are his and all the faithful are Instituted written Heirs of God ex Asse and there is no Disinheredation or Preterition of any faithful Soul 4. Assurance is Gods accounting us for righteous for our Faith or by the means of our Faith And if God so accounts us to have Right to the Kingdome of Heaven what greater Assurance can there be Ob. The Conscience accuseth therefore no Assurance Sol. The Conscience of a Believer doth not accuse nor can accuse 1. Because God accuseth not and if God accuseth not who can If God justifies who dare condemne 2. Because the soul that believes knows that she believes therefore knows that she is thereby justified and therefore cannot accuse The Soul that lives in trespasses and sins that Soul doth not believe well therefore may that soul accuse and God accuseth much more But the soul that lives not in trespasses and sins that Soul believeth and therefore that soul cannot accuse but excuse because God excuseth much more Say not therefore O faithful soul that thy conscience accuseth thee and that thou art in the state of Damnation Nay It is not thy Soul that can say thus but it is thy Fancy thy Passion thy Humor thy Distemper thy Disease thy Temptation Why then shouldest thou doubt or speak unadvisedly with thy lips or charge God so foolishly O thou of little Faith To reckon Right with God Chap. 10. Reckoning God accounts thee to be Righteous for thy Faith or by the means of thy Faith and they that God account Righteous are Righteous indeed for God judgeth righteous Judgment and makes a true accompt therefore we may most safely reckon with God as God reckons by the means of our Faith Yea we wrong God and our selves if we do not Our reckoning then is upon Gods Promises those sure mercies to Abraham and his seed Therefore Christ came to performe the mercy promised to our Fore-fathers and to remember his holy Covenant For the hope of which promises the twelve Tribes of Israel even the children of the Promise do instantly serve God day and night and to this Promise they hope assuredly to come upon the strongest grounds of Reasoning and accounting that can possibly be made even to a demonstration that cannot be denyed For all Rights that do arise from any Promise Chap. 11. Promises are conveyed to the party to whom the Promise is made by no other means but by Faith i. e. by Acceptance of the promise and the right specified therein For all Promises are made effectual by Faith by his Faith to whom the promise is made For if he be unbelieving and refuse it then the Promise is dead and of one effect but if he give Faith to it and accept it then it binds him that made it to perform it and creates a Right to him that accepts it to enjoy the benefit of it And the Reason is because Acceptance formes a Promise into a Covenant whereby there is a convening or meeting of minde unto minde and will unto will viz the mind and will of the Receiver to the mind and will of the Promiser Thus the Promise Rom. 4.13 that Abraham should be the Heir of the World came not to him through the Righteousness of the Law but through the Righteousness of Faith i.e. not by any Act of the Law but by the Act of his Acceptance For as the Promise was an Act of meer Grace on Gods part that made it So the Acceptance was a meer Act of Faith on Abrahams part that received it And as between God and Abraham so is the Nature of all Promises and the Assurances of the benefits by them To prove our Reckoning right In Ratiocination and Reckoning 3. Chap. 12. Proof there is a way to prove the Argumentation or Accompt to be free from fallacy or error as wise Logicians and Arithmeticians use to do So every wise Christian will prove his own Faith by which he reckoneth upon his own Salvation whither it be true or no. And that must be by his Works Cap. 13. Works For Works do declare this Right to Salvation to be truly concluded and reckoned and do justify that faith by which we reckon our selves to be justified Note here that Works do not make and create a Right where there was none before but do manifest the right which was before made but concealed My Faith doth create and make me to have a Right in Christ but my Faith is a thing invisible spiritual and concealed within my heart I cannot see it nor the World cannot see it unless I shew it by the fruits thereof outwardly to God and Man Jac. 2.18 c. A man may say saith St. James Thou hast Faith and I have Works Shew me thy faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by my Works Know O vain man that faith without works is dead Abraham was justified by Faith when he embraced the Promises but Abraham was justified by Works when he offered up Isaac his Son upon the Altar Seest thou how Faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect And so the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for Righteousness Works therefore do perfect thy Faith and declare thy Faith to be perfect Faith justifies before God without the concurrence of works as to the meer act of Faith but works justify Faith before men by their concomitancy with Faith And though Faith gave thee a Right yet works do demonstrate to thy self and to the World that Faith hath been lively and operative to give thee this Right and Interest in Christ Works therefore do perfect that Faith by which thou art justified and Works do declare thee to be justified because they declare that Faith by the which thou art justified Thy Faith alone doth procure that Right to be justified but thy Faith alone doth not declare that Right to me which it creates and makes to thee But thy Faith needs works to declare and prove both to thee and me that Right which it hath created and made to thee for thy great comfort and satisfaction and the Glory of God and praise of good men I conclude therefore that Faith makes a Right Reckoning with God but Works prove this Right Reckoning to be right made But this is not all For as Faith is the means whereby we have a Right and Title present to the future Possession of the heavenly Promises So works are the means whereby we hold the Right and Title present to the future Possession of the heavenly promises that we may maintain and keep our Right and make a Right reckoning thereof unto the end that our Faith fail us not and that we may not come short of the heavenly Glory Heb. 4.1 Let us therefore sear least a promise being lâ—ft us of entring into his rest any of you shouâ—d seem to â—ome short of it For some did not keep the
Duty that proceeded from his Faith as of the offering up of his Son And so he had a full assurance to himself of his own Faith by which he obtained so much Right and by his works his Faith was made perfect Jac. 2.21 So the word Justify signifies to hold as well as to have a Right Reas 7 Because after Gods accounting Abraham righteous God confirms his Right by an Oath By my self have I sworn Gen. 22 16. saith the Lord for because thou hast done this thing and hast not withheld thy Son thine only Son That in Blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thee c. The effect of this was Chap. 7. Oathes That Abraham might claim that Right which he had to the Promises which God had made and now obliged himself to the Performance For Juramentum comes from Juro and Juro from Jus Juris because the right and best use of an Oath is to confirme and decide rights for when a Right is voideable an oath makes it immutable and when a Right is Litigious an Oath decides and puts it out of question Heb. 6.16 This was Juramentum Fidelitatis to perform the Faith God had given by Promise God swears Fealty to his Homager to Dust and Ashes to be a Protector and Benefactor unto him Yea when Abraham was dead Heb. 11.16 he was not ashamed to be called his God and the God of Isaac and Jacob when dead because he had prepared for them a City Now the Oath of fealty is usually taken by the vassal to his Lord. A wise man may find cause to doubt whither this be only reasonable or no. Note by the way That Gods Oath was voluntary as all Oaths should be else all soul-Liberty is destroyed Gen. 24.2 Put I pray thee thy hand under my thigh and I will make thee swear c. Abraham prayed his servant to swear He was his slave born in his house yet he forced him not in this So Jacob to his Son Joseph If I have found grace in sight Gen. 47.29 put I pray thee thy hand under my Thigh and deal kindly and truly with me bury me not I pray thee in Aegypt Reas 7 Because Abraham was legally and morally Righteous before he believed the Promise Chap. 8. True Right Gen. 13.14 and yet h was not justifyed by that Righteousness nor by the Estimatory Faith which he had in God as a great Benefactor who was feared and worshipped by him Gen. 13.4 but when he received the Promises That Promisory faith justified him Gen. 14.15.16 i. e. gave him a Title to those Promises of Issue Inheritance and Alliance even before the Ceremonial work of Circumcision fourteen yeers So that he was meerly justified by his Faith in the Promises Gen. 15.9 'Till when Abraham never made the least mention of an Issue or Inheritance Reas 8 Because it is the Scope of the Apostle to prove Justification by Faith So then Gal. 3.7 8. they that are of Faith are the children of faithful Abraham And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Heathen through Faith Preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed So then They that are of Faith are blessed with faithful Abraham Concl. Therefore What Right had Abraham to such an Issue and such an Inheritance and Alliance more then other men whose Bodies were younger and stronger but only this That such an Issue Inheritance and Alliance was counted and unto him for His and his Faith was counted unto him for the Reason of it i. e. for his Title to it So what right hath the Servant who worketh to his wages but only that his wages are accounted to him for His and his work is accounted to him for the reason of it And what Right hath the Son that worketh not to maintenance more then the Servant who worketh but only this That maintenance is accounted to him for His and his Birth is accounted to him for the reason of it And what Right hath the first born Son to his Fathers Inheritance more then his yonger Sons who are born to his Father as well as he but only this That the Inheritance is counted to him for His and his Primogeniture or Majority is accounted to him for the reason of it i.e. for his Title to it which therefore is called his Birth-right though that word be too wide for it is his Primogeniture or first Birth-right in order before the rest which giveth unto him his Right And so the Believer in God who as to God hath neither Works nor Birth What right hath he to Blessedness more then an unbeliever but only this That Blessedness is accounted His and his Belief is accounted to him for the Reason of it i.e. for his Title to Blessedness Hence the Apostle mentioning matter of right in Abrahams case constantly useth the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to count And reckoning Ratiocination and Counting are all one in effect in Logick and Logistick APPLICATION 1. For Assurance Evidence and Satisfaction to all Believers of their Right 1. To Adoption by Grace 2. To Remission of sins 3. To Sanctification by the Spirit 4. To Audience at the Throne of Grace 5. To every ordinance of God Baptisme c. 6. To Resurrection 7. To Eternal Life 1. Assurance is Gods giving his Faith to us Chap. 9. Assurance and we giving our Faith to him which is our being in Covenant with God And a mutual giving and taking of the Faith of each other is to be made sure together 2. Assurance is an Acceptation of the Act of Gods grace and pardon upon the condition of our obedience 3. Assurance is the Acceptation of the Legacy and Gift of Eternal Life devised to all the Faithful in Gods last Will and Testament whereof Jesus Christ is the Mediator This Promise Devise or Gift of Gods Testament concerning the Inheritance of Eternal Life is made primarily to Christ who is the promised Seed in whom all the Promises of God are Yea and Amen who is the Principal Heir of all things and the faithful do tast of the same Inheritance by Faith that the Promise might be sure to all the Seed who for Christ his sake are made Heirs of God and Co-heirs with Christ partakers of the same most precious promises by Grace and Adoption Which Promises are as sure to the Adopted Sons of God by Grace as they are to Christ the Essential Son of God by Nature This Act of Grace is freely made of God in and for Christ in whom God is well pleased in whom God hath reconciled all things to himself And this is the full and last unchangeable Will of God confirmed by the Bloud of Christ so that heaven and earth may faile but not the least Title of Gods Will and Testament shall ever fail For the Foundation of God standeth sure and God knoweth who
all Sin is in my Flesh 2. How all misery is in my Flesh And that this is but my outward Man the old Man That decayes and dies which I am daily putting off 3. How all Grace is in my Spirit 4. How all Glory is in my Spirit And that this is the Inward Man The new Man That quickens and lives which I am daily putting on And that therefore by my Faith I live above sin and above Misery and beyond them both while in my flesh I am perplexed with them both What then is all this Mourning by reason of Sin and for Afflictions here below Is not this the way to Heaven though it be thus Rugged and Thorny Is not this the Sea and are not these the Waves and Storms and Rocks and Quicksands that are therein But is not Christ my Pilot and am I not safe under him Have I not a sure Guide that will bring me into a safe Harbour Can I not then have a little Patience T is but to have a little Patience Dabit Deus his quoque finem 'T is but standing still a while and I shall see the Salvation of God Wherefore then all this a do Wherefore do ye trouble my Spirit I am ready not only to suffer but to dye There is no strang thing happened unto me but such as is common to all the faithfull and such as happened to Christ himself What though I am Tempted Afflicted Oppressed I live still The just shall live by his Faith My Vessel is covered with Waves yet she bears up against them My House is beaten and shaken with winds and waves yet it stands still because it is founded upon a Rock I am fearful naturally I do confess yet by the Grace of God I can look Sin Misery and Death in the face and trust in God still If I look only upon Sin and Misery and Death and Hell alas I dye for fear But if I look upon God and Christ I live for evermore If I consult with flesh and bloud I mourn and die but if I consult with the Spirit I rejoyce and live They that live after the Flesh shall die but they that by the spirit do mortify the deeds of the flesh shall live Qu. Do we then live by Faith or by Sense Spiritually or Carnally Ans If we say we live by Faith and by the Spirit I say then what means this lowing and bleating of the Beasts that I hear Vnde Luctus Planctus Where is all this howling and Lamentation Why all this Despairing and Doubting O we of little Faith A voice in Ramah is heard bitter Lamentation Rachel mourning for her children and refuseth to be comforted because they are not But is Christs Church a Widdow hath she not a Husband is she an Orphan and hath she not a Father Is she a stranger and hath she not a Protector Surely she is the Spouse and Daughter of Christ and no stranger therefore God will take care and charge of her and do for her abundantly above all that she is able to aske or think Doth God take care for Oxen and for the Birds of the Air and for the Lillies of the Field and shall he not much more take care for us O we of little Faith Let me alone therefore and trouble me no more from henceforth with idle Questions or direful Curses I have a God to trust to I have nothing to do with you O ye subtil O ye uncharitable ones O my Soul strengthen thou thy self in thy God alone it is good for me to wait upon my God and to keep my self close to the Rock of my Salvation Why Have I not found his Goodness all along and should I doubt now Have I served so good a Master and now should I leave him Why how and by whom have I lived all this while under all sorrows And how do I live still And how do I hope to live hereafter And how do I hope to live for evermore but by my Faith in Gods Promises I am not exactly Righteous therefore I cannot live by my works but I am willing to work Righteousness and by the Grace of God I shall be accepted and live by Faith CONCLUSION The Doctrine of Faith is sufficiently known that thereby we are Justified Regenerated Adopted Incorporated into Christs Church Elected Sanctified Assured and shall be raised up from the dead and live in glory everlastingly But who are the true Believers is not so sufficiently known and it is hard to know All will profess their Faith but how do they prove it All will reckon upon Salvation but how do they prove their Reckoning Here lies the main Point that men should not deceive themselves Professors enough Teachers many but how true God knows 2 Cor. 13.5 and they themselves do not know for want of Trial of themselves Well therefore said the Apostle Examine your selves whither ye be in the Faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates I take great care upon This. I find high Pretenders to Faith and to the Spirit Chap. 17 Pretenders and mighty zealots in all duties of Devotion but I find also that they are not honest but Lyars Cheaters Malicious Proud Boasters Rebellious Sacrilegious Extortioners Lovers of themselves Luxurious Covetous and the greatest Troublers of the World I do not say Swearers nor open Drunkards c. I wish these men to examine themselves better and know themselves to be Hypocrites For God and the World know them so to be for they daily rob God in Tithes and offerings and his Priests of honor and respect They rob the King of Tributes and Customes and of Honour and Obedience They do cheat and forswear to the ruin of their neighbours none more Now shall such a Faith save them It must be no other then a dead Faith Because they are Hypocrites and do no good works therefore they have made shipwrack of a true Faith and of a good Conscience 2. I find ordinary Professors of Faith formal enough Customary hearers and Worshippers and just men But they are not zealous but they are not sober and temperate but they are cursers and swearers I do not say they are Lyars I wish heartily these men would examine themselves better They are in a good way and are almost but not all together good Christians They are too luke-warm and formal They must stir up themselves more or else they will come short of true Faith 3. I find some that are close and private and make little open shew of any Religion to the World Being no comers to Church no Readers nor Prayers at home regard no Laws nor Magistrates nor Ministers But keep to their shops and employments greedily groveling upon the World and minding no divine Deity I wish these men would examine themselves better and awaken out of their sottish condition For they can have no grounds to build any solid
and Drink and be merry in the Lord. I will suffer patiently in the Lord. I will Live and Die in the Lord. Tell me not of Temptations I know who is on my side and will deliver me Tell me not of Tribulations I know who will Save me Tell me not of Death and Hell I know who will Redeem me Yea He hath Delivered He hath saved He hath Redeemed me already The Forgiveness of my Sins past present and to come is already present with me The Deliverance from all my Sufferings is already present with me Eternal Life and Salvation is already present with me I know in whom I have Trusted Here will I fix say the World the Flesh or the Divel what they will or can But with a Carnal Life Chap. 11. Carnal mâ—n this Faith and Hope cannot consist Of all Tempers these are most opposite to Faith 1. Outward uncleanness Rioting and Drunkenness Chambering and Wantonness Strife and Envy Cursing Damning Oppression and Cruelty and such like 2. Inward Hypocrisy Lying and Cheating c. 3. Open Rebellion Sacriledge Sedition and murmuring and such like The Carnal mind understandeth not the things of God neither indeed can it because they are spiritually discerned Thus it becometh us to Preach and you to practice Grace Faith Repentance Patience c. It is too Legal to preach Laws Duties Curses Threatnings Damnation The Gospel is Faith Love Hope Joy in the Holy Ghost Grace mercy pace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ Till we perswade you to Faith we shall never do our work nor your work for you Believe only and you shall be saved This will bring works and duties and mortifications and all shall be pleasing to God and without this nothing shall be pleasing unto him for without Faith it is impossible to please God Say not You cannot understand this Spiritual Doctrine of the Gospel and this Rule is too high for you to walk by it is too hard a Taske to lead this life of Faith Sol. I answer Chap. 12. Gospel Easy It is easy to understand this Doctrine and he that is willing shall be made to know the mind of God and to do the same It is as easy to understand this Gospel-Precept Thou shalt not Lust or Hate as to understand this Legal Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery or Thou shalt not Kill It is as easy to understand That the thoughts of the Heart and the desires of the Will are to be regulated as the words of the Tongue or the works of the Hand It is as easy to understand Faith as Works to Believe as to Live To accept of the Covenant of Grace as of works As for the Mysteries of Faith in the Trinity Incarnation Descension Intercession of Christ and such like They are more easily and safely to be believed then disputed And the spirit is given to all that Believe that they might understand and do the Will of God That they might know the heighth and length and breadth and depth of the Love of God which passeth all knowledg It is as easy and farre more to hear of Grace Mercy and Peace as to hear of Law Curses and Damnation It is as easy to hope as fear to rejoyce as to mourn to be free as to be slaves to walk in light as in darkness To understand the good of the Soul as of the Body the life to come as this life present Wise are we to know this World Gain Honor pleasure c. and wiser we might be to know the World to come Ob Ob. A hard saying who can hear it Sol. Sol. An easy and true saying and very pleasant and may be heard Yea and he that hath Ears to hear let him hear for he may hear if he will none so deaf as they that will not hear The Charmer charmes often and wisely unless we stop our Ears with the deaf Adder and refuse to hear the voice of this Charmer though he charms unto us never so often never so wisely There is a voice behind us yea within us which saies unto us This is the way walk in it Turn from the ways of wickedness pass by them and come not neer unto them for fear iniquity be your Ruin for why will ye Dye O when will it once be The Sun of the Gospel shines very cleerly but the World shuts her eyes upon it The light is come into the world but men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds are evil The opposers of this heavenly way of walking with God in Faith and spiritual Duties are 1. Outward Formalists and Will-worshippers Chap. 13 â—ormaliâ—ts which rest in the Letter and in the outward work done as in Fasts Feasts Forms Austerities Almes Justice Temperance c. yet there is a more excellent way to go on to perfection not to draw neer to God with our Lips but our hearts As the proud Pharisee that fasted twice in the Week that made long Prayers that paid Tithe of all that he possessed that thanked God that he was not like other men nor as that Publican But the poor Publican went home to his house Justified rather then the other And the very Publicans and Harlots shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven by their Faith when these Hypocrites shall be shut out 2. Law-Preachers Chap. 14. Law-Preachers and hearers of Curses and Damnation Are we Saved by the Works of the Law or by the Faith of the Gospel By the works of the Law no flesh living shall be justified What Law had the Heathens Preached unto them They were never under the Law they needed it not after they did believe nor Wee God did write in the Law in their hearts by his Spirit in the dayes of the Gospel and the Kingdome of Heaven is within us The royal Law of Love The perfect Law of Liberty is written upon the Tables of our hearts and this is a sufficient Rule to bring us to Heaven Mockers of Faith Chap. 15 Mockers Self-denyal Mortification Purity of heart Poorness of Spirit Mourning Meekness hungring and thirsting after Righteousness Mercifulness Peace-making Suffering Persecution Rejoycing in Persecution which are the spiritual commands of Christ to which Blessedness is promised Such Prophets as speak of these things are counted Fools and such spiritual men esteemed mad by the voluptuous and Luxurious men of the World and by the Zenonian Fatalists that depend upon absolute Decrees and put all to a venture What then remains but that all Reasonable men should be satisfied with this reasonable service of Faith which is above their Carnal Reason but agreeable with all spiritual and Right Reason and none but unreasonable and absurd men will deny it I will resolve therefore with my self Chap. 16. Soul-Resolution to go out of my self and trust no longer in my Flesh nor in any Creature I will resolve with my self to understand better things and to know my self more perfectly 1. How