them either took from the Sibylls books or from some other directions pretended to be given by the Gods themselves Neither can we possibly be assured that such rites as we worship God withall In the observation of the Sabbath use of the Sacraments c. are accepted unlesse God himself prescribe them as we see he did the whole form of ceremoniall worship in the Leviticall law and the Sabbath and Sacraments both in Paradise and under the Gospel by our Saviour Christ And for the services which are to be performed to men first we finde little in the Precepts of such as are meer Moralists concerning that fountain of those duties whence they ought to flow which is love without which none of them is accepted 1 Cor. 13.3 Neither doe we finde that measure of love required by them which our Saviour commands to love our neighbour as our self Mat. 5.44 wherein he affirms we go beyond naturall men and consequently implies that we doe more then naturall reason teacheth whence it will follow that the law which requires that duty was not given by man and therefore must needs be acknowledged to be the Precept and Word of God and not of man Nay beyond all this 3. Most of all self-deniall which nature never taught we find that Gods Word requires of us the deniall of our selves and that every way both of our own vvisdome to prescribe as the Lord requires his people to do not vvhat is right in their own eyes Deut. 12.8 but what is right in the eyes of the Lord their God Deut. 13.18 and of our own ability to undertake and perform as our Saviour requires us to bring forth fruit in him vvithout vvhom vve can doe nothing Iohn 15.5 and of our own ends as the Apostle tels us that vve must bring forth fruit unto God Rom. 7.4 that he may be glorified Mat. 5.16 and therefore the Prophet cals Israel an empty Vine because he brought forth fruit to himself Hos 10.1 whence it is that our Saviour makes this self-deniall the first step to Religion Mat. 16.24 A duty that humane reason is so far from prescribing that it cannot so much as allow and submit unto it when it is prescribed and that because it cannot finde out mans emptinesse and weaknesse the ground on which self-deniall is founded or at least sensibly acknowledged Wherfore the Scriptures which require that duty which is so contrary to the principles of nature must needs be the Word of God Thus we see that the subject which the Scriptures handle is above the pitch of humane wisdome whether vve look to the grounds of faith or rules of practise which are layed down therein The true knowledge of God vvhom the world hath not known the great and glorious works of the worlds Creation vvith the time manner and order thereof And of mans Redemption after his fall and corruption thereby together with the state into which he is redeemed to be mystically united to Christ by the Spirit which gives him interest in his merits and righteousnesse makes him Gods childe by adoption and an heir of glory The duties of fear love and affiance in God all grounded on the true knowledge of him And lastly the service of love to man binding him to love his neighbour as himself yea his very enemies and above all things to deny himself So that the Scripture discovering those things which naturall reason could never finde out must needs be acknowledged to be delivered by God himself and to be his Word MARK III. Of the powerfull effects of the Scriptures upon mens hearts which discover them to be the Word of God THe two former Markes of the Scriptures which manifest them to be the Word of God appear as it were in the face and body of that sacred volume this third Mark is taken from the wonderfull and supernaturall effects that they work upon the heart and conscience which are such as cannot possibly be performed by any other then a divine Power These effects may be reduced unto three heads First the wounding and terrifying Secondly the converting and renuing Thirdly the comforting and reviving of the heart Neither of which being possible to bee wrought by the power of man as we shal manifest by and by it must needs be granted that the Scripture which produceth such wonderfull effects is not of man but of God seeing we know no cause can work an effect greater and of an higher nature then it self To begin with the first The first Effect of the Word the pricking of the heart Differing from naturall terrours the terrours and prickings of heart which are caused in men by Gods Word It cannot be denyed but there may be and are sometimes wrought in mens hearts some naturall terrours which may cause in them much unquietnesse but between such naturall passions and these spirituall agonies which are wrought by the word there will appear a wide difference if they be well examined and that more ways then one 1. In the grounds upon which they be raised 2. In the effects produced by them The grounds of naturall terrours 1. A naturall sense of sin 2. A naturall acknowledgment of Gods Justice Holinesse and Power which may be easily made manifest by observing first the grounds whence either of them doe arise And secondly the effects which the one and the other produce in those on whose hearts they make impression with the different consequents that follow thereupon Concerning the grounds upon which terrours are raised in mans heart the causes of such as are naturall appear to be evidently different from those which raise spirituall passions For we cannot be ignorant that every man by nature having imprinted in his heart some rude notions at the least both of good and evill and withall some acknowledgement of Gods Justice Holinesse and Power and having besides a conscience within his own breast sitting as Judge to passe censure upon his own ways and actions before which his thoughts accuse or excuse one another as the Apostle speaks Rom. 2.15 must needs have usually some sense of every known sin either more or lesse Whence it follows that the more the conscience is illightned and by that means awakened to look back upon a mans own sin and the wrath of God lying upon him for sin and his powerfull revenging hand pursuing him the more he must of necessity be distracted in his thoughts with fearfull terrours which may cause his life to hang before him All working in the heart fears of punishment Deut. 28.65 and to be bitter unto him and yet these terrours as arising from naturall principles are meerly naturall being caused by a naturall sense of sin and acknowledgment of Gods wrath and fear of his own danger thereby which any man may have by nature From this apprehension of the guilt of sin The grounds of spirituall terrours and fear of the punishment that follows it the causes that affect a godly
was dictated by God himselfe unto those that wrote it from his mouth or the suggesting of his Spirit Again the work of the holy Ghost in the delivery of the Scriptures is set down affirmatively when the Pen-men of those sacred writings are described to speak as they were moved or carried by the holy Ghost a phrase which must be warily understood For we may not conceive that they were moved in writing these Scriptures as the pen is moved by the hand that guides it without understanding what they did For they not onely understood but willingly consented to what they wrote and were not like those that pronounced the Devils Oracles rapt and carried out of themselves by a kinde of extasie wherein the Devill made use of their tongues and mouths to pronounce that which themselves understood not But the Apostles meaning is that the Spirit of God moved them in this work of writing the Scriptures not according to nature Yet understandingly willingly but above nature shining into their understandings clearly and fully by an heavenly and supernaturall light and carrying and moving their wils thereby with a delight and holy embracing of that truth revealed and with a like desire to publish and make known the secrets and counsels of God revealed unto them unto his Church Yea beyond all this the holy Ghost not only suggested unto them the substance of that doctrine which they were to deliver and leave upon record unto the Church for so far he usually assists faithfull Ministers in dispensing of the Word in the course of their Ministery but besides hee supplyed unto them the very phrases method The holy Ghost made choice both of the expressions and methods and whole order of those things that are written in the Scriptures whereas he leaves Ministers in preaching the Word to the choice of their own phrases and expressions wherein as also in some particulars which they deliver they may be mistaken although in the main fundamentals which they lay before their hearers and in the generall course of the work of their Ministery they do not grosly erre Thus then the holy Ghost not only assisted holy men in penning the Scriptures but in a sort took the work out of their hand making use of nothing in the men but of their understandings to receive and comprehend their wils to consent unto and their hands to write downe that which they delivered When we say that the holy Ghost framed the very phrase and style wherein the Scriptures were written we mean not that he altered the phrase and manner of speaking wherewith custome and education had acquainted those that wrote the Scriptures Yet uttering his own expressions as it were in the sound of their voice but rather speaks his own words as it were in the sound of their voice or chooseth out of their words and phrases such as were fit for his own purpose Thus upon instruments men play what lesson they please but the instrument renders the sound of it more harsh or pleasant according to the nature of it self Thus amongst the Pen-men of Scriptures we finde that some write in a rude and more impolished style as Amos some in a more elegant phrase as Isay Some discover art and learning in their writings as S. Paul others write in a more vulgar way as S. James And yet withall the Spirit of God drew their naturall style to an higher pirch in divine expressions fitted to the subject in hand How needfull it was that the Spirit of God should solely manage and accomplish this work of penning the Scriptures hath been shewed already in the former point wherein we proved that the Scriptures must necessarily be the Word of God seeing faith can stay it self on no other foundation then a divine testimony and our services cannot be accompted a duty of obedience unlesse it be done in obedience to Gods will which can be made known no other way then by his own Word Now the inferences hold strongly thus The Scriptures are Gods own Word therefore they must be delivered by his owne Spirit seeing none else could know Gods minde as none knows the minde of man but the spirit which is in man 1 Cor. 2.11 CAP. V. Of the Subject or Matters handled in the Scriptures that the Scriptures containe all things necessary to salvation IT much concerns such as addresse themselves to the reading of the Scriptures The subject matters revealed in Scriptures are to know what subject they handle of what nature it is whom and what it concerns as being an effectual means to awaken the heart and quicken the affections of men unto that holy exercise For all experience makes it evident that men usually attend carefully to such things as most neerly concern themselves 1. Such as concern men 2. And in the highest degree and are not much moved usually with things in which they have no speciall interest And are serious in matters of importance on which their own safety or their estate depend but sleight things that are of small worth and of no great moment to their gain or losse Wherefore to move men to be serious in reading the Word it is needfull to make it evident that the subject thereof is high and heavenly exceeding mans wisdome and therefore worthy to bee throughly searched into And besides of such importance to us that upon it depends our everlasting happinesse the way whereunto and means whereof are set down therein Seeing therfore it appears that the Position proposed and the consideration thereof are so pertinent to our present purpose and therefore fit to be handled in this place it will be needfull to open it more fully and to that purpose to expresse First what is meant by things necessary to salvation Secondly how the Scriptures doe containe them Concerning the former of these two Necessary imports not 1. A naturall necessity 2. Nor meritorious by necessary we understand not a naturall necessity by which the beeing of one thing depends upon another as the effect doth upon the cause no nor a meritorious necessity by which salvation might be earned as one earns his wages by his labor in either of which senses it is impossible that any thing should be necessary to salvation which can have no cause in nature nor be earned by desert seeing it is a free gift But a necessity imposed by the will of God Rom. 6.23 Eph. 2.8 But by necessary we mean a necessity imposed by the will of God who bestowing eternall life freely had power to bestow it on what conditions he pleased and hath promised it onely under the Covenant of faith and obedience the rules whereof being contained onely in the Scriptures and therein fully they are for that cause said to contain all things necessary to salvation When we say it is onely the will of God that makes faith and obedience necessary to salvation we deny not but this will of his hath in this as
mans heart differ in two respects First the terrour raised in a good mans heart by the Word is for sins of another nature then are those that trouble naturall men Secondly they are affected by them on different considerations of Gods revenging hand For the former a naturall man is usually sensible onely of sins against the law of Nature 1. Discovery of the sins of infidelity pride c. and especially sins against the second Table But the Word of God represents unto a man chiefly more secret and inward evils infidelity pride self-love sensuall affections hypocrisie hardnesse of heart and the like and causeth them to appear unto him the foulest and most abominable of all kinds of sin that can be committed In the second place that which affects a naturall man in sin is either something that accompanies the sinne as shame or danger of wrath and vengeance of which Cain complains Gen. 4.14 or the sin as it is a trespasse against man and a wrong done to him which affects him more then the sense of any dishonour done to God as Judas was sensible of nothing but betraying innocent blood Mat. 27.4 But when Gods Word smites the heart it represents to the guilty person his trespasse against God his Majesty 2. And those as trespasses against God and Holinesse which affected David Psal 51.4 His unkinde and causlesse trespassing against the God that made sustaineth and carrieth him upon Eagles wings Deut. 32.10 11.15 His frowardnesse in trespassing out of perversenesse of spirit against often warnings and against the secret checks of his own conscience His folly that thus perverts righteousnesse to no profit Job 33.27 forsaking the fountain of living waters to hew broken cisterns that hold no water Jer. 2.13 whereby he hath abased God in his heart Deut. 32.15 and set him at a lower rate then the transitory things of this life yea then his own bare lusts By all which he hath defiled his own soul is become like the beasts that perish Psal 49.20 nay worse then they Isa 1.3 so that he loaths and is ashamed of himself Iob 42.6 Ier. 31.19 Now as the considerations in sin 3. And fear of Judgement certain intolerable eternall that affect men naturally and spiritually are divers so are the apprehensions of the danger that comes by sin A naturall mans fears are like that of Belshazar Dan. 5.6 something he trembled at but what it was he understood not or like those terrours threatned Deu. 28.65 66. wherin they shal fear day night they know not why But the Word of God shews one the cause of his fear representing the purity of those eyes of jealousie which he hath provoked makes it evident that God will by no means pardon the guilty Exod. 34.7 that he cannot be beguiled will not be intreated is impossible to be escaped and yet cannot be endured as smiting with the arm of God and not of man whose breath as a river of brimstone kindles that pile of fire and much wood which God prepares for sinners Isa 30.33 whose worm dieth not neither doth their fire goe out Isa 66.24 So that by the Word the sinner sees the rod and who hath appointed it Micah 6.9 and feels it in his apprehension certain present intolerable and eternal which compasseth him so with terrours that he knows not what to doe unlesse he can make his peace with God and procure his pardon Hence it follows The consequents of these severasl kindes of passions In naturall men astonishment fretting hatred of God In spiritual mē shame grief for offending God fear of losse of his favour lastly deliberation what to doe that as naturall and spirituall terrours are raised upon different grounds so the effects and consequents of them must needs be divers which was proposed to be handled in the next place For naturall terrours produce nothing but astonishment and amazednesse so that such men lye down in their confusion fretting with indignation and murmuring in their hearts at their condition with Cain Gen. 4.13 and both fearing God and hating him On the other side the terrours raised by Gods Word in the heart produce withall a loathing of ones self as a filthy creature shame of ones own vilenesse griefe as much for his unkindnesse towards God as for his misery by sin fear of the losse of Gods favour as much as of his revenging hand indignation at ones own folly and wickednesse still acknowledging the Justice and Righteousnesse of God which produceth at last deliberation what to doe with the Prodigall son Luke 15.17 18. So then naturall terrours break these melt the heart naturall terrours are mixed with pride these produce abasement of the spirit Naturall terrours cause repining at God these indignation at a mans self Naturall terrours drive one from these unto God to sue for peace the former force him into the mouth of hell these cast him into the bosome of Christ with uncertain hopes at first and with a trembling heart as the Lepers adventured on the Syrians camp 2 Kings 7.4 yet with hope of some possibility to finde favour and with a resolution to cast himself upon God come what will Such kinde of heart-breakings which are wrought by the Word being impossible to be wrought by any naturall means argue that word that causeth them to be of God who worketh according to his own pleasure in all things what he will Thus the first work of the Scripture The secōd supernaturall effect of the Word conversiō 1 t The means whereof are manifested only in the Word shewing in pricking and wounding the heart manifestly discovers it to be the Word of God as working beyond the power of nature But the conversion of the soul by the same Word will make it yet more evident Now it appears first by the means of his conversion and secondly by the nature and kind of the work it selfe The means by which the Word draws on the heart towards this work of conversion are by proposing unto one cast down by the sight of sin and sense of Gods wrath two grounds without which that work of conversion cannot be brought to effect 1. The inability of all creatures to work our peace First the unprofitablenesse and inability of all creatures to help in that dangerous condition in which he findes himself Secondly the way of reconciliation and peace tendred by God himself to repentant sinners by the mediation of Jesus Christ his own Son The inability of the creatures to doe us good in this case is onely manifested by Gods Word 1. Of our selves to satisfie for sins passed which makes it evident that we cannot help our selves neither by flight from Gods presence which fils all places Ps 139.7 nor by resisting his power which would be like the encounter of the thorns with the sire Isa 27.4 nor by intreating making peace with him who will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34.7 without satisfaction which we cannot
as Psal 19.7 when it is said that the Law of God converts the soule which is the most proper effect of the Gospell it is evident that in that place under the name of the Law the Psalmist must understand the Gospell too As likewise when he tells us that his delight is in the Law of God which sustained his spirit that he perished not in his afflictions Psal 119.92 he must of necessity understand Gods promises aswell as the precepts of the Law seeing they be the promises rather then the precepts that support the soule in times of triall when we know whom we beleeve who is both able and willing and ready to make good what he hath promised as his children find by experience that there failed not ought of any good which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel but all came to passe Iosh 21.45 But as for the Promises especially those that concerne the Kingdome of Christ which were revealed to the Patriarchs delivered by the Prophets and lastly enlarged and more fuly and clearly opened by the Evangelists and Apostles we shall consider them apart hereafter But only the Commandements For the present we have now in hand only that which is properely and most commonly understood by the name of the Law which containe those commandements and rules of practise which God hath given to his Church for her direction and left upon record in the Scriptures Now these we know are distinguished by the names of Laws morall Judiciall Ceremoniall Morall ceremoniall and judiciall which by Moses in sundry places are promiscuously called Laws Statutes Judgements and Ordinances Of these severall sorts of Laws that which we call Morall comes to be handled in the first place Of these this which is called the morall Law because it was given by God for regulating of mens manners and conversation is of all the rest of the Laws most ancient Which is the most ancient of all Laws most generall and most perpetuall First most ancient Psal 119.160 as being given to our first Parents in Paradise As given to Adam in Paradise that is to man assoone as he had any being I grant indeed that we have no record of any other Laws given to Adam but those which we find mentioned Gen. 2. which are only some branches of the Second Commandement in the tree of life of the Fourth in the Institution of the Sabbath of the Seventh in the Law of Marriage and of the Eight in appointing them to keep Paradise which are all of them positive Laws and therefore need to be expresly set down or else they could not have been known whereas the rest of the Laws being all Lawes of nature and therefore discernible by naturall right reason for which cause they are said to be written in mans heart might be known although they were not recorded and therefore are omitted by Moses in that briefe history But that the rest of the morall Precepts were given unto Adam although perhaps not by word of mouth Either by word or written in his heart but written in his heart at the same time must needs be granted unlesse we conceive that God made Adam more imperfect then any other of his creatures for that he gave all the rest of the creatures rules of their motions and operations either imprinted in their natures if they want sense or by the direction of sense in those that have it is as cleare as the light Now that God should either give no law or which is almost one an imperfect law to man who most needed was most capable and best able to make use of a law must needs much disparage either his kindnesse to mankind or his wisdome in rendring the most eminent and serviceable of all the creatures upon earth unusefull and unprofitable at the least for most part if he had no perfect law to guide him It must therefore be necessarily granted that the whole morall Law was given to Adam that is to mankind in Paradise And consequently most universall as given to the whole nature of man in him and by necessary consequent must be acknowledged to be of all laws the most ancient and upon the same ground must necessarily be generall or universall seeing it was given in our first parents to the whole nature of man which when that law was given was wholly in them It is true that the change of mans condition by Adams fall hath seemed to cause some small alteration in the law as it is not a duty that now binds us to labour in Paradise or to abstain from the one or to eate of the other of the trees that stood in the midst of it Notwithstanding even by that law all men in generall are bound to labour in such employments as God cals them unto and to abstain from all things that God forbids and to make use of all such ordinances as the Lord appoints for the confirmation and strengthening of their faith So that those laws given to Adam bind all men still in the grounds and scope of them although they oblige not his posterity in those things which had relation to that state wherein he then stood and from which afterwards he so sodainly fell And upon the same ground it must as necessarily follow Upon the same ground those morall lawes must needs be perpetuall that those laws which were given to Adam are perpetuall to continue as long as men have a being on earth For seeing they were given to him as the root of mankind they necessarily bind his posterity in succeeding generations to the end of the world We never find any new law given to the Church in any age It is true that the law given to Adam hath been since renewed perhaps to Noah after the floud Which have been renued as may be probably guessed by that which we read concerning murther Gen. 9.6 And it may be to Abraham after God called him out from Vr of the Chaldeans seing we find him commended for keeping Gods commandements his statutes and his laws Gen. 26.5 But most fully and cleerly it was renewed and restored by Moses upon mount Sinai But not altered And that the law then published for the substance of it was no new law appears by comparing the law given to Adam which is in effect the same with the second fourth seventh and eighth commandements of the decalogue with which in a generall consideration they are all one if they be compared together That this which we call the Morall law was founded for ever as the Psalmist witnesseth Psal 119.152 and was to remain and to be observed as a rule of life unto Gods Church our Saviour himselfe witnesseth in expresse words Mat. 5.18 where he professeth that untill heaven and earth passe that is till the worlds end one jot or one tittle shall not passe from the law Wherefore whatsoever was praescribed in that law we may observe and guide our selves
Neither indeed are their writings compared with the Scriptures revealing the glory of God in the face of Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 so much as the light of a candle to the Sun shining at noon day As for the mystery of the Trinity it is generally acknowledged to bee a secret unsearchable by naturall reason or discoverable any way but by the revelation of the Word and Spirit Next unto God 2. The Creation of the world with the manner order of it may follow the Creation of the world which we likewise beleeve by faith Heb. 1.3 which although the Heathen upon the consideration of the creatures by the light of naturall reason were forced to acknowledge and consequently that it must be the work of a God yet that the creatures were made by Gods meere word finished in sixe days and created in such order as we finde mentioned Gen. 1. no Heathen man ever took upon him to relate neither seeing man was made the last of all creatures was it possible for him to divine what was done before he had any beeing wherefore the Scriptures so exactly describing the time means and order of the Creation must needs be the Word of the Wisdome of the Father who was brought forth ere the mountains were setled Prov. 8.25 present when he prepared the heavens ver 27. by his Father when he appointed the foundations of the earth ver 29 30. Thirdly the state of man before his fall 3. The history of mans fall and the consequents of it the whole history means and manner of his fall with all the circumstances thereof especially the corruption that it brought upon the whole nature of man which we tearm Originall sin together with the subjection of all men to the curse and wrath of God thereby and the manner how it is propagated both in the stain and guilt of it to posterity as they are things unsearchable by naturall reason so the memory of them being once lost together with the antiquities of the first times of the world or at least imperfectly and uncertainly delivered and related to posterity through so many hands as it must needs passe before the time of Moses it was impossible but the full and certain knowledge of them must be hidden from such as had no better light then that of nature to search them out wherefore we find that they are wholly passed over in all writings of Heathen men but in the Scriptures are clearly opened as far as they are necessary to be known which shews them to be the Word of God seeing they reveal these things that cannot be taught by humane reason Fourthly 4. Mans Redemption by Christ that wonderfull mystery of mans Redemption by Jesus Christ being a secret that never entred into mans heart 1 Cor. 2.19 was never so much as dreamed of by any naturall man neither doe we finde the least syllable of it in any Heathen mans bookes The truth is it seems so incredible a thing to flesh and blood that the Prophet not without cause when he begins to speak of this wonder asks who hath beleeved his report Esa 53.1 and the Apostle tels us that when it was preached the learned Grecians accounted it foolishnesse 1 Cor. 1.27 or a meere phantasie Now that which seems incredible to reason when it is known was very unlikely to be found out by reason at the first before it was known If there were no more but this that this wonderfull work proceeded meerly from the free motion of Gods will without any other cause moving thereinto then his own love and compassion as Christ himself affirms Iohn 36.16 And the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.10 how could any man divine what God purposed in his own heart before he had wrought it unlesse himself had revealed it So that it must needs be granted that this word which sets out unto us the mystery of our Redemption by Christ must be the Word of God himself Lastly 5. The benefits thereof the condition into which man is redeemed by Christ is another mystery hidden from the eyes of all that see by no clearer light then that which naturall reason yeelds them It was utterly impossible for any man Uniō with Christ Adoption Justification Renovation by the light of nature to have discovered our mysticall union into one body with Christ by the Spirit our adoption by grace to be the sons of God our Justification by faith through the imputation of Christs righteousnesse our Renovation or new birth wherein our hearts are changed by the effectuall working of the spirit Resurrection of our bodies to glory the restitution of our bodies to life again with a change from the state of corruption to incorruption of naturall and earthly bodies to spirituall and heavenly and our glorious and ever blessed condition to be enjoyed hereafter in the immediate and everlasting fruition of God in the highest heavens Wherefore we finde not so much as any mention of these things among any of the Heathen unlesse perhaps they stumble upon the immortality of the soul which yet they rather dream of then understand distinctly Wherefore the Scriptures revealing unto us so clearly all these things which naturall reason could neither teach nor comprehend must needs be acknowledged to be the Word of God It appears then hitherto 2ly Many rules of life 1. The inward disposition of the heart toward God in fear love faith that the principles of faith laid down in the Scriptures must needs be acknowledged to be revealed by God and not by man The same truth will be evidently manifested in the rules of practise if they be duly weighed To begin with the duties to be performed unto God and first with the affections and right disposition of the heart The Apostle tels us we cannot beleeve on him of vvhom vve have not heard Rom. 10.14 and the Psalmist affirms that they onely trust in him that know his name Psal 9.10 and we know that it was the lively representation of God unto him that strook that deep impression of fear into Iobs heart and made him vile in his own eyes To bee wrought in us only by the full discovery of God unto us Iob 40.4 42.5 6. The truth is those holy affections of love fear and affiance in God cannot be grounded on any other then a true and distinct knowledge of him which as we have seen already the light of naturall reason could never discover so that none can prescribe unto us the right disposing of the heart towards God in those holy affections of love fear and faith in him but the same that can reveal unto us the right knowledge of himself As for the outward duties of worship 2. And outward duties of worship that they cannot be devised by men but must be appointed by God himself the very light of nature taught Heathen men themselves Wherefore we finde that those forms of worship which they observed the wisest amongst
but in this place we understand by it both the apprehension of such as are represented and the judging of them after they are apprehended by way either of approbation or disallowing both these acts of the understanding the Apostle mentions Phil. 1.9 Againe although embracing seeme first to import election of the will 2. Embracing including the motions of the will and affections yet here we include under it the prosecution of things chosen with the affections of desires hopes cares joyes c. Together with the opposite motions of rejecting hating fearing shunning c. of such things as the understanding in judgement disallowes By All things we understand things of all kinds 3. All things whether naturall or spirituall or mixed 1. Natural Now Naturall things are all sorts of creatures with their severall qualities adjuncts and operations which though they are themselves naturall yet their first cause their dependences ends relations and whole order of administration are of spirituall consideration which therefore a meere naturall man can neither throughly comprehend nor at all judge of aright as the Psalmist witnesseth Psal 92.6 as a spirituall man which the Scripture calls a wise man can doe Hos 14.9 neither consequently can he make that right and holy use of them which a spirituall man may doe and doth usually Psal 64.10 Spirituall things 2. Spiritual are God himselfe in the first place whom the world hath not knowne John 17.25 as spirituall men doe 1 Iohn 2.13 and next the things freely given us of God as the Apostle termes them 1 Cor. 2.12 especially Christ with all his treasures which the Apostle affirmes none but a spirituall person can comprehend 1 Cor. 2.14 as being hid from all ages and generations and manifested onely to the Saints Col. 1.26 27. and that by God himselfe Mat. 11.25 Those things which are of a mixed nature 3. Mixed are spirituall things expressed and represented by such as are naturall as are the Word and Sacraments For in the word the phrases and formes of speech are according to nature and of use amongst naturall men but the things meant and expressed by them are spirituall And in the Sacraments the elements and the Sacramentall actions by which they are used and applied we know are naturall but those things that are represented by them are wholly Mysticall and Spirituall in both the naturall man understands the phrases expressions and rationall discourse in the Word and in the Sacraments not only the visible Elements and actions but their signification also but the things signified in both seeing they are such as eye hath not seene and that cannot be comprehended by any Naturall meanes they cannot be understood by any naturall man All the difficulty in unfolding this truth lyes in interpreting this terme Spiritually 4. Spiritually a word that may be taken in a double sense as is also the word Spirit whence it is derived For a spirit in strict signification is that which is absolutely and meerely so and in that sense the name is appropriated to God alone Iohn 4.24 According to this sense Spirituall is that which is of or belonging to God or heavenly and spirituall Comparatively a Spirit signifies that which is lesse grosse or materiall to which is opposed grosse carnall and sensuall both senses may be included under this terme in this place Againe to comprehend spiritually may be referred First to the object comprehended Which referred to the object imports 1. to comprehend that in things which is spirituall Or by a Spirituall Light to comprehend all things and so it signifies to comprehend that which is spirituall in that object Secondly it may be referred to the meanes and it signifies to comprehend things by a spirituall light or judgement Lastly referred to the manner it implies to comprehend in a Supernaturall way which we specially intend in this place though withall we include both the former senses What it is to comprehend or understand things spiritually is hard to expresse as it is hard to describe what it is to see or heare which are well knowne to such as see or heare but is impossible to be described so distinctly by discourse Resembled by sight to which faith answers The Scripture sets it out by resemblance of outward senses as Heb. 5.14 and amongst the senses sets out the two wayes of discovering things spiritually faith by sight and experience by taste So Abraham beleeving Christ by faith is said to see his day Iohn 8.56 And taste which shadowes out spirituall experience Moses to see him that is invisible Heb. 11.27 And againe we are said to taste that is prove by experience that the Lord is good 1 Pet. 2.3 both are joyned together Ps 34.8 The two severall wayes of comprehending things spiritually Faith and Experience we are now to enquire into describing them as plainely as the nature of them will give leave SECT III. Of Faith and the two sorts of faith Historicall and Iustifying FAith or beleeving is in common use of speech taken for inclining strongly in opinion unto that of which we have no infallible assurance Faith not taken here as opposed to certaine knowledge and in that sense it is opposed to knowledge which signifies assurance of some thing upon certainty Butimporting certain knowledge upon Divine testimony and that most commonly by some sense or other But amongst Divines Faith is commonly taken for a full perswasion of any truth upon Divine Testimony This Faith is usually distinguished into Historicall Temporary and Justifying Faith as for that which they tearme the faith of Miracles it concernes not the subject that we have in hand But because Temporary faith will hereafter appear to differ not in nature but onely in some degree from Historicall faith we shall need onely to entreat of that and Justifying faith at present The nature of true faith and the difference between that and the other which we call Historical will be most easily clearly discovered by setting downe a briefe description thereof True or justifying Faith described and by explaining the severall parts of it afterwards We therefore define faith to be a spirituall habite by which a Regenerate man having in himselfe upon a Divine testimony an evidence of the truth and goodnesse of the Promise and Covenant of eternall Salvation through Jesus Christ relies on him onely for everlasting life and blessednes We call Faith an habit Which is 1. An Habit yet unlike it 1. Seeing it is infused not gotten by use 2. And cannot as habits may be wholy lost because it much resembles those habits which are properly so called especially in this that it is hardly or according to truth never to be removed or wholly lost Although otherwise it differ from them in this that those naturall habits are acquired by use whereas faith is infused by the Spirit of grace if we respect the first planting of it in the heart
Notwithstanding it cannot be denied that when it is once rooted in the heart it may be and is further strengthened and perfected by continuall use and exercise as our naturall habits are The cause of faith is as hath beene already intimated the Spirit of Grace flowing unto a regenerate man from Christ his head 2. Infused by the spirit abiding in us and in respect of that cause as well as of the nature of it we tearme it a spirituall habit and so we finde it reckoned amongst the fruits or effects of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 And here we meet with the first difference betweene Historicall and Justifying Faith that they proceed from different causes the one being infused by the spirit of Christ dwelling in us the other the effect onely of naturall reason further inlightned at the most by the assistance of that Spirit as shall be farther proved hereafter The subject of justifying Faith 3. Into a regenerate person is onely a regenerate person For whosoever beleeves hath eternall life Iohn 5.24 into which there can be no entrance without regeneration Iohn 3.5 but in more expresse tearmes 1 Iohn 5.1 the Apostle affirmes that whosoever beleeves that Jesus is the Christ is borne of God Now historicall faith we know may be found in the Devills themselves Iames 2.19 And temporary faith which as we have intimated already is of the same nature may be in such as have no root Luke 8.13 that is as the Apostle expresseth it in another phrase 1 Iohn 3.9 No seed of God abiding in him nor is borne of God which is all one And from hence ariseth the second difference betweene historicall and justifying Faith that they are found in divers subjects the first even in the wicked the latter onely in the godly The kind of assurance which true faith is built upon 4. Which gives him an evidence we call an evidence as the Apostle also tearmes it Heb. 11.1 Who also in the same place expresseth the object of that faith by two different names given it in divers respects Things hoped for and Things not seene as also he expresseth the assurance of them by two other names Substance and Evidence Now it is true that by those different names the same things are meant for the most part although it be true that some of those things which we beleeve although they be invisible have notwithstanding a beeing in present and therefore cannot properly be said to be expressed by hope so that the things hoped for are but some of those things which we beleeve These objects Of things invisible Things invisible and Things hoped for and consequently yet to come Faith so apprehends as having withall a kinde of subsistence and visibility although in divers respects For looking at things which it beleeves it apprehends them as already having a being in the will and purpose of God and this it doth without errour as God without errour calls the things which are not as if they were Rom. 4.17 seeing they have a beeing in him although they have no subsistence as yet in themselves These and other objects which are not seen Faith makes evident that is beholds them by a spirituall sense though they be hidden from the bodily eye as Abraham in this manner is said to behold Christs day Iohn 8.56 which was not in beeing till many hundred yeares after and Moses is said to see him that is invisible Heb. 11.27 And thus is faith the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things that are not seene When we say that by faith we have a spirituall evidence And therefore makes no use of sense or reason and manifestation of things that are invisible to the outward sense we necessarily imply that this Faith makes not use in this apprehension of any naturall help either of Sense or Reason Not of Sense for things invisible cannot be the object of sense Nor of Reason which can help in this case little more then Sense seeing it receives information by Sense from whence it gathers things by way of discourse which indeed may convince a man that things are but can give him no evidence or Demonstration of the things themselves Hence it is that when a man comprehends things by Reason he may be able by discourse of Reason to inform another man of that which he knowes and by that meanes cause him to understand it as well as himselfe but in those things which are apprehended by Sense But apprehends the things themselves by spirituall sense he cannot doe so He can relate to another man what he seeth or heareth or tasteth but can neither make him see nor heare nor taste that which himselfe doth nor if he be one that never had use of those senses make him by any discourse understand either what the object is that he apprehends And therefore cannot by discourse make another understand what he feeles or how his sense is affected by it or if he have the use of the same senses make him able by his discourse to apprehend the thing it selfe which he discernes in its proper species though he may breed in him some conceit of it by an imagination of some other thing of the same kinde which that person himselfe hath apprehended by the same sense before So is it in matters of faith he that beleeves cannot many times give a reason why he beleeves nor at any time represent unto another that which is manifested unto him nor shew him what satisfying delight and sweetnesse he findes in those things which he beleeves he can onely in generall manifest unto him that he findes the tender mercies of God exceeding great Psal 119.156 his thoughts towards us precious Psal 139.17 his Testimonies wonderfull Psal 119.129 and exceeding sweet ver 103. but cannot describe that excellency or sweetnesse which himselfe finds Yet seeing those things that are beleeved are also agreeable to right reason the reasonablenes of them the beleever may manifest to another but the evidence of them he cannot shew This evidence by demonstation historicall faith wants How justifying faith hath an evidence of the things which it apprehends we have seene Historicall wants this evidence as we shall see anon as having no further assurance of what it beleeves then that which Reason suggests which may rather be tearmed a conviction that such things must be then an evidence what they be And therefore differs from justifying faith not onely in degrees but in nature For justifiing faith is built upon a divine Testimonie Whence it is evident that those two kinds of faith are of different natures not onely of divers degrees because the grounds of assurance on which they are built are as farre different as Reason and Sense To cleare this truth fully we must consider the different testimonies upon which justifying and historicall faith are built For we shall find that true faith is built upon a Divine the other upon an Humane