. and all the fruit of an evill Tree is evill fruit Math. 7. 18. And Saint Paul gives the reason of it Because our fruit should be frâ—…itunto God Rom. 7. 4. and fruit unto holinesse Rom 6. 22. Whereas these works of naturall men doe neither begin in God nor looke towards him nor tend unto him God is neither the principle nor the object nor the end of them Secondly Our naturall 〈◊〉 ie the best performance of wicked men is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Gift of an enemie and the sacrifice of fooles It proceedeth not from love which is the Bond of perfection that which keepeth all other requisite ingredients of a good worke together Col. 3. 14. which is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13. 8. and the principle of obedience and all willing service and conformity to God Gal. 5. 6. Ioh. 14. 15. and ever proceedeth from the spirit of Christ Gal. 5. 22. for by nature we are enemies Rom. 5. 10. Thirdly Our naturall infidelity for the state of sinne is an estate of unbeliefe The spirit shall convince the world of sinne because they beleeve not Ioh. 16. 9. Now infidelity doth utterly disable men to please God without faith it is impossible to please him Heb. 11. 6. There can no good worke be done but in Christ we are sanctified in Christ 1. Cor. 1. 2. we are created in Christ unto good works Eph. 2. 10. we must be one with him before wee can be sanctified Heb. 2. 11. and this is the reason why faith sanctifies and purifies the heart Act. 15. 9. and by consequence the whole man for when the fountaine was clensed all the waters were sweete 2. Reg. 2. 21. because faith is the bond which fastens us unto Christ. Eph. 3. 17. Fourthly Our naturall ignorance and follie For the state of sinne is ever an ignorant estate Evill men understand not judgement Prov. 28. 5. The usuall stile that the Scripture gives sinners even the best of sinners those who keepe themselves Virgins and escape many of the pollutions of the world as Saint Peter speakes 2. Pet. 2. 20. is fooles Math. 25. 2. though they know many things yet they know nothing as they ought to know 1. Cor. 8. 2. Now the roote of our well pleasing is wisedome and spirituall knowledge Col. 1. 9. 10. that is it which makes us walke worthy of the Lord and fruitfull in good works Whereas want of understanding is that which makes us altogether unprofitable that wee doe no good Rom. 3. 11. 12. And now what a cutting consideration should this be to a man to consider God made me for his use that I should be his servant to doe his will and I am utterly unfit for any services save those which dishonour him like the wood of the vine utterly unusefull and unmeete for any worke Ezek. 15. 4. what then should I expect but to be cast out as a vessell in which is no pleasure If I am altogether barrâ—…n and of no use what a wonderfull patience of God is it that suffers mee to cumber the ground and doth not presently cast me into the fire that 〈◊〉 me like a noisome weed to poison the aire and choake the growth of better things If I drinke in the raine and bring forth nothing but thornes how neere must I needs be unto cursing And this conviction should make men labour to have place in Christ because thereby they shall bee enabled to please God and in some measure to bring that glory to him for which they were made For this is a thing which God much delights in when a creature doth glorifie him actively by living unto him He will not loose his glory by any Creature but fetch it out at the last but when the Creature operates out of it selfe to Gods end and carries Gods intention through its owne worke then is hee most honored and delighted Herein saith Christ is my Father glorified that ye beare much fruit Ioh. 15. 8. and herein did Christ glorifie his father in finishing the worke which he gave him to do Ioh. 17 4. What an encouragement should this bee for those who have hitherto liv'd in the lusts of the flesh to come over to Christ and his righteousnesse and for others to goe on with patience through all difficulties because in so doing they worke to that end for which they were made they live to God and bring forth fruit unto him who hath in much patience spared and in infinite love called them to himselfe How should we praise God that hath given us any strength in any way to doe him service that is pleas'd to account himselfe honoured when he is obeyed by us who spoile all the works we do with our owne corruptions And how should we husband all the pretious moments of our life to the advantage of our master whose very acceptation of such unworthy services should alone bee both encouragement and reward enough unto us The more profitably any man lives the more comfortably he shall die Now to consider more particularly this disabilitie which comes along with sinne we may note that it is either totall when a man is all flesh as by nature we are or at best partiall in proportion to the vigor of concupifence and life of sinne in the best of us To touch a little upon both of these First in a wicked man who is totally in the state of sinne there is a Totall and absolute impossibility and impotency to doe any thing that is good Every figment and motion of the heart of man is onely and continually evill Gen. 6. 5. But though his heart be evill may not his actions or his words be good No for that is the fountaine whence all they issue and impossible it is that sweete water should proceed from a bitter and corrupted fountaine Matth. 12. 34. Iam. 3. 11. Looke on the best actions of wicked men If they pray to God their prayer is an abomination Prov. 28. 9. If they sacrifice God will not accept nor smell nor regard any of their offerings he will esteeme them all abominable and uncleane as a dogs head or swines bloud Amos 5. 21. Esai 66. 3. Seeme things never so specious in the sight of men
quoad Regnum in regard of the dominion and government of it in regard of the vigorous operation which is in it First sinne is condemn'd Rom. 8. 3. and therein destinated and design'd to death It shall fully bee rooted out Secondly in the meane time it is disabled from a plenarie Rule over the conscience though the Christian be molested and pester'd with it yet he doth not henceforth serve it nor become its instrument to bee subject in every motion thereof as the weapon is to the hand that holds it but Christ and his love beare the sway and hold the Sterne in the heart Rom. 6 6. 〈◊〉 Cor. 5. 14 15. 1. Pet. 4. 1 2. Thirdly the sentence of the Law against sin is already in execution But we are to note that sinne though condemnd to die yet such is the severity of God against it it is adjudg'd to a lingring death a death upon the Crosse and in the faithfull sin is already upon a Crosse fainting struggling dying daily yet so as that it retaines some life still so long as we are here sinne will be as fast to our natures as a nailed man is to the Crosse that beares him Our Thorne will still bee in our flesh our Canaanite in our side our Twinns in our wombe our counterlustings and counterwillings though we be like unto Christ per primitias spiritus yet we are unlike him per Reliquias vetustatis by the remainders of our flesh not to sinne is here onely our Law but in heaven it shal be our Reward All our perfection here is imperfect Sinne hath its deaths blow given it but yet like fierce and implacable beasts it never le ts goe its hold till the last breath Animamque in vulnere ponit never ceaseth to infest us till it cease to bee in us Who can say I have made my heart cleane Cleanse thou be saith holy David from my secret sinnes Though I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified saith the Apostle and the reason is added He that iudgethme is the Lord which Saint Iohn further unfolds God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things Which places though most dangerously perverted by some late Innovators which teach That a man may bee without secret sinnes that he may make his heart cleane from sinne and that Saint Paul was so doe yet in the experience of the holiest men that are or have been evince this truth that the lusts of the flesh will be and worke in us so long as we carry our mortall bodies about us And this God is pleased to suffer for these and like purposes First to convince and humble us in the experience of our owne vilenesse that wee may be the more to the prayse of the glory of his great grace As once Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria dealt with the Egyptian Idols after the embracement of Christianitie most he destroyed onely one of their Apes and Images he kept entire not as a monument of Idolatry but as a spectacle of sinne and misery that in the sight thereof the people might after learne to abhorre themselves that had liv'd in such abominable Idolatries Secondly to drive us still unto him to cast us alwayes upon the hold and use of our Faith that our prayers may still finde something to aske which hee may give and our repentance something to confesse which he may forgive Thirdly to proportion his mercy to his justice for as the wicked are not presently fully destroyed have not sentence speedily executed against them but are reserv'd unto their Day that they may be destroi'd together as the Psalmist speakes even so the righteous are not here fully saved but are reserv'd unto the great day of Redemption when they also shall be saved together as the Apostle intimates 1. Thess. 4. 17. Fourthly to worke in us a greater hatred of sinne and longing after glory therefore we have yet but the first fruites of the spirit that we should grone and waite for the Adoption and Redemption therfore are we burdened in our earthly tabernacle that we should the more earnestly groane to be cloathed upon with our House which is from Heaven Fiftly to magnifie the power of his Grace in the weakest of his members which notwithstanding that inhabiting Traytor which is ready to let in and entertaine every temptation shall yet make a poore sinfull man stronger in some respect then Adam was himselfe even able to overcome at last the powers of darkenesse and to be sufficient against all Satans buffets Lastly to commend the greatnesse of his mercy and salvation when we shall come to the full fruition of it by comparing it with the review of that sinfull estate in which here we lived when we were at the best without possibility of a totall deliverance Thirdly consider the great Contagion and pestilentiall humour which is in this sinne which doth not onely cleave unseparably to our nature but derives venome upon every action that comes from us For though we doe not say That the good works of the Regenerate are sinnes and so hatefull to God as our adversaries belie and misreport us for that were to reproach the spirit and the grace of Christ by which they are wrought yet this we affirme constantly unto the best worke that is done by the concurrence and contribution of our owne faculties such a vitiousnesse doth adhere such stubble of ours is superinduc'd as that God may justly charge us for defiling the grace he gave and for the evill which we mixe with them may turne away his eyes from his owne gifts in us Sinne in the facultie is poison in the fountaine that sheds infection into every thing that proceeds from it Ignorance and difficultie are two evill properties which from the fountaine doe in some measure diffuse themselves upon all our workes Whensoever thou art going about any good this evill will be present with thee to derive a deadnesse a dampe a dulnesse an indisposednesse upon all thy services an iniquitie upon thy holiest things which thou standest in neede of a priest to beare for thee Exod. 28. 38. and to remove from thee In the Law whatsoever an uncleane person touched was uncleane though it were holy flesh to note the evill quality of sinful nature to staine and blemish every good worke which commeth from it This is that which in thy prayers deads thy zeale fervencie humiliation selfe-abhorrencie thy importunitie faith and close attention this like an evill sauour mingleth with thy sacrifice casteth in impertinent thoughts wrong ends makes thee rest in the worke done and never enquire after the truth of thine owne heart or Gods blessing and successe to thy services This is it that in reading and hearing the Word throwes in so much prejudice blindnesse inadvertency security infidelity misapplication misconstruction wresting and shaping the word to our selves This is that which in thy meditations makes thee roving and unsetled
cannot cease from sinne Now where there is All of a strong thing that must needes be exceeding strong If all the foure windes should meete together in their full strength what mountaines would they not roote up by the foundation What a mighty rage and strength is there in the sea onely because it is full of waters and All water belongs unto it Who is able to looke upon the sunne or endure the brightnesse of that glorious Creature onely because it is Full of light the same reason is in fleshly lusts they are very strong in us because our nature is full of them and because all their fulnesse is in our nature Now this strength which is thus made up of so many ingredients doth further appeare in the Effects of it which are these Three all comprised in the generall word of Obeying it in the Lusts thereof which denotes a full uncontroled Power in sin First the somenting entertaining cherishing of lust shaping of it delighting in it consenting unto it when a man doth joine himselfe to sin and setle himselfe upon it set his heart to it and respect it in his heart and studie consult it and resolve upon it Secondly Executing of it and bringing into act the suggestions of the flesh thus conceived yeelding to the commands drudging in the service drawing iniquitie with cords and cartropes resigning both heart and hand to the obedience of sin Thirdly Finishing it going on without wearinesse or murmuring without repenting or repining in the waies of Lust running in one constant chanell till like the waters of Iordan the soule drop into the dead lake All these three Saint Iames hath put together to shew the gradations and the danger of fleshly Lusts. Euery man is Tempted when he is drawne away of his owne Lusts and enticed Lust when it hath Conceiued bringeth forth sinne and sinne when it is Finished bringeth forth Death First there is the Suggestion Lust draweth away and enticeth Secondly the Conception and formation in the delight and consent of the will Thirdly the Execution and bringing into act Fourthly the Consummation and accomplishment of Lust filling vp the measure going on vnweariedly to the last till there is no hope and so abusing the patience and long suffering of God unto destruction Sinne growes till it be ripe for the slaughter now if men in the interim cut off their sinnes and turne to God before the decree be sealed before he stirre up all his wrath and will suffer his Spirit no longer to strive if they cōsecrate that litle time strength they have left to Gods Service then the kingdome of sin is pull'd downe in them To this purpose is the Counsell of Daniel to Nebuchadnezar That he should breake off his sinnes by righteousnesse and his iniquities by shewing mercie to the poore that is he should relinquish those sins which were most predominant in him his unjustice and oppression and tyrannie against poore men thus Paul preached of righteousnesse and temperance and judgement to come to Felix a corrupt and lascivious Governor by that meanes his tranquillitie should be lengthened not by way of merit for a theefe deserves no pardon because he gives over stealing but by way of mercie and favour Hitherto I have but shewed that sin is a strong king But this is not enough to d◅ive men to Christ which is my principall scope It is further required that men bee Convinc'd of being under this power of sinne The first use then which I shall shew you may bee made of this Doctrine is for Conviction and tryall of the raigne of sinne in our selves for the more distinct expediting whereof I shall propose these three cases to be resolved First whether sin may raigne in a Regenerate man so as that this power and kingdome of sinne shall consist with the righteousnesse of Christ Secondly How wicked men may be Convinc'd that sinne raignes in them and what difference there is betweene the power of sinne in them and in the regenerate Thirdly why every sinne doth not raigne in every unregenerate man For the first of these we must remember in the generall that sinne doth then raigne when a man doth obey it in the lusts thereof when he doth yeelde up himselfe to execute all the commands of sinne when he is held under the power of Sathan and of darkenesse And for the regenerate wee must likewise note what Saint Paul and Saint Iohn have spoken in generall of this point Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace saith Saint Paul when a man is delivered from the Obligations of the Law he is then delivered from the strength of sinne for the strength of sinne is the Law And he that is borne of God sinneth not neither can sinne saith Saint Iohn that is cannot obey sinne in all the lusts and commands thereof as a servant to sinne from which service hee hath ceased by being borne of God for no man can bee Gods Sonne and sinnes servant for we are to distinguish betweene doing the worke of sinne and obeying sinne in the lusts thereof As a man may doe divine workes and yet not ever in obedience to God so a man may be subject as a Captiue in this or that particular tyrannie of sinne who is not obedient as a servant to all the governement of sinne for that takes in the whole will and an Adequate submission thereof to the peaceable and uncontroll'd power of sinne Let us then inquire how farre the power of sinne may discover itselfe in the most regenerate First the best have flesh about them and that flesh where ever it is worketh and rebelleth against the Spirit of Christ so that they cannot doe the things which they would Secondly this flesh is of itselfe indifferent to great sinnes as well as to small and therefore by some strong temptation it may prevaile to carrie the Saints unto great sins as it did David Peter and others Thirdly this fleshis as much in the will as in any other part of regenerate men and therefore when they commit great sinnes they may commit them with consent delight and willingnesse of heart Fourthly this flesh is in their members as well as in their wills and therefote they may actuate and execute those wills of sinne which they have consented unto Fifthly we confesse that by these sinnes thus committed the Conscience of a regenerat man is wasted and wounded and overcome by the power of sinne and such a particular grievous Guilt contracted as must first bee washed away by some particular repentance before that man can be againe qualified to take actuall possession of his inheritance or to be admitted unto glory In which case that of the apostle is most certaine that the very righteous shall scarsely be saved For wee are to note that as some things may indispose a man for the present use or dispossesse him of the
by meere naturall reasons and the assent produced by it is differenced from suspition hesitaâ—…cie â—…ubitation in the opinion of schoolâ—…men themselves Now then in as much as we are bound to yeeld an evident assent unto divine truths necessary hereunto it is that the undâ—…rstanding bee convinc'd of these two things First that God is of infallible authoritie and cannot lye nor deceive which thing is a principle by the light of nature evident and unquestioned Secondly that this authoritie which in faith I rely upon is indeede and infallibly Gods owne authoritie The meanes whereby I come to know that may bee either extraordinary as revelation such as was made by the Prophets concerning future events or else ordinary and common to the faithfull This the Papists say is the authoritie of the Church Against which if one would dispute much might bee said Briefly granting first unto the Church a ministeriall introductory perswasive and conducting concurrence in this worke pointing unto the starre which yet it selfe shineth by its owne light reaching forth and exhibiting the light which though in it selfe visible could not bee so ordinarily to mee uâ—…lesse thus presented explaning the evidence of those truths unto which I assent for their owne intrinsecall certainâ—…y I doe here demaund how it is that each man comes to beleeve The Colliar will quickly make a wise answere as the Church beleeves But now how or why doth the Church beleeve these or these truths to bee divine Surely not because the Church hath so determined our Saviour Himselfe would not be so beleeved If I beare record of my selfe my record is not true Well then the Church must needes beleeve by the spirit which leads it into all truth And what is the Church but the Bodie of Christ the congregrtion of the faithfull consisting of divers members And what worke is that whereby the Spirit doth illuminate and raise the understanding to perceive aright divine truth but onely that Oyntment which dwelleth in you saith the Apostle whereby Christs sheepe are enabled to heare His voyce in matters of more Heavenly and fundamentall consequence and to distinguish the same from the voyce of strangers Now have not all the faithfull of this unction Doth it not runne downe from the head to the skirts of the garment Are wee not all a royall Priesthood and in both these respects annointed by the Spirit And having all the Spirit though in different measures and degrees is it not in congruitie probable that we have with Him received those vivificall and illightning operations which come along with him Capable is the poorest member in Christs Church being growne to maturitie of yeeres of information in the faith Strange therefore it is that the Spirit not leaving mee destitute of other quickning graces should in this onely leave my poore soule to travell as farre as Rome to see that by a candle or rather by an ignis fatuus which himselfe might more evidently make knowne unto me For the Spirit doth beget knowledge We have received the spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God And againe Hereby we know that wee dwell in Him and Hee in us because Hee hath given us of His Spirit And againe Hereby we know that Hee abideth in us by the Spirit which Hee hath given us Especially since wee must take even the determinations of the Church and Pope though they were infallible in themselves at second hand as they passe through the mouth of a Priest whose authoritie being not infallible nor apostolicall but humane impossible it is not but that he may misreport His holy Father and by that meanes misguide and delude an unsetled soule Againe I demaund How doth it appeare unto mee that the Iudgment of the Church is infallible when it alone is the warrant of my Faith That this is it selfe no principle nor to the light of naturall reason primo intuitâ—… manifest ex evidentia terminorum is most certaine For that this company of men should not erre when other companies of men may erre cannot possibly be immediateâ—…y and por se evident since there must first needs apriori be discovered some internall difference betweene those men from whence as from an antecedent principle this difference of erring or not erring must needes grow Now then I demand what is that whereby I doe assent unto this proposition in case it were true That the Church cannot erre The Church it selfe it cannot be since nothing beares record of it selfe and if it should the proofe would be more ridiculous then the opinion being but idem peridem and petitio quaestionis Above the Church a Priori there is not any light but the scriptures and the spirit Therefore needs by these must I assent unto that one proposition at least And if unto that by these why then by the same light may I not assent unto all other divine truths since evident it is that the same light which enables me rightly to apprehend one object is sufficient also to any other for which a lesser light then that is presumed to suffice So then a true faith hath its evidence and certainty grounded upon the Authoritie of the word as the instrument and of the spirit of God raising and quickning the soule to attend and acknowledge the things therein revealed and to set to its owne seale unto the truth and goodnesse of them But how doe I know either this word to be Gods Word or this spirit to bee Gods spirit since there are sundry false and lying spirits I answer first ad Hominem there are many particular Churches and Bishops which take themselves to be equally with Rome members and Bishops of the universall Church How shall it invincibly appeare to my Conscience that other Churches and Bishops all save this onely doe or may erre and that this which will have me to beleeve her infallibility is not her selfe an hereticall and revolted Church This is a question controuerted By what autority shall it be decided or into what principles á priori resolved and how shall the evidence of those principles appeare to the Conscience That the Popes are successors of Peter in his see of Rome that they are doctrinall as wel as personall successours that Peter did there sit as moderator of the Catholike Church that his infallibility should not stick to his chaire at Antioch as well as to that at Rome that Christ gave him a principality jurisdiction and Apostleship to have to himselfe over all others and to leave to his successors who though otherwise privat men and not any of the pen-men of the holy Ghost should yet have after him a power over those Apostles who survivd Peter as it is manifest Iohn did That the scripture doth say any title of all this that the traditions which do say it are a divine word are al controversed points and though there be sorceries more then enough
matter of which is commanded may yet be made in the doing of them evill when that due respect and conformitie which the Law wherein it is commanded requireth is not observed If a man build a wall with pâ—…etence to keepe out the Sea or an enemy and yet leave a wide gap and entrance open to admit them though hee who sees nothing but firme wall may admire the worke yet he who viewes the whole will but deride it so though a maâ—… doe very much though hee proceede so farre as to offer up the children of his body and bestow mountaines of cattell upon God and his service yet omitting righteousnesse and iustice and humiliation before God though to men it may seeme very specious yet unto God it is both abominable and ridiculous As a piece of silver or gold may be shaped into a vessell of dishonor which shall be destin'd unto â—…ordid and uncleane uses so may a worke be compounded of choyce ingredients the materials of it may be the things which God himselfe requires and yet serving to base purposes and directed to our owne ends it may stinke in the nostrils of God and bee by him reiected as a vessell in which there is no pleasure A cup of cold water to a prophet as a prophet shall bee rewarded when a magnificent almes with a pharises trumpet shall be rejected As a small thing which the righteous hath so a small thing which the righteous giveth is better then great riches of the ungodly Fourthly wee are to note what things are requisite unto the doing of a thing so as that it may bee an Act of obedience and thereupon acceptable unto God First then it must have a new principle the Spirit of Christ and the Law of the Spirit of Life and Faith purifying the Conscience from dead workes Secondly in regard of the manner it must bee done with the affection of a childe not out of bondage but in love 2. Tim. 1. 7. In voluntary service and resignation of all the members unto righteousnesse Rom. 6. 19. In universall respect to all the Commandements Psal. 119. 128. In obedience to God the Law-giver for he never obeyes the Law even when he doth the workes therein contained but when hee doth it with all submissiue and loyall affections towards him that commands it Iam. 2. 10 11. this onely is to live unto God and to bring forth fruite unto him Thirdly it must be directed unto holy ends and those are principally foure to which others are to be subordinate but not repugnant First the glory of God we must bring forth fruit and finish our workes and doe all that we have to doe with respect unto his glory Ioh. 15. 8. Ioh 17. 4. 1. Cor. 10. 31. Secondly the Edification Service comfort of the Church that nothing redound to their offence but to their profit and salvation 1. Cor. 10. 3â—… 33. Col. 1. 24. 2. Tim. 2. 10. 2. Cor. 1. 6. Thirdly the Credit honour and passage of the Gospell that it may be furthered and not evill spoken of 2. Cor. 6. 3 4. 1. Cor. 9. 19. 23. Phil. 1. 12. Fourthly a mans owne salvation that he be not after all his paines a cast-away but that he may save himselfe 1. Cor. 9. 27. 1. Tim. 4. 16. 1. Pet. 1. 9. Fourthly all the meanes unto that end must be regular and sutable Evill must not be done to bring good about Rom. 3. 8. and all the circumstances which accompany the action must be right too For as in the body there is not onely requir'd beauty but order and proportion Let the face be of never so delicate and choice complection yet if any part be mis-plac'd it will cause a notable deformitie and uncomelinesse to it so in duties an excellent worke may be so mis-plac'd or mis-tim'd or attended with such incongruous and unsutable circumstances as that it may prove rather a snare of Satan then a fruit of the Spirit Lastly to make it completely acceptable It must passe through the Incense and Intercession of Christ who as he doth by his Merits take away the Guilt of sinne from our persons so by his Intercession he hideth the pollution and adherencie of sinne that is in our services and so giveth us accesse and maketh all our duties acceptable by him to God Ephes. 2. 18. 1. Pet. 2. 5. He hath made us to be priests unto God and our Prayers and good workes as spirituall sacrifices come up before God But it is not sufficient that there be a Priest and an offering except there be an Altar too upon which to offer it for it is the Altar which sanctifieth the offering Now Christ is the Altar which sanctifieth all our spirituall sacrifices Their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar and they shall come up with acceptance on mine Altar Esai 56. 7. 60. 7. These things being thus premised we conclude first A wicked man cannot doe those things at all which are so essentially and inherently good as that the very opâ—… operatum or doing of them is from the spirit of Christ as to love God to trust him and depend upon him for as there are some things in nature which cannot be counterfeited or resembled the shape of a man may bee pictur'd but the life cannot nor the reason nor any thing that doth immediately pertaine to the Essence of man so there are some things in grace which cannot by hypocrisie be done neither in the thing it selfe nor in the manner of doing it because sincerity spiritualnesse and filiall respects belong to the very substance and matter of the duety Secondly other workes whose Goodnesse doth not cleave necessarily to the doing of them but to the manner of doing them wicked men may performe but then they doe them onely ethically and in conspectu hominum with relation to men and manners not spiritually as unto God nor in obedience or respect to him For first the Spirit of Grace is Christs spirit Rom. 8. 9. Gal. 4. 6. and our flesh is quite contrarie unto it Gal. 5. 17. and none have this spirit but they who have fellowship with the father and the sonne and are united unto him 1. Ioh. 4. 13. none of which dignities belong to wicked men Secondly every thing that is spirituall is vitall for the spirit quickneth the spirit of Holinesse never comes but with a Resurrection Rom. 1. 4. Ro. 8. 10 11. 2. Cor. 3. 6. and therefore he is called the spirit of life Rom. 8. 2. but now as the persons of wicked men so their workes are all dead Heb. 9 14. and therfore not being done spiritually obedientially impossible it is that they should in any sense please God Rom. 8. 8. whos 's pure eyes can endure nothing which beareth not in some though most remote degree proportion to his most holy nature 2. Pet. 1. 4. But it may be objected doth God use to doe good to those that hate him and that even for
the things which himselfe hateth in them doth not that worke please him which he is pleased to reward and we finde the workes of wicked men in the Scripture rewarded Ahab humbled himselfe before God and therefore God brought not the evill denounced upon him in his owne dayes Iehu executed the command of God upon the house of Ahab and God established the throne of Israel upon him for foure generations Nebuchadnezzar caused his armie to serve a great service against Tyrus and the land of Egypt was given him for wages and for the labour wherewith hee served against it To this I answere that this God doth not to iustifie or allow wicked mens actions when they are in shew conformable to his Will but first to shew that his mercie is over all his workes when he is pleased to recompence the actions which hee might iustly punish Secondly to shew that God will never be upbraided for being any way behinde with men Wicked men are apt to twit God with the unprofitablenesse of his service and the unequalnesse of his wayes to boast that their worke hath beene more then their wages and therefore utterly to stop their mouthes when he shall proceede in iudgement with them he gives them such rewards as are most sutable to their owne desires the hypocrites pray and give almes to bee seene of men and that reward which they desired they have and such as are most sutable to their services As they bring him uncleane services so he rendereth unto them unsanctified rewards as the give him services full of hypocrisie which doe not please him so he gives them benefits full of bitternesse which shall not profit them Thirdly to preserve humane societie from violence and outrage for when wicked courses are from Heaven plagued and moderate prospered this keepes order and calmenesse upon the face of mankinde which might otherwise bee likely to degenerate into brutishnesse Fourthly to intice and incourage wicked men unto sincere obedience for thus may they recount with themselves If God thus reward my uncleane how aboundantly would he recompence my spirituall services If he let fall such crums unto dogges how aboundantly would hee provide for me if I were his Childe If the blessings of his left hand riches and glorie bee so excellent even to the Goates how pretious would the blessings of his right hand length of dayes and eternall happinesse be if I were one of his sheepe So then it is not Ex pretio operis but only Ex largitate donantis The reward is not out of the value or price of the worke but out of the bountie of God who will not leave himselfe without a witnesse but as a master for incouragement and allurements sake will reward the industrie of an ignorant scholler though hee blot and deface all that he puts his hand unto so God to overcome men by his goodnesse and bounty and to draw them to repentance is pleased to reward the workes which he might iustly punish But have not the wicked some measures and proportions of the Spirit given them by which they are enabled to do those workes they doe Heb. 6. 4. 1. Cor. 12 6. 7. And is not that a good worke which proceedeth from the supplies of the Spirit of God To this wee answere First as it is the influence of the same Sunne which ripeneth both the Grape and the Crabbe and yet though the Grape have sweetenesse from the Sunne the Crabbe still retaines the sowrenesse which it hath from its selfe so it is the same spirit which helpeth the faithfull in their holy and the wicked in their morall workes which yet still retaine the qualitie and sowrnesse of the stocke from whence they come Secondly we deny them not to bee good in Suo genere that is morally and in the sight of men but yet they are not good in Gods sight so as to procure acceptance with him for which purpose wee must note That God gives severall proportions of his Spirit and for severall purposes To some the Spirit to sanctifie and renew Rom. 1. 4. Tit. 3. 5. To others the spirit to edifie and profit withall 1. Cor. 12. 7. To some charitie and to others gifts 1. Cor. 14. 1. To some as Instruments that they may walke profitably before men as Cirus was annointed for Iacobs sake Esai 45. 1 4. To others as Sonnes and Members that they may walke acceptablie before him 1. Pet. 2. 5. But then comes the second Case proposed if a wicked man can doe nothing but evill then it seemes hee ought to leave undone all his Almes Prayers Fastings and Religions services because we are to abstaine from every thing which is polluted with sinne and that which God will not see man must not doe To this I answere No by no meanes The poore man at the poole of Bethesda though utterly impotent and unable to crawle in when the Angell came to stirre the waters did not yet neglect what lay in his power to waite at the place and to endeavour his owne cure Naturall impotency can give no excuse to wilfull neglect When Simon Magus was in the gall of bitternesse yet Saint Peter directed him then to pray Here then these two Rules must regulate this Case First a wicked mans necessity of sinning must not nullifie the Law of God which requires the doing of those things though not with such an uncleane heart as he doth them The impotency of man must not either prejudice Gods Authoritie or diminish his owne dutie As though where sinne abounds Grace doth more abound yet a man must not sinne that grace may abound so though when a wicked man doth the things of the Law he finneth yet he must not omit the duty upon pretence to escape the sinne Secondly when a thing is evill Propter fieri because it is done the doing of that thing is unlawfull and inti insecally sinfull and therefore to be avoided but when a thing done is evill not because it is done but because something which should make the doing of it good and acceptable is omitted and so it is evill not in the substance of thing but by reason of the defects which cleave unto it here this ought stiil to be done but the other ought not to bee left undone Iehu was commanded to destroy the house of Ahab he did so and thus farre he did well but his ends and Gods divide the same Action God out of Iustice he out of policie and therefore though he esteemed it zeale yet God accompted it murther and shedding of bloud and though as it was in substance the thing which God commanded he did reward it yet as the execution thereof was otherwise then he required so he threatneth to revenge it I will avenge the bloud of Iezreel upon the house of Iehu What then is Iehu to commit murther God forbid and yet is he to doe that in doing whereof he did commit murther