spake and said unto me rise up my Love my fair one saith the Spouse 5. We ought to beleeve till we be perswaded that we do beleeve because the more we do beleeve the more we shall be perswaded to beleeve according to that place in the Ephesians In whom also after ye beleeved ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise And he that beleeveth hath the witnesse though there is more to be said to this last Scripture The way to be warm is not onely to ask for a fire or whether there be a fire or no or to hold out the hands towards it and away and wish for a greater but to stand close to that fire there is and to gather heat 6. We ought I suppose no more to question our Faith which is our first and foundation Grace then we ought to question Christ the foundation of our Faith For as all Christian Religion is destroyed by the one so all the salvation in that Religion to any soul in particular by the other Therefore it is said they entered not in because of unbeleef And again The Word did not profit being not mixed with Faith in them that heard it And hence is the Apostles caution Take heed lest there be in any of you an heart of unbeleef 7. It is Satans greatest policy to put a soul upon such a question For by this he sets on the soul for evidence from things which he knows can afford little but a questionable assurance as perswasion most upon marks and signes of our own sanctification or works which cannot hold good without Faith it self to bring down Christ upon them For he puts us clean back if we observe We are proving our faith by our works when as no works can be proved solidly good but by our faith for without Faith it is impossible to please God We know that every piece of coyn or money is valued according to the image and superscription that it bears and if Cesar be not there though it be still silver yet it is not coyn it is not so currant and he that hath it cannot make such use of it and so assure himself to trade with it as otherwise he might do So there is not any thing of sanctification currant and of true practical use comfort to be a beleever unlesse Jesus Christ be there and the Image of Christ which is righteousnesse c. or true holinesse While Satan puzzles us in questioning our faith or beleeving he keeps us off from beleeving knowing that this is the condemnation He that beleeveth not is condemned already We are first to beleeve and all other gifts will follow c. HEre I cannot but wonder at any that keep souls in acts of preparation and qualification from the act of beleeving as if we could beleeve too suddenly and many a one loses some degrees of faith while they are seeking it thus in the evidence of their works for while faith is kept off from Christ and the soul suspended faith decayes and becomes weaker and weaker when as if it were still exercised upon Christ in the promises it would soon bring a clearer and more undeceivable evidence with it then can any other way be ministred unto it In the Gospel all are immediately called to beleeve to day if ye will hear his voice Sirs saith the Jaylor what must I do to be saved Beleeve say they on the Lord Jesus Christ And this is the work that ye beleeve on him whom he hath sent saith Christ and saith Philip to the Eunuch If thou beleevest with all thy heart thou mayst and he answered and said I beleeve So as I shall draw this conclusion for many that are in the dark in this point both Preachers and people That none can beleeve too hastily in Jesus Christ our righteousnesse because righteousnesse is revealed from faith to faith and while we beleeve not we live not properly for the just shall live by faith and while we beleeve not we may after a sort be said to be under condemnation for he that beleeveth not is condemned So as we ought not to stay the exercise of our faith either for repentance or humiliation or any other grace but we ought to beleeve that we may have these for faith worketh by love c. And adde to your faith vertue saith the Apostle and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse All these are to be added to faith or work from faith nor are we to stay our beleeving till we be assured by some signes that we do beleeve we must beleeve that we may know that we do beleeve for the witnesse comes by beleeving The spirit bearing witnesse Yet to these I allow you any examination or tryal of your faith which may consist with beleeving Well I shall put some Questions to you after these grounds Quest Is faith alwayes with full assurance Answ Nay Quest Can you conclude you have no faith because you have no full assurance Answ Nay Quest You say well for there are degrees of beleeving one degree is to beleeve another is to be assured you beleeve There are in the Word beleevers of several ages some are called little ones weak ones babes children strong men some are such as have been sound beleevers and are made weak through sin and temptation and ignorance of the Covenant of free-grace and their righteousnesse in Christ and the glorious estate of a beleever under grace as a man that is not perfectly healed of some infirmity For the nature and properties of true saving Faith which I told you on They are better discerned in the Word Christ then in the soul that hath them because they are not in the soul purely but with mixture of corruption which like mud in the water troubles the sight and the spiritual discerning and that makes so many beleevers who can spiritually judge care so little to see themselves in their own righteousnesse but in Christs as Paul and be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse The nature and properties of true saving faith is almost the businesse of the whole new Testament 1. The nature of faith is this It is called the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things that are unseen 2. The properties are everywhere described by repentance and humiliation and love godlinesse and purity and charity meeknesse and all holy conversation and prayer and hearing and obeying the Will of God All these are with true faith and a beleever is one who though he hath all these yet he will not behold them in himself but in Christ and as Paul I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Now the great mistake which I finde in this and ages before is the singling out the properties of a true faith and sending a beleever for his assurance most thither in himself which caused the beleevers of
exalted but to study every part and parcel and passage of Jesus Christ And thus to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified The several wayes of Free-grace and the general point searched FRee-grace is conveyed to us under several notions in these times and I shall in few words gather up the conceptions intending a larger draught of it hereafter The first way of Free-grace free without all condition of Grace THe first and purest conceive of the Mystery thus That God the Father for manifestation of his mercy and love purposed some to glory whom he loved freely and gave his Son to be a way to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and righteousnesse knowing that thâ—â—ould fall under sin and condemnation in the first Adam where he might justly have left them as the rest in their blood and pollution had it not been for that free-grace in himself and therefore that Son is called the second Adam or quickning spirit and this mystery of salvation is free infinitely free the Father loving freely and giving his Son the Son loving freely and giving himself freely and the spirit working from them both freely for the manifestation of this salvation in the souls of his elect and through the ministery of a free Gospel even to sinners as sinners and children of wrath in themselves A second way of Free-grace free onely with conditions THe second sort hold which is called the Reformed opinion and is the more general That God did freely decree or purpose some to salvation in Christ through the intervening and instrumental assistance of faith c. And that none are actually justified nor partakers of this free salvation but by faith and the Goâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 ministery of conditions or qualificatio◠〈◊〉 this salvation And this I call a Decrâ—e with Graces A third way of Free-grace free onely upon condition THe third sort hold That God did freely purpose some to salvation and therefore gave Jesus Christ but it was onely to those whom he foresaw through the help of a Gospel-ministery and other spiritual sufficiency would embrace Jesus so given yea given for all if all would have embraced him And this I call a respective Decree for Graces A fourth way of Free-grace free meerly in the extent THe fourth sort hold That God purposed some to glory and salvation in Jesus Christ without respect to any thing but the intervenings of faith c. and gave this Jesus Christ to die for all not that all should have saâ—â—â—â—â—on by him but onely the elect who are onely made to beleeve and that the Gospel-ministery reveals such a kinde of general Redemption otherwise the Gospel could not justly be tendred to all nor any be condemned for not beleeving nor unbeleeving be any sin This last I shall onely speak on This is in part the general point and it is answered thus Some do it by a way of interpreting the general Scriptures as these of Gods loving the world c. Interpreting the world in opposition to Jews and by that understanding the Gentiles who were called the world And so of sending Jesus Christ to be a propitiation not for ours but the sins of the whole world c. Rom. 11.11 12. And so where ever the word all is that God will have all saved c. they interpret it with restriction to some of all c. Matth. 3.5 And so for the general tenders of the Gospel they interpret that by way of dispensation for the better gathering up the elect from all sorts and places Matth. 24.31 And so for not beleeving they say men are not damned for not beleeving simply but from the condemnation 〈◊〉 â—re left under though their not beleâ—â—â—â—â— may make their condemnation greater Some answer it by shewing forth the contradiction in this of Christ dying for all and saving some that it is as much as Christ died for all and not for all Some answer by turning it into immortality for all but not salvation for all Some answer by revealing Gods love and Jesus Christ as the effect of this love as it were the instrument and minister of this love and this love of God going out onely to the elect for whom Christ is given This way they conceive takes off general Redemption But we must take heed of making Christ more instrumental and ministerial then the Father hath made him and will stand with the honour of the Son who is the first born of the elect the head of the body And we must be spiritually wary in distinguishing too curiously upon Jesus Christ as Son and Mediator c. but onely in a Scripture-way for Christ is but one and salvation is one Thus far some worthy beleevers go in opposing the general point but we must go a little further in finding out the Mystery of the general point and meet with it there Now I humbly conceive the mystery lies onely in a rational way of justice and Gospel-dispensation That God will not meerly and arbitrarily damn any because he will So as he hath put every one under a state of Redemption and power of salvation and they are damned from their own will not from Gods Thus go the deepest and most notional of that way And the other part of the mystery which is lowest and most argued for in these times and by most is onely that the Gospel cannot rationally be tendred but upon some such general ground as Christ dying for all Thus I have opened though weakly the mystery and the opening it may be enough and the whole building of the universal Grations is all upon a rational notion strengthned with some general terms in the Word Now let them see whether meer Reason is a Principle high enough for a spiritual mystery And if bringing salvation down upon such a ground be proportionable to so glorious a work as that of Redemption besides all the intervenings it hath with free-grace and free-free-justification and election of grace c. Now let the Mystery be lookt on in their way which is this Christ died for all else the Gospel cannot be preached to all And in the other way which is this Christ died onely for his and it is offered to all that his who are amongst this all might beleeve and though he died not for all yet none are excepted and yet none accepted but they that beleeve and none beleeve but they to whom it is given And in this way of salvation there lies more mystery which is more sutable to a divine work Great is the mystery of godlinesse And this ground That none are excepted is as clear and spiritually rational for the Gospel to be preached to all as this ground That he died for all Seeing upon both grounds Some onely are saved and not all and a decree of meer grace and of faith foreseen do equally imply an impossibility of all to be saved and therefore why is it so contended for that all are redeemed Some Truths of Free-grace sparkling in former Writers and in
to rectifie this errour the way is not wholly to reject all use of such evidences but to order them c. We are justified in Christs Justification when he rose Pag. 202. Christ his Resurrection was the original act of Gods justifying us in Christ we were virtually justified then in Christ his being justified as in a common person God remembers not our sins P. 207. As by reason of his Intercession God remembers not old sins so likewise he is not provoked by new The Law as given by Moses no Rule to Christians Mr. Bolton in his Book of the true bounds of Christian freedom P. 74. OThers say we are freed from the Law as given by Moses and are onely tied to the obedience of it as given by Christ and as Christ renews it and as it comes out of the hand and from the authority of Christ and we have it immediatly from the hands of Christ I shall not much dislike this c. Beleevers and God are never at enmity P. 14. As none of our sins shall condemn us so none of our sins shall put us into a state of â—ondemnation more none of our sins shall ever put us under the curse under wrath again God doth not punish Beleevers for sin P. 14. We are freed from all miseries afflictions punishments which yet are the fruits of sin as they may be conceived to be fruits of wrath or have wrath in them Faith before Justification is no Grace Mr. Rogers on the Articles Art 13. P. 57. WOrks done before Justification please not God before men do please nothing that they do can please him hereby the vanity of them is perceived who think before mans justification his deeds do please God Note What is faith then to be accounted before Justification according to this principle God is never an enemy to his though sinning Mr. Herbert Palmer in his Charact. of a Christian in Paradox c. P. 10. HE beleeves the God that hates all sin to be reconciled to himself though sinning continually and never making nor being able to make him satisfaction We are justified though ungodly P. 11. He beleeves the most just God c. To have justified himself though a most ungodly sinner We are not saved by any thing we do P. 58. He knows he shall not be saved by his works and yet doth all the good works he can A beleever sins not P. 68. He cannot sin yet he can do nothing without sin A beleever beleeves against hope P. 74. He beleeves like Abraham in hope against hope God freely pardons P. 12. He beleeves himself freely pardoned Beleevers are pure in Gods sight P. 13. He beleeves himself to be pretious in Gods sight Christ promised to sinners as sinners Master Tho. Goodwin in his Book of Christ set forth P. 30. THere are absolute promises made to no conditions as when Christ is said to come to save sinners c. Now in these it is plain Christ is the naked object of them so that if you apply not him you apply nothing for the onely thing held forth in them is Christ We are justified in Christs justification P. 122. Even so it is in the matter of our justification it was done virtually in Christ and afterwards when we beleeve it is actually passed in and upon our selves So by Christs being justified we are all virtually justified and in Law through a secret yet irrepealable Covenant between God and Christ who onely did then know who were his A Beleevers Law is Christ and his Spirit Mr. Perkins in his Comment on the Gal. P. 128. THey which are true Beleevers are a free and voluntary people obeying God as if there were no law to compel them they have Christ to live in them the Spirit of life that is in Christ is in them and that is their Law It is the property of a childe of God to obey God as it is the nature and quality of the fire to burn c. Thus in the quoting or citing these Divines concerning some pretious truths of Christ I have done as Paul said to the Athenians when he would prove a God As certain also of your own Poets have said So the truths which are abroad mistaken by many are truths as also some of your own Divines have said FINIS
they may help it to go the faster as that of shunning occasions strictnesse severity in duties and watchfulnesse But it is Christ crucified which is the power of all and in all it is Christ lifted up as Moses lifted up the Serpent which strikes in more soundnesse into the wounded beholder then any other meerly legal way or experiment wherein many beleevers have toyled and carnally fished all their time for power over some corruptions and like Peter and the rest have caught little or nothing because Jesus Christ was not in the company There is danger in putting too much upon the sin of relapsing or back-sliding in beleevers To conclude I would have men tender now they make conversion such a mortification to that particular sin or act which was the sin of the unregenerate condition lest while they lay down a law to prevent a sinning again or a second wounding by the same sin they make that sin if committed again as it may be wound the beleever more even to the danger of unbeleef then which there cannot be a greater to hinder true mortification because that any unbeleef keeps the soul and Christ as it were asunder and from closing in the souls own apprehension and all that time there can be little power brought home from Christ by Faith against that sin My reasons are these 1. Because that sinful nature is not wholly healed in this life so there remains a natural inclination to that particular sin as well as another nay rather because nature is more byassed towards it then any other 2. The wound pricking or sorrow that any soul enlightned by Jesus Christ feels for that sin is not of such an exceeding or rather infinite vertue as to abolish it or to lay in such a perpetual impression upon the soul that the soul should live under the image of that remorse and wound and so never dare or adventure to commit it again I finde no such lasting and continuing and firm or thorow work in the spiritual motions operations and impressions but by degrees Christ upbraided his Disciples how soon their hearts were hardned and we finde the spiritual affection and resolution of Peter wherein his soul was raised up on high wasting and flatting in his denial The gales and breathings of the spirit are like the winde Joh. 3. which makes a thing move or tremble while the power of the Air is upon it but as that slakens or breaths so doth it 3. There is no promise that I can finde for the present against the never committing again such a particular act or sin which he lived in in his unregenerate state I know there are differences made and certain works set down to know a sin by that is committed in a regenerate state before as the weaknesse and contrary dispositions or reluctancy in which it is committed 〈◊〉 Paul implies in Rom. 7. c. Though here some of these Divines may be puzzled in this way of their differences too for take a man in the strength of natural or common light living under a powerful word or Preacher by which his Candle as Solomon saith is better lighted then it was such a man shall sin against as seeming strong convictions as the other if not more But by the way I humbly conceive there are certain dampings of Satan and flesh and blood together with the withdrawings of the Spirit on Gods part that will puzzle the best that goes so exactly by marks and sense more then by Faith for the way of the spirit is not so grosse carnal discernible as the Divinity of former times and of some of this present age would make it It is as hard to trace and finde the impressions of the Spirit as the way of a bird as Solomon sayes in the Air The Spirit that is of God knows only the way of the Spirit And the Apostle speaks many things too as he says because of the infirmity of our flesh We must not therefore form up the things of the spirit too much for the feelings of flesh and blood And they that write so of a regenerate mans estate and set us down such infallible signes as we meet with commonly do take their experiences too low and carnally and mistaking the Allegory and way of the Word or Scriptures which speaks of things because of the infirmity of our flesh write upon spiritual workings as Philosophers upon Moral vertues and do bring down the spirit into the very Allegory and so allegorize and incarnate or make fleshly the things of the spirit And so do many both preach and write of regeneration as a work of nature though not a natural work 4. The restraints of the spirit or that Law of Jesus Christ in the soul is not made sure to the soul as concerning particular acts or sins but onely concerning the power of sinful nature in general and the weakning and destroying of that Neither are the particular Laws or Commandments in the Gospel always in their power upon the soul but when the Spirit of Christ doth take them and apply them and quicken them unto the soul and put a spiritual Majesty upon them The Conclusion concerning the mystical and spiritual mortification To conclude The experiences of the spirit in those that are spiritual are not all in one degree some more some lesse and the Law of the spirit in those that are spiritual will carry them against the law of sin and flesh because it is both contrary to the flesh and likewise of a spiritual and transforming nature and so gathers strength in us against the body of sin and is still working it self a greater part and dominion in us and fashioning us like unto Jesus Christ both in righteousnesse and true holinesse and the people of the Lord are very rarely found in the great sins of their unregenerate estate especially if they were grosse ones such as the light of their natural conscience abhors as well as the purer light of the spirit as adultery murder c. then they are doubly armed against them and so may more rarely commit them but if they be such particular acts or sins as are not so clearly condemned by nature as some kinde of lustings with hypocrisie passion lying c. they may the more easily be committed again because the light in nature is but faint or little thâ—â— opposes them or which takes part with the light of the spirit against them These things may be sufficient to let us see into the nature of back-sliding in the regenerate ones and to binde up the broken hearted that are faln as well as to shew a more excellent way to keep from falling in the strength of Jesus Christ And therefore let this be written upon the heart and on the palms of the hands of all both wounded and whole beleevers That we are compleatly or perfectly mortified or dead to sin by our being planted into Christ and the fellowship of his death And
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
righteousnesse looks on them and loves them in his own glory so as they both love one another Christ and His delight in one another Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy eyes with one chain of thy neck saith Christ and saith the Spouse My beloved is the fairest amongst ten thousands XXVI Christs love in Heaven to us or Christ exalted THe love of Christ is more now in Heaven towards us by how much more the love of God is gloriously shed abroad within him yet his nature is the same for he is no lesse man nor more God then he was but more excellently God and man even the man Christ Jesus XXVII The Gospel is Christ revealed THe Gospel is Christ himself and love revealed or the Word of God in the Word or the glad tydings of what he hath done and suffered for sinners and over whom he hath conquered being Captain of our salvation having spoiled principalities and powers making a shew of them openly and triumphing over them Col. 1.15 It is the ministery of life and peace and glory or God speaking to men from Heaven and intreating them to beleeve that he was born of the seed of David suffered died and rose again for their justification and that they are sitting together with him in heavenly places XXVIII The Mystery of Christ in the Gospel a Mystery of Love THe whole businesse of Christ as it was begun in love and brought forth in love unto the world and all the actings and workings of it from Gods being in Christ to Christs sitting at the right hand of God are but a Gospel or Story of unspeakable love revealed to the world so the carrying on of all yet is in love man in this Gospel is only to be perswaded of such love in love and sweetly tempted and drawn to love again in the ministery of the Gospel and the Spirit of love and adoption is shed abroad by the Gospel in the souls of men to reconcile them who are otherwise enemies in their mindes by wicked works and to make them love him who never was an enemy to them in Jesus Christ in whom they were chosen though the mystery is revealed to us under a particoloured work of sin and grace XXIX A Beleevers glorious freedom THe Spirit of Christ sets a beleever as frâ—e from Hell the Law and bondage here on Earth as if he were in Heaven nor wants he any thing to make him so but to make him beleeve that he is so for Satan sin sinful flesh and the Law are all so neer and about him in this life that he cannot so walk by sight or in the clear apprehension of it but the just do live by faith and faith is the evidence of things not seen XXX All the sins of beleevers done away on the Crosse THere is no sin to be committed which Christ did not pay down the price of his Blood for upon the Crosse making peace through the blood of his Crosse and yet a beleever will sin as tenderly as if all his sins were to pay for yet knowing that he is not redeemed to sin but from sin not that he may sin but that sinning he may not suffer for sin Christ is risen for our justification XXXI Christ offered to sinners CHRIST in the Gospel cals out of Heaven to sinners by that very name and tels them he hath salvation for them if they will beleeve him Nor doth he stand upon what sins lesse or more greater or smaller so as none can say they are not called on and proffered salvation be they never so sinful XXXII A Beleever must live in Christ not in himself A Beleever hath a twofold condition yet as a beleever but one in Christ in himself yet he ought ever to consider himself in Christ by faith not in himself in Christ he hath perfectly obeyed the whole Law perfectly suffered and satisfied for all his sins to the Justice of God and in Christ is perfectly just and righteous and therefore it is said that our life is hid with Christ in God and we are raised up with Christ and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus even already but in himself there is a body of lust corruption and sin and there is a Law revealing sin accusing and condemning So as if a beleever live onely by sense reason and experience of himself and as he lives to men he lives both under the power and feeling of sin and the Law but if he live by faith in Christ beleeving in the life righteousnesse obedience satisfaction and glory of him he lives out of the power of all condemnation and unrighteousnesse And thus a beleever is blessed onely in a righteousnesse without not within and all his assurance confidence comforts are to flow into him through a channel of faith not of works beleeving himself happy for what another even Christ hath done for him not what he hath done or can do for himself XXXIII How Christ and a beleever were one in sin and righteousnesse ALL the ground of a beleevers righteousnesse and salvation and exemption from the Law sin and the curse is from the nature office and transaction or work of Christ and Gods accounting or imputing Christ stood clothed in our nature betwixt God and man and in that with all the sins of beleevers upon him God having laid on him the iniquities of us all In his Office he obeyed suffered satisfied and offered up himself and now sits as a Mediator to perpetuate or make his sacrifice obedience suffering and righteousnesse everlasting and thus bringing in everlasting righteousnesse And God he accounts reckons or imputes all that is done in our nature as done by us calling things that are not as if they were and in his person as in our person And thus he is made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him XXXIV We must come before God as having put on Christ first not as sinners and unrighteous A Beleever in all his dealings with God either by Prayer or other way of drawing neer is to state and consider himself thus in Christ in the first place and to put on the relation of Sonship and Righteousnesse and to look at or consider sins no otherwise in himself then as debts paid and cancelled by the blood of Christ and by this all bondages fears and doubtings are removed and his Spirit is free For the Son hath made him free And now he comes in the spirit of adoption and calls God Father and here begins all faith hope confidence love liberty when as others dare not beleeve themselves in such a condition till upon terms of humiliation sorrow for sin works of righteousnesse they have as they think a reasonable measure price or satisfaction to come with and then begin to beleeve hope and be confident And thus in way of compounding and bargaining with God
Gospel-promises THe promises are but words of Gods ingaging himself to man freely and of grace and as his promises are of grace so his performances are in faithfulnesse And in these promises the love of the Father Son and Spirit are conveyed and the treasures and riches of salvation to sinners And thus in this life all is passed over upon Word to us and for our beleeving this Word and taking in the things of Jesus Christ thus upon Gods bare ingagement he hath bound himself freely to give all hereafter and yet all is of free-gift too things freely given to us And in this time of our waiting and beleeving and relying we have one earnest even a spiritual and glorious earnest given to us here even the holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance though some promises speak of conditions as of faith and repentance c. Yet they are onely ours upon this condition that they were Christs before for in him all the promises are Yea and Amen The promises that God makes thus in Christ are free and being made in Christ are more free for Christ is all that to God that we should be unto him and we are in Christ so as Christ takes away all discouragements and excuses in any that dare not beleeve them to be theirs and therefore The spirit and the bride say come and whose-ever will let him come and take of the waters of life freely Revel. 22. XLIV God under the Law and the Gospel legal and Gospel-worshippers BEfore Jesus Christ came in the flesh and offered up himself God offered him beforehand in Types and Sacrifices of blood c. and the whole Ministery was a Priesthood so as the Priesthood and Sacrifices of the Law did set forth and shadow Christ in way of offering or sacrifice to God the Father and therefore God under that dispensation did appear rather under a condition of reconciliation then reconciled though all were saved then actually in the same Christ who was to suffer But how much of this salvation they knew is a question it is very likely and something clear from the Word That God was very sparing in that time of the discoveries of himself in Christ and they rather saw him in his glory above then below and possessed the inheritance of the Redemption rather then the Ministration or Gospel of it God appearing thus the whole ministery of the Law was taken in as agreeable to this manner or patern and the Law of Commandments revealed on Mount Sinai did help to the form of this ministery and made sin appear and abound more for which such sacrifices were prepared And thus the whole frame of the old Testament was a draught of Gods anger at sin the Law revealing sin and Jesus Christ offering for sin And so God in this time of the Law appeared onely as it were upon terms and conditions of reconciliation and all the worship then and acts of worship then as of prayer fasting repentance c. went all this way and according to God under that appearance and every thing of worship seemed to bring something of peace and atonement in relation to the great atonement to come by Jesus Christ And in this strain runs all the Ministery of the Prophets too in their exhortations to duties worship as if God were to be appeased and entreated and reconciled and his love to be had in the way of purchase by duty and doing and worshipping so as under the Law the efficacy and power was put as it were wholly upon the duty and obedience performed as if God upon the doing of such things was to be brought into terms of peace mercy and forgivenesse so as their course then and the service then was as it were a working for life and reconciliation But now under the new Testament God appears in Christ reconciliation is finished peace is made by the blood of his Crosse and now the Ministery of the new Testament is not a Priesthood of any more offering Christ to God in sacrifice but of offering and tendering the tydings of a fully reconciled God in Christ to man and of a sacrifice already accepted for sin so as now there are no Priests but Ministers or Stewards or Ambassadours for dealing out and dispensing the love of God to man and for publishing the glad tydings of peace so as all worship now and spiritual obedience is to run in the way of this dispensation not for procuring love or peace from God nor for pacifying but for love procured and peace purchased by Jesus Christ If these things thus stated were more fully spiritually opened there would be more Gospel-teaching and obeying for mans obedience towards God is not so notionally nor orderly carried nor so purely as the Gospel calls for but they run in a legal strain and would work God down into his old and former way of revealing himself as under the Law when he seemed to be onely in the way to reconciliation and peace rather then pacified and thus in prayer and fasting and other acts of obedience they deal with God as they did under the old Testament not considering the glorious love revealed in Christ crucified and how all Gospel-Ordinances are onely wayes and means for God to reveal this love and grace by the spirit of adoption not any wayes and means of ours for getting some love from God which Christ himself hath not gotten for us XLV God and His in reconciliation THey that have received the word of reconciliation are in a very pretious and comfortable and peaceable condition they are lovers of God and Christ they are no more such enemies in their mindes by wicked works they oppose not the will of God as they did they resist not the Word of the Gospel they sleight not the communion of the spirit of God they are tender of any thing that is Gods they count not any thing their own for God he shall be welcome to all if he call for their credit he shall have it they know they have a spirit of glory resting on them if he call for their possessions they leave father and mother and brethren and sisters and lands for his Names sake they know these are not to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed and they shall have an hundred fold in this life if he call for their life he shall have it they know he that will lose his life for his sake shall finde it And being thus reconciled to God they are friends with every thing of his every Gospel-Mystery they know they receive and every thing of his they know not they wait till he reveal even this unto them and though they do not receive it because they know it not yet to come from God yet they do not reject it because it comes in the likenesse of his Word lest they be found fighters against God and crucifie the Lord of glory in ignorance like the Jews And
acceptation That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of which I am chief 1 Tim. 1.15 As if he should say doth any of your hearts tell ye you are sinners Let not that be any ground at all to keep you from Christ let not any despaire because of that I my self was thus and thus a blasphemer a persecutor nay as if that were not enough I was the chief of sinners or the sinner in chief the grand and supreme sinner as if there could not well have been a greater and I says he obtained mercy So as here the Spirit hath laid in answers to the objecting or doubting soul If the soul should object If I were not such a sinner as I am I could beleeve the Spirit answers Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners As if he should say to save even just such as thou art If the soul should object further but there is not such a sinner as I am the Spirit answers yea But here is one greater then thou here is the chief of all sinners the Prince of sinners obtaining mercy of which I am the chief So as none can be such a sinner to whom Christ and the blood of Christ may not be tendered and offered and that upon these grounds 1. From the order of Gods decree he loved us and gave Christ for us when we were sinners God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Rom. 5.8 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son John 3. 2. The offering the Gospel and Jesus Christ to a sinner as a sinner is but the bringing out this glorious love of God in time and dispensation it is but the offering that love which God loved them with from everlasting Neither is it any more to offer Christ to a sinner then to manifest God in his first love when he gave Christ for sinners in his own decree 3. It exalteth grace more and sheweth as a gift indeed what can be more of grace then that Jesus Christ should receive a sinner one who hath no money nor price no works nor righteousnesse to bring for him 4. It is the right lifting up Jesus Christ as Moses lift up the Serpent in the Wildernesse not for the healed to look upon but the stung and wounded 5. It leaves men without all excuse and brings the greater condemnation for when Christ is brought home to the very soul and the blood offered at every ones door for receiving then there can be no objecting Lord had I been thus and thus fit and prepared then I should have received thee but I was a foul sinner at that very time so and so guilty O will the Lord answer I come therefore to pardon thee and to wash thee in my blood because thou wert so foul and that is no excuse 6. It is most agreeable to the Gospel-way of dispensation and Christs own preaching The whole need not a Physitian but they that are sick I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance 7. All that ever received Christ in the Gospel received him in a sinful condition the many beleeving Jews in the sin of crucifying Christ all the Churches of Corinth Ephesus and Colosse Such were some of you but ye are washed c. And ye were sometimes darknesse but are now light in the Lord Ephes. 5. Ye who were dead in trespasses and sins and were enemies in your mindes by wicked works yet now hath he quickned Coloss. 1. So as to offer Jesus Christ to sinners as sinners is but 1. To offer him in time as God gave him before all time God gave him to us because we were sinners and now he is but offered as he was given 2. There is more of grace in it to offer him to a sinner as a sinner that where sin hath abounded grace may abound much more 3. There is a clearer lifting up Christ as Moses for the wounded to look on as well as the whole 4. Men are left without excuse because when he is held out to sinners as sinners all are in a condition for him sin and a saviour are most suteable 5. It is as Christ himself did who both calls sinners and converses with sinners with Mary Magdalen an harlot and with the Publicans and with the woman of Samaria who lived in uncleannesse when the pure Messiah preached himself to her 6. It is as all that ever received him both in Jerusalem Corinth Ephesus c. who had they not been foul had never been washed had they not been darknesse had never been light in the Lord But you will tell me of conditions in the Gospel of faith and repentance c. and certain legal preparations before Christ should be offered and brought to the soul Yea but that ye may not be puzzled as many are In the Gospel-way or dispensation faith and repentance is to be preached but Jesus Christ still with it Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ And you are not to consider repentance from beleeving nor beleeving from repentance nor either from Jesus Christ nor Jesus Christ without them and yet neither of them as bringing in Christ to the soul but Christ bringing in them and working them more and more in the soul and that upon these grounds 1. Christ is not ours by any act of our own but Gods God imputing and accounting To make Christ ours is an Almighty work not the work of any thing created So as Christ is ours without faith by a power more glorious and infinite but we cannot here know him to be ours but by beleeving nor partake of him as ours but by beleeving 2. If faith should give us our interest in Christ then as our faith increases our interest should increase and we should be more and more justified and forgiven which none allow calling these other acts of faith faith of assurance and acts of manifestation and if faith be thus in its other degrees of working why not in its first It is the evidence of things unseen Heb. 11. 3. If Christ should be ours by faith in this sense then when faith ceases shall we cease to be justified Shall faith begin our interest here and not be able to continue it hereafter 4. Can a sinner be too foul for a Saviour and too wounded for a Physitian to heal and too filthy for a fountain opened to wash 5. He that offers Christ offers all the conditions in him both of faith and repentance For Christ is exalted to give repentance c. And faith is called the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 6. It is no more to offer Jesus Christ then any grace of Christs or gift of Christs to a sinner for a sinner is as unprepared and unfit for the one as the other equally in sin and pollution to both 7. This spiritual work is a new creation and so works of preparation are not so proper in that We
are saith the Apostle his workmanship created in Christ Jesus Ephes. 2.10 And now why shall any servant of Christ refuse to give out that blood of his Masters which runs so freely to sinners And any sinner refuse to receive it because their vessels are not clean enough for it when it is such a blood as makes the vessels clean for it self LII The simplicity of the Gospel-Salvation easie and plain JEsus Christ and forgivenesse of sins in his Name and redemption through his blood is the first and onely thing held forth in the Gospel to sinners the other Mystery of righteousnesse is revealed to beleevers forgivenesse of sins is first taught that they may beleeve and the other glorious Mysteries are taught that they may know what they do beleeve they are first to see Gods love and afterwards his glory Jesus Christ crucified is the best story for sinners and Jesus Christ exalted for Saints and therefore it is that in all the Apostles Sermons the story of blood and redemption was first preached and when they did beleeve that then they wrote Epistles and Revelations of greater things unto them so as they spake of Christ onely to make them beleeve and wrote to them of him when they did beleeve Salvation is not made any puzzeling work in the Gospel it is plainly easily and simply revealed Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners this is salvation we need go no further the work of salvation is past and finished sins are blotted out sinners are justified by him that rose for justification And now if you ask me what you must do to be saved I answer Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved All that is to be done in the work of salvation is to beleeve there is such a work and that Christ died for thee amongst all those other sinners he died for To beleeve now is the onely work of the Gospel This is the work that ye beleeve on him whom he hath sent Joh. 6.29 This is the Commandment that ye beleeve on his Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 3.23 That is that ye be perswaded of such a thing that Christ was crucified for sins and for your sins and we are called on to beleeve because they onely that can beleeve are justified By him all that beleeve are justified Act. 13.39 So as salvation is not a businesse of our working and doing it was done by Christ with the Father sin and Satan and Hell were all triumphed over by Christ himself openly for us and all our work is no work of salvation but in salvation in the salvation we have by Christ we receive all not doing any thing that we may receive more but doing because we receive so much and because we are saved therefore we work not that we may be saved and yet we are to work as much as if we were to be saved by what we do because we should do as much for what is done already for us and to our hands as if we were to receive it for what we did our selves This is short work Beleeve and be saved and yet this is the onely Gospel-work and way Christ tels ye in few words and his Apostle in as few As Moses lift up the Serpent in the Wildernesse so must the Son of man be lift up That whosoever beleeves on him should have life Joh. 6. Paul tels you Say not in thy heart Who shall ascend unto Heaven That is to bring Christ from above Or who shall descend into the deep That is to bring up Christ from the dead But what saith it The Word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart the Word of Faith which we preach If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleeve in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.6 7 8 9 c. So as here is but looking up on Jesus Christ and salvation is in thy soul and beleeving with thy heart and thou art saved thou wert saved by Christ before but now in thy self There are yet these grounds why salvation is so soon done 1. Because it was done before by Christ but not beleeved on before by thee till now 2. Because it is the Gospel-way of dispensation to assure and passe over salvation in Christ to any that will beleve it 3. There needs no more on our sides to work or warrant salvation to us but to be perswaded that Jesus Christ died for us because Christ hath suffered and God is satisfied Now suffering and satisfaction is that great work of salvation 4. Because they and they onely are justified who can beleeve Righteousnesse is revealed from faith to faith and all that beleeve are justified Rom. 1.17 Acts 13.39 5. That it may be by grace and not of works Being justified freely by his grace Rom. 3.24 LIII Christ and every part of Christ to be studied and beleeved in THere is not any thing of Jesus Christ but it should be matter for a Beleevers faith to be exercised in from his divine nature to his incarnation and so to his exaltation that they may be able to comprehend with all Saints the height and depth and bredth of the love of God for God was infinitely influencing into every passage of his birth his growing up his infancy his circumcision his baptism his preaching his praying his temptations his fasting his obedience to the whole Law his sufferings his reproaches his poverty his humiliation his bloody sweating his judgement and Judges his condemnation his crucifying his peircing his nailing his drinking Vinagar and Gall his strong cryes and tears his crown of thorns his blood flowing out from his feet hands and side his giving up the ghost his death burial resurrection ascension exaltation and sitting on the right hand of God his Priesthood Mediation Intercession Dominion There is infinite vertue in all these and the Gospel is made up of these in these are those unsearchable riches of grace love and Redemption These are to be the subjects of every Beleevers meditation and he is to seek into the spiritual extent of these and deepnesse of these Out of these he is to draw strength power love holinesse spiritualnesse regeneration mortification new obedience faith repentance humiliation meeknesse temperance c. Christ and every thing of Christ is to be matter for him and meditation for him These are those ministerial and instrumental means of grace and life to sinners not an historical or tragical use of these but a beleeving use a relying resting comforting spiritualizing use These were all but parcels of the work of redemption but parts of the whole and to all these there is an infinite depth of sin and temptations opposed And therefore the more we are improving our selves in these things of Christ the more spiritual and infinitely provided shall we be against the other It is not enough to look on Jesus Christ in his single person glorified and
elect and chuse us I finde that all this work thus wrought in time yet is said to be present before God in all time and therefore he is called the Lamb slain so long ago and we are called chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world were laid So as all I can finde out of this glorious mystery which is made up of such contrary wayes and workings of sin and grace justice and mercy an old Adam and a new and predestination or election of grace will onely amount to this That man sinned God had mercy and gave his Son which was God with him from everlasting to be that for man and in man which he could not be in himself righteousnesse and true holinesse And thus man becomes a new creature to God again not in himself but in another God still is the same but man was not nor is God the lesse unchangeable because of some several carriages or distributions of the same work about man mans falling and redemption in Christ mans sin and Christs suffering may be said to be but the love of God ordering man to the praise of his free-grace through several conditions of innocency sin and righteousnesse Yet this I finde further that the main and glorious work of Redemption was that full and final work ordered by God the Father with himself So as mans sin was onely serviceable to this and was but for the bringing about of this though not decreed of God but occasioned by man God fore-knowing the changeablenesse of his creature and so working by that not taking any new counsels upon this change in man which he took not before but ordering this to that salvation he had ever ordained nor is the revealing of Gods predestination or election in Christ so much to let us see into the order of his Counsels for who hath known the minde of the Lord as to set up God in the glory of his power will and wisdom before our eyes that we may not look at any thing as happening from its own causes and to order us from conceiving any change in God as if our sin and Christs suffering had wrought any alteration in him either to enmity or love If you would know this Mystery without confusion yet in admiration know that all this work of free-grace and mans salvation in Jesus Christ was ever the same with God who calleth things that are not as if they were and mans sinning and Gods revealing Christ in promises and in the flesh and in the Gospel is That the creature may partake of it and whereas there is a work of sin of time of persons of order of Scripture-notions of manifestation These are but so many several ways by which the work of grace love sin Christ and salvation is finished in the things themselves and all these several parcels of Law Gospel Sin Righteousnesse Free-grace Election c. go to the making up this Body of Christ the Elect the law could not have been wanting for then there had been no transgression and sin could not for then there had been no free-grace and righteousnesse could not for then there had been no redemption and free-grace could not for then there had been no mercy and election could not for then there had been no everlastingnesse of purpose of God So as this one infinite work of salvation is manifested in many parts to us who could neither enjoy it nor know it otherwise not in that fulnesse nor infinitenesse as it is in God And these many parts make up that one work of our Redemption in Jesus Christ nor can we know any thing of it but thus in parts not in the whole or glorious intirenesse of it We know but in part IV. The Son of God how considered in the work of Salvation THere are certain Scriptures which contain the Mystery yet in the letter of them hold it forth under a divers notion or word 1. God so loved the world that he sent his onely begotten Son c. Joh. 3.16 with other Scriptures of this kinde as 1 Joh. 4.9 10. c. 2. Of the other sort are these Scriptures God hath chosen us in him before the foundations of the world Ephes. 1.4 God hath saved us according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us through Jesus Christ before the world was 2 Tim. 1.5 with other Scriptures of this kinde Now these words say that God loved us and gave Christ and that he loved us in Christ And these may be both true according to the manifestation of this mystery to us for one Scripture contains not all of this mystery of Gods love to sinners Some holds forth onely so much of it as to make power and will in it appear some so much of it as to make free-grace appear in it some so much of it as to make love appear in it some so much of it as to make predestination and election appear in it some so much of it as to make Jesus Christ appear as the Lamb slain before the world for sinners some so much as to make Jesus Christ crucified in time for sinners some so much as to make Gods love appear in giving Christ some so much as to make Christs love appear in giving himself some so much as to make Gods love appear compleat to us in Christ some so much as to make Jesus Christ appear the Son of God some so much as to make him appear a son of man and a saviour of men some so much as to make him appear to die for all and for the world and some so much as to make this all and this world such onely as were his before the world and onely all such as he had loved and chosen And thus is the Mystery opened to the sons of men in each part of Scriptures which like so many several Stars give out their beams and light for the manifestation of this Mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh Now we must be sure in our conceptions and notions concerning this redemption that we raise not up nor form any thing to comprehend this mystery which God himself would not fold up in any single word or notion there being so many discoveries and appearances of God who though he be but one simple pure glorious essence yet his creature man cannot behold him so but as in so many scattered parts and beams of glory Man cannot take God nor the mystery of God in but by way of parts and several kindes of excellency and so view him in one thing with another and so in Jesus Christ So as when we would consider the work of salvation in and by Jesus Christ we must take heed of straitning it into any such thing as the effect of Gods love onely lest something be left out by our narrow conception whereby the mystery is but in part represented and the other parts of the work have no room by which though we may know more