sin but did not seek mercy and pardon Neither is it sufficient to boast of acquaintance with Christ and professe great respect to him because many do cry Lord Lord who neither renounce their confidence in their own righteousnesse nor worship God in spirit for of such Christ saith Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith to Him Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of God Neither is it sufficient to pretend the worshiping of God in spirit for all they who think to be justified by their own works do esteem their manner of serving of God true and spirituall service and worship as may be seen in the proud Pharisee glorying before God in his own righteousnesse and acknowledging that God was the giver unto him of the holinesse and righteousnesse which he had Luke 18. 11. I thank Thee O God saith he that I am not like other men extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this publican for of this man Christ saith he returned to his house unjustified that is a man lying still in sin unreconciled Neither is it sufficient to prove a man regenerat to confess sin and by-gone unrighteousnesse and to promise and begin to amend his wayes and future conversation for so much may a Pharisee attain And there are many that professe themselves Christians who think to be justified by the merits of their own and other saints doings and sufferings and do disdainfully scoff and mock at the doctrine of the imputed righteousnesse of Christ how many are they also who think their bygone sins may be washen away and be recompenced by their purpose to amend their life in time to come How many are they who being willingly ignorant of the righteousnesse of God which is of faith in Jesus Christ go about to establish their own righteousnesse as the Jews did Rom. 10. 3. And how few are they who follow the example of the Apostle who carefully served God in spirit and truth but did not lean to his own righteousnesse but sought more and more to be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse which behoved to be made up of his imperfect obedience of the law but that righteousnesse which is by faith in Jesus Christ Philip. 3. 9. But that man who daily in the sense of his sinfulness and poverty sleeth unto Jesus Christ that he may be justified by His righteousnesse and endeavoureth by faith in Him to bring forth the fruits of new obedience and doth not put confidence in these his works when he hath done them but rejoyceth in Jesus Christ the fountain of holinesse and blessednesse That man I say undoubtedly is regenerat and a new creature for so doth the Apostle describe him Philip. 3. 3. CHAP. IV. Of divine Covenants about the eternall salvation of men and in speciall of the Covenant of redemption shewing that there is such a Covenant and what are the articles thereof BEcause the healing of the sicknesse of the conscience cometh by a right application of divine Covenants about our salvation therefore it is necessary that some measure of the knowledge thereof be opened up 1. A divine covenant we call a contract or paction wherein God is at least the one party contracter Of this sort of covenants about the eternall salvation of men which sort chieflly belong to our purpose there are three The first is the covenant of redemption past between God and Christ God appointed Mediatour before the world was in the council of the Trinity The second is the covenant of works made between God and men in Adam in his integrity indued with all naturall perfections enabling him to keep it so long as it pleased him to stand to the condition The third is the covenant of grace and reconciliation through Christ made between God and believers with their children in Christ. 2. As to the covenant of redemption for clearing the mater we must distinguish the sundry acceptions of the word redemption for 1. Sometime it is taken for the contract and agreement of selling and buying-back to eternall salvation of lost man looked upon as in the state of sin and misery In which sense we are said to be bought by Christ both souls and bodies 1 Cor. 6. 19. 20. Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And this may be called redemption by paction and agreed bargain 2. Sometime redemption is taken for the paying of the price agreed upon In which sense Christ is said to have redeemed us by suffering of the punishment due to us and ransoming of us Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us 3. Sometime redemption is taken for the begun application of the benefits purchased in the covenant by the price payed Ephes. 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through His blood even the remission of sins according to the riches of His grace 4. Sometime redemption is taken for the perfect and full possession of all the benefits agreed upon between the Father and Christ His Son the Mediatour In which sense we are said to be sealed with the holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession Ephes. 1. 14. and Ephes. 4. 30. it is said Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption which is the day of Judgement when Christ shall put us in full possession of all the blessednesse which He purchased by bargain and payment for us In this place we take redemption in the first sense for the covenant past between the Father and Christ His Son designed Mediatour about our redemption 3. When we name the Father as the one party and His Son Christ as the other party in this covenant we do not seclude the Son and holy Spirit from being the party offended but do look upon the Father Son and Spirit one God in three Persons as offended by mans sin and yet all three contented to take satisfaction to divine justice for mans sin in the Person of the Son as designed Mediatour to be incarnat Whereby the Son is both the party offended as God one essentially with the Father and holy Spirit and the party contracter also as God designed Mediatour personally for redeeming man who with consent of the Father and holy Spirit from all eternity willed and purposed in the fulnesse of time to assume the humane nature in personall union with Himself and for the elects sake to become man and to take the cause of the elect in hand to bring them back to the friendship of God and full enjoyment of felicity for evermore When therefore we make the Father the one party and the Son designed mediatour the other party speaking with the Scripture for the more easie uptaking of the Covenant let us look to one God in three Persons having absolute right and soveraign
that which hath pacified the Fathers Justice and reconciled Him to us is made over in a gift unto us for by Christ procurement we have God made ours Christ pacifying God put as it were in our bosome for God having sold us to Christ by taking Christs satisfaction for ours He hath come over to us as reconciled and given us Christ the Reconciler and the atonement to be ours Here is an agreement made between God and Christ and the condition of the agreement between the parties for our behoof clearly imported and presupposed The fifth title given to Christ is this He is called the propitiation 1 Ioh. 2. 2. Whereby God is pacified not only for the believing Iews but also for the whole elect World which should believe in Him And if He be the pacifying propitiation then God hath satisfaction in all that His Justice craved from Christ for the elect and Rom. 3. 25. He is called a propitiatory sacrifice wherewith God is so well pleased that He makes offer of Him to us and sets Him forth to us for pacifying our Conscience through faith in His blood to declare His righteousnesse for remission of sins without breach of Justice wherein what price God required and was payed by Christ is insinuat and presupposed for satisfaction could not be except the price agreed upon had been promised and accepted before in Covenanting The third proof THe third evidence proving that there was a Covenant of Redemption past before the beginning of the World is because the eternall decree of God was fixed about the way of Redemption to be fulfilled in time for Known unto God were all His works from the beginning Acts 15. 18. And whatsoever God doth in time He doth it according to the eternall counsell of His own Will Ephes. 1. 9. Now Christ the eternall Son of God being made man laid down His life for His sheep The Son of man goeth as it was determined but wo unto that man by whom He is betrayed Luke 22. 22. And whatsoever Christ suffered was by the determined counsell of God Acts 2. 23. And God the Son before He was incarnat declares the decree of the Kingdom promised unto Him by the Father and of the victories which He should have over all His enemies and of the felicity and multitude of the subjects of His Kingdom that should believe in Him Psal. 2. 7. I will declare the decree saith He presupposing therefore the decree of God of sending His eternall Son into the World to become a man and to suffer and thereafter to reign for ever we must also necessarily presuppose the consent of the Son making paction with the Father and the Spirit fixing the decree and agreement about the whole way of Redemption to be brought about in time for the same Person Christ Jesus who dwelt among men in the dayes of His humiliation Ioh. 1. 14. Was with the Father from eternity and as by Him all things were made which were made Ioh. 1. 2. 3. So without Him nothing was decreed which was decreed Prov. 8. 22. to 32. which also is manifest in the Apostles words 2 Tim. 1. 9. He saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before the World began For as before the beginning of the World the elect were given to the Son designed Mediatour to be incarnat and the price agreed upon so also grace to be given in time to the redeemed by compact was given from eternity unto Christ their designed Advocat Also Ephes. 1. 3. 4. 5. we were elected in Christ unto holinesse and salvation and unto all spirituall blessings and were predestinat to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ. And 1 Pet. 1. 18. 19. 20. we are redeemed not with gold or silver but by the precious blood of Christ who was predestinat before the beginning of the world Whereby it is manifest that the Covenant between the Father and the Son was transacted concerning the incarnation of the Son and His sufferings death and resurrection and all other things belonging to the salvation of the elect The fourth proof THe fourth evidence of the passing a Covenant between the Father and the Son is holden forth in the typicall priesthood of Levi by the altar and sacrifices and the rest of the leviticall ceremonies which were prescribed by God for as these things were testimonies preachings declarations and evidences of a Covenant past of old between God the disponer and the Son the Redeemer about the way of justifying and saving such as believed in the Messiah by an expiatory sacrifice to be offered in the fulnesse of time for the redeemed So also they were prefigurations predictions prophesies and pledges of the Redeemers paying of the promised price of Redemption And this agreed-upon-price because of the perfections of the parties contracters the Father and the Son was holden and esteemed as good as payed from the beginning of the World and the agreed-upon-benefits purchased thereby to wit grace and glory were effectually bestowed on the faithfull before Christs incarnation as the Psalmist testifies Psal. 84. 11. The Lord saith he is a sun and a shield the Lord will give grace and glory and no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly and Psal. 73. 24. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsell and afterward receive me into glory and that because the promised price of Redemption was of no lesse worth to give righteousnesse and life eternall to believers in the Messiah to come then the price now payed is now of worth to give for it righteousnesse and life eternall to these that believe in the Messiah now come Jesus Christ incarnat And this donation of saving graces as remission of sin and carying on to life eternall was sealed unto believers in the Covenant of reconciliation by the appointed Sacraments of circumcision and the paschal lamb The fifth proof THe fifth evidence of a Covenant past between the Father and the Son Mediatour to be incarnat is this Christ now incarnat doth ratifie all these things which the Father and Himself not yet incarnat and the holy Spirit had spoken in the old Testament about the salvation of the elect and the price of their redemption and of the conditions to be performed on either hand And as it were of new doth repeat and renew the covenant which before was past between the Father and Himself before He was incarnat for Luke 2. 49. speaking to Ioseph and His mother when He was about twelve years old He saith Wist ye not that I must be about My Fathers businesse and Matth. 3. 13. He presents Himself pledge and surety for sinners before the Father to be baptized for them with the baptism of affliction and to fulfill all righteousnesse as was agreed upon before vers 15. whereupon the Father doth receive and admit the surety and His undertaking for payment vers
water in a glasse which howsoever it be troubled and tossed remaineth most pure and free of all muddinesse Obj. But at least was there not a conflict in our Lord between his faith and the temptation to doubting Ans. We grant not only a conflict of Christs humane naturall strength with the burden of affliction but also a conflict and wrestling of his faith against the temptation to doubting for wrestling doth not alwayes argue the infirmity of the wrestler for the Angel who is called God Hos. 12. wrestles with Iacob and in God was no infirmity Again wrestling doth not argue alwayes infirmity but doth only evidence the wrestlers power and the importunat obstinacy of an adversary who being repulsed and cast down doth not at first leave the field but riseth up again insists and presseth on so long as it pleaseth the most powerfull party to suffer the adversary to make opposition Obj. But you must grant that in the conflict of Christs humane naturall strength with the affliction and burden of the punishment laid upon him by the Father he was overcome and succumbed and died Ans. Yes indeed but we must put a difference between the conflict of naturall strength with the burden of affliction and the conflict between faith and a temptation unto sin in the conflict of holy humane nature in Christ with the punishment of our sins laid on Him it was not a sin to have his naturall strength overpowered and to lye down under the burden and to lay down his life and die but it was a main part of His obedience it was the performance of His promise and undertaking to yield himself to Justice and to die for us that we might be delivered from death eternall But in the wrestling of His faith with the temptation unto doubting it had been a sin to have yielded in the least degree and that which could not consist with the perfect holinesse of the Mediatour Surety for sinners Obj. But did not the perplexity of His thoughts and the anxiety of His mind diminish something of the vigour and constancy of his faith Ans. It did diminish nothing of the vigour and constancy of His faith for there is a great difference between the troubling of the thoughts and the hesitation or weakening of faith as there is also a great difference between the perturbations of the mind and the perturbation of the conscience For as the mind may be troubled when in the consideration of some difficulty it cannot at first perceive an outgate mean-time the conscience remaining sound and quiet so may the work of the mind 's discoursing be interrupted and at a stay for a time faith mean time remaining untouched wholly sound and quiet For example upon the sudden receiving of a wound or upon an unexpected report of some great losse such as befell Iob the wheels of the reasoning faculty may be at a stand for a time and the conscience in the mean time be quiet yea and faith in the mean time remain strong as we see in Iobâ— first exercise Now if this may be found in an holy imperfect man in any measure why shall we not consider rightly of the exercise of the holy one of Israel suffering in His humane nature the punishment of our sin Let us consider but one of the passages of our Lords exercise Ioh. 12. 27. 28. Now saith He My Soul is troubled wherein behold the perplexity of His mind smitten with the horrour of the curse due to us coming upon Him then cometh forth what shall I say wherein behold reason standing mute and altogether silent only He lets forth the confession of His perplexity presently after this He subjoyneth Father save Me from this hour wherein behold Holy nature trembling and shrinking to fall into the wrath of the Father and according to the principles of holy nature testifying the simple abhorrency of His soul from such an evill as is the wrath of God His Father which had it not been for love to save our souls He could not have yielded his humane nature to endure or bear it therefore He considering that we were but lost for ever if He should not suffer wrath for us He repeats the sum of the Covenant of Redemption agreed upon But for this cause came I unto this hour And last of all shuts up His speech and exercise in the triumphing voice of victorious and untainted faith Father glorifie thy Name and here He resteth wherewith the Father is so well pleased as that from heaven He speaketh to the hearing of the multitude standing by I have both glorified it and will glorifie it again 10. Among the deepest degrees of the suffering of Christ in His soul we reckon that desertion whereof Christ on the crosse giveth an account crying out My God My God why hast Thou forsaken Me By which speech He doth not mean that then the personall union of the natures was in him dissolved nor yet that God had withdrawn His sustaining strength and help from the humane nature nor that the love of the Father was taken off him nor that any point of the perfection of holinesse was taken from him but his true intent is to shew that God for a time had taken away sensible consolation and felt joy from His humane Soul that so justice might in His sufferings be the more fully satisfied And this is the forsakeing of Him here given to us to understand In which desertion Christ is not to be looked upon simply as He is in His own person the Son of the Father in whom He is alwayes well pleased but as He standeth in the room of sinners Surety and Cautioner paying their debt In which respect He behoved to be dealt with as standing in our name guilty and paying the debt of being forsaken of God which we were bound to suffer fully and for ever if He had not interposed for us 11. The last degree of Christs sufferings wherein He may be said to have descended into hell so far as Scripture in the old Testament or the hystory of Christs passion in the new will suffer us to expound that expression is that curse wherein the full wrath of God and the dregs of that horrible cup was poured forth upon His holy humane nature while heaven and earth and hell seemed to conspire to take vengeance on Him and fully to punish our sins in the person of Him our Surety by that cursed death of the crosse which was the evidence foretold of the malediction of God lying on Him in so far as was necessary to compleet the punishment of losse and feeling both in soul and body And therefore not without ground have Orthodox divines taken-in Christs suffering in His soul and the detaining of His body in the grave put in as the close and last part of Christs sufferings as the true meaning of that expression He descended into hell not only because these pains which Christ suffered both in body and soul were
17. and Lo a voice from heaven saying this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and Ioh. 5. 39. He standeth to all things which were testified of Him in the Scriptures Search the Scriptures for in them ye think to have eternall life and they are they that testifie of Me. And vers 36. He professeth that all that He doth is with the Fathers consent and concurrence and that He came into the World that He might finish what the Father had sent Him to do and suffer which He calls His work that He was about And more specially He shews the agreement past between the Father and Him before He came into the world concerning his incarnation and the discharge of his Mediatory office and his power to give eternall life to those that believe in him for the Father sent him to be incarnat vers 37. and that he with the Father might give eternall life to whomsoever he will and might quicken the dead vers 21. and that he might exercise judgement authority was given to him as the Son of man vers 27. Yea he sheweth that it was agreed upon between the Father and him about all the doctrine which he should reach Iohn 8. 26. I speak to the World these things which I have heard of him and he sheweth that they were agreed about the price of redemption of the elect and about his resurrection from the dead and that his death did fully satisfie the Father Ioh. 10. 15. As the Father knoweth Me even so know I the Father and I lay down My life for the sheep and vers 17. therefore doth the Father love Me because I lay down My life that I might take it again and vers 18. this commandment have I received of the Father And Luke 24. 25. he propones in short the sum of the covenant past between the Father and himself speaking to the two disciples going to Emaus O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter in his own glory But most briefly he sheweth the whole mater so oft as he calleth the Father his God and that in respect of the covenant past between God and him to be incarnat and now incarnat indeed The sixth proof THe sixth evidence of the Covenant of Redemption past between the Father and the Son standeth in the heads and articles of the Covenant wherein they were agreed Now there are as many articles of the Covenant as there are injunctions commands and conditions required on the one hand and promises to fulfill all on the other hand as many predictions as there are of Christs sufferings and promises made to the Church through and for Him Of these many we shall touch only at four whereby the faith of believers in Him may be confirmed about their Redemption by Him and whereby the erroneous doctrine of them who evacuat the Covenant of redemption of the elect may be refuted wherein they teach that Christ by His obedience yielded unto the Father even to the death of the crosse did purchase no more but a possibility of salvation and no more grace for the elect then for the reprobat as if He had not purchased a certainty of salvation to be given to any but had suspended all the fruit of His suffering upon the frail mutable inconstant and corrupt free-will of men so that no man can by their doctrine have more certainty of their own salvation then they have of the certainty and stability of their own sickle mind and will and so no more certainty of their own salvation then of their own perdition The order we shall keep in speaking of the articles of the Covenant of Redemption shall be this The first article shall be of the persons redeemed The second article shall be of the price of Redemption to be payed by Christ in the fulnesse of time The third article shall be about the gifts and benefits purchased for and to be given unto the persons Redeemed The fourth article of this Covenant of redemption past between the Father and the Son shall be of the means and wayes whereby the gifts and benefits purchased may be wisely orderly and effectually applyed to the Redeemed In ranking of these articles we do not presuppose a priority of one of them before another in order of nature or time But we choose to speak of them in order of doctrine for our more easie understanding of the mater For the Covenant of Redemption past between the Father and the Son is by way of an eternall decree of the Trinity comprehending all and whatsoever belongeth to Redemption In the decerning of which decree there is not a first nor a last but a joint purpose of God to bring about and accomplish all the heads and articles of the Covenant each in their own due time order and way appointed The first article of the Covenant of Redemption concerneth the persons redeemed THe redeemed in Scripture are pointed forth under sundry expressions sometime they are called the predestinat sometime the elect sometime these whom God foreknew sometime they who are called according to His purpose sometime they that were given to Christ of the Father sometime Christs sheep sometime the children of God c. But whatsoever name they have the persons are the same according to that of the Apostle Rom. 8. 29. 30. whom He did foreknow them He did predestinat to be conform to the image of His Son Moreover whom He did predestinat them He also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified The number and the names of the persons here spoken of are the same and they are called the predestinat in regard that God hath appointed them to a certain end to wit eternall life to be brought thereunto effectually by certain means for the glory of Gods grace They are called elect vers 33. in regard God in the purpose of his good pleasure hath severed them from among the rest of men lying with them in the state of perdition by their own procurement and hath designed them to be partakers of eternall salvation They are called foreknown and written in the book of life in regard God hath comprehended them in his speciall love no lesse distinctly and unchangeably then if he had their names written in a catalogue or book And they are called given unto Christ in regard the redeeming of them and bringing them to life is committed to Christ. But by whatsoever name they are designed the persons redeemed are still the same 2. But whereas the elect given to Christ are called the redeemed it presupposeth that they were considered and looked upon as now fallen by their own fault and lying by their own merit in sin and misery enemies to God and altogether unable to help themselves For this much doth the notion of Redemption or buying-back again import and that it is so
is clear because the mercy of God the grace of God the good-will of God is put in Scripture for the only motive and impulsive cause of Redemption Ephes. 1. 7. 8. 9. In whom we have Redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himself 3. The Scripture sheweth us that there is an innumerable multitude of redeemed persons and a sort of universality of them extended unto all nations and ages and states of men so that this hudge multitude for whose redemption Christs blood was shed Matth. 26. 29. is justly called by the name of a world an elect world Ioh. 3. 16. to be called out of that reprobat world for which Christ refuseth to interceed Ioh. 17. 9. the truth of this mater the redeemed do acknowledge in their worshiping Christ their Mediatour Rev. 5. 9. and they sang a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kinred and tongue and people and nation These are the all men whom God will have saved and doth save 1 Tim. 2. 4. these are the all men of whom the Apostle speaks 2 Pet. 3. 9. God is patient toward us to wit his elect not willing that any of us should perish but that we all should come to repentance And this the Apostle giveth for a reason of the Lords deferring his coming till all the elect should be brought in of whom many were not yet converted in the Apostles time and many were not yet born and if Christ should not delay his coming till they were born and brought in to reconciliation with God the number of the elect should be cut short 4. In no place of Scripture is it said that all and every man are elect or every man is given to Christ or every man is predestinat unto life in no place of Scripture is it said that Christ hath made paction with the Father for all and every man without exception But by the contrary it is sure from Scripture that Christ hath merited and procured salvation for all them for whom he entered himself Surety Their sins only were laid on Christ and in him condemned satisfied for and expiat Isa. 53. for these and in their place he offered himself to satisfie Justice for them he prayed them only he justifieth and glorifieth for the sentence of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 15. standeth firm in Christ all are dead to the law for whom and in whose room Christ did die And therefore for these his people the law is satisfied from these the curse is taken away to them heaven and all things necessary to salvation are purchased and shall infallibly in due time yea invincibly be applied Christ hath not sanctified consecrat and perfected all and every one Heb. 10. 14. only for his sheep predestinat he laid down his life Iohn 10. 15. 16. 26. he did not buy with his blood all and every one but his Church called out and severed from the world Acts 20. 28. he saveth not all and every man from their sins but his own people only to wit whom he hath bought with his blood to be his own Matth. 1. 21. whom he hath purchased to be his own peculiar whom he doth purifie and kindle with a servent desire to bring forth good works Tit. 2. 14. Such as Christ hath redeemed he loveth them infinitly and counted them dearer to him then his life But many shall be found to whom Christ shall say I never knew you to wit with approbation and affection Matth. 7. 23. They for whom Christ hath died shall sometime glory against all condemnation but so shall not every man be able to glory Rom. 8. 34. 35. Christ never purposed to lay down his life for those whom going to die he refuseth to pray for only for those who are given to him out of the world will he pray and die and rise and will raise them to eternall life Ioh. 17. 9. So far is it from Gods purpose and Christs to redeem all and every man that he hath not decreed to give every nation so much as the externall necessary means for conversion and salvation Psal. 147. 19. 20. He sheweth his word unto Iacob his statutes and his judgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgements they have not known them And for this wise and holy course of hiding the mystery of salvation from many even wise men in the world Christ Jesus glorifieth and thanketh the Father Matth. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight The second article AS to the second article of the Covenant of Redemption concerning the price of Redemption and the sitting of the Redeemer for accomplishing the work of Redemption God would not have silver or gold or any corruptible thing 1 Pet. 1. 18. He refuseth all ransome that can come from a meer man Psal. 49. 8. But He would have His own co-eternall and only begotten Son to become a man to take on the yoke of the law and to do all His will that He alone might redeem the elect who by nature are under the curse of the law He would have Him the second Adam to be obedient even to the death of the crosse that by His obedience many might be justified Rom. 5. 19. This is clearly confirmed by the Apostle Heb. 10. 5. 6. 7. 10. commenting upon the 7. and 8. verses of Psal. 40. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure then said Christ coming into the world Lo I come in the volumne of the book it is written of Me to do thy will O God by the which will we are sanctified by the offering up of the blood of Iesus once for all 2. By Christs obedience we understand not only that which some call his active obedience nor that only which some call his passive obedience for his active and passive obedience are but two notions of one thing for his incarnation subjection to the law and the whole course of his life was a continued course of suffering and in all his suffering he was a free and voluntary agent fulfilling all which he had undertaken unto the Father for making out the promised price of Redemption and accomplishing what the Father had given him command to do His obedience even to the death of the crosse did begin in his emptying himself to take on our nature and the shape of a servant and did run on till his resurrection and ascension As for these his sufferings in
danger we were in but it was poured into him and not only on him that he for the sins of his redeemed should suffer it sensibly and as it were drink it that the bitternesse thereof might affect all the powers of soul and body for the Scripture testifies that not only upon the sight and apprehension of this wrath and curse coming on him the holy humane nature did holily abhor it but also that he submitted to receive it upon the consideration of the divine decree and agreement made upon the price to be payed by him and that upon the feeling of this wrath this agony in his soul and bloody sweat of his body was brought on Obj. But how could the pouring forth of the Fathers wrath upon his innocent and dear Son consist with his Fatherly love to him Ans. Even as the innocency and holiness of Christ could well consist with his taking upon him the punishment of our sins for even the wrath of a just man inflicting capitall punishment on a condemned person put case his own child can well consist with fatherly affection toward the child suffering punishment therefore it is not to be doubted but these two can well consist in God in whom affections do not war one with another nor sight with reason as it falleth forth among men for the affections ascribed unto God are effects rather of his holy will toward us then properly called affections in him and these effects of Gods will about us do alwayes tend to our good and blessednesse at last however diverse one from another in themselves 9. Among the degrees of the sufferings of Christs soul we may number not only the perturbation of his mind and thoughts but also the perturbation of his affections and especially his fear for his humane nature was like unto ours in all things except sin and was indeed feared when it saw and felt the wrath of God least it should have been swallowed up by it and of this fear the Apostle Heb. 5. 7. beareth witnesse saying who in the dayes of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications and strong cryes and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared Now albeit this seemeth the saddest passage of all his sufferings that he was feared for being swallowed up yet this his fear is not to be wondered at nor is it inconsistent with his holinesse for when Christ assumed our nature as hath been said he assumed also all the common and sinless infirmities passions and perturbations of our nature Now it is kindly that the creature at the sight of an angry God should tremble for we read that the rocks and mountains have trembled before God when he did let forth his terrour and it is naturall to man at the sight of a terrible object at the sight of a perill and evill coming upon him but much more already come upon him especially if the evill and perill be above all his naturall strength to tremble and fear the worst and this becometh holy nature very well to fear present death off-cutting perdition and swallowing up in the danger when God appeared angry and was hasting to be avenged on sinners in the person of their Surety what could the humane soul of Christ gather from this terrible sight but that which sense and reason did teach In the mean time there was no place here for his doubting of the issue and his escapeing from being swallowed up for naturall fear of the manly nature arising from the infirmity of the creature differs very far from the fear arising from the infirmity of faith in Gods faithfulnesse and power and naturall fear of the worst can very well stand with the strength of faith to overcome the naturall fear for as the sensitive appetite may abhor a bitter cup of medicine and cause all the body tremble for fear to take it while in the mean time the man by reason is resolved to drink that bitter cup of medicine because he confidently hopeth to help his health thereby so naturall fear in Christ to taste of the cup of wrath could very well consist with strong faith and assurance to be delivered therefrom for it is very sutable that faith should as far overcome the naturall apprehension of sense and reason naturall as reason doth overcome sense in drinking a loathsom and bitter cup of medicine And to clear this yet further that extream fear to be swallowed up of wrath could well consist in Christ with strong faith to overcome and bear out that terrible wrath Let it be considered that as it was needfull Christ should be subject to the infirmity of naturall strength that he might suffer death so it was needfull that he should have strong faith to inable him to bear out in a holy way that which he behoved to suffer for if on the one hand Christ had not been weakned and emptied of all humane strength in his flesh he could not have been humbled enough for us he could not have suffered so much as Justice did exact for satisfaction for us and on the other hand if he had not stood firm in faith and love toward Gods glory and our salvation he could not have satisfied Justice nor been still the innocent and spotlesse lamb of God nor have perfected the expiatory sacrifice for us Obj. But was he not tempted to doubt by Satan Ans. We grant that he was indeed tempted by Satan to doubt yea we shall not stand to grant that he was tempted to desperation But we altogether deny that he was tainted with sin by temptation in the least degree for the Scripture saith he was tempted in all things like unto us but yet without sin in him or yielding in any sort to any temptation And seing by the Evangelist Matth. 4. we understand that he was tempted in the wildernesse by the devil unto the most horrible sins that Satan could devise and yet was not stained or polluted in the least degree with the least measure of yielding to the sinfull temptations we need not stand to grant that he might be tempted or that he was tempted unto doubting and desperation for this was among the most notable and prime temptations whereby Satan in his impudent boldnesse sollicited the Son of God very God and man in one person even to doubt of that what Satan knew he was If thou be the Son of God saith he It is true indeed that we who are sinners by nature and corrupted in all the powers of our soul cannot be tempted tossed and troubled but therein our sinfull nature in some measure may appear and be polluted But the mater was not so with our holy Lord the God of glory who was separat from sinners for our impure nature is like to water in a pudle which being stirred doth presently become muddy and foul but the holy humane nature of Christ was altogether pure like unto clear and pure fountain
cannot submit themselves to the truth yet this doctrine is found to be most true for Christ the Redeemer teacheth us Math. 22. 14. that many are called and few are chosen And the Apostle teacheth us the same for Rom. 9. 15. he citeth Moses to prove the point I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion and ver 18. God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom â—e will he hardeneth And the Evangelist Ioh. 12. 37 38 39 40. teacheth us that there is a number to whom God hath decreed not to give grace to believe in Christ albeit they shall hear him preached unto them from Isa. 6. 9 10. but to the Elect only ver 13. And chap. 53. 1. he teacheth that few shall believe in Christ yea none save the Elect to whom the arm of the Lord shall be revealed And our Lord Jesus teacheth the same Ioh. 6. 37 44. that all the Elect shall come to him and that no moe then the father shall powerfully draw unto him can come unto him Obj. But there is another forged way of propounding this covenant which sundry learned men hold forth who have made many disciples and followers of their opinion because of the seeming plausibleness of their doctrine wherein they teach that Christ Jesus hath died not only for all sorts of men but also for all and every man as well for them that perish as for them that are saved and that albeit he hath not purchased righteousness and life eternal determinatly to any man yet he hath purchased by this universal redemption power to every mans free-will to believe in Christ and persevere in his obedience without any speciall operation of the holy Spirit in one more then another And this power of mans free-will wherewith every child of Adam they say is born they call by the name of universall grace albeit in effect it is nothing but universall unrenewed nature common to every man Ans. We answer how learned soever the teachers of such doctrine seem to be yet in this doctrine they are not taught of God Over such mens learning and wisdom Christ doth glory Math. 11. 25. saying I thank thee O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight Therefore of such doctrine we say that it is false and contrair unto Scripture how plausible so ever it seem to proud sinners yea it is a mocking of Christ and an hinderance of mens repentance and conversion unto God 1. Their doctrine is contrair to Scripture because contrair to the covenant of Redemption wherein the Father and the Son Mediatour are agreed upon the persons to be redeemed to wit the elect only given unto the Son to be redeemed and agreed upon the price of their Redemption to wit the obedience of Christ even to the death of the crosse and agreed upon the graces and gifts to be given to the elect to wit all saving graces as faith repentance perseverance and whatsoever belongs to righteousnesse and eternall life and agreed upon the means and way of gathering in the redeemed out of all tongues and kindreds and nations prudently and prosperously as is proven from Scripture Chap. 4. and shall be more confirmed in the next following chapter 2. Their doctrine it mocketh Christ because it chargeth Christ with folly in His making covenant so as neither Gods justice nor mans common wisdom would allow to lay down the price of his blood and not be sure who should be saved by his blood to pay as much for Iudas as for Peter to redeem all and every man and yet put the disposing of the benefit of Redemption and fruit of his death out of his own hand into the hand of mens free-will to make of it something or nothing as they pleased to buy a possibility unto men to save themselves actually without the speciall grace of the holy Ghost and to cut himself off from having the glory of the actuall conversion of sinners as far as he is from the blame of mens remaining in sin and infidelity for they say he hath purchased alike power to all and every mans free-will to beleeve or remain in infidelity as they please if they use it ill bear they the blame if they use it well they have the praise They make him to lay down his life for all and every man and to purchase unto all and every one power to believe in him and yet never to purpose to make offer of the Gospel to the thousand part of men These and many moe blemishes they cast by their doctrine upon the wisdom and power and grace of our Lord Jesus who is infinitely wise and holy in all his doings 3. This doctrine is a great hinderance of mens repentance and conversion unto God and to the exercise of all holy duties for whosoever believeth this their doctrine he cannot renounce nor deny his own wit worth and ability that he may come humbly unto Christ and follow him but he must stand to this conceit of himself which this doctrine teacheth him yea such a man cannot say to God in humble and hearty prayer open mine eyes that I may behold the wonders of thy Law and teach me thy statutes he cannot in earnest say with David incline my heart to thy testimonies and not unto covetousnesse for he hath in his conceit this power of free-will in himself by common gift to every man he cannot heartily thank God if he seem to himself to do any good for giving him both to will and to do of his good pleasure for this he hath in his own hand as this deceitfull doctrine perswadeth him Obj. But some there are who maintain the decree of Redemption and covenant between God and Christ which in substance is one with the decree to be absolute concerning the powerfull and invincible conversion perseverance and salvation of the elect but concerning the rest of the world they tell us of a conditionall decree of saving every one who shall believe in Christ Jesus which doth make some difference from what is said before Ans. There is indeed an offer to be made to all the hearers of the Gospel to whom God in his providence doth send his messengers who are appointed to make offer of peace and reconciliation through Christ upon condition of hearty receiving it even to such as the Lord knoweth will reject the offer altogether against whom his sent messengers are to shake off the dust of their feet for a witnesse against them Matth. 10. 13. 14. 15. which accordingly was done by Paul and Barnabas Acts 13. 46. 51. and our Lord made offer of himself to his covenanted people the Jews who did not receive him Ioh. 1. 11 12. and this is to be done according to one of the articles of the covenant of
faith in Christ bestowed on himself now in experience hath flowed from that fountain of Gods love and free grace through Christ. Except this order be keeped a man cannot warrantably and with confidence and comfort make application of these covenants Hence it followeth that it is a preposterous and perilous course which some do follow and presse others to follow that presently upon the hearing of the Gospel every man should believe that Christ hath died for him for Christ calleth no man warrandeth no man to come to him except he first do acknowledge his sins and himself to be worthy of wrath condemnation and hell for his sins and to be utterly unable to save himself by any mean save by Christ for Luke 5. 32. Christ saith I came not to call the righteous but sinners unto repentance Neither doth Christ require of any man to believe himself to be of the number of Christs sheep for whom he laid down his life except he come by faith as a lost sinner to him and submit himself to his doctrine and discipline and pastorall care over him for Ioh. 17. 9. Christ saith I pray not for the world but for these thou hast given me out of the world and no man shall know that himself is given of the Father to Christ till first he come in the order foresaid unto Christ and when he is come to Christ resolveth to abide with him then may he say the Father hath given me to Christ and drawn me to Christ for this is the mark which Christ giveth Ioh. 6. 37. All that the Father hath given unto me shall come to me And again vers 44. No man cometh unto me except the Father draw him 3. There is an order alâ—o to be observed in the application of the graces offered in the Gospel for in the Evangel first Christ himself is offered as the only and sufficient remedy against sin and misery and next unto the person that receiveth Christ heartily all Christs benefits are promised to come to him by Christ and are to be found in and through Christ such as are Justification Adoption the indwelling of the holy Ghost love joy peace gentlenesse bounty fidelity meekness temperance and other Christian graces Gal 5. 22. for no man hath right unto Christs benefits before he be a believer in Christ. But so soon as a man in the foresaid order is fled unto Christ and hath laid hold on him by faith straight way a door and entresse is opened unto him unto the rich treasure of grace and right is given to him unto all the benefits of Christ for all the promises are yea and amen not before a man come to Christ not to a man without Christ but they are all yea and a men in Christ. 4. Therefore they wrong both God and their own selves who when they come unto the throne of grace do prescribe unto God another order of working then he hath set down in his word craving in the first place consolation and sensible peace in their conscience felt in their hearts and that God would work some such saving graces in their heart which the reprobat cannot counterfit which directions if God will take off their hand and bestow his graces on them sensibly as they prescribe unto him then they will stand oblieged to continue in the faith of Christ but if they find not their directions obeyed and their petitions in their order granted then with grief of heart they begin to complain and to pretend that they dare not approach unto God or Christ so long as these petitions are not first granted and felt to be granted This temptation doth invert and overturn the order of Goâ—s calling for Christ doth not call unto him well-doers or these that do found their faith upon their own good behaviour and lean to their own works which they desire to find in themselves before they fasten faith on Christ but Christ doth call sinners in their own sense and acknowledgment who renounce all confidence in their own works past present or to come He calleth such as are lost in their own sense and do feel themselves utterly unable so much as to think a good thought of themselves that they may be cloathed with the imputed righteousnesse of Christ and indued with the spirit of sanctification by him and Christs will is that they who believe in him abide in him and suck by faith out of him as the branches do suck sap out of the tree grace to bring forth fruits more and more abundantly for this is the order which Christ doth prescribe unto his disciples Ioh. 15. 5. He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing Whosoever therefore will not believe in Christ or do think it is not lawfull to approach unto him till first they find in themselves amendment of life and evident fruits of saving faith they do in effect change the condition of the covenant of grace and do suspend their faith in Christ till they find works to build upon when it were their duty the more they feel their barrennesse so much the more straitly to lay hold on Christ and hold him fast and ply him with earnest supplications to make good his promise to them who do abide in him Ioh. 15. 5. 5. It is necessary to presse every man who doth believe his justification by faith that he be carefull to observe the morall law or ten commands as the perpetuall and unchangeable rule of good works prescribed of God for Christ came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it Matth. 5. 17. He hath indeed unto believers in him dissolved the covenant of the law not only by his doctrine teaching them that by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified in the sight of God because by the law is the knowledge of sin gotten but no absolution from sin Rom. 3. 20. But also by absolving every believer in him that walketh not after the flesh but after the spirit from all condemnation Rom. 8. 1â— Mean while he hath not broken the yoke of obedience of the law from off the believer as he hath broken off the yoke of the covenant of works but by the contrair he prescribes to them who come unto him for remission of sin that they take on his yoke upon them and bring forth works of new obedience Matth. 11. 29. and this is the order which the Apostle doth prescribe Tit. 3. 8. This is a faithfull saying and these things I will thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men 6. The moral precepts of the law are so to be pressed that the hearers whether un-converted or converted may by them whether in some measure obeyed or disobeyed be driven to Christ that the law may ever in some sort be a pedagogue unto Christ for before conversion
and of the duty required of them that are delivered by Christ. The second is a false religion or damnable errour in judgment about the maters of salvation and Gods worship In which errour so long as a sinner doth lye he cannot be humbled for the damnable course he is in or put question about his way The third is dissembled unbelief and atheism covered over with gross hypocrisie which under hand doth reject the rule of examination The fourth is the brutish stupidity of the cauterized conscience The fifth is a vain pretense of fear to examine themselves least it drive them to desperation The sixth is a lazy delaying of examination from day to day The seventh is immoderat care for things of this life 4. Concerning all these impediments hindering self-examination these three things are observable in general 1. albeit all or some of these evils may fall upon the reprobat yet are they not their proper maladies for some of the elect before their regeneration may lye for a time under one or moe of these evils Wherefore the Pastor hoping the best of all because he knoweth not the marks of reprobation must deal with all his hearers to guard them against all these evils that the elect whom God will bless with the faith and obedience of his commands may be saved Secondly we must distinguish between a voluntary examination of the conscience whereunto the godly do in their best condition set themselves daily and a forced examination and wakning up of the conscience whether the sinner will or not This sort of examination may come either by preaching of the Word an example whereof we have in â—elix the Governour who at the hearing Pauls discourse of vertues and vices fell a trembling Act. 24. 25. Or this wakening of the conscience may come by affliction whereof we have an example of Ioseph's brethren whose consciences did lye sleeping securely under the guilt of distressing their brother Ioseph but by affliction at length were wakened Gen. 42. 21. The Pastors part here is not only to exhort men to a voluntair examination of themselves but also by the sword of the spirit must labour to open the apostums of proud sinners discovering unto them as occasion serveth their wickedness and denouncing the wrath of God against them if possibly the Lord shall give them repentance as he did to the hearers of Peter Act. 2. 37. Thirdly let not a Preacher be too sollicit and anxious about the success of his labours when he hath to do with obstinat sinners whose consciences cannot be wakened neither by challenges nor threatnings nor exhortations But after he hath used means publickly and privately let him commit the mater unto God who will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth It may suffice him that all Christs sheep will at length hear his voice Only let not the Pastor despair utterly of any man but even toward those that are excommunicat let him follow such a course as may reduce them unto repentance as the Apostle giveth direction 2 Thess. 3 14 15. For removing of the first impediment of self-examination BUt that we may speak more particularly of the cure of these seven evil diseases for removing of the first impediment to wit gross ignorance it is not needfull to say much of catechetick instruction seing in all Churches it is presupposed there is some form of a Catechise wherein the rudiments of saving knowledge are set down by way of question and answer for the use of children and of the ruder sort come to years Only we offer to those that intend the holy ministery this overture for disposing and preparing people for a more easie up-taking of some formed Catechise Because most part of formed Catechises are somewhat larger then they can be read at one time or being read can be explicat any other way then by parcels so many questions and answers at one time and so many at another time which how hardly it can be all explicat to the whole congregation in a long time experience may bear witness therefore it may serve to good purpose if so many of the ruder and ignorant sort as may well be gathered together into one place at one time the Pastor should profess before them all that he purposeth to hold forth unto them a short sum of saving doctrine in six or seven heads of doctrine so that in the space of an hour or thereby before they dissolve their meeting they may if they be attentive and willing to learn have some measure of found light and understanding of the grounds of true religion After which preface used let him so shortly or plainly as he is able speak something first of the creation of the world by God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost the only one true God in three persons and something also of the creation of Adam and Eve our first parents according to Gods Image in wisdom holiness and happiness and something of the covenant of works made between God and them including their posterity the summe of which covenant is this Do this and live but if thou sin thou shalt die Secondly let him speak somewhat of the breach of the covenant of works by our first parents in whose loynes we are all made guilty of death according to the tenor of that covenant Thirdly let him speak of the remedy provided in the counsell of God before time but revealed timously after the fall of our first parents to wit the covenant of Redemption between God and God the Son designed Mediatour Christ Jesus our Lord the sum whereof is Gen. 3. 15. the seed of the woman shall tread down the head of the serpent c. That is to say it is agreed in the counsell of God that the second person shall be born of a woman and suffer for the sins of the elect and destroy sin and death the works of the devil Fourthly let him speak of the covenant of grace and reconciliation between God and believers in Christ the summe whereof is this whosoever do acknowledge their sin and flye to Jesus Christ for relief from sin and wrath shall not perish but have eternall life Fifthly let him speak of the two seals of this covenant to wit Baptisme and the Lords Supper whereby the covenant with the benefits held out therein to all believers is sealed Sixthly let him speak of the necessity of amendment of life and bringing forth of good works for glorifying God and probation of the sincerity of their â—aith Last of all let him speak of the day of Judgment when Christ shall come in the clouds and perfect to all his elect and believers in him all his promises of righteousness and eternal life and cast all the wicked and unreconciled into the fire of hell The same course may be taken with ruder ignorants in private whose conscience is wakened with terrour After that about the space of an hour
let the convert thus mistaken after his experience felt that he hath been carnally confident not be discouraged as if his confidence which he seemed to have placed on God were altogether vain and in no degree spiritual but let him first be humbled before God and submit himself to the Lords rod let him acknowledge the wisdom justice and mercy of God who hath removed this prop of carnal confidence and reduced him from going astray to depend more on God then he hath done 2. Let him strengthen his faith in Christ according to the renor of the covenant of Grace and that so much the more as he finds his own unrighteousnesse in following and relying on creature-comforts to have been great 3. Let him set his affections upon things spiritual which are above the earth and to be found in Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of the Father Col. 3. 1. 23. and to loose his estimation and affection from these things that are on earth 4. Because this sicknesse is not well observed except in the time of adversity let the afflicted person approvâ— himself in the point of sincerity of adherence unto God by his trusting in God now when he wanteth means and creature-comforts as Iob did who in this condition blessed God for the giving of the benefits and blessed God at the removing of them from him Iob. 1. 21. For by so doing he shall learn both to have and want and in every condition to be content as the Apostle was taught Phil 4. 12. and this is for the first sort of carnal confidence The other sort of carnal confidence is that which too much leaneth to some apparent measure of the operation and fruits of the holy Spirit observed by the convert in himself and this sicknesse may be taken up and perceived chiefly by comparison of the converts stronger confidence of the love of God toward him so long as he can find evidencâ— signes of his regeneration and work of the holy Spirit 〈◊〉 himself with â—is weaker confidence of the love of God toward him under the cloud of descrtion or under some powerfull temptation when these evident signes of his conversion are darkened or do not appear so clearly unto himself as they did 〈◊〉 In which case his confidence is greatly weakned and his faith not a little shaken with doubting In both the one and the other condition the câ—venant of Grace standeth fixed and the promises of the Gospel remain the same and the convert still adhereth to the covenant and claimeth interest in Christ more or lesse confident Whence cometh then this difference between his former confidence which was strong and his weaker confidence now in the change of his case being brought low Certainly it proceedeth from the smiting of the pillar whereupon his former confidence was too much fixed for whensoever the mist is cleared up and he findeth the livelynesse of the work of grace in himself his confidence convalesceth and returns to it 's former strength as it seemeth to him and when his graces are darkened he falleth in a languishing weaknesse of faith This sicknesse is so frequently incident to the Saints that few shall be found who are not again and again overtaken in it for how few are they who are not much more confident when they find a heart freely poured forth in prayer when they injoy the peace of God in their heart when the love of God is shed abroad in their heart when they find the consolations of the holy Spirit when they observe the â—ruits of the holy Spirit in themselves when the candle of the Lord shineth in their soul and the tokens of Gods savour toward them are manifest and on the other hand when they find their spiritual condition changed when darknesse falleth on their spirit when they find themselves unfit for worship and unable to do service but most of all when they perceive tokens of fatherly wrath against them super-added unto the foresaid evils in this case who is he that beside the inevitable perturbation of mind incident to those who are strongest in faith doth not find a diminution of his former confidence and a conflict with temptations fears doubts and difficulties which diminution and abating of his confidence in his tryals and inward exercises doth evidently prove that in his best condition he hath laid too much weight upon on the mutable disposition of his soul and hath not so stucken to the Word of Gods grace through Jesus as became him 2. That this sicknesse may be the more easily cleared and cured it is expedient to answer some questions which being discussed may inform and edifie the afflicted Question 1. THe first question which the afflicted may propound is this Seing the signes of Gods favour manifested in the bestowing and continuing of common benefits and gifts outward and inward do certainly serve to confirm a mans faith in God is it not very reasonable to say that the signes of Gods wrath manifested in the removing of those benefits do certainly serve to debilitat and weaken a mans faith Ans. 1. Signs of Gods favour and signs of Gods wrath are not inconsistent because God can carry love and favour to a man and be angry at him also for the present ill disposition wherein he is for love and fatherly wrath are not opposit and inconsistent but love and hatred are inconsistent 2. Let it be granted that any signes whatsoever of Gods favour may be made use of by the convert for strengthening of his faith yet it must not be granted that the taking away of those signes of favour should be made use of for weakening of a mans faith For many things may encourage a man to do his duty which being removed must not discourage him or justly hinder him to do his duty 3. There is a great difference between the man who never found any other sign of Gods favour beside prosperity in common benefits and the man who beside common benefits hath felt a work of grace upon his spirit bringing him unto the sense of sin and chasing him to Christ and making him to take on his yoke The first sort of men can neither from the having nor wanting or removal of common benefits conclude eh is loved or hated for so are we taught Eccles. 9. 1 2 No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before him all things come alike to all c. But a man of this sort hath reason to judge that the sending on him adversity and wakening of him out of a flâ—shly and deadly security doth speak more of Gods favour to him then his prosperity did And this other sort of men who have felt a work of special grace on their hearts may make use both of their prosperity and adversity for confirmation of their faith 4. Put case that a convert chased unto Christ in the sense of his sin and resolved to bear Christs yoke upon him shall find common benefits taken back
walking shall be found in him scrupulosity SOmetime it cometh to passe that the convert being under hard exercise before his consolation doth put on the whole armour of God and studieth to walk circumspectly for a while but after a time he becometh somewhat weary of the yoke suspecting he hath given too much way unto scrupulosity whereupon he becometh more remisse and slack in his watchfulnesse and diligence laying aside the armour of God as David laid aside the armour of King Saul wherewith he was not accustomed For satisfying himself in this course I presuppone he maketh use of three pretended reasons The first is because it is impossible for any man to attain to such circumspection in his carriage as becometh him for it is no lesse then to aim at perfect obedience of the law which the Apostle hath declared to be impossible because of the weaknesse of the flesh Rom. 8. 3. The next pretended reason is because this bending of a mans spirit maketh the conscience unquiet that a man cannot injoy the peace of God granted in the Gospel The third pretended reason is because it doth restrain christian liberty in many things lawfull so as a man can neither make use of recreation of body or mind without scruple and here we must beware on the one hand lest we give way to any degree of mis-regarding the law which is the error of the Antinomians and on the other hand lest we insnare the conscience of converts and hinder them in the lawfull use of what God doth allow unto them 2. For remedy of this evil let the convert know that there is a necessity of aiming at circumspect walking This duty is indispensable for if a chink be opened here in the vessel for the least entry of water it may ere long fill and sink the whole ship for the command standeth unmoveable â—hâ—b 12. 14. Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. And 1 Pet. 1. 15. As he that hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation And Mat. 5. 48. Christ hath said Be ye perfect as your father in heaven is perfect This ground being laid let us examine these three pretended reasons As to the first albeit the attaining unto the perfect obedience of the Law in this life be impossible because of the infirmity of corrupt nature yet the aiming at the perfect obedience of Gods Commands is both possible and profitable and he who aimeth at perfection of obedience in this life shall attain it fully in the life to come It is one thing to give perfect obedience unto the Law for in many things we do sin all of us another thing to endeavour according to the measure of grace given to obey the Law perfectly For God who hath loosed converts fled to Christ from the convenant of Works or the covenant of the Law he hath not loosed his subjects from obedience to the Law-giver he hath not abolished the ten Commands he hath not loosed the duties of the redeemed and converted souls but by receiving them in favour through faith in Christ he doth augment their obligation to serve the Lord their Redeemer so much more chearfully and carefully as the grace is large in forgiving them their sins and translating them from the slavery of sin and Sathan into the kingdom of Christ. Again albeit it be true that it is impossible to attain perfect obedience unto the Law yet there is great advantage to be had by circumspect walking and aiming at perfect obedience for this 1. doth glorifie our heavenly Father when we strive to be conform to his will and to have respect to all his commands 2. This endeavour adorneth the Gospel and profession of our most holy faith whereby we lay hold on the grace of free justification that we may become the servants of righteousnesse indeed 3. This endeavour beareth witnesse of our sinceâ— desire to serve God with all our heart albeit we attain not to the perfection of obedience in this life 4. This endeavour giveth unto us daily new mater of humiliation when in our aiming at our duty we come very short of our mark we shoot at 5. This endeavour and short-coming for all we can do maketh us despair of seeking justification by works before God and to esteem highly and make use by faith of Christs satisfaction for us imputed to us for righteousnesse which is a garment able to hide our imperfections and nakednesse 6. This endeavour to walk circumspectly puts us to the exercise of all christian graces and to strive with others and with our selves to perfect holinesse in the fear of God 3. As for the second pretended reason that this endeavour to walk circumspectly may make the conscience unquiet it puts a foul aspersion on the holy precept of the Apostle Ephes. 5. 15 16 17. who hath declared this to be a mans wisdom and so a good mean of making his conscience quiet and to establish in it the peace of God For by this endeavour to walk circumspectly believers in Christ are assured that they are without the reach of condemnation because they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8. 1. Secondly this endeavour is the evidence of a good conscience which accompanyeth true faith and in a maner doth guard the conscience from just challenges which might trouble the same Thirdly by this endeavour the believer is by a holy necessity forced to cleave closse unto Christ to converse with him in heaven that the pollution of daily sin may be washen away by new application of Christs expiarory sacrifice to the believer and that Christ may let forth more strength to him to walk in the way of commanded duties and so the convert may stand in the grace of God Thus the peace of God offered and covenanted in the Gospel is preserved in him so long as this endeavour to walk circumspectly is entertained 4. As for the third pretended reason against circumspect walking as if by it Christian-liberty shall be crossed and cut short it is a false pretense for the contrair is true that Christian-liberty is not hurt but helped and preserved by circumspect walking for this is true Christian-liberty to have allowance of the use of the benefits which God doth bestow with his blessing so far as may serve our well-fare seing it is not a point of Christian-liberty licentiously by intemperance to abuse Gods benefits and turn them to our own hurt Wherefore let our heart be all day in the fear of God that we may in lawfull manner make use of lawfull things neither doth the study of holinesse make recreations of body and mind unlawfull but restraineth immoderat and untimeous use of things lawfull All that Christian liberty granteth unto us is that whether we eat or drink or what lawfull thing else we do we do all for the glory of God 1 Cor. 10. 31. that is so as we may be
aiming to walk as reconciled children and servants unto God uprightly laying forth their burdens and desires before him daily all these I say are believers in Christ and may assure themselves of reconciliation for there is no more in the Apostles and Ministers commission required for entering of the humbled sinner into a covenant of friendship save this we request you in Gods name and in the name of God incarnat Jesus Christ the Mediatour we beseech you be reconciled to God v. 20. Now we judge that humbled sinners fled to Christ and purposing to amend their lives by his grace will not be found unwilling to accept this offer of reconciliation but will declare their hearty consent to this offer and so may be convinced that a covenant is closed between God and them and that God hath given unto them saving faith how weak soever it seemeth unto them for the consenting unto and accepting of this offer is the condition required for entering in covenant and the proper act of saving faith Fifthly the Apostle holdeth forth the ground-right of this covenant and reason whereupon the sinner fled to Christ may be assured of justification because in the covenant of Redemption past between God in three persons on the one hand and the second person of the God-head as Mâ—diaâ—oâ— and perfect Redeemer by price-paying on the other hand it is agreed finally ended and decreed that Christs satisfaction made for the imbracer of this offered reconciliation shall as certainly make the believer judicially righteous and justifie him as Christ was judicially made sin or a sacrifice for the sins of the redeemed for God saith he v. 21. hath made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Therefore as Christ the only Mediator by accepting the covenant of Redemption had the sins of the redeemed imputed unto him albeit there was no sin at all nor could be in him and was punished for them unto the death of the crosse So the humbled sinner by flying unto Christ and accepting the offered covenant of reconciliation hath Christs satisfaction imputed unto him albeit he can see nothing in himself but a masse of inherent sin and shall not enter into condemnation but be brought to life-eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord. Both the covenant of Redemption made with Christ in the Redeemers name and the covenant of Reconciliation made with us through Christ are of Gods making and so must stand and cannot be dis-annulled for ever The other place 1 Cor. 1. 30. holdeth forth the right which God hath made to the believer unto the unsearchable riches of Christ whereunto the weakest believer fled from sin and wrath unto Christ as the refuge and perfect remedy from both may claim namely wisdom righteousnesse sanctification and redemption by him and that by covenant and decree registrat in this and other places of Scripture as judicially declared and adjudged unto all and every believer in him So that they may and should make use of Christ as made unto them wisdom to direct them justification to justifie them sanctification to perfect them peece and peece in holinesse and redemption to support them under and deliver them from all bonds of misery For the better understanding of this rich passage we shall take it up in four sentences pronounced from the holy Spirit by the Apostle in every one whereof these three things are insinuat and imported first our need of Christ 2. his ingaged help and supply and 3. our duty to lay hold upon and make use of him according to the right and interest in him made unto every believer The first sentence is this Christ is made unto us wisdom which importeth first that not only we are by nature blind and ignorant of our sin and misery blind and ignorant of the way of salvation and right maner of serving God but also after that we are illuminat by grace and made in some measure to know our last condition and to flye unto Christ for delivery we are compassed about with much darknesse and foggy mists of doubts errors and mistakes and have need to be in every step of our way directed and powerfully taught by Christs Word and Spirit to know what is that good and acceptable will of God Secondly it importeth that as Christ is the treasure of all wisdom and knowledge who hath revealed in the Scriptures the whole counsell of God concerning our salvation So he is judicially made over unto us as anointed Prophet to his Church to make known unto us the way of life by his Word and Spirit Thirdly it imports our duty to receive him as the great gift of God and to give up our selves to his teaching to imploy him and depend upon him as Prophet appointed to us for direction by his Word what to believe and how to live before God Whereupon the weakest believer may trust in him for guiding them in the use of the Scripture and exercise of the means appointed by him unto salvation because he is made of God unto us wisdom and intimation thereof is made by his Apostle The second sentence is this Christ is made of God unto us righteousnesse which presupponeth first that we are by nature destitute of righteousnesse condemâ—ed as unrighteous by the law and unable to deliver our selves from condemnation and when we are fled to Christ and delivered from condemnation that we are not able to stand in that state but by our daily sins wherein we fall do deserve to be condemned as unrighteous Secondly it imports that Christ is not only righteous in himself and able to satisfie divine justice for our sins but also hath undertaken to pay and actually hath payed the price of our redemption by his obedience unto the Father even to the dâ—ath of the Crosse and hath taken on him the office of high Priest to apply unto us absolution from our sins make us accepted and to be dealt with as righteous and to keep us in that blessed estate by his intercession Thirdly it imports our duty to lay hold on Christ our Cautioâ—er by vertue of our right and interest in him granted and intimat unto us and so to rest on him that whatsoever Sathan Conscience or Law violat by us shalâ— say we who are fâ—ed from sin and wrath to him may oppose this sentence of our absolution registrat here Christ is made unto us righteousnesse judicially by the decree and decreet of God The third sentence is this Christ is made unto us of God sanctification which presupponeth that in the justified believer there are remaining still the reliques of sin inherent from which we are not able of our selves to deliver our selves but have need of divine power to mortifie sin in us and to repair the image of God by increasing holinesse in us Secondly it importeth that Christ the Mediator the holy one of Israel hath not only payed the price of our redemption
for removing of our guiltinesse and saving us from condemnation but also hath undertaken to the Father to write his law in our heart and at last to present us perfect without spot or blemish for which end he hath taken by appointment the threefold office of Prophet Priest and King Thirdly it imports that it is our duty to lay hold upon this rich gift and right intimat unto us judicially from God and whatsoever commanded duty we are to go about we do it in the name of Christ sucking by faith sap and vertue from him to bring forth good fruits holy and acceptable to God through him Because Christ the second person of the God-head incarnat is made unto us and judicially intimat from God to us our sanctification The fourth sentence is this Christ is made of God unto us redemption which importeth first that we who have fled from sin and wrath unto Christ and are justified by faith and begun to be sanctified are yoked in a warfare with our sinfull flesh the world and Sathan being subject to many miseries in this life and to death natural and the grave In which warfare we are not of our selves able to stand nor to deliver our selves from the miseries whereunto we are subject except by divine power we be supported brought thorow and saved Secondly it imports that Christ not only hath payed a satisfactory price for our redemption and is able to deliver us from all sin and misery against the power of whatsoever adversary but also that he hath undertaken the work and hath by compact with the Father obliged himself to deliver us powerfully from all sin and misery and to overcome to our behoove all our enemies and tread them underfoot and that he is judicially established in his kingly office and made over to us for our assurance by decreet intimat to us Thirdly it importeth our duty that by vertue of the right and gift of Christ God-man made over unto us by Gods decreet now intimat we should rely by faith on him as the pledge of perfecting our salvation throughly and fight out our battels against all adversar powers and all miseries in his strength rejoycing in his victory over all our enemies for God hath made him unto uâ— redemption CHAP. II. Wherein the regenerat mans doubt of his being in the state of grace by reason of his felt unworthinesse is answered THese premised considerations may serve for the more easie solution of doubts and particular cases wherein the regenerat man may be troubled about his being in the state of grace For which end it is needfull also by way of example to propound some usual questions in particular the answering whereof may serve to answer all questions which do arise from the like original For 1. Howsoever it be certain from Scripture that the regenerat shall noâ— peâ—ish and that their state in grace is unchangeable and that their perseverance in the faith is established by Christs undertaking to make them persevere according to the charge given unto him from the Fâ—ther Ioh. 6. 39 40. yet it iâ— true also that every regenerat man is noâ— clear about his regeneration and many regenerat persons have only a conjectural opinion that they are regenerat who are not come up as yet to an assurance and perswasion of their blessed estate And the number is not great of these who alwaies or any long time together do injoy that serenity and tranquility of conscience that they can confidently triumph and glory with the Apostle Rom. 5. 3 4. 5. because of desertions and tentations raising doubts in their conscience concerning their estate oft-times holy persons are disquieted With such persons while they are in that case a Pastor or a prudent friend must deal so as he would deal with the infirm and with them who think themselves not converted because the same remedies will serve to strengthen a weak believer and to draw a soul sensible of sin and under the pangs of the new birth unto faith in Christ. 2. But let us come more particularly to examine the doubts of some that are regenerat and their pretended reasons for their doubting Some are so sensible of their own unworthinesse that they question if themselves or any like unto themselves can be in the state of grace mean time their carriage is such a becometh a Christian blamelesse I Feel in 〈◊〉 saith ouâ— such strength of inward corruption as doth dâ—file every best action I go about I see what holinesse is required in thoâ—e that approach unto God that I do utterly loath my self as unworthy to be admitted into the fellowship of God or Christ the holy one of Israel yea saith another I think it no small presumption to draw near unto Christ or count my self among his Saints and followers This for a short time was the case of Isaiah when in a vision he saw the glory of Christ in the Temple and heard the Seraphims proclaim him thâ—ee holy Isa. 6. 5. Wo is me said he for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hostes This also was the case of Peâ—er who in the sense of his own unworthinesse wakened up by the shining of the glory of Christs God-head in the miraculous tack of fishâ—s Luk. 5 8. falling down at Christs knees he cryeth depart from me O Lord for I am a sinfull man which is as much as if he had said I am utterly unworthy to be admitted unto fellowship with thy holy Mâ—jesty The like also was the case of the Publican in the parable Luk. 18. 13. out of which case after some wrestling of saâ—th he cometh forth toward God yet standing a far off nor daring to life up hiâ— eyes to heaven wherein is pointed out to us the sense of his unworthinesse hindering him to approach confidently to the throne of grace 3. For removing of this doubt five or six considerations may be represented to the party afflicted with this proviso that the sense of his unworthinesse be not discharged or diminished but wisely entertained in him rather for it is not to be presupposed that any man can esteem himself so unworthy and far from meriting any good at Gods hand as he is indeed But yet his doubt how he dare or may draw near unto Christ because of his felt unworthinesse may be solved 1. If he consider the nature and offer made of the covenant of grace whereby these that are sensible of their own unworthinesse are so far from being debarred from the covenant of grace that the covenant of grace doth not admit any person to be received into it but such only who do renounce all confidence in their own works and worthinesse and do flye unto the offer of the free grace of God in Christ for our Lord hath said Mat. 9. 13. I came not to call the righteous but