necessity of Faith and Regeneration These are not only averse to all humane Innovations and Traditions of Men and so contend for God's Holy Institutions in respect of his visible Worship as I told you before but seem to be inlightned very much into that internal Work of God's Grace upon the Soul c. but never come themselves under those saving Operations of the Spirit but rest in the Speculative Knowledg of those Mysteries and are meer empty and formal Persons and Strangers to that Divine Life and sacred Change of which they speak and yet possibly may not be throughly convinced of that deceit and delusion they are under but may hope all is well with them but since they are not savingly renewed but only reformed having not Jesus Christ dwelling in their Hearts nor the Power of the Holy Ghost to enable and influence their Souls in the performance of their Duties and in mortification of their Sins and Corruptions they are frequently overcome by Satan and horrid Evils prevail and predominate in them by which means they bring great reproach upon Religion and all those who do profess it hence the Apostle calls this sort the Enemies of the Cross of Christ Phil. 3. 18. and this further aggravates their Sin and Misery for whilst openly prophane and not pretending to Religion and Godliness they could not injure the Name of God nor expose the Gospel and Professors thereof to that scorn and reproach as now they do Sinners openly wicked though notorious and vile Enemies to God yet the hurt and wrong they do is especially to their own Souls but these by their carnal earthly Prâ—â—â— loose and formal walking hinder the promulgation of the Gospel and Conversion of the Souls of Men besides their weakning the Hands and grieving the Hearts of the truly Godly Moreover they also pollute and defile too often the Church of Jesus Christ and bring great trouble upon the same Hence there is in most Congregations who keep up a strict and regular Discipline 〈◊〉 so much Church-work which makes the Communion of the Saints the more uncomfortable to them for though it cannot be denied but sincere Persons may fall under Sin and Temptation and so all the trouble of Churches and Reproach that falls upon Religion doth not arise from these counterfeit Christians or formal Professors yet doubtless the chiefest part of them do It is said Offences will come but wo to them by whom the Offence comes From all which considerations their state seems worse in many degrees than before Sixthly The wicked Spirit or abominable Sin that some of these Mens Souls are also possessed with is Legality And though this clearly appears by what I have already said yet I shall speak a little more fully and distinctly unto it All that these Persons do and perform is in a legal Spirit and that I may shew you what I mean by Legality in short it is this i. e. They act and do for Life look upon themselves to be under a conditional Covenant and whilst they live up to that Law or Rule which they judg they are bound to observe and keep in order to Justification they have Peace rendring the Gospel and Covenant of Grace by their false Apprehensions of it no better than a legal Ministration or conditional Covenant as was hinted before in respect of another sort of Men For like as the Jews of old acted in a legal Spirit and sought to be justified by the Works of the Law so these perform all their Services and Duties in the same Spirit viz. not from Life or a Divine Principle of Saving-Faith but for Life To keep the Commandments of God and live religiously is absolutely necessary But then this must be done from a renewed Nature and flows from Faith it being the proper Effect or Fruit thereof but to strive to live a sober and holy Life and obey God's Precepts and rest upon their so doing and look to be accepted with God and justified thereby is that which too many of this sort of People do and this is to act in a legal Spirit Possibly a Man may say I know I cannot perfectly keep the Law but I will do by the help of God what I can and wherein I through weakness do transgress the Lord is merciful and I trust will forgive me But let me remember what God saith viz. That he will in no wise clear the Guilty Moreover what the Law saith it saith to them that are under the Law that all Mouths may be stopped and the whole World become guilty before God 'T is evident as God will not forgive an impenitent Person so he will not forgive the Penitent except they believe in Jesus Christ 'T is not for the sake or worth of Repentance that God forgives any Man the Penitent as well as the Impenitent are guilty all have broke the Law all are under Sin and Wrath Repentance will not do a holy Life will not do Prayer and hearing Sermons will not do By the Deeds of the Law and by any thing we can do no Flesh shall be justified If Men believe not on Christ let them be what they will Professors or Prophane they shall die in their Sins God pardons no Sinner as a simple Act of his Mercy without a respect had to the Satisfaction Christ hath made to his offended Justice by his Death And hence it is that the Apostle saith All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of Sins that are past through the forbearance of God Therefore God doth not accept of our Obedience in keeping the Precepts either of the Old or New Testament and forgive all our Deviations as a meer Act of his Mercy for if this way Righteousness and Justification were attainable 't is evident Christ died in vain as I said before for could not God have done this if Christ had never come to shed his precious Blood I remember some Years ago I heard of a Man who lying on his Death-bed when a Godly Person desired him to look out for a Christ answered He had lived a godly Life all along and why said he do you tell me of a Christ or to that effect He thought 't is evident none needed a Christ but prophane Persons and I fear many are of his Mind tho they express it not as he did with their Tongues But possibly some may say We do not think that our Righteousness justifies us any otherwise than through Christ ' s Merits To which I answer 'T is not throug our personal Righteousness though joined or coupled with Christ's Merits that we are justified but through the personal Righteousness of Christ alone and the Merits of his Blood received by Faith 't is in this way
Portion and take that to be his that belongs to an Hypocrite as an Hypocrite on the other hand mistakes that which belongs to him and applies that to himself which is the Portion of sincere Christians but Grace is like a small Seed at first that cannot be soon espied in the House i.e. the Heart especially when there is much Smoak and Darkness yet remaining But may be some may say What you have said tends to take us off of Holy Duties and Obedience God forbid for though we would not have you rest or depend upon your Duties and Obedience yet let me tell you a godly Man or he that is a true Christian hath such Righteousness wrought in him and by him that exceeds the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees if he had not he could in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven 1. His Obedience and Righteousness flows from a Principle of Divine or Spiritual Life or from a Principle of saving Grace or else they would be all but dead Works and from thence he acts and doth all that he performs Godward 2. He acts from a Principle of Faith his Obedience flows from thence seeing himself justified and accepted only in Jesus Christ 3. He acts from a Principle of Love to Christ and is also always the same and for the hardest part of Religion as well as for the easiest part of it Moreover he is as careful to â—eep a good Conscience towards God as to keep a Conscience void of Offence towards Men he takes up all the Duties of Religion in Point of Performance though he lays them all down in Point of Dependance He is as careful of his Heart and Ways that he â—â—y please God and glorify him as much as a Man can be that expects to merit God's Favour thereby he knows he must attend upon the means of Salvation as well as to expect Salvation it self 4. He exceeds all others in his end which is the Honour and Glory of God or to live to God on Earth as well as to live with God in Heaven Lastly How severely doth what we have said look upon all Self-righteous Persons and those proud People that boast of their Holiness and Perfection that think they need no Repentance O that they would consider it and tremble before it is too late and they perish eternally for rejecting the chief Corner-stone Remember unless ye believe that Christ is he ye shall die in your Sins Also it looks severely on all formal and carnal Christians who have nothing but a Name Alas Sirs If the painted Hypocrite he that is so gloriously garnished with many great Gifts Parts Wisdom Learning and seeming Piety is in a damnable Condition what will become of you Mourn O England what a Number of filthy debauched treacherous proud drunken swearing and unclean Christians as they are called hast thou in the Bowels of thee they shew their Sin as Sodom and hide it not and yet glory as if they were the only People of God Awake Sinners before God's Judgments are poured out upon you for certainly great Wrath is at the Door God hath wrought Wonders for the Deliverance of this Nation but ye slight and contemn them Neither Judgments nor Mercy will humble you what would you have since nothing God doth pleases you Certainly the Almighty will not bear with you much longer if you repent not But ye who are truly pious and sincere ones rejoice you who mourn for your own Sins and for the Sins of the Land you are secured from the hungry Lion your Day is coming the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is near your Redemption is at hand lift up your Heads and praise God for ever SAtan a Spirit is unclean From whom all Filth doth flow A wicked Heart his House has been There still he dwells also As all true Holiness O Lord Is from they self alone So we do find from thy bless'd Word Sin 's from that wicked one And that he in a filthy Heart Takes up his curs'd Abode So thou so good to thy Saints art In them to dwell O God And that thou mightst Possession have Satan thou hast cast out And from all Filth our Souls to save Strange things hast wrought about Let such who garnish'd are by Art And common Graces fear Whilst all those sing with joyful Heart Who are indeed sincere Let Sinners and each Hypocrite Consider their sad doom Whilst Saints do sing having in sight The Glory that 's to come The latter State of some Men will Be worser than before But Saints are happy and safe still And shall for ever-more FINIS The whole will contain 100 or 120 Sheets in Folio Preached August 10. 1690. Matth. 12. 45. * Mark 5. 8. * Luke 22. 3. †Acts 5. 3. ‖ Ephes 2. 2 3. Luke 18. 11. * Job 1. 7. * 1 John 2. 14. †1 John 5. 18. 2 Pet. 2. Mat. 23. 27 29. Doct. I. 1 John 3. 8 12. * John 8. Doct. II. Rom. 8. 7. Doct. III. Doct. IV. This Hymn was sung at the close of the first Sermon Morning-Exercise on Horsely-Down August 17 1690. Mat. 12. 45 Rev. 3. 17. Joh. 9. 41. 1 Tim. 4. 2. 2 Cor. 10. 12. Mat. 18. 11. Rom. 10. 3. Ròm 7. 9. Rom. 2. 17 18. Rom. 2. 22. Charnock Mat. 11. 25. 1 Cor. 1. Joh. 7. 48. Charnock Prov. 14. 16. Mat. 21. 32 33. Rom. 2. 17 18 19. Prov. 26. 16. 1 Cor. 1. ult 1 Cor. 1. 30. Phil. 3. 8 9. Rom. 7. 9. Rom. 7. Rom. 3. 10. Isa. 65. 5. Mat. 9. 20. Ephes. 2. 1 2. Ephes. 1. 18 19 20. 2 Cor. 5. 17. 1 John 3. 8. Rom. 8. 7. 1 Pet. 1. 17 18. Mat. 13. Quest Answ Jer. 4. 3. Isa. 1. Rom. 2. 19 20. Annotators John 4. 2 Tim. 3. 5. Isa. 66. 3. Counterfeit Christians are not all of one sort Rom. 3. 19 Joh. 8. 24. Rom. 3. 24 25. Object Answ 1 Cor. 3. 11. Mar. 16. 16 Act. 15. 24 Rom. 10. 3. Rom. 11. 8. Rom. 11. 6. Annotat. Object Answ Annotat. Rom. 4. 5. Annotators Phil. 1. 29. Joh. 6. 65. Joh. 6. 44. Ps. 110. 5. Rom. 8. 7. Object Answ Jer. 31. 33. Jer. 32. 40. Jer. 31. 3. Rom. 8. 29. Joh. 6. 37. Eph. 1. 4. Act. 27. 24 25 31. Annotators on the place Charnock Acts 4. 12. Rom. 10. 3. Phil. 3. 8 9 10. Mark 16. 16. Mat. 25. Mat. 23. 23 24. Luke 11. 42. Mat. 23. 4. Mat. 7. 3. John 12. 43. Mat. 23. 6 7. Mat. 23. 15. Rom. 11. 8. 2 Pet. 2. 20. 1 Joh. 3. 15. Joh. 14. 19 Phil. 1. 6. 2 Pet. 2. 22. Heb. 6.4 Mat. 12. 24 28. Vers. 31. What the Sin against the Holy Ghost is that shall not be forgiven Annotators Heb. 10. 29 Heb. 6. 6. Obs. 1. Obs. 2. Obs. 3. Obs. 4. Obs. 5. Obs. 6. Obs. 7. Obs. 8. Informat 1. Informat 2. Mat. 25. Reproof 1. Rom. 4. 11 12. Versâ— 13. Reproof 2. Reproof 3. Reproof 4. Doth God allow of nothing for Ornament We say all immodest and fantastical Garbs and Dresses are loathsom and to be abominated See Wall 's Baptism anatomized Though this Man has abused me and my Brethren yet I do not think such a scurrillous Adversary worthy of an Answer See the Narrative of John Child's Life and Death three or four years ago printed Reproof 5. Reproof 6. Examinat Sincerity described Rom. 8. 7. 1 Pet. 2. 7. Object Answ Mat. 5. 20. Quakers condemned Acts 4. 11. John 8. 24. Comfort Sung at the Close of the second Sermon
Religion for want of a saving Work of Grace on their Hearts are in such a deplorable State what vain pride and folly possesseth that foolish and debauched Crew we have amongst us Fourthly Vain-Glory also certainly may be another Sin this Person is become guilty of The Design of God in the Gospel is to discover how vile helpless and wretched all Men naturally are in themselves and so to shew us that we have nothing to glory in but that he that glorieth might glory in the Lord. But these Persons glory in their seeming Gifts Parts Learning Knowledg and external Privileges they are like those of old who cried out the Temple of the Lord or the Church of God are we Poor Sinners have nothing to glory in unless it be their Shame The Publican cries out Lord be merciful to me a Sinner But the false and self-righteous Professor like as a rich Man glories in his Riches and a strong Man glories in his Strength so he glories in his own Righteousness in his spiritual Attainments and seeming Sanctity And doubtless this is another strong Chain with which the Devil binds these deluded Creatures Self-confidence Pride and Vain-glory are all of near Kin and proceed from that horrid Ignorance I first mentioned they are all the spurious Off-spring of that cursed Parent But why should we glory in the Lord or rejoice only in Christ Why 't is because ye are in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Ye are in him by Faith by Regeneration and his Spirit dwells in you Our Righteousness is so imperfect and so filthy that it is compared to a menstruous Cloth instead of glorying in it we have cause to be ashamed of it and to loath our selves and with Paul to account it but Dung our best Actions Works and Duties we perform cannot commend us to God nor in any respect procure the least Good from his Hands forasmuch as Sin cleaveth to them and nothing but a perfect and compleat Righteousness can render the Soul justified and accepted in his sight This vain-glorious Person little considereth what horrid Pollution abides still in his Heart for which he is accursed by the Law of God and so remains till he hath real Union with Christ and is brought under a Divine Change What though he has escaped some abominable Evils and Corruptions of his Life since his vicious Habits and filthy Nature is not changed nor he sees not the Purity of the Law of God Alas he beholds it as only forbidding all outward Acts of Sin but the Spirituality of it was never opened to him for if it had he would see no cause of glorying in himself but contrariwise would soon be convinced of his Error and sad Mistake and behold himself an undone Man and cry out of the deceitful Nature turnings and windings of his own base Heart Thoughts and Affections and what a disproportion or disagreement to the perfect Rule or how far he is from that Holiness and Purity and Rectitude described in the Book of God It amazed Paul when he once came fully to understand the Law when he looked on all the parts of it not only on the grosser Sins forbidden by it but on the Rectitude the Holiness which is required therein When he saw the Law discover'd Lust to be Sin and that the least Lust of the Heart is as palpable a breach of it as Murder Theft or the outward Act of Adultery and exposed equally to the Curse of it and so to the Wrath of God Then saith he Sin revived and I died that is as to any hopes of Life and Salvation by that Righteousness which before he gloried in and made his boast of The same Apostle afterwards came to see that in him that is to say in his Flesh dwelt no good thing nay and the Holy Ghost saith All are gone out of the way all are become filthy and there is none that doth good no not one What cause is there then for this Man to glory in his Parts Knowledg and seeming Righteousness since these things for which Men value and esteem themselves above others God saith there is no good in nothing excellent but 't is contrariwise abhorred and hateful to him But O how hard a thing is it to bring this and that self-righteous Person to believe this or receive it as a Truth What says he can ye make me think I am still a vile Sinner and God doth not accept me who do so much good that pray as I do and hear Sermons and am thus much reformed O this is a worse Devil than the former and he hereby is in a worse state than at first Before he was easily brought to confess his State bad when openly prophane his gross and scandalous Sins appeared odious to him being so indeed in the Eyes of all sober and civilized People gross Wickedness seemed to him as filthy Rags or as a menstruous Cloth But to tell him his Righteousness is alike abominable filthy and hateful to God this he cannot believe but concludes 't is a glorious Cover a rich Garment a precious Ornament and so prides himself in it and makes his boast of it pretending now to so much Sanctity that like those of old he is ready in his Heart to say to others Stand by your selves come not near me for I am holier than you Thus the Pharisees of old sequestred themselves from all sorts of Men must not be so much as touched by any for so it seems by that passage when the poor Woman came to Christ and touched the Hem of his Garment they wondered that our Saviour would suffer himself to be touched by her she being a Sinner they could not endure to have any legal pollution upon them would not eat a bit of Meat until they had washed their Hands and oft washed their whole Bodies especially after they had been at a Feast for fear any pollution had fallen upon them and so also when they came from the Market lest peradventure they should have touched some Heathen or some Person who was legally unclean And now in this Righteousness they gloried trusted to it and sought hereby for Justification and Acceptance in the Sight of God which rendered their State worse than before And that which seems to feed and heighten this Pride Self-confidence and Vain-glory in some of these blind and self-deceived People is that strange Conceit and Apprehension they have of their own Power and Abilities to do and perform those things God requireth in order to their Acceptance with him together with their false Notions of God's Mercy in pardoning them wherein they come short In this very respect the Jews erred to their eternal Overthrow they thought they had Power and were able to keep the Law to such a Degree that they were accepted as righteous Persons in God's Sight by it and though they might not be puffed up
Hope and Dependance they also are not willing to forgo These Men place that Hope on their own Works and Righteousness which true Christians place on Christ and so unbelief in them throws Christ quite away they having no need of him 1. What is Unbelief but an actual or vertual denial of the Truth of the Gospel when Men do not assent to the Doctrine of it by an act of the Understanding 2. 'T is a refusal to accept heartily of Christ upon the Terms of the Gospel which is opposite to Justifying-Faith when there is not a fiducial Motion to Christ as the Center When Christ the only Foundation and chief Corner-Stone is laid aside and the Need and Worth of him not believed This Sin binds all the Guilt of all their old and new Sins upon their Souls 't is a Sin against the highest Goodness of God and casts Contempt upon it for never did God manifest such sovereign Goodness unto his Creatures as in Jesus Christ God hath said there is no Life no Salvation any other way but by the Lord Jesus But these Men do not assent to this Truth do not believe the Report God hath given concerning the want of perfect Righteousness and Regeneration and Self-debasement c. Nay they seem to contradict the Will of God by their going about to establish their own Righteousness and so not submitting to the Righteousness of God In a word 't is a denying of Christ and a disesteeming the Price of his Blood as it also reflects on the Wisdom of God in fixing on this way to save Sinners 'T is an invaluating the Excellency of Christ's Person Blood and Merits As Faith counts all things Dung in Comparison of Christ so Unbelief accounts the Person Offices and Doctrine of Christ but as Dung in Comparison of the Excellency of Self-Righteousness Self-Wisdom Self-Sufficiency c. These Men are the worst Neglecters of the great Salvation they do not only neglect it but slight and contemn it there being in their Thoughts not any need to look for Salvation this way They that sin against the Law fly to the Gospel but these sin against the Cure held forth and extended in the Gospel Whither must these fly since there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin if this be slighted no other way or means is ordained for Salvation Such who refuse the Covenant of Grace and depend on the Covenant of Works how woful is their Condition And what hope a Law often transgress'd can give a Malefactor is saith a worthy Person easy to imagine Millions have perished by it none can be secured by it as none ever by it were or could be saved At first these Persons transgressed against the Rule but now they transgress against the Rule and Remedy too None but Unbelievers are despised by God none but these shall taste of his Wrath and Divine Vengeance this is the condemning Sin this is Satan's strongest hold hither he retreats after all and here he keeps as in chains his miserable Captive He that believes not shall be damned And what is Faith but a going out of a Mans self to Christ for Life and Righteousness as a poor wretched and miserable Sinner But these Men now see not themselves to be in such a State Earthly Hypocrisy it appears from the whole which hath been said is another of those evil Spirits that is entered into this Man Hypocrisy is opposed to that inward Simplicity of the Heart and all counterfeit Professors are guilty of it though all do not act the part of an Hypocrite with an Intention i. e. are not convinced they are Hypocrites some deceive their own Hearts they are the grosser sort others their Hearts deceive them these are most to be pitied a Man may doubtless be an Hypocrite and he may not know it he may go on in a way of Duty and do all things as he thinks exactly according to the Letter of the Word and in Uprightness as he may judg and yet be unsound certainly thus it was with the foolish Virgins Hypocrites may be nevertheless discerned our Saviour hath given the Character of them 1. They are commonly most zealous from the lesser things of Religion i. e. for paying Tithes of Mint Anise and Cummin but neglect the weightier things of the Law Judgment Mercy Faith and the Love of God They strain at a Knat and swallow a Cammel They make a stir about external Rights Observation of Days and Meats but to the Power of Religion and Godliness are Strangers and experience nothing of a Divine change on their Souls 2. As they lay the greatest stress upon the least things so they are commonly partial in their pretended Obedience they lay hard things or heavy Burdens upon others but they themselves will not touch them with one of their Fingers What they preach and press on others they do not themselves they will not obey Christ nor follow him in the hardest things nor do they obey in Love or always 3. They are commonly finding Faults in other Men can spy the Mote in their Brother's Eye but cannot see the Beam that is in their own As it is a Sign of notorious Hypocrisy and Impudence to censure and judg others for those Sins which Men live in themselves so it is a Sign of like Hypocrisy to spy Faults in others and reproach them for those Faults and yet the Person is guilty of worse himself What they preach and press on others they do not themselves they will not follow Christ in the most hard and difficult things of Religion but pick and chuse will do some things that they like of and not only neglect others but quarrel with them who contend for it and faithfully subject to Christ in it And as they are not universal in their Obedience so they do not obey in Love nor do they obey always as sincere Christians do as David intimateth 4. They are generally very confident touching the Goodness of their own Condition not questioning their Salvation thus were the Pharisees they judged others were in a damnable State but as touching themselves did not doubt but they were the only People and blessed God they were not as other Men whereas a true Christian is full of Fear and doubts about the Truth of Grace received and Goodness of his Condition 5. They are vain-glorious do what they do to be seen of Men like the Pharisees They love the Praise of Men more than the Praise of God their Hearts are kept up by the good Opinion others have of them they like their Predecessors love greetings in the Markets and uppermost Rooms in Feasts and to be called of Men Rabbi they also are subject to Envy or have their Hearts rise against such who they hear out-do them and would be looked upon as the chiefest of Men in Learning Parts and Wisdom 6. They are commonly very zealous to make Men Proselytes to their own