Rom. 3. 10 11 12. there is none that understand there is none that seek God All are become unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one And Christ said to the man There is none good but one and that is God And Esay Mat. 19. 17. Isa 64. 6. saith of himself and other like him We are all as an unclean thing all our Righteousnesse is as filthy raggs And Paul of himself in his best estate I am carnal sold under sin in me that is in my flesh the corrupt man dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7. 18. And if any saith he is somwhat when he is nothing he deceiveth himself in his own imagination And Paul said he found no means Gal. 6. 3. Rom. 7. 18. to perform that which is good The good he would do he did not and when he would do good evil was present with him Quest But it will be asked if no man be good wise just holy nor have goodness wisdome justice holiness nor can do that which is good c. before God Wherefore do the spirit of God in the Scriptures tearm and call some men good just holy wise c. A good man saith Salomon getteth favour of the Lord therefore Prov. 12. 2. Math. 12. 35. Iob 1. 1. Acts 10. 22. Math. 2. 1. some good man there is A goâ—d man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things saith Christ God called Iob a just man Cornelius was called a just man and Zacharias and Elizabeth were said to be just before God and to walk in all the Commandements of God without reproof They were callâ—d Wise men that came from the East to seek worship and offer gifts unto Christ Paul called those of the church Saints that is Holy men And Luke saith God spake by his Rom. 1. 5. holy Prophets Paul saith God revealed that to the holy Apostles Act. 3. 21. Eph. 3. 5. and Prophets which he did not before to the sons of men Why are men thus said in the Scriptures to be good just wise holy if none are nor ever were so sithence the fall and loss in Adam Answ These were so good holy just wise in the estimation of men and therefore so reorded of the Penmen of the holy Scriptures and no doubt but they were special branches of the Vine Christ such men as the world was not worthy of yea further they were good holy wise just and without blame before God in Christ as they were elected in Christ ingrafted in Christ abiding in Christ as Paul said he and all the elect in Christ were before Eph. i. 4. the world God saith he hath elected us in Christ before the world to be holy and without blame before him in love And after the same manner he saith We are quickned in Christ raised up in Christ we live in Christ saith Luke In him we live move and have our being Eph. 2. 6. Acts 17. 8. Col. 3. 3. 2 Cor. 2. 4. Act. 2. 12 13. Our life is hid with Christ in God saith Paul These are the misteries of Christ the misteries of the gospel the misteries of Faith so called hid to those which are lost as the Apostle saith The misteries of Christ are not manifested tto all When the holy Ghost was come plentifully upon the Apostles according to Christs promise that they spake to much people there gathered the misteries of Christ of the gospel of Faith it is said some marvelled some doubted some mocked some said they were drunk and spake they knew not what but some believed as they did at Pauls Sermon at Antioch As many as were ordained As 13. 48. to eternal life believed And it may be there are of all these somes here some that marvel some that doubt some that mock and deride some that think and will say these misteries now delivered are strange things things spoken by me as I know not what yet there may be some here ordained to eternal life that believe Indeed this is a mistery spoken that Christ should command men to do that which in the least he knoweth they cannot do themselves who will lay a burthen upon the back of his beast that knoweth he cannot bear it It is a mistery that every man should think himself to be have and do that before God at least somwhat which he neither is have nor doth in truth It is a mistery that every man corrupted thinketh himself to be have and do some good thing at least before God whenas there is no man that is hath or doth any thing in the least good holy just in Gods fight It is 〈◊〉 that every man corrupted should be dead in himself and that he that is quickned and liveth shall be quickned and live only in Christ that he that is holy good just wise c. should onely be holy good just wise c. in Christ not in himself And that for these things being in truth so Christ setteth out to every man that cometh after him to deny himself which no corrupt man in truth can do as hath been proved Object I say the Prophet did deny himself when he said We Isa 64. 6. are all as an unclean thing all our Righteousness is as filthy raggs Paul did deny himself when he said When the commandement came Rom. 7. sin revived and I died and when he said I am carnal sold under sin and when he said there dwelt no good thing in him and that he found no means to do the thing that was good and that the good which he would do that he did not and the evil that he would not do that he did Answ This denyal of a mans self is that which Christ intended in his commandement indeed but it was not Esay nor Paul of themselves that did thus deny themselves but this fruit was wrought up in them from the Vine Christ by the spirit of Christ which they as branches of the Vine did bear and hold forth as Christ pleased to make them his instruments thereof This was Christs work and performance in them for an evidence witness and manifestation to them that they were branches abiding in Jesus Christ the Vine and came after Jesus Christ in truth not their own work and performance howsoever of grace it pleaseth the Lord Jesus Christ to account it theirs for a corrupt and evil Tree can bring forth no such good fruit Quest If Christ in these words command and call men to deny themselves which is too hard for them to do in truth before God but onely outwardly before men which is but dissimulation before God what benefit is this to men that Christ teacheth and commandeth them to deny themselves to come after him which they cannot do in truth they shall come after Christ never the more for in whatsoever Christ requireth he requireth truth in the inward parts as David saith and he saith My son give me thy heart A
to do any part thereof sithence the fall of man and that Christ hath fully performed all to be performed in himself already to the full satisfaction of God for the justification peace and salvation of the elect so that they are justified before God and have peace with God as the Apostle saith being justified by his blood we shall be saved from Rom. 5. 9. his wrath through Christ. And Christ died for our sins and rose a-again for our justification therefore the elect are justified before they believe then when Christ rose again before God and God loved Iacob before he was born or had done good or evill before men therefore Jacob was justified before God before he was born for God could not love him being still the child of wrath wicked and unrighteous before him and God elected Paul and the rest in Christ before the world to be holy and without blame before him they could not have been holy and without blame before God which God elected them unto if they had not then been justified before God They could not be elected out of the children of wrath and be still 〈◊〉 children of wrath before God they could could not be elected to be holy and without blame before God and be wicked and unjustified before God still And when God predestinated those he pleased to eternall life he then called justified Rom. 8. 29 30. and glorified them before himself saith the Apostle How then can these hold forth that a man is justified and made righteous by faith that it is faith that doth him that good that there is no justification to man before faith And if they take it that Christ the gracious undertaker for the elect in the Evangelicall law or covenant of grace hath not only done the will of God and performed all to be performed in himself for the justification of the elect but also hath done doth and will do the will of Mod to the end in the elect in inlightening their dark hearts and souls by his spirit sent unto them and in manifesting and witnessing by his spirit to their hearts and soules that they are the children of God elected in Christ ordained to eternall life and justified before God by Christs performances and the free grace and love of God in Gods sight before the world and in giving understanding knowledge and believing to their dead hearts and souls of their justification and the rest wrought for them by Christ as David said Give me understanding and I shall Psal 119. 24. live that is I shall know that I live in Christ and that Christ liveth in me then they must needs take it that the performances of Christ in the elect are but the witnesses and manifestations of the performances of Christ in himself for the justification of his elect not their justifying Christ saith I am the vine and he saith to his elect you are the branches The fruit of the vine there bred is Iohn 15. 〈◊〉 conveighed by the spirits of the vine to the branches the branches bear the fruits of the vine and hold them forth as instruments prepared and fitted of the vine and spirits thereof The fruits that the branches bear and hold forth are not the fruits of the branches bred of the branches but the fruits of the vine so Christ called them Luke 22. 18. bred of the vine and conveighed by the spirits thereof to the branches to be born and held forth The branches cannot bear nor hold forth any good fruit without the vine and the spirits of the vine And the good fruits do shew and manifest the good vine whereof they are bred and that the branches that did bear them did abide in the vine So the fruits of the spirit as love joy peace faith c. are bred Gal. 5. 22. of Christ and conveighed by the spirit of Christ to the elect branches of the vine Christ and the elect as Christ pleaseth to do the will of God in them as his branches do bear and hold them forth But the fruits of the spirit are not bred of the elect but of Christ by his spirit conveighed to them and therefore called the fruits of the spirit to be born and held forth by them as fitted branches and instruments of Christ the vine and his spirit and the elect cannot beare them of themselves without Christ and his spirit breed them and conveigh them and therefore Christ faith VVithout me you can do nothing that is you cannot bear the fruits nor hold them forth without me and the fruits of the spirit born and held forth in man do witnesse and evidence Christ in him that bare them and do also witnesse that that man is elected in Christ and abideth in Christ the vine as the Apostle saith his spirit witnesses and faith is the evidence of things not seen Rom. 8. 16 Hâ—b 11. 1. All that which Christ doth of the will of God in the elect doth not justifie them or make them the children of God but onely doth witness and manifest to them that they are justified and made the children of God by the performances done in himself and that of grace by the imputation of his Righteousness and the Righteousness of his performances in himself to them they are made Righteous the children of God and saved As it is said Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for Righteousness It could not be Abraham's believing according to the Commandment of the law of Works that was imputed to him for Righteousness for Abraham no doubt was a corrupt sinful man as all the Elect are in themselves and and his believing was corrupt and sinful as himself was and God that did never call evil good did never impute sin for Righteoulness and if Abrahams Righteousness had been of his believing according to the Commandement then it had been of his works that he was justified contrary to the Scripture The faith and believing the fruit of the spirit of Christ that Abraham did bear as a branch of the Vine Christ did onely witness and manifest to him that he was justified by Christ and his performances they did not justifie him But Abraham being one of Gods Elect in Christ for whom Christ had undertaken and in himself performed all Righteousness before God it that is the Righteousness of Christs performances was imputed to him for Righteousness by grace The Elect in Christ the Adopted through Christ those who See Rom. 4. 5 6. are ordained to eternal life whose sins were laid upon Christ from the beginning which Christ hath performed all for in himself to the full satisfaction of God are justified before God before Faith before they believe of grace by the imputation of Christs Righteousness to them Their work of Faith cannot justifie them the grace of Faith wrought in them by the spirit of Christ doth not justifie them but witness andâ— manifest that they are justified by the Righteousness
much if it be fervent Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for Righteousnesse Moses prayed and Gen. 15. 6 Rom. 4. 3. Israel overcame the Amalekites Elijah prayed and God sent rain God promiseth to do good to them that love him and perform the duties of love and hath shewed love and requited much good to them which have performed the duties of love unto him Therefore say they the Scriptures hold forth that the love of the Elect to God and their performance of the duties of love to God in this world do cause move and incite God to love them and do them much good c. Answ These seem to know the Scriptures in the history But they know them not yet in the mystery of God and Christ and in the mystery of faith and godlinesse as the Apostle speaketh Colossians 2. 2. Eph. 3. 4. 1 Tim. 3. 16. 1 Tim. 3. 9. I find the continual practise of Antichrist is by his instruments alledging the history of the Scriptures to advance the honour of man and to abate the honour of God and his Christ And this is the certain note and mark of this deceiving Spirit as the Apostle expresseth to the Thessalonians and elsewhere This is a great advancement of mans honour to teach that being 1 Thess 1. 2. 4. the Elect of God he hath power to do that which shall cause move and incite God to love him and do him good and others yea and doth so by his believing praying and the rest of his performances of his love and service to God Were it not a great honour to that poor subject which for his fidelity love and performances to a great Potent and rich King should have the assurance of love assistance and good he would request and desire of the King and that he by his performances to the King could cause the King to do such things for him when he would Surely any man that were not envious would praise and honour the happinesse of this subject So they which teach that the love of men to God by their love do cause and make God to love them and by their Faith do cause God to justifie them and by their asking and praying do cause move and incite God to grant and give them that they desire and by their repentance do cause God to forgive them and by their other performances to God do cause God to do them good do much advance and honour men and their performances Whenas the very Elect although they be elected in Christ c. yet as the Apostle saith in themselves are nothing unto Epâ— 44. good before Godâ— If any man saith he esteemeth himself to be somewhat when as he is nothing he deceiveth himself in his own imagination Gal. 6. 3. No they can perform nothing that is good before God so Paul said of himself I find no means to perform that which is good Rom 7. 8 26 21. when I would do good saith he evil is present with me and the evil which I would not do that I do So that it is clear from hence that the faith or believing the praying and repentance and all the performances of the very Elect in themselves to God are evil and sin which is a mystery indeed unto such as the Gospel is hid And therefore they cannot cause move and incite God to love them justifie them give to them assist them or forgive them by their love faith prayer repentance or any other performances to God which are evil in themselves and the advancing and honouring of man for such his performances to God as shall and can so prevail with God as to cause him to do men good for the same is the work of the deceiving spirit to the greatest abasement of the power of Christ or a share of that which is onely Christs which as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 12. 6. Phil. 2. 13. Hâ—b 12 2. worketh all in all yea which worketh in us the will and deed of his own good pleasure The work of all is the work of the Work-man which is Christ Christ is the Author and finisher of our faith and the rest the honour of all is his due it is Christ and his performances that onely causeth moveth and inciteth God to love to give to the Elect to assist and forgive not any performance of their own and it is Christ that covereth the sin of their performances and therefore to Christ the whole prayes and honour of procuring the love and the goodness of God to man is due and it is extream sacriledge to rob our God Christ of his honour and to give it to another and these of God and his Christ are great mysteries unto those which are lost to whom the gospel is hid the thing wrought doth witnesse the work-man but not that it self was the workman Object But they say God hath promised to love them and to shew mercy on them that love him and to justifie and save them that believe and to give to them and assist them that pray to him and ask him and to do them good that do obedience to his commandements Therefore God hath bound himself by his promise to be a debtor to those that love him believe pray and obey his commandements As promise is a debt if the condition be performed And therefore the love of man to God the Faith Prayer and Obedience of man to God must needs cause move and incite the just God in his promises to love them save justifie assist and do them good the work being done is enough to cause move and incite every just man to pay the work-man his promised wages much more doth the same the great God Answ This Objection is spread with the deceit of of the deceiving spirit for the promise was to Christ as Gal. 3. 16. Not to the seeds as speaking of many but to thy seed as of one which is Christ saith the Apostle The promise was not to the Elect as they are the corrupt man in themselves but to Christ and to them onely as they are elected in Christ It was and is Christ onely that is able to perform the condition and not man corrupted whereas it is said the promises were such made to Abraham the Apostle meaneth they were repeated and clearly manifested to Abraham which we made before to Christ who was before Abraham although of Abrahams seed is manifestation according to the flesh If the promise had been made to corrupt man as Abrahams also was it had been in vain for there was never any man that was able to have performed the condition nor hath done but in Christ which performed it for him If a great Emperor should bind himself by promise to a poor Begger to give him a Kingdome if he did pay twenty hundred thousand pounds which was not able to pay him one pound were not this a vain promise and bond or could this Begger look for this Kingdome
man in himself of free grace chosen of God in Christ and given to him of God to undertake and perform all for unto life which they do when they teach and say that they by their Inherent holinesse and righteousnesse have power and free-will to do and can do themselves the works of righteousnesse such as please God are accepted with God and do move and cause God to do them good which all are the works of Christ and no part thereof mans but by account and grace of imputation therefore the same and the rest of that sort are no better then robbery sacriledge and idolatry Those which hold forth Inherent holinesse and righteousnesse in man do boast themselves to be in a better estate and condition for life then Adam was ever in to have more power then Adam had in innocency unto holinesse and righteousnesse and the work of the holy and righteous commandement of God for life which saith do this and live then Adam ever had for Adam in innocency had no power to repent if he fail'd that he might live by repentance if he failed of life by obedience and words nor had Adam power to pray for mercy and forgivenesse to move God by repentance and prayer and to obtain the same of God by prayer For if Adam had had this there had been no need of the provision of a Christ for falne man for Adams repentance and prayer for mercy and forgivenesse had been enough to have prayed with God for forgiveness of the transgression But they say they have not only power and free-will to doe the righteousness of the command through their inherent holiness and righteousness but also such a sanctified will that their will cannot fail or hinder their power as Adams did to do the work They have power to repent and convert themselves unto life if they fail in the righteous work and power to pray and so to prevail with God by their prayer that they shall obtain mercy and forgiveness of all by vertue of their inherent holiness and righteousness in themselves Oh sure they must needs be as proud of this inherent holiness and righteousness in themselves by the santification of the Spirit and be as thankfull to God also that they are not as other men are as the Pharisee was for his righteousness that he had in himself of the Spirit of God in his own account for which he thanked God that he was not as other men Luk. 18. 11. were unrighteous sinners And herein the late upholder of inherent holiness and righteousness in man by the sanctification of the Spirit go beyond the Papists which were the founders thereof in exalting that Idol For the Papists wil not allow every man that hath the same to be inabled thereby to convert himself if he have failed in the work of holiness and righteousness and to satisfie with the repentance of his own frame but he must be ordered and injoyned penance by the Pope or other his Substitutes Confessors to men offending which must be obeyed and all performed accordingly by the Delinquents for absolution and recovery of life and safety to themselves And they must not pray as they will themselves to move God to mercy and forgiveness and to bestow good things upon them but they must be ordered and appointed of those Agents and Confessors how many Pater-nosters and Ave-Maries they must say for the same c. But these conclude that by his own power that every man hath of his inherent holiness and righteousness he is not only inabled to do the work of holiness and righteousness acceptable to God but also if he fail to convert himself to repent at will to move God to mercy and forgiveness and to do him needful good when he will intentionally and devoutly pray for the same And to this purpose for manifestation of the premises to be so as is said the upholders of inherent holiness and righteousness in man teach and exhort all men to do the works of holiness and righteousness commanded upon eternall gain and pain and to repent of their fallings that they may not perish but live thereby to pray intentionally in publike and private to do duties commanded and to do all these to please God to pacifie God to move God to do them good by these their performances without any doubt of going well with them so doing as if all men assembled had this their supposed holiness and righteousness and thereby power in themselves to do the works of holiness and righteousness to repent pray and prevail with God to obtain all good at Gods hand thereby and divert the wrath and judgements from them as if they had God in a bond When as the Prophets of God and the Apostles of Jesus Christ themselves do acknowledge that they had no such inherent holiness and righteousness in themselves by the sanctification of the Spirit whereby they were inabled to do the works of holiness and righteousness before God and do acknowledge that themselves did no such works of holiness and righteousness before God nor had any such power in themselves The Prophet David saith God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God but saith he they were all gone out of the Psa 5 3. 2. 3. Rom. 3. 10 11. way they were altogether corrupt there is none that doth good no not one And the Apostle Paul joyntly with him saith the same The Prophet Isay saith of himself and the rest like him We are all as an uncleane thing all our righteousnesse is as filthy rags And Paul saith There is none righteous no not one there is none that understand and seek God all are become unprofitable there is Rom. 3. 10 11 12. Mat. 19. 17 none that doth good no not one and Christ saith there is none good but one and that is God And again when you have done what ye can say we are unprofitable servants And Paul saith of himself in his best estate I am carnall sold Rom. 7. under sin in me that is in my flesh the corrupt man dwelleth no good thing And if any man saith he is somewhat whereas he is nothing Gal. 6. 3. he deceiveth himself in his own imagination and Paul saith further when he would do good evill was present with him and the good which Rom. 7. he would do he did not and the evill which he would not do that he did Where was the power and inablement of these to the works of holiness and righteousness or the deeds of these of the holiness and righteousness of the command above Adam or indued in innocency in themselves which deny all and any such thing to be in man and in themselves And again the Apostle saith If it be of grace meaning that Rom. 11. 6. God is pleased pacified moved to do man good it is no more of works and if of works
Christ saith in earnest of himselfe and all Believers In many things we sin all and all the evill Jam. 3. 2 which I would not that I do meaning in the body And againe by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified by no works done in the body Rom. 7. 15 And againe the Law maketh nothing perfect meaning holy and righteous in the sight of God And again If perfection had been by the Rom. 3. 20 Law what need had there been of Christ saith the Apostle And so Heb. 7. 19. because from hence with the other forecited Scriptures It must necessarily follow that no man neither Believers nor Unbelievers Heb. 7. 11 shall be justified saved and inherit the Kingdome of Heaven Therefore they adde that God hath his Book wherein he hath the number of all the sins and good deeds of men as Job speakes Thou hast numbred my steps and dost not delay my sins And God hath the Job 14. 16. Ballance of his Sanctuary wherein he shall weigh the sins of men as he commanded the Prophet to cut off the numberlesse haires of his head signifying the sinnes of the People and weigh them in the Ballance And God charged Moses that hee should do justly in judgement Ezek. 5. 1. according to line weight and measure which no doubt he doth Lev. 19. 35 and will ever doe himself And God cried woe to the Scribes and Pharises for omitting the weighty matters of the Law whereby it appeareth that God weigheth and will weigh the workes of his Law done by Mat. 23. 23 men And as God shall finde at the time of his judgement the sinnes of men Believers or Unbelievers to be in his arithmeticall account more or lesse then his righteous and good deeds and in his geometricall account as he shall find his good deeds weighty or lighter then his evill done in the body so he shall give to every man as his worke shall be every man shall receive according to that he hath done in the body whether it be good or evill Yet say they It is the Justice of God which is alwayes mixt with mercy That to the man whose good deeds overcome his bad the good reward should be given unto him and that hee should receive the same which the Apostle proveth in plaine words say they To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradice of God See more Rev. 2. 17. and Rev. 2â— 7 3. 21. And therefore say they the Apostle adviseth Believers to provide that they may overcome when they are judged and to overcome evill with that goodnesse And this say they is according to Rom. 3. 4 Rom. 12. 2â— the proportion of Justice shewed of God to men and practized of the wisest To give the Crown and reward according to the greater voyce And likewise that the reward of evill should be given accordingly unto him whose evill deeds overcome his good in Gods said account And yet further they adde because the Apostle saith the unjust shall not inherit the Kingdome of Heaven That the man which overcometh in the number and weight of his good deeds because Rev. 14. 13 the works of every man followeth as the Apostle saith his works follow him They and their workes must before they shall inherit Heaven go through Purgatory The evill of the workes must be burnt and themselves purged with the fire of purgatory which 1 Cor. 3. 13. 15 they confirmed by the words of the Apostle It shall be revealed by fire The fire shall try every mans worke of what sort it is but hee shall be safe himselfe yet as it were by fire And they adde further that whereas some of the sinnes of Believers are not unto death called veniall sinnes which are to be prayed and offer pardon for upon repentance and for repentance thereof as the Apostle saith there is a sin which is not unto death for which let him aske and God shall give him Life for the sinnes which 1 Joh. 5. 16 are not unto death And there is a sinne unto death called mortall sinne I say not that thou shouldst pray for it for pardon or repentance All unrighteousnesse is sin but there is a sin not unto death They are For the veniall sins sins not unto death of Believers which they or other have prayed for and repented of Life is given already as purged those sinnes are done away and come not to account of number and weight But onely the mortall sinnes and the veniall sinnes of Believers unprayed for and unrepented of But I take it such as these erre not knowing the Scriptures unto whom the Gospell is hid For although all shall appeare before the judgement Seat give account and receive according to their workes done in the body good or evill yet all shall not appeare alike give account alike c. The Gospell is that believers shall appeare by and with their advocate 1 Joh. 2. 2. Jesus Christ the righteous we have an Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. 2 Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins The Believers shall appeare as vessells of honour The Believers shall appeare in glory when Christ shall appeare wee shall also appeare in Rom. 9. 21 glory Collos 3. 4 Believers shall appeare with boldnesse as Lyons The righteous shall be bold as Lyons Pro. 28. 1. Christ is their Judge and Advocate and Mediator for their sinnes Eph. 3. 12 as he was the Sacrifice and Sacrifices None shall lay any thing to their charge for it is Christ their Judge that justifieth them 1 Joh. 2. 1. 2 But Unbelievers and Reprobates shall appeare naked clothed Rom 8. 33 with nothing but the Fig Leaves or the unavailable workes of the Law by themselves without any advocate to plead for them or Rev. 3. 17. maketheir peace As vessells of dishonour with shame and reproofe In feare and trembling having sinne the Law the Divell death and Isa 53. 6 Hell all against them laying those which they have done in the body to their charge So Believers shall give account by their undertaker their advocate Jesus Christ the righteous which is the propitiation for their Collos 2. 14 sinnes upon whom God hath laid all their iniquities and which hath taken their infirmities upon him which hath put out the hand writing of Ordinances that was against them he even tooke it out of the way and fastened it upon his Crosse of whose Soule God did see the travell and Esa 53. 11 was satisfied with it for their sins of his Elect to their justification for he shall beare their iniquities saith the Prophet is discharged and satisfied and nothing is to be â—aid 〈◊〉 the charge of Gods Elect Christ is the Account and the Accounter for Believers But infidels and reprobates must and shall account