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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	covenant_n	grace_n	justification_n	7,486	5	9.7652	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78218	[Baʻal-samz] or, Soveraigne balsome, gently applied in a few weighty considerations (by way of quærie) for healing the distempers of such professors of religion as Satan hath wounded and drawn aside (under the notion of living in God) to the utter renouncing and casting off the use of divine ordinances, and Gospel-institutions of worship. With an apendix by way of postscript to such professors, wherein the most principall grounds upon which they build their practise, are fully answered and removed. And a catalogue of the errors that many of them hold since they left the ordinances, discovered. As also a true relation of Gods extraordinary working upon one of this way very lately in Plimouth, to the sight of his error, for the good of others published. / By Will. Bartlet, an unworthy minister of the Gospel, and lecturer at Bytheford in Devonshire.	Bartlet, William, 1609 or 10-1682.; M. P.	1649 (1649)	Wing B987; Thomason E549_19; ESTC R209139	79,502	81

very absurd and vile and an abuse of Gods goodnesse that therefore you must not work together with God as rationall creatures c. p 743. So Mr Greenhill in his elaborate Lectures on Ezekiel Chap. 3. verse 1 2 3. p. 293. Observ 1. hath these words The godly must act and put forth their graces towards further reception of spirituall things When Christ will give Ezekiel Donum Prophetiae a Roll to eat he opens his mouth he sets a-work his faith to receive this gift of prophesie Faith in the habit is like the mouth shut up nothing enters but in exercise it 's like the mouth open and ready to receive It 's infinite mercy that God at any time will offer us spirituall favours and excellencies we should therefore beforward and stirre up our soules and graces to the receit of such mercies It 's a lazy and ill excuse for godly ones to say they can do nothing Grace is an active an enabling thing and where there is a principle of life as all godly men have there is a specificall difference between that man and another that hath it not a man without it cannot act nor stirre up himselfe to a further reception of spirituall things because he is dead but a man that hath it can ought to quicken up his own soule to spirituall things The Prophet had received the Spirit that entred into him and he opened his mouth exercised his Faith to take what the Lord should give The Apostle Paul bids Timothy stirre up the gift of God that was in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1.6 He would have men deal with their gifts and graces as they doe with fire vnder the ashes they blow them off and blow the fire up and there is a flame fit for service Sloth feare infirmity carnall reason are ashes that doe oft cover divine fire that it seems dead but we must stirre up our selves blow off those ashes and blow up the fire of grace that it may burn and shine be usefull to our selves and others The Prophet complains in Esay 64.7 There is no man that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of me they are like men asleep that sit still and doe nothing The vulgar is Non est qui consurgat So that I conceive as it is in the great businesse of a Beleevers mortification of sin so it is in the performance of prayer and other religious duties the Rule by which a true beleever is to walk in the performance of those duties is not to sit still and doe nothing till hee is wrought upon by the Spirit but hee is through the strength of grace received to act his * They that speake against performance of duty might as well speake against the actings of faith exercise of grace for prayer is nothing else but the communication of the soule with God the actings of faith exercise of grace Bolt ut supra faith on the truth and faithfulnesse of God in the promise who hath undertaken to give in assistance to us and ability to goe through that worke hee calleth us unto and requireth at our hands For the same God that calls us to duty hath promised to give in strength by his Spirit to discharge it and this faith is to rely on and make use of for its encouragement in all the workes the Lord calls a beleever to the performance of not but that faith and all other graces are the Spirits but because the Spirit doth not act without them in a true beleever For doubtlesse such as are truly incorporated into Christ and made one Spirit with the Lord are not acted as dead stockes as if every time and moment of their acting Godward they received new life from the Spirit of Christ And I am confident for want of the knowledge of this it comes to passe that many formall easie Professors take such liberty to themselves to live in the neglect of holy duties because they say they can doe nothing of themselves further then the Spirit moves and quickens them as if one that is in Christ were altogether without spiritul life and motion longer then the Holy Ghost falls upon him as in the first act of conversion From whence it must needs follow 1. That there are no habits of grace nor inherent workes of holinesse wrought in beleevers at their first Conversion and Regeneration when Christ is formed in them which is contrary to the b Iohn 1.16 2 Cor. 5.17 Ephes 2.10 Ephes 4.24 Scripture and all found Writers 2. That whensoever a beleever is without the motions of the Spirit as in times of sleep and bodily rest or times of temptation yea falling into sin as the best are subject to doe James 3.2 then he is not to be lookt upon as one in Christ which is as absurd as unsound 3. That all those c 1 Tim. 4.14 25. 2 Tim. 1.6 Luke 21.26 Ephes 6.18 Iam. 1.19 21. Phil. 2.12 1 Cor. 15. ult exhortations to beleevers that concern the stirring up their grace their watchfulnesse to the performance of religious duties their working out their salvation with feare and trembling Their giving all diligence to make their calling and election sure their fruitfulnesse in good workes and abounding in the work of the Lord c. are void and of none effect making beleevers under the Gospel and new Covenant of grace to be in no better condition then those that were under the Law a Covenant of works who had their duties discovered but had not grace and power given to them to enable them to the discharge of them which is contrary to the Tenor of the new Covenant which all those have a share in that are in Christ and can say in some measure as Christ their Head did Psalm 40.7 8 9. compared with Heb 10.7 8. I delight to doe thy will O. my God yea thy Law is within my heart 4. That there are no just grounds for Christ and his Apostles in the Scriptures to d Mat. 26.40 Mark 16.14 Luke 24.45 Mat. 25.26 Heb. 5.11 12. 1 Cor. 5.2 Rev. 2.4 Rev. 3.15 16 17. charge home the guilt of sinnes of omission and neglect of prayer repentance mortification of sin c. nor the guilt of carelesnesse slothfulnesse negligence luke-warmnesse in the service of God upon such as are beleevers which is frequently done by them as we may read in the New Testament for if they can act no longer nor no further then the Holy Ghost acts them as ●t their first conversion then why should they bee charged with such faults and commanded to amend threatned if they doe not as Rev. 2 4 5. seeing God deales not with beleevers in Christ under the Gospel any longer by a Covenant of works but of grace though the Covenant of Grace bee full of justice and in the hands of him who orders it in righteousnesse whose e Psal 89.32 33. Scepter is a righteous Scepter and will correct

his subjects in righteousnesse yet still in greatest love and mercy 2. Besides secondly I answer Doth not this ground upon which people build the neglect of duties c. as it is propounded expose them to great danger of being acted by f Vid. Boltons Bounds of Christian freedom p. 199. where hee shewes how Satan may move a person to the performance of religious duties many wayes a Spirit of Delusion For suppose they staying till the Spirit move them as they speak in the former ground to pray c. that the motion to the performance of the duty be irregular and unseasonable yea altogether unsuitable to the calling and condition of the party that is moved to the duty shall they forthwith conclude that this motion is from the Spirit of God Nay are they not rather to conclude that it is from Satan who is a lying and deceiving Spirit whose depths and wiles are numerous and who knowes how to advantage himselfe against us as well by ill performing of duties as by Non-performing them and is it not the generall opinion and judgement of the godly that are taught of God that one speciall differencing character between the motions of the Spirit of God and Satan is this that the one moves orderly seasonably and suitably to the word and a persons calling and condition but the other disorderly unseasonably and contrary to or at least without the word And therefore without question those that build their performing of duties upon this ground onely may as well especially if they be not experienced Christians bee deluded by Satan as led by the Spirit of God 3. Lastly to say no more are not the Scriptures altogether silent herein and doe not in the least hold forth such a Rule as this to beleevers that none should not enter on the performance of duties till the Spirit move them nay is it not as cleare as the Sunne at Noon day that the Scriptures doe expresly hold forth to the contrary g Luk. 21.36 Rom. 12.12 Ephel 6.18 Col. 4.2 1 Thess 5.17 enjoyning beleevers to pray alwayes to pray continually to pray without ceasing to watch unto prayer with sundry the like expressions not take heed as if beleevers were to doe nothing else but pray and perform religious duties for then there would be no place left for their civill employments in their particular Callings which in their place and order are to be done also but that they should endeavour to preserve in themselves a holy and spirituall disposition towards that duty and all other duties of the like nature that so they may be ready upon all occasions ordinary and extraordinary publique and privat to draw nigh to God in the performance of them Object But doth not this derogate from the honour of the Spirit Ans No more then the working of particular next causes do from the universall cause which seldom or never produceth particular effects without a concurrence of particular causes e. g. The Sunne is the universall cause of all the fruitfulnesse of the Earth Vide Bridge Overflowings of Christs fulnesse p. 31 32. yet it doth not produce that fruitfulnesse without the help of man So here the Spirit of God is the universall cause of all the spirituall actings of the Saints yet he doth not ordinarily produce those actings without the concurrence of those gracious habits are wrought in their hearts in their conversion Nay the concurrence of such particular causes with the universall cause can be no dishonour to it in regard that they doe not act by themselves properly but together with and from the influence and vertue of the universall without which they could doe nothing John 15.5 The seventh Ground on which people build their neglect of duties is this That the performance of duties and use of Ordinances is more legall then Evangelicall looking more to a Covenant of workes then a Covenant of Grace engendring to bondage where as the Gospel gives more grace and affords more liberty looking more to beleeving then working Ans The whole frame of this Argument is carnall and savours too much of the flesh and very much nnbeseeming those that would have the world to look upon them as more then ordinarily spirituall and such as have attained to greater enjoyments of God then others My Reason is this Because those persons that enjoy most of God and live highest in the Spirit have their hearts most enlarged and carried out in communion with God in Ordinances and especially that of prayer so that I may truly affirme it A man of most grace is a man of most prayer but a man of least grace is a man of least prayer And wee have a singular evidence of it in the Apostle Paul who was as Evangelicall a Christian and lived as highly in God I suppose as any that now cast off Ordinances how exceedingly was he given to prayer how much was he in that duty as well as in other duties but in this of prayer he was more then ordinary so frequent as if he had leasure for no other employment and tooke delight in nothing else And hence it is that he saith oftentimes that he prayed without h Rom. 1.9 Col. 1.3.9 2 Tim. 1.3 Phil. 1.4 Philem. v. 4. 2 Thess 1.11 1 Thess 3.10 ceasing that he prayed alwayes that he prayed exceedingly night and day with divers such like expressions And as it was with this pretious servant of Christ so it hath been with the most eminentst beleevers in all Ages so far have they been from looking on performance of holy Duties as Legall Services and engendring to Bondage 2. But secondly if wee diligently observe the Tenor of the Gospel and new Covenant of Grace shall we not finde that they call upon beleevers for the strictest and most exactest performanees of the duties of Gods worship not allowing beleevers to live in the willing neglect of any known duty towards God or man or themselves if wee are not convinced of it let that notable place of Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. be considered where the Apostle shewes that the Grace of God that bringeth salvation viz. the Ministery of the Gospel and new Covenant that worketh grace instrumentally in mens hearts and revealeth the freelove of God through Jesus Christ to sinners hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world i. e. soberly in respect of our selves righteously or justly in respect of men and godly or holily and religiously in respect of God In which words I conceive are wrapt up the whole duty of a Christian as it respects the first and second Table This is the Doctrine of the Gospel or new Covenant of grace not of the Law or Covenant of workes And the Apostle in the 14. verse goes on to amplifie it by shewing one chiefe end of Christs comming into the world was to redeem them from iniquity and to

to a more immediate enjoyment of himselfe in the Spirit 6. That none are to pray or perform Duties at any time further then they are moved thereunto by the Spirit 7. That the use of Ordinances is more Legall then Evangelicall and engenders to bondage rather then liberty looking more to a covenant of works then grace the Gospel requiring beleeving not working 8 Another ground upon which people build their casting off the use of Word and Ordinances is this Because the Word and Ordinances are nothing without the Spirit They can never work any impression upon the soule or acquaint the Spirit of a man or woman that the Lord is his God or that Christ is his Saviour c. but this belongs to the office of the Spirit of God the Word and Ordinances of themselves are never able to work such an impression in the soule 9. That there are many places in the new Testament which hodl forth the non-performance of duties and laying aside the use of Ordinances as Heb. 8.11 1 Iohn 2.27 Rev. 21.22 23. 2 Pet. 1. ult These are the grounds upon which people build their leaving and casting off of Ordinances some of them respect those that are meere Atheists and others respect such as pretend to the greatest perfection of holinesse attainable in this life I shall by the help of Christ make answer to them all as they are laid downe in order to the discoverie of the unsoundnesse of them 1. Touching the first of the former grounds upon which people build the casting off the use of the holy Ordinances of Christ and duties of religion it was this That a person may doe well enough c. without the use of them Now in answer to this for the discovery of the unsoundnesse of it I utterly deny it and affirme the contrary that such as cast off the use of Ordinances 1 Cor. 3.22 or live in the neglect of them cannot possibly doe so well nor so comfortably enjoy themselves in the neglect as they might if they did conscionably performe them and my reason for it is this which I conceive is ungainsayable Because whatsoever such doe enjoy in order to their welfare and prosperity here in this world though in the greatest fulnesse they doe not enjoy it with the blessing and favour of God they may enjoy them but not comfortably because not through a promise nor by vertue of having interest in Christ through whom all our enjoyments become blessed to us and without whom all good things become evill and accursed to us Now such cannot possibly enjoy their good things through Christ a promise that neglect prayer c so by consequence not enjoy them nor themselvs comfortably because those mercies that come to us through a promise and by vertue of our interest in Christ they come in the way of Prayer and the use of Ordinances for the same God that hath made a promise to be our God and to make us blessed in the enjoyment of himselfe and his mercies hath also said that he will be sought unto for all those mercies before we shall enjoy them as Ezek 36.37 And when a person is once in Christ his being in Christ doth not take him off from duties but rather puts him upon the diligent performance of them And hence it is that the Spirit of Christ that dwells in beleevers is called a Spirit of prayer and supplication Rom 8.15.26 Gal 4.6 Zech. 12 10. And Christ hath promised beleevers to grant them their desires upon their asking his Father in his name John 14. and 15. and 16. chapters Matth. 7.7 with many other places to the same purpose and hereupon he enjoynes beleevers to watch and pray and ask necessaries daily at the hands of God their Father for the good both of their bodies and soules their temporall and eternall welfare Matth 6.11 12. So that 't is not faith in Christ and a promise that in it selfe simply considered makes us partakers and possessors of the good things of God with comfort but faith exercised and put forth in prayer and use of holy Duties and Ordinances of worship Faith in Christ and the covenant of Grace layes claime to the good things of God yea God himselfe blessed for ever is his Portion but Prayer fetcheth them in to the soule through Jesus Christs mediation And therefore as persons living in the neglect of duties discover themselves to be destitute of the Spirit of Christ and consequently of true faith in Christ so they manifest themselves to have no true right to what they enjoy as men and women in Christ nor to have them in mercy from God or in a capacity to enjoy a holy and sanctified use of them but are under all with the curse of God upon them so that as the wise man saith the very prosperity of such fooles destroyeth them Prov. 1.32 The second ground upon which people build their neglect of duties and casting off ordinances is the Eternall purposes and decrees of God who hath by them appointed how things shall be and there is no altering of them by our fasting praying c. or performing any duties of worship whatsoever Shall wee think say some that the judgement of the Sword Pestilence and Famine that walked up and down the Kingdome as the Executioners of divine Justice in an uncontrollable manner have been in so great and wonderfull measure removed from the prayers and supplications of any or all the Saints in England and not rather from the predeterminate Councell and decrees of God To which I answer That the Decrees of God doe not exclude in the least the use of the means towards the effecting bringing about of them but as God hath determined in his eternall counsels what he will doe for the good of any of his people so he hath also determined that the means shall be used for the obtaining it Yea we finde in Scripture that this is made a certain signe that God hath determined to do us some great good when he stirreth up our hearts to be earnest with him in prayer and the use of other lawfull meanes for the obtaining it as we may see in Daniel 9.2 compared with Jer. 29.10 11 12 13 14. where we finde in these two Scriptures two things to our present purpose 1. That God had purposed the deliverance of his people from their Babylonish captivity after 70. yeares were expired 2. That he purposed also and foretold by Jeremy that neare about the expiration of those 70. yeares a Spirit of Prayer should bee given to them and they should goe and pray unto the Lord for their deliverance and hereupon Daniel is stirred up about the end of those 70. yeares to a more then ordinary seeking to God by fasting and prayer for the accomplishing of his promise as is cleare from Dan. 2.3 and how much is the Lord taken with it verse 20 21 22 23. so that we may from hence easily see that

sanctifie to himselfe a people zealous of good workes where he gives us also a character of those that are the peculiar redeemed ones of Christ that they are such as are not onely freed from the power and thraldome of their lusts but are made zealous of good works To this place many more might be added as Luke 1.74 75. Jam. 2.8 9 10 11 12. Ezek. 11.14 6.27.37 But thirdly it 's considerable to examine and enquire what this Liberty is which the Gospel brings with it to beleevets now without question it cannot be meant of a lawlesse liberty a carnall sensuall sinfull liberty a liberty and freedome to dishonour Christ to cast his Lawes and Ordinances behind our backes and to live as we list It 's as cleare as the Sunne at noon day that the Gospel brings no such liberty with it to the world indeed the Devils Gospel doth and Antichrists and Mahumets they give to people elbow-roome enough as we use to say in the wayes of sinne but not so with the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ Tit. 2.14 Rom. 6 14. 2 Tim. 2.19 1 Ioh. 3.3 Rom. 6.1 2. for this saith Christ came to redeem us from iniquity this sayth sin shall have no Dominion over us this saith whosoever names the Name of Christ must depart from iniquity this saith hee that hath true hope in Christ purifies himselfe as Christ is pure this saith we are not to continue in sinne that grace may abound nay it demands a reason how men can imagine that those that are dead to sinne through interest in Christ should live any longer therein * 1 Pet. 1.14 15. 1 Cor 15. ult Phil ● 11. T it 3.8 2 Cor. 7.1 Phil 3.13 14. and doth not the Gospel of Christ say also that wee should be holy as Christ is holy that we should abound in the work of the Lord that we should be filled with all the fruits of righteousnesse that we should bee zealous of good works and maintain good workes and perfect holines in the feare of the Lord forgetting what is behinde and pressing after what is before c. 4 Besides fourthly the use of Ordinances and performance of duties under the Gospel is to bee lookt upon as a Beleevers priviledge not as his burthen and if the commands and service of Christ be called a Yoke and a Burthen and Bonds and Cords in the judgement of men yet it 's an easie yoke and a light burthen such cords and bonds as are gentle so that as the Apostle saith his commandements are not grievous 1 Joh. 5 3. The pedagogy of Moses indeed was burdensome and grievous so that our fore-fathers could not beare it but not so with the service of Christ under the Gospel when heavenly and spirituall soules are in it Indeed when carnall hearts enter upon or tarry any time in and under the service of Christ they are as under a burthen and the worke they are about is a burthen to them and what 's the reason but this that there is an unsuitablenesse between the work and their hearts neither come they to enjoy communion with Christ in Duty but come to the very duty as men do to their task or daily labour Vide Bolt true Bounds of Christians Freedom p. 213 214. now that person that hath to doe with nothing but duty in duty cannot chuse but finde that duty tedious and irksome to him as the ordinances under the Law were to the carnall Jewes that did not eye Christ in them But now on the other side when a gracious spirituall heart comes to a spirituall duty not to the duty so much as to God and Christ in the duty to converse with the Father and the Sonne in the Spirit how sweet and delightfull then are times of duty unto such soules so that the performance of duties in a right manner is no Legall thing nor matter of burthen and griefe to the Saints but that which affords them the greatest sweetnesse content and satisfaction that is to be enjoyed on this side glory and so is to bee lookt on as matter of priviledge not of bondage 5. To say no more whereas it is said that the Gospel requires beleeving not working if by working you understād the purchasing of life and salvation at the hands of God by our performances the justification of a sinner before God c. it 's granted the Gospel requires it not at the hands of sinners because it offers more grace that is it shewes us the work is done to our hands by Jesus Christ he hath procured our ransome satisfied his Fathers Justice appeased his wrath procured peace and reconciliation and that firmly through his own blood and wrought all our workes for us this way Esay 26.12 And our duty is primarily and above all to beleeve this and accept this as it is held forth in the Gospel Iohn 6.29 1 Iohn 3.23 because the great work of God and commandement of the Gospel is to beleeve in the Name of the Lord Jesus that we may be saved But if by working wee understand the fruit that flowes from our beleeving in Christ and taking hold of him to justification and salvation viz. a holy study in all our wayes to please God and doe his will to walk in a childlike fear and reverence before God and have respect to all his commandements that in all things we may be found to the honour and praise of him that hath loved us and called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light c. then I suppose there is none whatsoever that pretends to Christianity especially if he have in an experimentall manner felt the love of Christ shed abroad in his heart but will acknowledge the Gospel requires such working And the whole scope of the New Testament is so cleare and plain for this as that none but such to whom the Gospel is hid can be ignorant of it If any desire further satisfaction herein for it would be too large for me to produce all that might be spoken to this particular let him read those Gospel * Downam of Iustification l. 7. c. 1. p. 434 435 436 437 438. Bisco's golrious mystery of Gods mercy p. 298 299. Eatons Hony-comb Boltons bounds of Christians freedom Burges Vindidiciae legis p. 39 40 41 42 43. with many other c. Treatises that are abroad concerning this poynt 8. Another ground upon which people build their casting off the use of Word and Ordinances is this Because the Word and Ordinances are nothing without the Spirit They can never work any impression upon the soule or acquaint the Spirit of a man or woman that the Lord is his God or that Christ is his Saviour c. but this belongs to the office of the Spirit of God the Word and Ordinances of themselves are never able to work such an impression in the soule Answ I find an answer to this objection in Doctor Crisp vol. 3.