was to shew you the great Evil and Danger that there is in Little Sins Now because the Words at present read unto you seem to have a near cognation to the Truth then delivered it being a most certain gradation that he that would avoid great Sins must avoid little Sins and he that would avoid both great and little must consequently shun also the very Appearances of Sin I have therefore pitched upon thiâ— brief Exhortation of the Apostle thaâ— thereby we might as far as is possible be led up unto that exact Purity and Holiness the endeavour after which is absolutely necessary by all those whosâ— Desire and Care it is to obtain eternaâ— Salvation Now in sundry Verses before the Text the Apostle laid down several sedatiouâ— Commands Let none render evil for evil rejoyce evermore pray without ceasing in every thing give thanks quench not the Spirit prove all things abstain from all appearance of evil being now towards the end and close of his Epistle and not willing to omit the mentioning of Duties so necessary for their Practice he doth as it were pour them out in weighty though short Exhortations The connexion betwixt most of them is very dark or else none at all only betwixt the Text and the two immediately foregoing Verses it may seem more plain and natural In v. 20. he exhorts them not to despise Prophesying Despise not Prophesie that is the Preaching even of the common and â—dinary Preachers and Teachers whose â—ffice it was to expound the Scriptures â— them and to declare the Mind and â—ill of God out of the Scripture Did â—e Apostle mean only that extraordinaâ— and miraculous Prophesying that he â—oke of 1 Cor. 14. When by an immeâ—ate impulse and influence of the Holy â—host either they foretold things future â— else spake in divers Languages he â—eeded not then to have so sollicitously â—re warned them not to despise him â—nce so great a Miracle as this Prophesyâ—g of would sufficiently have vindicaâ—d it self from all contempt The leaning therefore is this Whatever â—ifts or Graces you may have attained â—nto though you may know your duâ—es as well and though you may praâ—tise your duties better than they yet â—espise not their Teaching but what they â—ropound to you as the Will of God that â—ttend unto with all reverence and submission But yet says the Apostle I would â—ot have you therefore pull out your own yes because of the gifts of your Teachâ—rs and Leaders no do not mancipate â—nd captivate your selves to whatever â—hey shall dictate unto you but prove all things as it is in ver 21. Search thâ— Scriptures examine whether the thing delivered to you be true or not if upon trial you find them so then hold foâ— the form of sound words in v. 21. Holâ— fast that which is good But if upon in partial search you understand and sin that the Doctrine delivered to you bâ— unsound then abstain from it thougâ— the Doctrine delivered to you be truâ— yet if their Expressions be deceitful â— such as may lead into Errour if the Notions be dangerous if their Expreâ—sions be bold and adventurous thougâ— you must not reject the Doctrine yeâ— abstain from that appearance of evil thaâ— is in them Hence from the Connexion we may observe That in the delivering and receiving of Doctrines we should carefully abstain not only from what is unsound and dangerous but also from what is unsafe and venturous And truly had this Caution of our Apostle been duly regarded had not Teacherâ— luxuriant Tongues and Hearers itching Ears loathing old Truths unless they appear set off in new Dresses our Time â—d not been so fruitful in those Monâ—rs of Opinions that make it disputaâ—e whether our Knowledge or our Erâ—urs were more It is a true Saying â—ong the Ancients That Heresies â—ead from Words if not falsly yet â—duly and improperly spoken The â—olish rash and daring Expressions that â—ve dropp'd from Men sound in the â—ruth being received by those that have â—t been able to put a difference betwixt â—hat is Proper and what is Figurative â—hat is Doctrinal and what is Rhetoriâ—l have been the occasion of leading â—any aside into most dangerous and deâ—ructive Tenets Certainly Christian â—eligion is a thing more severe and punâ—tual than to be rhetoricated upon and â—ourished with Oratory that may through â—earers Mistakes as much pervert the â—udgment as it may please and tickle â—he Fancy There is great weight in Words for by them the Understanding â— steered either into the knowledge of Truth or else into the embracing of Erâ—our and therefore we ought to use â—ch Expressions as are least liable to any Mis-apprehensions or Mis-interpretaâ—ions It is not enough to speak that which may possibly be fetch'd off wiâ— Truth by a distinction but if we dâ— but consult the Ignorance of some anâ— the Malice of others we should see reâ—son enough to speak if possibly so â— that the ignorant might not be able â— mistake us nor the malicious be able â— mis-construe us As for instance â— affirm that we are mystically united uâ—to Christ and thereby become one wiâ— him this is a most high and most uâ—doubted Truth but to say that we aâ— Goded and Christed as some have goâ— about to express this ineffable Mysterâ— in sweet and sugar-words this hath beeâ— the occasion of that familistical Blasphemy and Nonsence that hath invaded â— many parts of the Nation We must observe and consider also that the sence anâ— meaning of many Expressions vary anâ— alter from the Time in which they werâ— used Those very Words that were welâ— used some Ages since in Matters of Dâ—vinity and Religion cannot now be use without appearance of evil in them because now their Signification is quite diâ—ferent from what it was then I will instance but in one and that is concerning the meriting of good Works It is truâ— the Ancient Fathers of the Church did hold there was Merit in good Works but yet it is clear also by their Writings that the Word Merit did not then signifie as now it doth then it signified only Rewardableness and when any maintained that Works merited the common Sence of them all was no more than this That their Works should be rewarded by God and this is all that they did affirm But now the Word Merit signifies Desert in Works arising from the Eqruality that is in them to the Reward propounded and promised to them and therefore now to assert that Works have Merit in them is very unsafe and erroneous which whilst the Papists do they do indeed still retain the Expressions of the Ancient Fathers but the Sence is gone that is they still hold fast the Feather when the Bird is flown away We should therefore beware in our Discourses of the doubtful Things of Religion that we venture not upon those Phrases and Expressions that either border upon Error or that may likely lead into Error And truly the generality of
A Second Volume of DISCOURSES OR SERMONS ON SEVERAL SCRIPTURES By EZEKIEL HOPKINS late L. Bishop of London-Derry LONDON Printed by E. H. for NATHANAEL RANEW at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1693. EZEKIEL HOPKINS EPISCOPUS DERENSIS Printed for Nathanael Ranew THE EPISTLE TO THE READER Christian Reader THE former Writings of this Reverend Prelate already Published having found so general an Acceptance both among the Clergy and Laity hath given an Encouragement to make as publick these following Discourses which are as truly his Lordship's as the former written with his own Hand and from whom also they were received It cannot be expected that any thing which is posthumous should in every Sentence and Passage thereof be as exact and accurate as what is published by the Authors themselves but yet this may be said for the following Sermons that they do as really and truly shew whose they were as any of those Things already published by himself and unto my own knowledge there are very many yet living who with great pleasure and benefit heard them preached who can and will attest that they were the Reverend Prelate's whose Name they bear Were it my Design in this Preface I might enlarge both in the Praises of the Author and in the Commendation of the following Discourses but as the Author sought not the Praises of Men in doing his Master's Work when living so is he now above the Praises of Men being dead having I doubt not received the Euge of a good and faithful Servant Let his Works therefore praise him in the Gate As for the Sermons they will speak for themselves unto any indifferent and judicious Reader the Subject-Matters of ehem being very useful unto all that shall peruse them and more especially in in some Cases See the Sermons on Heb. 9.27 Ex. gr When Men are eager and inordinate in their pursuits after this World as if their Happiness were wrapt up in it what can be more seasonably press'd upon them to take off the edge of their Desires after them than to present to their most serious thoughts the Consideration of their own Mortality Sermons on Mot. 5.19 And when among Professors of Religion multitudes perish by adventuring upon those Sins which the World account small and little what can be more effectual to deter Sinners in their way to Hell and Destruction than to offer unto their Consciences the Consideration of the infinite Evil and Danger there is in Sin Sermons on Psalm 19.13 And because many have so accustomed themselves unto a sinful Course that they are become daringly bold and presumptuous to sin notwithstanding all Restraints what can be of more Use to awaken such secure sinners than to represent to them the Danger of presumptuous Sins with the heinous Aggravations thereof And though where Christians are diligent in observing their Hearts and Ways Sermons on 1 Thes 5 2â— that they may be kept from presumptuous sins yet may be led into temptation of sin not watching against the Occasions and Appearances of Evil nothing can be more advantageous in this Case than Directions how they may be preserved from them And lastly Sermoâ— on Isa â—3 25 When notwithstanding a Christian's greatest Circumspection to preserve himself from sin yet through Ignorance and Infirmity he may fall into sin daily what more welcome Message unto such mourning souls than to hear of Pardon and Forgiveness from the free Grace of God in and through the Blood of Jesus All which are the Subject-Matters of the ensuing Discourses And that they may be blessed to all good Ends and Purposes they shall be followed with the sincere Prayers of the Publisher Farewell THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK CONTAINING The Titles of the several Subjects Treated of therein with the Texts of Scripture from which they are handled I. A Discourse on Man's Mortality in Two Sermons from Hebr. 9.27 It is appointed unto Men once to die and after that the Judgment II. The great Evil and Danger of little Sins in four Sermons from S. Matth. 5.19 Whosoever therefore shall break any one of these least Commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven III. Of abstaining from the Appearance of Evil in Two Sermons on 1 Thes 5.22 Abstain from all appearance of Evil. IV. The Nature Danger Aggravations and and Cure of Presumptuous sinning with the difference between Restraining and Sanctifying Grace in effecting thereof in six Sermons from Psalm 19.13 Keep back thy Servant from Presumptuous Sins let them not have dominion over me V. Of Pardon and Forgiveness of Sin in Four Sermons from Isaiah 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for my own sake and will not remember thy Sins THE Vanity of the World with other Sermons in Octavo An Exposition on the Ten Commandments with other Sermons in Quarto An Exposition on the Lord's Prayer with a Catechistical Explication thereof by way of Question and Answer for the instructing of Youth To which are added two Discourses the one concerning the Mystery of Divine Providence the other concerning the excellent Advantages of reading and studying the Holy Scriptures in Quarto Discourses or Sermons on several Scriptures Vol. 1. Containing The Folly of Sinners in making a Mock of Sin from Prov. 14.19 True Happiness from Rev. 22.14 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from Acts 2.24 Brotherly Admonition from Lev. 19.17 The Dreadfulness of God's Wraeh against Sinners from Heb. 10.30 31. in Octavo A Second Volume of Discourses or Sermons on several Scriptures in Octavo All Five written by Ezekiel Hopkins late Lord Bishop of London-Derry and sold by Nathanael Ranew at the King's-Arms in S. Paul's Church-Yard A DISCOURSE ON Man's Mortality IN TWO SERMONS ON HEBR. IX 27. It is appointed unto Men once to die and after this the Judgment By EZEKIEL HOPKINS late Lord Bishop of London-Derry LONDON Printed by E. H. for NATHANAEL RANEW at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1693. A DISCOURSE ON MAN's MORTALITY FROM HEB. IX 27. It is appointed unto Men once to die and after this the Judgment A Sermon of Death hath then a double Advantage to make deep impressions upon us An Introduction when it is attended with a Spectacle of Mortality Were there but the sad Pomp of a Funeral now presented before you a dead Corpse brought to be interred a Grave digged through into the Earth dry and rotten Bones lying scattered about the Mouth of it in fearful confusion a solemn Train of Mourners tolled along the Streets by the doleful Moan of a Bell Did you see the Dead laid down in the Dust the Place of Darkness and Silence their Friends groaning out their last Farewell Clods of Earth falling in upon them and striking a horrid murmur upon their Coffins Had your Affections but such a Preparatory as this is possibly this might more easily work and move upon them for it must needs make Men
not to know the size or quantity of wrath that every Sin deserves yet possibly his eternal punishment might be hereby somewhat diminished But this is the Misery of great and presumptuous Sinners that they stand guilty of as many little sins as they do that perish under the guilt of no other but little sins Where do you see a Person that is given up to vile Abominations but he lives also in a constant course and practice of lesser Sins The Drunkard the unclean Person and the rest of them are they not always sinful in their Thoughts frothy and vain in their Discourses And is it nothing to you that you incur Damnation by little Sins unless you can advance your own destruction unless you can promote your selves to be next of all in torments to the Devil himself by your greater Provocations and Impieties As you see in Rivers the natural course of them tends to the Sea but the Tide joyning with them makes the Current run thâ— swifter and the more forcibly so is it witâ— Sin little sins are the natural stream oâ— a Man's Life that do of themselves tenâ— Hell-ward and are of themselves enough to carry the Soul down silently and calmly to destruction but wheâ— greater and grosser sins join with them they make a violent Tide that hurrie the Soul away with a more swift anâ— rampant motion down to Hell thaâ— little sins would or could do of themselves Therefore when you hear hoâ— much evil there is in little sins presume not to think there is nothing more in great sins yes certainly God is more provoked by them your own Consciences are more wounded by them Hell iâ— more inflamed by them and your own Souls are more widened and capacitated by these great sins to receive fuller and larger Vials of God's wrath than they would be by the commission of lesser sins only We may take an estimate in what proportion God's dealings with Sinners will be when he comes to punish them by observing how he deals with them when he comes to convince and humble them the sober Sinner feels no such Pangs and Throes usually in the New Birth but God deals with him in a more mitigated and gentle manner but when at any time he humbles a notorious blustering Sinner usually his Method is even to break his Bones and scorch up his Marrow and that he may save him from a Hell hereafter he creates a very Hell in his Conscience here Now as it is usually thus â—n Conviction so is it always thus in Condemnation of which Convictions are but as it were the Type and Resemblance When God comes to execute his Wrath and Vengeance upon Sinners for their Sins his Hand shall be very heavy and sore upon Civilized Sinners Oh but the bold daring presumptuous Sinner him he will press down and break in pieces with all his might He that suffers the least shall yet lie under intolerable Wrath but where then unless in the flaming depth of the Bottom of Hell will the infamous and prophane Sinner appear Vse 2 Secondly Another use we may make of this Doctrine is this Is there so great an Evil and Danger in little Sins Then here behold a woful Ship-wrack of all the Hopes and of all the Confidences of Formalists and Self-Justitiaries that hope to appear before God upon the account of their own Innocency and Harmlesness Hence learn that a quiet civil honest Life free from gross and scandalous Impieties is no good Plea or Title for Heaven yet truly this is that alone that the generality especially of the Ignorant relie upon their Lives are harmless their Dealings upright none can justly challenge them that they have done them any wrong were they presently to appear before God's Judgment-seat they know nothing by themselves that deserves Eternal Death therefore if God save any Persons in the World sure they are in the number of them But is it so indeed What do you know nothing by your selves Had you never so much as a Thought in you that stept awry Did you never lodge a Thought in you that had in it the least Vanity Impertinency or Frivolousness Have you never uttered a Word that did so much as lispe against the Holy Law of God Will you dare to tell God you never yet flid an Action that Innocency it self would be ashamed to own Have your Lives in every part been as strict and holy as the Law of God commands them to be if not it is in vain to plead for Heaven that your Conversations have been honest civil and harmless or that you have been Religious and maintained a constant Course of holy Duties and good Works I would not here be mistaken by any as if I were preaching against Morality or condemning Civility and common Honesty No by no means they are excellent things and the practice of them very commendable and I heartily wish there were more of them to be found in the Lives of those that call themselves Christians But if this be all you can say for your selves believe it the guilt but of one of your least Sins will out-weigh all these and you and all this your Righteousness must sink down together into Hell If this be all Men have to plead for Happiness a civil fair and honest Conversation This may be and yet Men may indulge themselves in little Sins which will most certainly ruine and destroy them Vse 3 Thirdly If there be so great evil and danger in little Sins hence learn whaâ— absolute need we stand in of Christ noâ— only those among us whose Lives anâ— openly gross and scandalous but eveâ— those who are most circumspect and most careful in their Walkings Though you do not wallow and roll your selve in the common Filth and Pollutions oâ— the World yet is it not possible but thaâ— our Garments should be sometimes spotted An absolute and perfect State is rather to be wished for than enjoy'd in this Life The utmost that we can attain to here is not to commit great Sins nor to allow our selves in little Sins when thorough daily Infirmity we do commit them Why now these little Sins that the best of God's Servants daily and hourly slip into cannot be pardon'd without the Blood of a great and mighty Saviour It is the same precious Blood of Jesus Christ that satisfied Divine Justice for the Incest of Lot for the Drunkenness of Noah for the Adultery and Murder of David and for the Perjury of Peter that must satisfie it also for thy vain Thoughts and for thy Foolish and idle Words if ever thou art saved For without Blood there is no remission Heb. 9.22 Heb 9.22 Acts 26.18 And without remission there is no salvation Acts 26.18 The same Blood that is a Propitiation and Atonement for the greatest Sins of the Saints now in Heaven many whereof possibly have been as great as ever were committed on Earth the same Blood of Atonement must take from thee the Guilt
and quicken it The next thing to be enquired into is how God keeps Men back from presumptuous Sins even then when their proneness to them is most violent and eager Now for satisfaction to this you must know God hath two hands whereby he holds Men back from their Sins First The strong hand of his providence Secondly The powerful hand of his Grace and sometimes God puts both these hands to it in a mixt way of Providence and Grace together these are as it were God's left hand and his right hand by the one he over-rules the actions and by the other he over-rules the hearts of Men and both almightily God by his Providence keeps Men from sin First God frequently withholds Men from the Commission of Sin by a strong hand of Providence upon them frequently he doth so and that he doth not so always is not because he is defective either in Power or Goodness whereby he should restrain them from evil but because he is Infinite in Wisdom whereby he knows how to bring good out of evil and therefore before I proceed to lay down those several ways that Providence takes to hinder the commission of sin I shall premise this That it is no taint at all to the pure Holiness of God that he doth by his Providence concur to those wickednesses of Men that if he pleased he might prevent and hinder that God doth so is clear for Providence is not so often a restraint from sin as it is a powerful temptation unto Sin it is a temptation as it administers Objects and Opportunities and as it sutes them both unto the lusts of Men thus Cain killed his Brother Abel by a Providence and Achan stole the wedge of gold Judas betrayed his Master and the Jews Crucified him by a Providence yea all that villany that ever was acted under the Sun was all brought forth out of the cursed Wombs of Mens lusts and made fruitful by God's Providences neither is it hard to conceive how God should without sin himself concur to sin in others since his most Soveraign Will being above all Law cannot possibly fall under any guilt we are obliged to keep back Men from the commission of sin when it is in our power to do it but no such obligation lies upon God though he can easily keep all wicked Men in the World from ever sinning more yea though they are so tied up that they are not able to sin without his permission and concurrence yet he permits wisely concurs holily and yet notwithstanding at last punishes justly In brief God doth whatever Man doth for as the Prophet saith he works all our works in us and for us and in him we live move and have our beings and yet in one and the same action Man sins and God is holy because Man acts contrary to that Law which God hath set him but God himself is subject to no Law besides his own Soveraign Will and where there is no Law there is no transgression as the Apostle speaks in Romans 4.15 God is not bound to hinder the commission of sin as we are and therefore when he permits nay when Providence accomplisheth it still is he holy just and good still is he righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works though he works that together with Men that makes them unrighteous and unholy this I thought fit to premise that so when you hear how many ways God is able to hinder the commission of sin by his Providence you should not suffer any undue thoughts to rise up in your hearts against his Holiness when he chuseth sometimes rather to permit and concur to the sins of Men than to hinder and forbid them who when he permits sin permits it righteously and when he hinders sin hinders it almightily Now there are four remarkable ways whereby the All-wise Providence of God hinders the commission of a sin even then when Men are most bent and eager upon it Providence prevents sin by shortning the life of the Sinner First Sometimes where his Grace doth not sanctifie the heart his Providence shortens the life of the Sinner where he doth not cleanse the Fountain yet there he removes the Foundation of a Sin that is he takes away the very life and being of the Sinner many times when wicked Men have imagined some presumptuous sin and go big with it God suddenly cuts them off from the Land of the Living and gives them no space to bring it forth unless it be in Hell among these Devils that inspired it Psal 64.6 7. says the Psalmist there they search out iniquity they accomplish a diligent search but what follows God shall shoot at them with an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded while they are thinking and contriving wickedness in their hearts in that very day they perish and their thoughts with them Thus proud Pharaoh resolves in spight of God and all his Miracles to bring back the Children of Israel to their old Bondage but before he could bring his purpose into execution God brings him to execution and so Senacherib intends the destruction of Jerusalem but before he could compass it God slays his Army and his own Children also Herod he intends a bloody Persecution against the Church but God smites him Lice devour him and eat a way into that very heart that conceived so wicked a purpose it were endless to cite instances in this particular Histories and Helâ— are full of those whom God's Providence hath cut off before they could fulfil theiâ— ungodly designs upon whom thaâ— threatning in Ecclesiastes 8.11 hath been signally verified It shall not be well with the wicked neither shall he prolong his days because he feareth not before God Now this Providence God doth usually if not only exercise upon wicked Men snatching them away from their sins and yet in their sins also yea and herein he deals with them also in some kind of Mercy in that he abridges the time of his Patience to them whom he foresees will only abuse it and treasure up to themselves Wrath against the day of Wrath for hereby their account is lessened and their torments made more tolerable it had been better for Sinners that they had dropt immediatly from the Womb to the Tomb better that they had been swadled in their Winding-sheets yea shall I say it had been better for them that they had been doomed to everlasting torments as soon as they saw the Light than that God should suffer them to live Twenty Forty or Sixty Years adding iniquity to iniquity without repentance and God accordingly adding torments to torments to punish them never to be repented of O the desperate conditions that Sinners are in unless God give them repentance the sooner they are in Hell the better it will be for them and it is a Mercy if God will damn them betimes those whom God doth not endear to his Grace by changing their natures yet he indebts to his Providence
works upon Wicked Men and Reprobates as well as others Buâ— Sanctifying Grace that is special and belongs only to those who belong themselves to the Election of Grace Esaâ— whom the Scripture Notes as the greaâ— instance of Reprobation comes out against Jacob with a Troop of Four Thousand Ruffins intending doubtless to Revenge himself upon him for the loss oâ— his Birth-Right and Blessing but at their first meeting God by a secret work so mollifies his Heart that instead of falling upon him and killing him he falls upon his Neck and kisses him here God restrains him from that Presumptuous Sin of Murder not in a way of meer External Providence but with his own Hand immediately turns about his Heart and by seeing such a company of Cattel bleating and bellowing so many timorous Men and helpless Children all bowing and supplicating unto him he turns his Revenge into Compassion and with much urging receives a Present from him whom before he intended to make a Prey The same power of restraint God laid upon the Heart of Abimelech that Heathen King you have it in Geneses 20.6 when he had taken Sarah Abraham 's Wife intending to make her his Wife or Concubine God tells him in a Dream I with-held thee from â—inning against me therefore suffered I â—hee not to touch her Here was nothing visible to hinder Abimelech from so great â— Wickedness but God invisibly wrought upon his heart and unhinged his wicked Desires now from the instances of Esau and Abimelech we may clearly collect how Restraining Grace differs both from Restraining Providence and also from Sanctifying Grace From Providence it differs because usually when God Providentially restrains from Sin he doth it by some visible apparent means that doth not work by bringing any change or alteration on the Heart but only by â—aying an External Check upon Men's Actions but now by Restraining Grace God deals in a secret way with the very Heart of a Sinner though he doth not change the nature of his Heart yet he alters the present frame and disposition of it and takes away the desire of committing those Sins that yet it doth not Mortifie and from Sanctifying Grace it differs also in that God vouchsafes Restraining Grace to Wicked Men as you have heard but none partake of Sanctifying Grace besides the Children of God and the Remnant according to Election those whom he predestinates them he also calls that is them he Sanctifies as yoâ— have it in Rom. 8.30 Election Sanctification are of the self same bredth Electionâ— the cause of Sanctification Sanctificatioâ— is a sign of Election Those whom Goâ— will bring to himself in Glory he causeth a double separation to pass upoâ— them the one from Eternity when hâ— calls them out from the mass of thoâ— that he leaves to perish in their Sins anâ— the other in Time when those whom he hath set apart for himself by Election he brings home to himself by Conversion And therefore whatever measure of Restraining Grace God may aâ—ford to Wicked Men and Reprobates yeâ— Sanctifying Grace is the fruit only of Election and the portion only of thoâ— who are Elected And that is the firâ— difference In their Nature Essence Secondly They differ also in theiâ— Nature and Essence Sanctifying Gracâ— is a Habit wrought in the Soul by thâ— Spirit of God called therefore a writinâ— of the Law on the Heart and a putting God's fear into our inward parts Jer. 31. 33. And St. John terms it a Seed that remains John 1.9 These Expressions clearly denote it to be an internal Principle or Habit deeply rooted and fixed in the Soul and whatever Holy Actions a Saint performs as they are caused by a Divine influence without him so they flow also from a Holy Principle within him Hence our Saviour tells us in Mark 12.35 That a good Man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things that is out of that inward Habit and Principle of Grace that the Holy Ghost hath wrought in him in the work of Regeneration But Restraining Grace hath no such Habit and Principle implanted in the Soul but is only a Merciful Actual influence from God hindering the commission of those Sins to which Men's Natural Corruptions make them enclined in brief Sanctifying Grace is a Quality wrought in us but Restraining Grace is only an Action flowing from God Thirdly In the manner of their Operation Sanctifying and Restraining Grace differ in their manner of Working and Operation and here we may observe a Four fold difference Sanctifying Grace destroys Sin Restraining Grace only Imprisons it First Sanctifying Grace keeps the Soul from Sin by destroying of it but Restraining Grace keeps the Soul from Sin only by imprisoning of it God many times shuts up the sins of those in Prison whom notwithstanding he will at last shut up in Hell It is sanctifying Grace alone that can do execution upon them restraining grace may debar them of their liberty but it is only Sanctifying Grace can deprive them of their Life There may appear but little difference betwixt the Conversation of a Child of God whom Special Grace doth Sanctifie and one in a state of Nature whom common Grace doth only Restrain doth the one walk blamelessly without offence doth he avoid the grosser Pollutions of the World so doth the other a Star is not more like a Star than these Meteors may be like them But now here lies the difference Restraining Grace only ties the Hands but Sanctifying Grace stabs the old Man to the Heart It is one thing to bind a Thief to a Tree and another thing to Nail him fast to the Cross Restraining Grace only binds Corruption fast that it cannot stir not outwardly but still it hath as much strength as ever But now Sanctifying Grace that Crucifies it and Nails it to the Cross of Christ where it weakens and languisheth and hangs a dying Body of Death The Earth is as dry and hard in a frosty Winter as it is in a parching Summer yet there 's a great deal of difference in the cause of it in Summer the Sun dries up the moisture and in Winter the Frost binds it in Truly Restraining and Sanctifying Grace are for all the World like Frost and Sun the ways of those who have only a Restraint laid upon them may be altogether as fair and clean as the ways of those that are Sanctified are but there 's a great difference in the cause Sanctifying Grace dries up the Filth and Corruption in the Heart of the one but Restraining Grace only frezeth in and binds up the Filth and Corruption of the other Secondly Sanctifying Grace strikes at the Sins of the heart Restraining Grace only hinders the Sins of the Life Sanctifying Grace strikes especially at the Sins of the Heart but Restraining Grace usually only hinders the Sins of the Life An Unregenerate Man though never so Moral hunts his Sins only in
much less therefore can we do any thing that may deserve it All that we can do is either sinful or holy if what we do be sinful it only encreaseth our Debts If it be holy it must proceed from God's free Grace that enables us to do it and certainly it is free Grace to pardon us upon the doing of that which free Grace only enables us to do Far be it from us to affirm as the Papists do that good Works are meritorious of pardon what are our Prayers our Sighs our Tears yea what are our Lives and our Bloud it self should we shed it for Christ All this cannot make one blot in God's Remembrance-Book Yea it were fitter and more becoming the infinite Bounty of God to give Pardon and Heaven freely than to set them to sale for such inconsiderable things as these are Heaven needed not to have been so needlesly prodigal and lavishing as to have sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the World to lead a miserable Life and die a cursed Death had it been possible for Man to have bought off his own guilt and to have quitted Scores with God by a lower price than what Christ himself could do or suffer And so much for the Resolution of the first Question God's pardoning Grace though it be purchased in respect of Christ yet is it absolutely free in respect of any merit of ours The Second Question is Whether the Grace of God be so free as to require no Conditions on our part Of gifts some are bestowed absolutely without any terms of Agreement And some are Conditional upon the performance of such Stipulations and Conditions without which they shall not be bestowed of which sort is this Grace of God Sanctifying Grace is given absolutely I Answer First The Sanctifying and Regenerating Grace of God whereby the great Change is wrought upon our Hearts in our first Conversion and turning unto God is given absolutely and depends not upon the performance of any Conditions Indeed we are commanded to make use of means for the getting true and saving Grace wrought in us but these means are not Conditions for the obtaining of that Grace For the Nature of Conditions are such that the benefits which depend upon them are never bestowed but where the Conditions are first performed And therefore we call Faith and Repentance Conditions of Eternal Life because eternal Life is never confer'd upon any who did not first believe and repent But now certain it is God hath converted some without the use of ordinary means as St. Paul and the Thief on the Cross Therefore though we are commanded to use the means yet the use of Means and Ordinances cannot be called Conditions of our Regeneration And indeed if any thing could be supposed a Condition of obtaining Grace it must either be a work of Nature or a work of Grace Now a work of Grace it cannot be till Grace be wrought and to go about to make a work of Nature a Condition of Grace it is to go about to revive that old Errour of the Pelagians for which they stand Anathematized in Count Pallestine many Years since Sanctifying Grace is given freely excepted from any Conditions though not excepted from the use of means Secondly Justifying and pardoning Grace though it be free yet is it limited to the performance of certain Conditions without which God never bestows it upon any and they are two Faith and Repentance And these Graces God bestows upon whom he pleaseth without any foregoing Conditions Faith in Christ it is the freest gift that ever God bestowed upon any except that Christ on whom we believe But pardon of sin is restrained to Faith and Repentance as the Conditions of it nor is it ever obtained without them These two things the Scripture doth abundantly confirm to us Whoever believeth on him shall obtain remission of sins Acts 10.43 Repent that your sins may be blotted out Acts 3.19 Whoever believes on him there Faith is made the Condition of Pardon Repent that your sins may be blotted out there Repentance is made the Condition of Pardon These two particulars correspond with the two-fold Covenant of Grace God made with Man His absolute Covenant wherein he promiseth the first Converting Grace this Covenant now is independent from any Conditions a Copy of which we have in Ezek. 36.26 A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will cause you to walk in my Statutes and you shall keep my Judgments and do them And then there is God's Conditional Covenant of Grace wherein he promiseth Salvation only upon the foregoing Conditions of Faith and Repentance this we have Mark 16.16 He that believeth shall be saved Thus I have stated the great Question concerning the free Grace of God The first Sanctifying Grace of God is so free as to exclude all Conditions but the Justifying and Pardoning Grace of God is limited to the Conditions of Faith and Repentance and both Sanctifying and Justifying Grace are freely bestowed without any Merit of ours but not without respect to the Merit of the Lord Jesus Christ who hath purchased them at the highest rate even with his own most precious Bloud In the next place I shall endeavour to set before you some particulars wherein the Glory of God's free Grace in pardoning sin may be more illustrated that it may appear God assumes to himself this as the greatest honour to be a sin-pardoning God And First This highly commends the freeness of pardoning Grace in that God decreed to bestow it without any Request or Entreaties of ours There was no Rhetorick moved him besides the Yearnings of his own Bowels This was a Gracious Resolution sprung up spontaneously in the Heart of God from all eternity He saw thee wallowing in thy Bloud long before thou wert in thy Being and this time it was a time of Love even a time before all times What Friend could'st thou then make in Heaven What Intercessour hadst thou then when there was nothing but God When this design of Love was laid there was neither Prayers nor Tongues to utter them Yea Christ himself though now he intercedes for the Application of Pardon did not then intercede for the Decree of Pardon he could not then urge his Bloud and Merits as Motives for God to take up thoughts of forgiving us for had not God done so before Christ had never shed his Bloud nor wrought out Salvation for us What Arguments What Advocates did then perswade him Truly the only Argument was our Misery and the only Advocate was his own Mercy and not Jesus Christ God pardons sin when he is able to destroy sinners Secondly God pardons sin when yet he is infinitely able to destroy the sinner and this greatly advanceth the Riches and freeness of his Grace The same breath that pronounceth a sinner Absolved might have pronounced him Damned The Angels that fell could not stand before the power and