originall corruption dwelling in us like Sarahs unfruitfull wombe neither will wee doubt of this iustifying promise by unbelief but be strengthened in faith that our bodies and soules are made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely And thus we get with Abraham the victory in our faith of free iustification Fourthly follows the triumph of faith of free iustification that wee give glory to God being fully assured that he which hath spoken it that by his Sons bloud he hath made us pure and clean yea perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in his own sight freely Heb. 10. 14. Col. 1. 22. must needs be true of his word and also able to doe it because hee is almighty and hath power sufficient to doe all things to reason sense and feeling impossible Matth. 19. 26. Luk. 1. 37. and so gives glory to God which is the Religion of Religions the worship of worships the service of services the sacrifice of sacrifices the wisdome of wisdomes the righteousnesse of righteousnesses without which all other service and worship are sinne and abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16. 15. Heb. 10. 38 39. Thus we walking by free justification in the steps of our father Abraham there follow thereof these two great and excellent effects First perfect reconciliation and peace with God for being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1 And all evils and punishments for sin being done away that we may serve God without fear Luk. 1. 74. we are truly blessed for as many as are of faith of free iustification are blessed with faithful Abraham Gal. 38. 9. and together with faithfull Abraham are made sufficiently rich with all temporall riches Gen. 13. 2 5 6. and also spirituall and eternall riches which Abraham chiefly rejoyced in Ioh. 8. 56. 2. Cor. 8. 9. Heb. 11. 9 10. yea heirs of the whole world onely by this righteousnesse of faith for saith Paul the promise that Abraham should be the heire of the world was not given unto Abraham or to his seed through the Law but through the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4. 13. 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. For if they that are of the Law be heires faith is made void and the promise is made of none effect vers 14. Therefore it is of faith that it may come by grace and the promise might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the Law that is to the Jewes onely but also to that which is of the faith of Abraham that is to the Gentiles also who is the father of us all vers 16. The second effect is that this faith of free justification and this walking in the steps of our father Abraham causeth us infallibly to walke in the steps of the works of our father Abraham whereby like Abraham without the Law of the ten Commandements we walk holily soberly and righteously in all Gods Commandements declaratively to manward being zealous of good workes Tit. 2. 11 12 13. c. By all this it is clear that the practice and preachings and bookes of such Ministers are exceeding bad and dangerous as by a preposterous zeale of works and well-doings speake little or nothing of faith of free justification thinking by the dead faith it is an easie matter to walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham but that all the hardnesse lyeth in workings and well-doings and therfore do call for a good life and the doing of all holy duties zealously but preposterously before people be sure by comfort and joy of free iustification that they walke in the steps of the faith our father Abraham such Ministers I say in stead of making people the true children of Abraham of the free woman Sarah do make them bastard children of the bond-woman Hagar that must be cast out of the inheritance Gal. 4. 21. In stead of making them the children of the promise they make them children that will be under the Law and workes Gal. 4. 21. In stead of making them children of faith and of the blessing they make them the children of workes and of the curse Gal. 3. 10. In stead of working peace with God in their consciences they worke unquietnesse fears and troubles of conscience about workes In stead of making the inheritance of righteousnesse and life to come by grace and the promise to be sure to all the seed they make it to come as it were by working and the promise to be unsure and doubtfull to all the seed In stead of making them heires of all blessings temporall and eternall with faithfull Abraham they make them as much as in them lyeth heires of all evils and punishments with the deceitfull workmen mentioned 2 Cor. 11. 13 14 15. In stead of making them to walke in the true good workes of Abraham they make them at the best but to walk in the seeming good works of the devouter sort of Scribes and Pharisees that is in a legall bastard sanctification which is of high esteem and beauty amongst men but is filthy abomination in the sight of God Luk. 18. 19. Rom. 10. 2 3. Luk. 18. 19. 11. 12. Act. 22. 3 4. 26. 5 7. 13. 50. The true Treasure of the Heart Matth. 6. 21. FOr where your treasure is there will your hearts be also so that if the wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse making us perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely by faith onely without works and working be our treasure there will be our hearts and tongues also and then our hearts stand right to Christ and our tongues to make others chast virgins to Christ 2 Cor. 11. 2 3. and true children of Abraham and of that Jerusalem which is above the mother of us all and we shall never bee cast out as bastard children Gal. 1. 21 to 31. Col. 1. 28 29 21 22. chap. 2. 10. Heb. 10. 14. Rom. 5. 10 21. Col. 1. 12 13. Because wee bring forth a true godly life only for and by the joy and excellency of Free Iustification not carnally but rightly understood and embraced Tit. 2. 11 12 13 14. But if Sanctification repentance humiliation mortification universall obedience holy righteous walking in all Gods commandements sincerity and new life and such like works bee our treasure and diamond then there will be our hearts and tongues also to extoll dignifie and extort the same whereby producing by legall arguments but a false bastard sanctification Phil. 3. 6. our hearts stand adulterously to Christ and all such preaching and holinesse produced thereby is but idolatry and unbelief 2 Cor. 11. 13 14 15. and such Preachers by misunderstanding and darkning Free Iustification do ipso facto stand accursed by S. Paul and excommunicated though in all other gifts and graces they bee like Angels from heaven Gal. 1. 8 9. and ever in danger of sudden death Rev. 3. 13. Gal. 5. 12. Therefore beware of the dead Faith which being varnished and gilt over with a preposterous zeal and opinion of holinesse and righteousnesse before God by walking in all Gods commandements doth give Christ and Free Iustification a Iudas his kisse Rom. 10. 3. And yet such Preachers tremble not as they go up into the Pulpits although their preachings be both idolatrous and trayterous Here is life and death who hath an ear to regard it FINIS
words nor deeds to the causes to the nature or to the effects of the things which they seeme to see grant and hold Because though they be great Doctors yet they know not what they speake nor whereof they affirme and even as it were confidently swear to 1 Tim. 1. 7. especially in the spirituall benefits and mysteries of the Gospell And so are Saint Iames his double-minded men tossed to and fro like a wave of the sea and are unstable in all their wayes of Religion and these obtaine nothing of the Lord Iames 1. 6 7 8. And all their seeming strong faith is indeed before God nothing else but meere unbeliefe as Christ testifieth of such saying There are some of you namely that professe by beleeving that you are my Disciples but ye beleeve not For Iesus knew from the beginning who they were that beleeved not and who should betray him John 6. 64. And this dead faith being like a dead man that cannot stay up himselfe to stand upon his owne feet nor rest upon his owne strength they goe about to set him up and to underprop this dead man that is this dead faith with the rotten staffe of their workes And hereupon giving but a flourish of praise now and then to faith in generall they being utterly ignorant and void of true justifying and saving faith doe dwell in rest upon and stay up themselves and their dead faith principally by workes And hereupon doe in their hearts dignifie and in their words magnifie extoll and extort with legal arguments a preposterous sanctification repentance mortification grace and graces Popishly and falsly understood new life holy and righteous walking universall obedience to all Gods commandements sincerity humiliation uprightnesse fastings regeneration Popishly also and falsly understood and such like workes extorted as I said with legall arguments of I hope of rewards and speedings well if wee doe them and with feare of punishments and speeding ill if we have them not which how much the more they are thus preposterously exacted and legally extorted so much the more under termes and titles of the Gospell such Preachers teach but the light of nature the pride of workes and the vain-glory of man and so do withdraw people from Christ to hang upon their owne workes and doings by resting upon the Popish rotten pillar that God accepts the will for the deed and so doe drown Christs glory free Justification doe destroy faith waste and consume the Church of Christ teach a false bastard sanctification and are those dangerous seducers of soules that the faithfull are commanded as they will continue chast Virgins to Christ and not to bee beguiled with Eve by the subtlety of the Serpent and seduced from the simplicity of their faith that is in Christ to discerne and take notice of as they are described 2 Cor. 11. 13 14 15. where the Apostle forewarneth and thereby sufficiently fore-armeth all the children of wisdome by thus plainly describing them They professe themselves Apostles that is sent forth of God But they are saith Paul false Apostles and they are great workers but saith hee deceitfull workers How deceitfull transforming themselves saith he into the Apostles of Christ that is as if they were the true Ministers of Christ and taught the true Gospel of Christ and no marvell for Satan himselfe is transformed into an Angel of light and therefore it is no great thing if his Ministers transform themselves as though they were the Ministers of ' righteousnesse that is calling earnestly for all works of righteousnesse But their end shall be according to their workes and righteousnesse that is though they see me to bee the principall men that shall bee saved yet the same Apostle threatens to them certaine destruction Which he warneth of purpose that wee may not beleeve every spirit but rather try the spirits by this description whether they bee of God 1 Joh. 4. 1. Seeing these are the wolves whereof Saint Paul gave warning Acts 20 29. 30. that should arise up out of the allowed Ministry and should teach not seeming false things but onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preposterous things or true things out of order setting the cart before the horse that is caring more to call for works and a good life than they care whether the people have assurance of the sound faith of their free and perfect Justification whereby although the people beare them record and applaud them that they have the zeal of God yet it is not according to the knowledge of free Justification Because by a carnall understanding of free Justification they being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God must needs goe about to stablish and set up the golden calf of their own and the peoples own righteousnesse of their supposed sanctification works and well doings and by thinking secretly in their heart with the Papist that free Justification is easily learned and is ready to open the gate to the people to live wickedly and loosely they seldome and slightly preach free Justification and thereby shew that they have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10. 2 3. And so are the Ministers of Satan as the true Protestants say and are white Devils that preach a secret Idolatry under the likenesse of the true Ministers of the Gospel and for darkning and giving a Iudas his kisse to free justification which onely makes the true Church of Christ and by which onely Christ reignes in his Church as a free and glorious Redeemer and Saviour doe stand ipso facto accursed of God and excommunicated by Saint Paul though in all other gifts and as they say graces they bee like Angels from heaven as Saint Paul testifieth Gal. 1. 8 9. And because the greatest multitude of holy religious ones in a cold love to Christ and a hot love to themselvs in their owne doings and vaine glory care not to try the spirits whether they bee of God or no 1 Iohn 4. 1. therefore God sends them these zealous and holy working Preachers in the dead faith as strong delusions Ezek. 14. 9. that they should beleeve lyes and bee damned because they receive not the love of the truth of the wedding garment being the onely saving truth Gal. 3. 1. to 8. that they might bee saved 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. and that onely makes us free John 8. 32. And being freed from the bondage and servile yoke of works that the children of God in the old Testament were under Gal. 3. 23 24 25. and chapter 4. 1 7. doth make us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and not to be entangled in the said yoke of bondage againe Gal. 5. 1. whereas contrariwise such zealous legall Professours are either seeming humble proud Pharisees confident in their owne well-doings Luk. 18. 11 12. or else ever wounded in their soules distracted into sects and troubled in their consciences about their life and doings And God in just judgment for the
dead who was delivered to death for our sinnes to no other end than to abolish them from before his father Heb. 9. 26. whereby the blood of Iesus Christ the sonne of God doth make us clean from all sinne 1 Iohn 1. 7. And is risen againe for our full and perfect justification This is the true lively and justifying faith This faith makes us not bastardly children but the true kind proper and naturall children not of Abram but of Abraham This is the faith by which we are truly blessed and as truly saved as Abraham himself as Paul testifieth Gal. 3. 8. 9. saying The Scriptures that is the spirit of God speaking in the Scriptures foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith preached the joyfull newes unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed So that they which be of this faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham And what can we desire more than to be blessed Now because this free justification or the having on this wedding garment cannot be beleeved and enjoyed by this justifying faith but by looking into the gaping wounds of Christ bleeding out his blood and life to effect this free justification upon the beleever Therefore onely this justifying faith smites the heart of the beleever with the true love of Christ and of God in Christ which reflecteth back from God generally upon all men as they bear the image of God yet resteth principally upon the Church and houshold of faith and maketh the true beleevers to abound in every good work doing good unto all men but especially unto the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. and that not of constraint corruptly and hypocritically but cheerfully sincerely and ioyfully because both Christ and the Kingdome of God and the Kingdome of heaven by this true lively iustifying faith is within us Luke 17. 21. Into which Kingdome of heaven no unclean thing can enter Rev. 21. 27. Because this Kingdome of heaven is righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And the more this faith of free Justification and of having on this wedding garment encreaseth the more this peace and joy in the holy Ghost encreaseth For the which it is called the garment of ioy and gladnesse Esa 61. 3. And the more this peace and joy encreaseth the more the foresaid love encreaseth and enflameth the heart to walk freely cheerfully and zealously in all Gods will and commandements declaratively to manward and to doe our vocatious and all good workes freely of meere love without hope of reward or fear of punishment which is true sanctification which causeth us to live here among men as Christ himselfe lived that is not onely doing all things but also cheerfully suffering all things to edifie one another in our most holy faith that onely saves us Iude 20. And to the glory of God our reconciled and well pleased father in Christ as St. Iohn 1. Epist chap. 2. vers 6. testifieth saying He that saith he abideth in Christ ought even so to walke as hee hath walked Thus much of the true saving faith Thirdly of this justifying faith that worketh by love there followes inseparably a true right Evangelicall zeale of Gods glory whereby we feeling how by our originall corruption and by breaking the tenth commandement and thereby the first commandement and all the rest in our best good works whereby that saying of Saint Iames is true in our best good works That whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all we finde both our selves and all our works and best actions to be so shut up under sin Gal. 3. 22. that being truly humbled with a vile esteem of our selves and all our best good works we do grant not with lip and tongue only as many bastard Protestants do but do feele in our hearts in deed and truth that all our righteousnesse even of sanctification is as foule stained filthy rags Esay 64. 6. Whereupon our hearts are so inflamed with such an high prizing and onely esteeming of the wedding garment of Christs obedience and righteousnesse perfectly iustifying us and all our works That not onely every true Minister of the Gospel but also every true Christian ceaseth all contention about works and is carried with a zealous affection to know nothing among Gods people save Iesus Christ and him crucified to iustifie them 1. Cor. 2. 2. by which they are made such true burning coals of Gods Altar so enflamed with this holy fire of Christs love from heaven that they cannot chuse but enflame and kindle all others that come neare them caring for nothing but to be found our selves and to cause others to be found in Christ that is not having our owne righteousnesse in esteeme which at the best is but mans glory before men only Rom. 4. 2. but in the most precious robes of Christs righteousnesse making both us and all our workes perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in Gods sight freely by faith onely without workes and so do truely know Christ and grace and faith and works rightly as these and such like Scriptures teach Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and do count them but dung that I may win or gain Christ and bee found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3. 8 9. neither doe I passe of crosses and afflictions at all nor doe I count my life deare unto my selfe so that I may fulfill my course with ioy and the ministery which I have received of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospel that is the ioyfull newes of the grace of God Act. 20. 24. That I might be the Minister of Iesus Christ toward the Gentiles ministring as the worship of God the Gospell that is the ioyfull newes of God That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable being sanctified by the holy Ghost So that from Ierusalem and round about unto Illiricum I have by Christ working in me caused to abound the Gospel that is the ioyfull newes of Christ Rom. 15. 16 19. Yea so I forced my self to preach this ioyfull newes not where Christ was named lest I should build upon another mans foundation But as it is written to whom hee was not spoken of they shall see and they that have not heard they shall understand vers 20 21. All which againe is as briefly as notably expressed by the established Doctrine of our Church out of Saint Basil saying thus This is a perfect and whole reioycing in God when a man advanceth not himselfe for his owne righteousnesse but acknowledgeth himselfe to lack true iustice and righteousnesse and to be iustified by onely faith in Christ And the Apostle Saint Paul saith he
sufficiently commend it or set it forth For saith he the righteous one he made a sinner that hee might make the sinners righteous nay he speaketh not so sleightly neither but that which is farre more For he said not hee made him a sinner but sinne that we might be made he saith not righteous but righteousnesse yea and the righteousnesse of God For this is of God because it is not of workes For the former righteousnesse of good esteem in the Church was the righteousnesse of the Law and of works but this is the righteousnesse of God Because it is necessary that no spot bee found in it and from hence all sinne vanisheth away Thus hee teacheth the magnificence both of the gift and giver 3. Thirdly to look the better into the nature of this benefit we must consider deeply the excelent parts of this wonderfull benefit which are these two chiefly 1. First that this wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse doth though mystically that is above our reason sight sense and feeling that we may live by faith in the truth and power of God speaking and not by sight sense and feeling Rom. 4. 18 to 25. yet freely take away and truly abolish not out of our flesh 1 Iohn 1. 8. but utterly abolish from before God and out of Gods sight all our sinnes as these and such like Scriptures teach Iohn 1. 29. Behold the lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world For I not you but even I being Sol iustitiae the shining sunne of righteousnesse Mal. 4. 2. will do away your iniquities like darknesse and abolish your sinnes like a mist Reioyce ye heavens for the Lord hath done it Shout ye lower parts of the earth break forth into praises O mountaines For thus hath the Lord redeemed Iacob and thus will he be glorified in Israel Esa 43. 25. and 44. 22 23. For by himself hath Christ purified and made us cleane from our sins and is set at the right hand of the highest Maiesty Heb. 1. 3 Because if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himsellfe without spot to God purge purifie or make clean our consciences from dead workes to serve the living God Heb. 9. 13 14. Therefore did hee now once in the end of the world appear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to abolish to doe away or to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 9. 26. For Iesus Christ is that faithfull witnesse and that first begotten of the dead and that Prince of the Kings of the earth who hath loved us and hath washed us from our sins in his owne blood Rev. 1. 5. whereby the blood of Iesus Christ the sonne of God doth make us cleane from all sinne 1 Ioh. 1. 7. Now the sonne having thus abolished our sinnes from before God or out of Gods sight Col. 1. 22. Hereupon doth the father pardon remit and forgive all the punishment and evill that is due to those sinnes which his sonne hath freely done away and truely abolished out of his fathers sight according to that testimony of David Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered Psal 32. 1. Hereupon is all the anger of the father and all his displeasure discontentment death and all other evils ceased upon the justified person before God the father And thus much briefly of the excellency of the first part of free justification 2. The excellency of the second part of free justification is That this wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse doth not only make us present us righteous in the sight of God but it also maketh us perfectly and completely and sufficiently holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely by faith onely without workes or without our perfect working Yea so sufficiently and completely and perfectly holy and righteous that though mystically yet wheresoever we sit or walk we shine gloriously holy and righteous in the sight of God freely as these and such like Scriptures teach Rom. 5. 19. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one man shall many be made righteous whereby if by the offense of one death reigned by one much more they which receive the abundance of grace and that abundance of the gift of righteousnesse shall reigne in life through one even Iesus Christ Rom. 5. 17. Therefore did the Angel Gabriel prophesie to Daniel that after seventy weeks of yeares not onely sinne should be finished and transgression made an end of and reconciliation made for iniquity but also everlasting righteousnesse be brought in upon the faithfull Dan. 9. 24. Thus is this righteousnesse called not only an abundance of righteousnesse and an everlasting righteousnesse but also hence it is said to make us complete before God even complete in him which is the head of all principalities and powers Col. 2. 10. Hence it is said to make us perfect as with one sacrifice he hath made perfect for ever all them that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. Hence it is said to make us and present us to God a glorious Church as he hath made us pure or clean by the washing of water through the word to make us to himselfe a glorious Church not having now at this present time as the Greek and Latine Participles signifie one spot or wrinckle of sinne or any such thing but to bee so holy that wee are unblameable or without blemish before God Eph. 27. Because in the body of his flesh through death he makes us or presents us so holy that we are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is without all blame and without all fault in Gods sight if we continue rooted and grounded in this faith upon which place Chrysostome saith He hath not only freed us from sin but also he hath made us honourable and glorious in Gods sight Hence it is that this wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse was signified by the vesture of the gold of Ophir that maketh the bride of Christ a Queen and all glorious within that is spiritually and mystically saying At thy right hand doth stand the Queene in a vesture of the gold of Ophir and shee is all glorious within Psalm 45. 9. Hence is the Church and every true beleever made that great wonder in heaven that is under the time and state of the Gospel called every where in the New Testament the Kingdome of heaven Matth. 11. 11 12. and chapter 13. But what is this wonder A woman that is in generall the whole Church but in particular every true beleeving soule which is as truely by faith married to Christ as any woman can be married to her husband Ephes 5. 30. But what of this woman Amicta sole cloathed with the sunne that shineth in