nature 2. And the light of Faith is to moderate us in eating drinking sleeping according to Christian sobriety in the measure of the action 3. Faith teacheth us not to eat that we may eat or for an naturall or civill end Grace hightneth the naturall intention to a supernaturall end and to do all these for God and his service 1 Cor. 10.31 And whatsoever we do though but civil service as servants to earthly masters in a civill calling in trading in arts we are to do all as to the Lord not unto men Col. 3.23 Then Christ acting moving by the light of Faith is the formal reason and principle in which lastly and formally ultimate all our actions are resolved 2. Look of how much worth and price thy soul is of as great necessity is Faith except thou wouldst look for the Gospel-vengeance the day or the ages of Eternall vengeance at Christs appearance 2 Thes. 1.8 Isa. 61.2 Ioh. 3.18.36 chap. 8.24 But if it be so that Faith is required in all that I do the businesse of Salvation may some say is hard and difficill work Where shall I have Faith for every stirring of my foot I Answer as all our actions except where Imagination is Principle of the act must be deliberate and so the actions of a rational man so must they be morall now there is no morality in a man who is a citizen of the Church but the morality of faith for its a duty laid upon every one within the visible Church that all his actions morall be watred and lustered with Faith And the truth is the work of our salvation being compared to sailing Heb. 6.19 and to fighting 2 Tim. 4.7 2 Tim. 2.3 4. It s very like a ship which requireth many hands and much attentive carefulness in the owner and sailors Now the Mast is hurt then somewhat wanting in the Deck now the Helm is faulty then the Cords are to be repaired or the Anchor is broken or she taketh in under-water or the Sail is torn or the motion slow There 's charges to the owner and much work to all hands and how many things are required to a huge body of an Army So many thousand men must be lyable to so many thousand wants Some are sick some wounded some a dying some hungry some naked some fall off the Army and are catched by the enemy some be faint some too bold and precipitate yea Armour Houses Bread Drink Fire Tents Physitions Workmen Mattocks Spades Bridges Lathers Horses Engines of War Art and Skill Medicine Councell Courage Intelligence and a thousand things of this kinde are requisite And seldome is an Army but there be some one inconvenient or other in this needy and cumbersome huge body And when is the businesse of Salvation not at a stand one way or other Is there not either on piece or other the shield of Faith or the Anchor of Hope or the Brestplate of righteousnes or some the like broken or faulty Is not our guide who hath seven eyes ten times a day cumbered with us Must not Christ soader our broken Weapons Sow our torn sails Repair one breach or other in us In a thousand the like Faith is to improve the Free-grace the omnipotence the unchangeable love of Christ to promove his own work and to work in us to will and to do according to his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 Now for the ingredients of Faith 1. There be in us 2 Cor. 10.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great Forts raised against the light of Faith These natural discourses in the mind that are great works and heights strong holds builded against Christ. The prime faculty reason the discoursive power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thinketh she hath wit enough against Christ and to keep the man out of all danger of eternall salvation over toppeth and out-groweth all Gospel-truths Christ must over-power carnall fate rank and heady souldiers called thoughts every thought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so kill some that will not be taken and led captive other thoughts to the obedience of Faith Reason is a predominant bone in it self The carnall minde neither will noâ— can keep rank as an obedient souldier under the Law of God Rom. 8.7 It s much for fine silken and golden reason to say to Christ Lord Prov 30.2 There 's more of a beast in me then of a man I have not the understanding of a man The learned the schoolmen seldome beleeve except gray haired wit turn a childe and go to school again to learn from Christ the new art of beleeving for there was never an act of unbeleef in any but it grew out of this proud and rank stalke of a lofty wit Therefore Christ breaks out a new window in the soul and brings in a new sun that flesh and blood never saw nor heard of before Mat. 16.17 2. Faith hath low and creeping affections to the creature But when the affections are big with childe of the creature as 1. They are strained and swelled in their acts Faith is no faith but a delusion the rich man speaketh with all his heart and with good will of his full barns and its clear he had neither Faith nor Hope toward eternity Luke 12. v. 19.20 For every word being as we say of the length of a cubit a foot and a half Luke 12.18 He casteth forth words of pulling down building greater houses and scraping in all his goods are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my goods all my births and bowels and all my good things For he had no other good things and there 's no apostrophe in the words he speaketh them with their full sound and we speak with good will these things that we tell to our soul. Faith hath but half words and half affections â—â—â—ching the world half acts or broken acts in 〈◊〉 affections closing with the creature smell 〈◊〉 a Faith with child of â—â—ernity to make the excellency of the creature a matter of meer opinion to reckon the worlds witchcrafts of lust gain glory but uncertain and topick arguments to conclude a God-head and a golden heaven in the creature is the height of the wisdom of Faith So Paul Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ. O then may some say Paul you are a dead man He saith no. Neverthelesse I live but I live the life of Faith For Christ liveth in me All his motions toward the creature were half dead like the vitall motions of a crucified man half out of the world and his acts of Faith were lively and vitall and high tuned like the highest note in the musick song Faith cannot break and violently rent in sunder the two sides of the affections with too violent and intense acts of love joy fear desire sorrow as these are terminated upon the creature It s true Faith clippeth nothing from the outmost and most superlative pitch of the love of God of desire fear sorrow joy as they act upon God but addeth wind
this ground that a Pharisee lend eyes and ears to Christ and his miracles The light of the Gospel worketh as a naturall agent for make open windows in a house whether the indweller will or he will not the fun shall dart in day light upon the house Joh. 7.28 Then cryed Jesus in the Temple as he taught saying Ye both know me and ye know whence I am And there is a covering upon the spirituall senses and faculties of the soul of naturall men that though eyes and ears and mind and soul be opened yet it s as unpossible for the naturall spirit or the Preacher to remove that covering as to remove a Mountain it being as heavy as a Mountain And therefore there be three bad signes in a naturall spirit 1. His light which is but literall is a burden to him it but vexeth him to know Christ and if a beam of light fall in on the apple of the eye of a natural conscience it s a throne between the bone and the flesh the man shall not sleep and yet he is not sick I doubt if either Achitophel or Iudas wakened with their light could sleep 2. Though a promise should dispute and argue Christ in at the door of the natural mans soul as the Gospel by way of arguing may doe much Ioh. 7.28 Ioh. 12.37 Heb. 11.1 The word of the Gospel being a rationall convincing Syllogisme as Christ saith Ioh. 15.24 But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father Yet men may see the principles and the conclusion and hate and practically suspend the assent from the conclusion 3. Conversion is feared as a great danger by naturall men lest the promises put them on the pain and the main mill of godlinesse For men do flee nothing but that which they apprehend as evil dangerous and so the true object of fear Now when Faelix and Agrippa were both upon the wheels I cannot say that Conversion formally was begun yet materially it was the one trembled and so was afraid and fled and did put Paul away till another time then he saw the danger of Grace Act. 24. vers 25 26. The other saith he was half a Christian but it was the poorest half and he arose and went aside Act. 26.28.30.31 The naturall spirit may be convinced by the promises and have the pap in his mouth but dare not milk out the sap and sweetnesse of the promises Matth. 13.15 Their eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them So is it Isa. 6.10 In which words conversion is feared as an evil as is clear So one wretch said hee was once in danger to be catched when a Puritan Preacher as he said was Preaching with Divine power evidence of the spirit of God 4 The true believers soul hath influence on the promises to act upon them to draw comfort out of them Ps. 119.92 Vnlesse thy Law had been my delight I should have perished in mine affliction ver 81. My soul fainteth for thy Salvation But I hope in thy word And there 's a reciprocation of Actions here the word acteth upon the soul again Psal. 119.50 This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickned mee A dead Faith is like a dead hand a living hand may lay hold on a dead hand but there 's no reciprocation of actions here the dead hand cannot lay hold on the living hand so the living wife may kisse and embrace the dead husband but there can come no reciprocall act of life from the dead husband to her nor can he kisse and embrace her The promise may act upon the naturall spirit to move and affect him but he can put forth no vitall act upon the promise to embrace it or lay hold upon the promise But the promise acteth upon the Believer to quicken him and he again putteth forth an act of life to embrace the promise and putteth forth on it some act of vitall heat to adhere cleave to and with warmnesse of heart to love it and here the case is as when the living hand layeth hold on the living hand they warm one another mutually according to that which Paul saith Phil. 3.12 But I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Here be two living things Christ and believing Paul acting mutually one upon another there 's a heart and a life upon each side 5. Faith under fainting and great straits can so improve the promise as to put an holy and modest challenge upon God so Psal. 119.49 afflicted David saith Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope and the Church Ier. 14.21 Do not abhor us for thy names sake do not disgrace the throne of thy glory remember break not thy Covenant with us and the Lord commandeth that this challenge be put on him Isa. 43.26 Put me in remembrance let us plead together then he giveth faith leave to plead on the contrary with God naturall spirits faint and cannot so far own the promise as to plead with God by their right and just claime to the promise Now the fourth point concerning faith is what grounds and Warrants the sinner hath to believe 4. It s an ordinary challenge made by Satan conscience and the Arminian since Christ died not for all and every one of mankinde and all are not chosen to life eternall but only those on whom the Lord is pleased according to the free decree of Election to confer the grace of believing What warrant can the unworthy sinner have to believe and to own the merits of Christ For he knoweth nothing of the Election or Reprobation that are hidden in Gods eternall minde for Answer 1. It s no presumption in me to believe in Christ before I know whither I be chosen to salvation or not for nothing can hinder me in this case to believe save only presumption as the adversaries say but it is not presumption because presumption is when the soul is lifted up and Towred like an high building as the word is Hab. 2.4 And therefore the lifted up man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnophel is he that hideth himself in a high Castle as every unbelieving presumptuous soul hath his own Castle the unbeliever hath either one Ophel or high Tower or other either the King friends riches or his own wisdome for his God on which he resteth beside the God that the Scripture recommendeth to us as our onely rock and soul confidence All men on earth live and do all morall actions even when they go on in a wicked life as slaves of Hell to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse upon some ground of faith though a most false and counterfeit Faith that they shall prosper by evil doing and that sin shall make
Debtor both to the Greeks and the Barbarians both to the wise and unwise Grace awed him as a Debt layeth fetters on an ingenious minde he cannot but out his free and honest mind in paying what he oweth 6. Gods Desertion cannot so hide and over-cloud Christ but against sense the Childe of God must beleeve yea and pray in Faith Ps 22.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 2. O my God I cry by day Though sin over-cloud Christ and David fall in Adultery and blood there 's a seed of Christ that must cast out blossoms he cannot but repent and sorrow Gods Decree of grace in the execution of it may be broken in a link by some great sin but Christ cannot but soader the chain and raise the fallen sinner It shall be usefull then for the Saints when the spirit cometh in his stirrings and impetuous acts to co-operate with him and to answer his wind-blowing It s good to hoyse up sail and make out when a fair wind and a strong tide calleth sometime Grace maketh the heart as a hot Iron its good then to smite with the hammer When your spirit is Docile and there cometh a gale of Christs sweet West-wind and rusheth in with a warmnesse of heart in a praying disposition to retire to a corner and powre out the soul before the Lord as we are to take Christ at his word so are we to take Christs spirit at his work He knocketh knock thou with him His fingers make a stirring upon the handles of the bar and drop down pure myrhe Let thy heart make a stirring with his fingers also I grant wind maketh sailing and all the powers on Earth cannot make wind yet when God maketh wind the Sea-men may draw sails and lance forth God preventeth in all these the spirit beateth fire out of our slint we are to lay to a match and receive reach in the heart under the stirrings of Free-grace obey dispositions of Grace as God himself when the Sun riseth the Birds may sing but their singing is no cause of the Sun rising 2. It s no truth of God that some teach that the justified in Christ are of duty always tied to one and the same constant act of rejoycing with out any mixture of sadnesse and sorrow for so they cannot 1. Obey and follow the various impressions of the Lords absence and presence of Christs Sea ebbing and flowing of his shining and smiling and his lowring and frowning 2. The Faith of a justified condition doth not root out all affections nay not Love Faith desire and joy if there be sin remaining in the justified there 's place of sadnesse for fear for sorrow for the scumme of affections are removed by Christ not the affections themselves 3. Christ for meer triall sometimes for sin other times doth cover himself with a cloud and withdraw the sense of his favour and it s a cursed joy that is on foot when the Lord hideth his face The Love of Christ must be sick and sad I mean the Lover when the beloved is under a cloud It is not the new world with the Regenerate man here nor a Land where there 's nothing but all Summer all Sun neither night nor clouds nor Rain nor Storm that is the condition of the second Paradice of the better Adam 4. It s a just and an innocent sorrow to be grieved at that which grieveth the Holy spirit and when the Lyon roareth all the Beasts of the field are afraid Grace maketh not Iob a stock nor Christ a man who cannot weep And behold a Woman of Canaan And a certain Woman Of the Woman 1. But one person of all Tyrus and Sidon came to him 2. She was a Syrophenician by Nation 3. Her condition She had a Daughter vexed with a Devill 4. With an unclean Devill 5. The nearer occasion She heard of him 6. She adored 7. She prayed and so way is made to the conference between Christ and her And to the Triall and Miracle A certain Woman There is but one of all Tyrus and Sidon who came to Christ. 1. It beseemeth the mercy of the good shepherd to leave ninety and nine sheep in the Wildernesse and go after one which is lost Luke 15.4 And when all is done alas he hath but one of an whole hundred Christ hath not the tithe of mankinde He maketh a Journey while he is wearied and thirsty through Samaria yea and wanteth his dinner for one Woman at that draught of his net and thinketh he dineth like a King and above if he save one Ioh. 4.33 34. O sweet husbands word Jer. 3.14 I am married to you and I will take you one of a citie and two of a Tribe and I will bring you to Zion Christ taketh sinners not by dozens not by thousands its but once in all the word Act. 2. that three Thousand are converted at once but by one's and two 's Though Israel be as the sand of the Sea yet a Remnant shall but bee saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 9.27 Esa. 10.22 The Reliques and Refuse shall be saved only 2. Common Love scarce amounteth to Grace because Grace is separative and singleth out one of many all graced persons are priviledged persons Heaven is a house of chosen and priveledged ones there 's no common stones in the New Jerusalem but all precious stones the foundations Saphirs the windows Agats and Carbuncles all the Borders of pleasant stones Esa. 54.11 12. 3. Christs way lyeth so of two grinding at the mil of two in the field together of two in one bed Christ wil have but one Christ often wil not have both husband and wife both Father and Son but the one Brother Iacob not Esau of a whole house Christ cometh to the Devils fire side and chuseth one and draweth him out and leaveth all the Family to the devil 4. Christ knoweth them well whom he chuseth Grace is a rare peece of the choise and the floor of the love of Heaven there bee many common stones not many Pearls not many Diamonds and Saphirs The multitude be all Arminians from the womb every Heresie is a peece of the old Adams wanton wit thousands go to Hell black Hereticks and Heterodox as touching the Doctrine of themselves every man hath Grace if you believe himself Vnusquisque est in eâ heresi every man taketh Heaven for his home and heritage Dogs think to rest in Christs bosome men naturally believe though they be but up and down with Christ yet Christ doth so bear them at good-will as to give Grace and Glory Obj. 1. Gods Love is not infinite if it bee limited to a few Ans. This should conclude that there be an infinite number of Men and Angels to whom Gods Love to Salvation is betrothed in affection but his love is infinite in its Act not in its Object The way of carrying on his love is infinite Obj. 2. To ascribe
Damme it s like a Chariot though it have four wheels yet it moveth only as drawen by the strength of Horses without it it s a Plough of timber only that without Iron and Steel breaketh up no earth The new Seed of God acteth as acted by God hence repenting Ephraim Ier. 31.18 Turn thou me and I shall be turned renewed David is often at this Quicken me quicken me the swooning Church Cant. 2. Stay me with flagons and comfort me with apples 3. Sheep are docile creatures Iohn 10.27 My sheep hear my voice I know them and they follow me There is a Controversie with Papists how we know Scripture to be the Word of God there is two things here considerable one within and another without How knoweth the Lamb its mother amongst a thousand of the Flock Naturall instinct teacheth it From what Teacher or Art is it that the Swallow buildeth its clay House and Nest and every Bee knoweth its own cell and waxen House so the instinct of Grace knoweth the voice of the Beloved amongst many voices Cant. 2.8 and this discerning power is in the Subject There is another power in the Object of many thousand Millions of men since the Creation not one in figure and shape is altogether like another some visible difference there iâ— amongst many voices no voice like mans tongue amongst Millions of diverse Tongues of men every voice hath an audable difference printed on it by which it s discerned from all other To the new Creature there is in Christs Word some character some found of Heaven that is in no voice in the world but in his only in Christ represented to a beleevers eye of Faith there is a shape and a stampe of Divine Majesty no man knoweth it but the beleever and in Heaven and Earth Christ hath not a Marrow like himself Suppose there were an hundred counterfeit Moons or fancied Suns in the Heaven a naturall eye can discern the true Moon and the naturall Sun from them all the eye knoweth white not to be blacke nor green Christ offered to the eye of faith stampeth on faiths eye speces little Images of Christ that the soul dare go to Death and to Hell with it this this only was Christ and none other but he only 4. Sheep are simple fancy leadeth them much therefore they are straying creatures Isa. 53.6 Psal. 119. vers 176. 1 Pet. 2.25 there is nothing of the notion of death or of another life in the fancy of Sheep a mouth-full of green Grasse carrieth the sheep on upon a Pit and the mouth and teeth of Lions and Wolves Fancy is often the guide of weak Beleevers rather then Faith little care we by nature what we shall be in the mixt Generation Fancy and Nature cannot out-see time nor see over or beyond death fair green-like hopes of gaine are to us hopes of reall good we think we see two Moons in one heaven there is a way good-seeming that deceiveth us but black death is the night lodging of it Alas we are journying and know not our night Innes and where we shall lodge when the Sun is going downe poor soul where shall you be all night 1. If Beleevers be such dependent creatures what do Libertines and Antinomians teach us That the soul need not go out to Christ for fresh supply but it is acted by the Spirit inhabiting and dwelling in us also that it is the way of the Law not of the Gospel that we act in the strength of Christ both these are against the Gospel 1. We are commanded to pray even the sons who in faith calleth God Our Father which is in Heaven lead us not into temptation which God doth no other way then by giving us new supply of Grace to actuall resistance and Christ wil have us to pray Lord increase our faith the virgins in love with Christ pray Draw us Paul prayeth that the God of peace would sanctifie the Thessalonians wholly 1 The. 5.23 for this he boweth his knee that the believing Ephesians may be strengthned according to the riches of his glory with might by his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith and that with all the Saints they may be able to comprehend the transcendent Love of God in Christ Eph. 3.15 16 17 18 19. and that Author Heb. 13.20 21. That the God of peace may make the Saints perfect in every good work to do his will working in them that which is well pleasing in his sight 2. It s against Christs intercession whose it is to keep the faith of the Saints from failing Luk. 22.32 and who finisheth our faith Heb. 12.2 confirmeth us to the end 1 Cor. 1.8 advocateth for new grace 1 Joh. 2.1 2. appeareth in the presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 3. This cannot stand with the promise of perseverance made in the Covenant of Grace Ier. 32.40 41. Es. 59.21.24 Ezech. 36.27 Ioh. 6.39 40. Ioh. 4.13 14. Nor 4. with the faith of perswasion of perseverance Rom. 8.38 39. Jude v. 24.25 Psal. 6. 2 Tim. 4.18 and 5. This must infer either that the regenerate doe not and cannot sin by not believing and persevering in faith and perfecting holinesse in the fear of God which is blasphemy or that the Saints may finally fall from Grace or that the use of grace and willing and doing in the Saints is not of or from confirming and assisting grace 6. This putteth our stock of Grace in our own hand as if Christ did literally only reveale to us the way to Heaven and leave it to our own free will to guide well or ill And so we are to thank Christ for beginning in the spirit and to thank our selves that we go on and grow in grace or end not in the flesh Nay but Christs dispensation in whose grace we are strong Eph. 6.10 can do all things Phil. 4.13 is nothing but one continuate act of Free grace or a long cord or chain of dependency on Christ yea Grace is glory on the wheels Its glory like wheat in the blade in the way in the flâ—x and tendency to the ear and Harvest depending on the continued aspect of the Summer Sun of Righteousnesse the new creature is the iron in the fire heaven in the moulding and framing and under the hammer and tooles of Christ and a Rose in the opening before it cast out its leaves and in this we are to have these considerations 1. Faith is leasurely to look to Christ in bringing his work out of the mould and taking the new ship off the stocks as a perfected vessell We conceive erroneously that Faith only eyeth Christ as pardoning and that it hath no eye no activity and influence on our owne gracious acts wrought in us by Christ but Faith is an agent as it is a patient and joyneth with Christ and with Free-will to an active purifying of the heart
to the sails in that flux of the souls way toward God But Faith moderateth and lesseneth all these in relation to the creature so the Faith which hath its direct aspect toward eternity and looketh on the shortnesse of sliding away time and the transâ—ent wheeling away oâ— the poor figure of this world 1 Cor. 7. v. 29.31 turneth all these acts into but half a face on thâ— creature and into leasurely and leaden motions or to half non-acts as if made up of heavenlâ— contradictions v. 29 30 31. Having wives having no wives Weeping no weeping Rejoicing no rejoicing Buying no possessing Vsing the world not using the world When the Saints throng through the presse and croud of the creatures for the world is a bushie and rank wood thorns take hold of their garments and retard them in their way Faith looseth their garments riddeth them of such thornie friends as are too kind to them in their journy who diggeth for Iron and Tin in the earth with mattocks of Gold What wise man would make a Web of cloth of gold a net to catch fish Expences should over-grow gains There 's much of the mettall of heaven in the soul Faith would forbid us to wear out the threds of this immortall spirit such as are love joy fear sorrow upon peeces of corruptible clay Alas is it Faiths light that setteth men a work to make the soul a golden-needle and the precious powers and affections thereof threds of silver to sow together peeces of sackcloth and old rotten rags What better I pray you is the finest of the web in the whole systeme of creation Certainly the heavens must be a thred of better wool then the clay-earth yet if you should break your immortal spirit and bend all the acts to the highest extent of your affections to conquer thousands of Acres of ground in the Heavens and intitle your soul to that inheritance as to your onely patrimonie without Christ Faiths day-light should discover to you that this finest part of that web of Creation with which you desire to cloth your precious soul is but base wool and rotten thred and though beautifull and well dyed to the eye yet Psal. 102.26 The heavens even all of them shall wax old like a garment And the wisdome of Faith knoweth a shop where there 's a more excellent suit of clothes for the soul 2 Cor. 5.1 2. And a more precious peece of the Heaven to dwell in even a House which is from Heaven with which you shall bee clothed When life shall eat up death and mortality 2. The creatures are below the affections of the believer and his affections conquer them as having the vantage of the mount above all the creatures So Paul maketh an elegant contrariety Phil. 3.19 20. Between those whose heart senses minde findeth neither smell taste nor wisedome but in earthly things for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to minde things of the earth importeth all these and those who by Faith look to Heaven and dwell there And the temporaries heart is below the world and the creatures are up in the mount above him So Mat. 13. v. 7.22 The thorns or cares of riches have the fore-start of the earth and sap above Faith or the good seed For the seed was cast in the earth when the thorns had been there before and had the vantage of the season and the soil both The first love is often strongest The Martyrs Heb. 11.35 had poor and weak thoughts of this life and would not accept and welcome life and deliverance from death but had strong acts of Faith and love toward a better resurrection It s a souls strong Faith that bringeth him to nil admirari and to wonder at nothing Never to love much nor fear much nor sorrow much nor joy much nor weep much nor laugh much nor hope much nor dispaire much when the creature is the object of all these acts there is nothing great not the worlds All things or their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him who is possessed with that Righteousnes which is of God by Faith Phil. 3.8 9. Men that talketh with good will and all their heart of their learning books of their own Acts good Works Wisdom Court Honour valour in War Flocks Lands Gold Moneys Children Friends Travels are to Examine If Faith be not a chaste thing and that acts of whoredome with the creature and of believing in Christ are scarce consistent Let your affections move toward the creature without sound of feet 3. There must be self-forsaking in believing 1. An affirming and an ay to grace is a negation and deniall to it self 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more abundantly then they all Yet not I but the grace of God which was with me To deny that you are Christs or that you have any grace if Christ have any thing of his in you is not self-deniall but grace deniall and God-deniall deny the work of the spirit and deny himself It s a saying of humility Cant. 1.5 I am black and of Faith but comely as the tents of Kedar as the curtains of Solomon And Cant. 5.1 I slept but my heart waked It s Faith to hold fast your state of adoption Lord I am thine 2. When our self maketh a suit to self and putteth in a bill to the flesh O pitie thy self Rejoice O young man in thy youth It s self-renouncing to deny this request to the flesh And Faith only can give an answer to self-declining the crosse He that denieth me before men him will I deny before my Father and his holy Angels saith Christ. And another answer Faith giveth Rom. 8.12 I am not debtor to thee O flesh I owe thee nothing And its Faiths word of answer Eccles. 11.9 But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee unto judgement 3. Faith putteth the soul in that condition that self may be plucked from self without great violence as an apple full of the tree and of harvest-sap is with a small motion pluckt off the stalk Act. 21.13 I am ready 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have my self in readinesse not only to be bound but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Certainly Faith saw here more in Jesus of excellency and sweetnesse then there could be of bitternes in bonds and death to self 4. There 's a deniall of the creature and a bill of defiance sent to all the lovers of the world when Ephraim is brought to this act of believing Hos. 14.3 For in thee the Fatherlesse findeth mercy Then it s said Ashur shall not save us We will not ride upon horses That creature that we trust on we ride upon it as Israel did upon the horses of Assyria and Aegypt But in this regard Faith dismounteth the believer and abaseth him to walk on foot All the creatures are ships to the believer without a bottome They are empty and weak David forbiddeth us to ride on a Prince
measure of grace Phil. 1.29 required in Faith men naturally imagine that faith is a work of nature hence that speech of a multitude of Atheists I believe all my dayes I believe night and day But they never believe at all who think and say they believe alwayes The Jewes asserted that they believed Moses alwayes and so oppose themselves to the man altogether born in sin Joh. 9. ver 28 29. compared with v. 34. But Christ told them they neither believed the Messiah nor Moses chap. 5. ver 35 36 37. Nature worketh alwayes alike and without intermission or freedome The Floods alwayes move the Fountain alwayes cast out streams the fire alwayes burneth the Lamb alwayes fleeth from the Wolf but the winde of the spirit doth not alwayes enact the soul to believe they are not in an ill case who wrestle with unbelief and find the heart and take it in the wayes of doubting and terrours as feeling that believing is a motion up the mount and somewhat violent facill and connaturall acts cannot be supernaturall acts of Faith It s no bad sign to complain of a low ebbe Sea and of neither Moon light nor starre light 2. It s unpossible they can submit to give the glory of believing to God in whose heart there 's a rotten principle destructive of Faith and that is an ambitious humour of seeking glory from men Joh. 5.44 Little Faith there 's in Kings Courts Faith dwelleth not in a high Spirit 3. Such as take Religion by the hand upon false and bastard motives as the Summer of the Gospel and fame ease gain honour cannot believe A thorny Faith is no Faith Matth. 13.22 A Carnall mans Faith must be true to its own principles and must lye levell with externalls so as Court ease the world and its sweet adjuncts are a measuring line to a rotten rooted Faith neither longer nor broader then time it goeth not one span length within the lists of Eternity 4. Phancy cannot be Faith such as have not Gospel knowledge of Christ cannot believe but must do as the Traveller who unaware setteth his foot on a Serpent in the way and suddenly starteth backward six steps for one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 6.66 So do they that phancy all the Gospel to be a carnal or a Morall discourse 5. Those cannot have Faith in whose heart the Gospel lyeth above ground Devils and sin having made the heart hard like the Summer streets Mat. 13.19 with daily treading and walking on them A stony Faith or a Faith that groweth out of a stone cannot be a saving Faith Thereâ—s a heart that is a daily walk in which the Devil as it were aireth himself 6. If Christ have given the last knock at the door and all in-passages be closed up and heart-inspirations gone there can be no more any sort of faith there Eph. 4.19 2 Tim. 4.2 The heart is like a dried up arm in some all the oil in the bones are spent 7. Loose walking with greedinesse argues that hell hath taken fire on the out-works of the soul. Hell in the hands and tongue as in the out-wheels must argue hell and unbelief in the heart and the in-wheels 1. Loose believers go to Heaven by miracles I dare go to Hell for a man if such an one go to Heaven who liveth prophanely and saith he hath a good heart within 2. The going in waies of blood Extortion Covetous Idolatrie belyeth the decree of election to Glory Grace leadeth no man to the East with his face and motion close to the West 3. This way of working by contraries is not Gods way God can work by contraries but he will not have us to work by contraries There 's some heaven of holinesse in the court-gate to the Heaven of happinesse 8. Faith over-looketh time Heb. 11.10 Abraham looked for another City Faith in Moses was great with childe of heaven v. 25 He had an eye to the recompence of reward Eternity of Glory is the birth of Faith Oh! we look not to the declining of our sun its high afternoon of our peece of day eleven houres is gone and the twelfth hour is on the wheels I see not my own gray haires It s upon the margin and borders of night and I know not where to lodge We are like the man swimming through broad waters and he knoweth not what is before him he swimmeth thorow deeper and deeper parts of the river and at length a cramp and a stitch cometh on arms and leggs and he sinketh to the bottom and drowns We swim through dayes weeks moneths yeers winters and are daily deeper in time while at length death bereave us of strength of leggs arms and we sinâ— over head and ears in Eternitie Oh! Who like the sleepy man is loosing his clothes and putting off the garments of darknesse and would gladly sleep with Christ Men are close buttoned and like day-men when its dark night It s fearfull to ly down with our day clothes Job 20.11 Sin is a sad winding sheet Oh! what believer faith I would have a suit of clothes for the high Court and Thron to be an Essay to see how a suit of glorie would become me Thus much for Faith SERMON XXII NOw a word of a strong and great Faith and withall of a weak and fainting Faith For the most I go not from the Text to find out the ingredients of a great Faith 1. A strong praying and a crying a Faith is a great Faith So must Christs Faith have been who prayed with strong cries and tears Strong Faith maketh sore sides in praying as this woman prayed with good will there 's an efficacious desire to be rid of a sinfull temptation as Paul prayed thrice to be freed of the prick in the flesh Their Faith is weak who dare not pray against some Idoll sins Or 2. If they pray it s but gently with a wish not to be heard 2. The womans crying her instant pleading in Faith yea 1. Above the Disciples care for her yea above Christs seeming glowmes who denied her to be his who reproached her as a dog argueth great grace great humility with strong adherence and so great faith 2. For Faith â—aileth sometimes with a strong tide and a fair wind according as the Moone hath an aspect on the Sun so is it ful or not ful when the wheels are set right to the Sun the clock moveth and goeth right The fairer and more clear sight that Faith hath of Christ the stronger are the acts of Faith it cannot bee denied but Faith hath a good and an ill day because grace is various it s no strong proof that it s not grace 3. To put Faith in all its parts in light in staying on Christ in affiance in adherance in self-diffidence in submissive assenting forth in all its acts and to lift the soul all off the earth requireth Christs high Spring-tide it s not easie to put all the powers that
grace I shall strive and study the revenge only of love and compassion to their souls If some of these Sermons came once to your Honors ears and now to your eyes it may be with more English Language I having stayed possibly till the last grapes were some riper I hope it shall be pardoned that I am bold to borrow your Name which truly I should not have done if I had not known of your practicall knowledge of this noble and Excellent Theame the Free-grace of God I could adde more of this but I had rather commend Grace then gracious persons I know that Jesus Christ who perfumeth and flowreth Heaven with his Royall presence and streweth the Heaven of Heavens to its utmost borders with glory is commended that hee was full of grace a vessell filled to the lip Ps. 45.2 Ioh. 1.16 Yea Grace hath bought both our person and our service 1 Pet. 2.24.25 Even as he that buyeth a captive gives money not only for his person but for all the motion toile and labour of his body legs and arms and Redeeming Grace is so perfect that Satan hath power possibly to bid but not to buy any of the Redeemed no more then a merchant can buy another mans bought goods without his consent All our happinesse that groweth here on the banks of time is but thin sowen as very Straw-berries on the Sea-sands what good parts of nature we have without Grace are like a fair Lilly but there is a worm at the root of it it withereth from the Root to the Top Gifts wither apace without grace Gifts neither break nor humble Grace can do both Grace is so much the more pretious and sweet that though it be the result of sin in the Act of pardoning and curing sinfull Lamenesse yet it hath no spring but the bowels of God stirred and rowled within him by onely spotlesse and holy goodnesse Grace is of the Kings house from Heaven only the matter subject or person it dwelleth in contributed nothing for the creation of so noble a branch Christ for this cause especially left the bosome of GOD and was clothed with flesh and our nature that he might be a Masse a Sea and boundlesse River of visible living and breathing Grace swelling up to the highest banks of not only the habitable world but the sides also of the Heaven of Heavens to over-water Men and Angels So as Christ was as it were Grace speaking Psal. 45.2 Luk. 4.22 Grace sighing weeping crying out of horrour dying withering for sinners living again Heb. 2.9 Joh. 3.16 Rom. 8.32 33. And is now glorified Grace dropping downe raining downe floods of Grace on his members Eph. 4.11 12 13 14 15 16. Joh. 14.16 17. Joh. 16.7.13 Christ now interceding for us at the right hand of God Is these sixteen hundreth years the great Apple Tree dropping down Apples of Life for there hath been Harvest ever since Christs Ascension to Heaven and the grapes of Heaven are ripe all that falleth from the Tree Leaves apples shadows smell blossomes are but pieces of Grace fallen down from him who is the fulnesse of all and hath filled all things We shall never be blessed perfectly till we all sit in an immediate Union under the Apple Tree This is a rare piece by way of participation of the Divine nature Christ passed an incomparable act of rich Grace on the Crosse and doth now Act and Advocate for Grace and the applying of the Grace of Propitiation in Heaven 1 Joh. 2.1.2 And by an Act of Grace hath all the Elect and Ransomed ones ingraven as a seal on his heart and Christ being the fellow of God the man that standeth straight opposite to his eye the first opening of the eye-lids of GOD is terminated upon the breast of Christ and on the ingravening of Free-grace All the glory of the glorified is that they are both in the lower and higher house even when they are the States and Peers of Heaven the everlasting Tenants and Free-holders of Grace so as a soul can desire no fairer Inheritance then the Patrimony Lot and Heritage of Free-grace Now to this Grace commending Your Spirit as an Heir of Grace I rest Your Honours at all Obliged Respectivenesse in the GOD of Grace S. R. The Table of the Contents of the BOOK SERM. I. THe Scope Order and Contents of the Text Pag. 1 2. Matthew and Mark reconciled p. 3. Properties of Christs love ibid. What woman this was p. 4. The Art of the wise contexture of divine Providence in black and white fair and foul mixed in one for beauties sake p. 5. Two sides of Providence ibid. We erre in looking on Gods wayes by halfs especially on the black and sad side only p. 7. SERM. II. Christ took an humane will that he might stoop to God in all things p. 8. The strength of corrupt will p. 9. Two things in the will 1. The frame of it 2. The quality and goodnesse of it p. 10 There 's a necessity of renewing the will ibid. The Dispensation of God not Scripture nor a rule of faith p. 12. We trust possession of Christ by Faith more then we do right and Law through Faith p. 13. SERM. III. How Christ and his Grace cannot be hid in six particulars p. 14. 1. In his cause p. 15. 2· In the good and evil condition spiritual of the soul ibid. 3. In the joy of Christs presence p 16. 4. In a sincere profession ibid. 5. In the bearing down the stirrings of a renewed conscience p. 17. 6. In Desertions p. 18. We are to be obsequious and yeelding to the breathings of the Spirit p. 19. Our hearts are to be variously sutable to the various operations of the spirit from four reasons ibid. Grace falleth on few p. 21. Grace how rare choice a peece in four particulars p. 22. Grace not universall and common to all ibid. Nine Objections of the Arminian and naturall man Answered p. 22 23 24 25. SERM. IV. Grace falleth often on the most gracelesse p. 26. Grace maketh a great change three reasons thereof ibid. There 's a like reason for Grace on our Lords part to the vilest of men as to Moses Daniel Paul p. 28 The same Free-grace that we have here we have it in Heaven in the state of glory ibid. In Heaven we raign by Grace as by the same we War here p. 29. The justified in Christ are corrected for sin p. 30 The Furnace of affliction the work-house of the Grace of Christ four grounds thereof ibid. Mr. Townes assertion of Grace p. 32. How Antinomians judge sinnes to be corrected in the justified ibid. How Papists judge sins to be punished in the justified ibid. That God punisheth pardoned sins proved by seven Arguments p. 33. Rules to be observed in affliction p. 40. A Land or a Nation must be longer in the fire then one particular person p. 42. SERM. V. Satan worketh as a naturall Agent without moderation p. 43. Spirituall evils
changed before God p. 407. To be justified by Faith is not barely to come to the knowledge that we are justified before we beleeve p. 410. Justification not Eternall p. 411 Faith is not only given for our joy and consolation but also for our justification both in our own soul before God 415 There 's no warrant in Scripture for two reconciliations one of mans reconciliation to God and another of Gods reconciliation to man p. 419. Christs merits no cause but an effect of Gods eternall love ibid. What reconciliation is ibid. Joy without all sorrow for sin no fruit of the Kingdome of God p. 420 The seeing of God Heb. 12.14 and the Kingdom 1 Cor. 6. Joh. 3.3 Not the Kingdom of Grace but of Glory p. 421. All acts of blood and rough dealing in God to his own acts of mercy ibid. SERM. XXV Omnipotency hath influence on 1. Satan 2. Diseases 3. Stark death 4. Mother-nothing 5. On all creatures 6. On sin to speak to them p. 424. Obedientiall power in the creation what it is p. 425. Omnipotency is as it were a servant to Faith p. 428. We worship a dependent God p. 429. We have need of the devil and other temptations for our humiliation p. 432. Immediate mercies are the sweetest mercies cleared 1. In Christ. 2. Grace 3. Glory 4· Comfort 5. The rarest of Gods works p. 433. The deceitfulnesse of our confidence when God and the creature are joyned in one work p. 442. SERM. XXVI Christ in four relations hath dominion over Devils p. 446. Satan goeth no where without a Passe p. 448. We often sign Satans conditionall Passe ibid. A renewed will is a renewed man p. 451. Eight positions concerning the will and affections ibid. A civill will is not a sanctified will ibid. The yeelding of the soul to God and to his light a special note of a renewed will ibid. Affections sanctified especially desires p. 453. The lesse mixture in the affections the stronger are their operations ibid. Minde and affections do reciprocally vitiate one another p. 454. Spirituall desires seek naturall things spiritually Carnall desires seek spirituall things naturally p. 455. God submitteth his liberality of Grace to the measure of a sanctified will in four considerations ibid. Our affections in their acts and comprehension are far below spirituall objects Christ and Heaven p. 456. More in Christ and Heaven then our faith can reach in this life p. 457. SERM. XXVII Satan not cast out of a land or a person but by violence both to Satan and the party amplified in four considerations p. 460. False peace known p. 462. A roaring and a raging Devil is better then a calm and a sleeping Devil ibid. Gods way of hardning as it is mysterious so it is silent and invisible p. 465. The Triall and Triumph of Faith SERMON I. Mar. 7.24 And from thence he arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon and went into an house and would that no man should know it but he could not be hid Matth. 15.21 Then Jesus went thence and came into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon V. 22. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cryed unto him saying Have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David for my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil Mar. 7.25 For a certain woman whose young little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell at his feet V. 26. The woman was a Greek a Syrophoenician by Nation and she besought him that hee would cast forth the Devil out of her daughter THis Text being with childe of Free-Grace holdeth forth to us a Miracle of note and because Christ is in the work in an eminent manner and there is here also much of Christs new creation and a floor planted and watered by Christs own hand a strong faith in a tryed woman it requireth the bending of our heart to attention for to any seeking Iesus Christ this Text cryeth Come and see The words for their scope drive at the wakening of beleevers in Praying when an answer is not given at the first to a fixed and resolved lying and dying at Christs door by continuing in Prayer while the King come out and open and answer the desire of the hungry and poor 2. For the subject they are a History of a rare Miracle wrought by Christ in casting forth a Devil out of the Daughter of a Woman of Canaan and for Christ to throw the Devill out of a Canaanite was very like the white Banner of Christs Love displayed to the Nations and the Kings Royall Standard set up to gather in the Heathen under his colours The parts of the Miracle are 1. The place where it was wrought Math. 15.21 2. The parties on whom the Mother and the possessed Daughter she is described by her Nation 3. The impulsive cause she hearing came and prayed to Iesus for her little Daughter In which there is a Dialogue between Christ and the Woman containing Christs trying of her 1. With no answer 2. With a refusal 3. With the reproach of a dog 4. Her instancy of Faith 1. In crying till the Disciples interposed themselves 2. Her going on in adoring 3. Praying 4. Arguing by Faith with Christ that she had some interest in Christ though amongst the dogs yet withall as Grace hath no evil eye not envying because the morning market of Christ and the high Table was the Jews due as the Kings Children so she might be amongst the dogs to eat the crumbs under Christs Table knowing that the very refuse of Christ is more excellent then ten worlds 4. The Miracle it self wrought by the womans faith in which we have Christs heightning of her Faith 2. The granting of her desire 3. The measure of Christs bounty as thou wilt 4. The healing of her Daughter Mark saith that the woman came to Christ in a house Matthew seemeth to say that she came to him in the way as these words do make good send her away for she cryeth after us Augustine thinketh that the woman first came to Christ while he was in the house and desired to be hid either because he did not for offending the Jews openly offer himself to the Gentiles having forbidden his Disciples to go to the Samaritans or because he would have his glory hid for a time or rather of purpose he did hide himself from the woman that her faith might finde him out and then refusing to answer the woman in the house she still followeth him in the way and cryeth after him as Matthew saith For Christs Love is 1. Liberal but yet it must be suited and Christ though he sell not his Love for the penny worth of our sweating and paines yet must we dig low for such a gold-mine as Christ. 2. Christs Love is wise he holdeth us knocking while our desire be love-sick for him and knoweth that delayes raiseth and heighteth the market and
has heard the voice of my weeping Tears have a tongue and Grammar and language that our Father knoweth Babes have no prayers for the breast but weeping the mother can read hunger on weeping Object 3. But I am often so as I cannot weep weeping is peculiar to a man as laughing is and spirituall weeping is peculiar to the renewed man Ans. Vehemencie of affection doth often move weeping so as it is but spilt weeping that we can attain hence Ezechiah can but chatter as a crane and a swallow and moan as a dove Is. 38.14 Sorrow keepeth not alway the Road-way weeping is but the scabberd of sorrow and there 's often more sorrow where there is little or no weeping there 's most of fire where there is least smoak Object 4. But I have neither weeping one way or other ordinary nor marred Ans. Looking up to heaven lifting up of the eyes goeth for Prayer also in Gods Books Psal. 5.3 My Prayer will I direct to thee and I will look up Isa. 48.14 Mine eyes fail with looking upward Psal. 69.3 Because 1. Prayer is a pouring out of the soul to God and Faith will come out at the eye in lieu of another door often affections break out at the window when the door is closed as smoak venteth at the window when the Chimney refuseth passage Steven lookt up to Heaven Act. 7.55 He sent a Post a greedy pittifull and hungry look up to Christ out at the window at the neerest passage to tel a poor friend was coming up to him 2. I would wish no more if I were in Hell but to send a long-look up to Heaven there be many love looks of the Saints lying up before the Throne in the bosome of Christ the twinkling of thy eyes in Prayer are not lost to Christ elie Stevens look Davids look should not be registred so many hundred years in Christs written Testament Object 5. Alas I have no eyes to look up the Publican Luk. 18. looked down to the earth and what senses Spirituall have I to send after Christ. Ans. There 's life going in and out at thy nostrils Breathing is praying and taken off our hand as crying in Prayer Lam. 3.56 Thou hast heard my voice hide not thy ear at my breathing at my cry Object 6. I have but a heard heart to offer to God in Prayer and what can I say then wanting all praying disposition Ans. 1. Therefore pray that you may pray 2. The very aspect and naked presence of a deed spirit when there is a little vocall praying its acceptable to God or if an overwhelmed heart refuseth to come its best to go and tell Christ and request him to come and fetch the heart himself 3. Little of day light cometh before the Sun the best half of it is under ground Ro. 8.23 We our selves groan within our selves All is here transacted in our own heart the soul cryeth O when will my Father come and fetch his children When shall the Spousely in her Husbands bosome 4. If Christs eye but look on a hard heart it will melt it 5. I shew heer the Minimum quod sic the smallest of Prayer in which the life and essence of Prayer may breath and live Now Prayer being a powring out of the soul to God much of the affections of love desire longing joy Faith sorrow fear boldnesse comes along with prayer out to God and the heart is put in Christs bosome and it s neither up nor down to the essenc of sincere praying whether the soul come out in words in groans or in long-looks or in sighing or in powring out tears to God Job 16.20 or in breathing Object 7. What shall be done with half praying and words without sense Ans. This is the woman of Canaans case Piscator observeth an Elepsis of the word or Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or because or for Have mercy on me my daughter is vexed she should have said because my daughter is vexed But the minde is hasty that she lets slip words so are broken Prayers set down in Scripture as Prayers Psal. 116.1 I love because the Lord hath heard my voice There 's nothing in the Hebrew but one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I love but he sheweth not whom he loveth it s a broken word because as Ambrose saith He loved the most desireable thing I have love he would say but its centure and bed is only God Psal. 6.3 My soul is sore vexed but thou O Lord how long That is a broken speech also Psal. 109.4 For my love they were my enemies in the Hebrew its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vani Tephilla at ego oratio But I prayer or I was all Prayer as if I in soul and body had been made of Prayer The reasons of broken Prayers are often 1. The hastinesse of the affections not the hastinesse alwayes of unbelief Esa. 28.16 But often of Faith 2 Pet. 3.10 Love and longing for Christ have Eagles wings and love flyeth when words do but creep as a Snail 2. It cometh from a delique in the affections they are broken as a too high bended Bow that there 's a swooning and delique of words every part of a supplication to a Prince is not a supplication a poor man out of fear may speak Non-sense and broken words that cannot be understood by the Prince but non-sense in Prayer when sorrow blacknesse and a dark overwhelmed spirit dictateth words are well known in and have a good sence to God therefore to speak morally Prayer being Gods fire as every part of fire is fire so here every broken Parcell of Prayer is Prayer so the Forlorne son forgot the half of his Prayers he resolved to say Luk. 15.19 Make me as one of thy hired servants but v. 21. He prayeth no such thing and yet his Father fell on his neck and kissed him a Plant is a tree in the potency an infant man seeds of saving grace are saving grace prayer is often in the bowels and womb of a sigh though it come not out yet God heareth it as a Prayer Rom. 8.27 And he that scarcheth the hearts knoweth what is the minde of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Psal. 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble Desires have no sound with men so as they come to the ear but with God they have a sound as Prayers have Then when others cannot know what a groan meaneth God knoweth what is under the lap of a sigh because his Spirit made the sigh he first made the Prayer as an intercessor and then as God heareth it he is within praying and without hearing Object 8. But are all my cryings in Prayer works of the Spirit Ans. The flesh may come in and joine in Prayer and some things may be said in haste not in Faith as in that Prayer Ps 77.9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious
gave thee for a Covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles Isa. 49.8 I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people Christ God and man is all the Covenant 1. Because he is given to fulfill the Covenant on both sides 2. He is the Covenant In abstracto he is very Peace and Reconciliation it self Mic. 5. 5. And this man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come unto our Land As fire is hot for it self and all things hot for it and by participation so thou art in so far in Covenant with Christ as thou hast any thing of Christ want Christ and want Peace and the Covenant 2. Mal. 3.1 The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger or Angel of the Covenant whom ye delight in Christ travelleth with tidings between the parties 1. He reporteth of God to us that its his fathers will that we be saved Joh. 6.39 2. Christ reporteth of himself for it setteth Christ to be a Broker for Christ and wisdom to cry in the streets who will have me Prov 1.21 22. Prov. 9.1 2 3 4 5. It became the Lord Jesus to praise himself Joh. 6.48 Joh. 8.12 I am that bread of life I am the light of the world Joh. 10.9 I am the door v. 11. I am the good Shepherd 3. He praiseth his Father Joh. 15. My Father is the good Husband-man 4. He suiteth us in marriage and commendeth his Father and our father in law You marry me dear souls O but my Father is a great person Joh. 14.2 In my Fathers house are many dwelling places 2. He commendeth us to the Father a Messenger making peace will do all this Joh. 17.8 They have received thy words and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have beleeved that thou didst send me 25. O Righteous Father the world have not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Ministers cannot speak of Christ and his father as he can do himself O come hear Christ speak of Christ and of his Father and of heaven for for he saw all O sweet beleever Christ giveth thee a good report in heaven the Father and the Son are speaking of thee behinde-backs A good report in Heaven is of much esteem Christ spake more good of thee then thou art all worth He telleth over again Ephraims prayers behinde his back Jer. 30.18 O woe to thee Christ is telling black tidings of thee in Heaven Such a man will not beleeve in me he hateth me and my cause and my people Christ cannot lye of any man 3. Christ is an Eye-witnesse of the Covenant and heard and saw all the whole Covenant was a bloudy act acted upon his person Isa. 55.4 Behold I have given him for a witnesse to the people Rev. 1. 5. The faithfull witnesse Rev. 3.14 The Amen the faithfull and true witnesse The Covenant saith 1. The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost Luke 19.10 Amen saith Christ I can witnesse that to be true 2. Christ dyed and rose again for sinners Amen saith the witnesse Joh. 1.18 I was dead and behold I live for evermore Amen Christ putteth his Seal to that This is a true and faithfull saying That Christ Jesus came into the world to die for sinners I can swear that is true saith Christ. 3. The world shall have an end saith the Covenant and time shal be no more By him that liveth for ever and ever who created heaven and earth saith this Angel-witnesse Rev. 10.6 that is most true Time shall be no more It s a controversie to the world if Eternity be comming Christ endeth the controversie with an oath 4. Christ shall judge the world and all shall bow to me This Amen of God saith that's true Rom. 14.11 For as it is written as I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me The Covenant of Works had a promise but because it was 1. Conditionall 2. To be broken and done away it had no oath of God as this hath O doubting soul thou sayest that thy salvation is not sure Why And it s a sworn Article of the Covenant thou hast Christs great Oath on it Alas God loveth not me hast thou the Son thou hast a true Testimony it s not so and Pro. 14.5 A faithfull Witnesse will not lie Christ has cause to remember that thou art saved he beareth the marks of it in his body Athiest thou sayest who knoweth there 's a heaven and hell Why the Witnesse of the Covenant saith I was in both and saw both 4. Heb. 7.22 Christ is the surety of the better Covenant And in this the Father is surety for Christ if he undertake for David and Hezekiah Psal. 119.122 Isa. 38.14 Far more for his own Son God hath given his word for Christ he shall do the work Isa. 52.13 Behold my righteous servant shall deal prudently Isa. 50.9 Behold the Lord God will help me and again the Son is Surety to the Father And the great undertaker that God shall fulfill his part of the Covenant that the Father shall give a Kingdom to his flock Luke 12.32 Joh. 6.37 38 39. 1. Christ as a Surety for us hath payed a ransome for us 2. Giveth a new heart to his fellow-confederats 3. And is ingaged to lose none of them Ioh. 17.12 But raise them up at the last day Joh. 6.39 If we could surrender ouâ— selves to Christs undertaking and get once â— word that he is become good to the Father for us all were well woe to him who is that loose man as he has not Christ under an Act and band of Surety that he shall keep him to the day of God we make loose bargains in the behalf of our souls 5. As Christ standeth between the two Parties he is the great Lord Mediator of the new Covenant Heb. 12.24 1. Substantially our Text calleth him Lord the Son of David by condition of nature he hath something of God as being true God and something of man as sharing with us hence is he Mediator by Office and layeth his hands on both parties As a days man doth Job 9.33 In which he hath a threefold relation 1. Of a friend to both he hath Gods heart for man to be gracious and satisfie mercy and a mans heart for God to satisfie justice 2. Of a reconciler to make two one to bring down God to a Treaty of Peace to take him off Law and high demands of Law which sought personall satisfaction of us and in his body to bring us up to God by a ransome payed and by giving us faith to draw near to his Father so he may say Sister and Spouse come up now to my Father and your Father to my God and your God and Father come down to my Brethren my kindred and flesh 3. He is a
What if the enemy in War prevail over me What if I were brought from Scarlet to embrace the Dung hill Faith can shape what Providence possibly may never sow What if I be brought to the wheele to the rack to burning quick 9. There 's a mystery of Providence that we see not we know not what God is doing with us when he is binding us as the Sheep hath no notion of death in its fancy even when the knife is at its throat so are we 10. Providence walketh long in uncertainties his way that ruleth the world is in the clouds Peace is within a step yet cometh not full victory and deliverance neer and the enemy is well nigh subdued and the Lord turneth the Scales and layeth us low again life is within the eighth part of a span to Ahab yet God so timeth and placeth vengeance that the arrow of God must pitch on no place but between the joynts of the harnesse and Ahab is killed 11. We are with all silence and quietnesse of spirit to submit to Gods ways not to fret believing can ease us disputting cannot 12. Its easier to see what is inflicted on us then to see who inflicteth it evil cometh and we look no higher then the creature as if the world created it self so is this when we dream that the creature moveth and is not moved of God 13. This is to be observed that God ascendeth in all his course and Providence never goeth down the mount when Ioseph goes down to the pit to the Prison God in his course of Providence is going up advancing the frame of beautifull Providence for Iosephs going down and his fall is a higher step to Gods exalting of Ioseph and saving his Church Iudahs falling into captivity is not Gods falling but his advancing of the work to do them good in the latter end Reformation goeth down when obstructions and lets come in the way but God worketh on second causes move backward and miscarry when omnipotency carrieth on the Lords work SERMON XI Matth. 15.23 But he answered her not a word And his disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for she cryeth after us 24. But he answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel 25. Then came she and worshipped him saying Lord help me WE now enter into the Dialogue between the Woman and Christ The first tryall is The woman cryeth But Christ answereth not a word I shew first wherein the temptation standeth 2. The reasons of it and in what cases Christ answereth not 3. Bring the uses for the first Gods temptations and Satans and the flashes agree in this that all temptations are of one colour to wit white and seeming good even when the skin of temptations is black as Hell yet there is white in it as Curse God and die that thou maist be hidden in the grave from misery the reason is temptation were not temptation if it had not a taking power to break in upon reason this is clear in Satans temptations he knowes man is a fallen and broken creature like himself yet that there s reason left and that must have a fair object the first black apple must be good to the eye so the Divell suiteth a wife ever in his whites though if you would wash the Divell and the lie the bones are alwayes black Now this woman seeth that which she looked not for and the affections must be stirred Is this the Lord the hearer of Prayers 2. Is this he that biddeth us pray and promiseth to hear 3. Is this the meek Lamb of God of whom its sâ—il He shall carry the Lambs in his bosome Esaaiah 42.11 And a bruised reed he shal not break a smoaking Flax he shall not quench He answereth me not one word yea he denyeth me to be his as it s hereafter he reproacheth me with the name of a dog nature would say I repent that ever I came to him let my daughter suffer twenty one hundred a Legion of Devils I have done with Christ I come no more at him especially supposing what was true that she had a great Faith and Faith cannot be but loving and kind to Christ What my heart sadned and broken my daughter vexed with a Divel but oh alas my Saviour answereth not one word sweet Iesus rejecteth me how can I stand under so many Hells He cureth all that cometh to him I am the first that ever this King sent away with a sad heart he casteth none away that cometh he welcometh all only he will not look on me poor and miserable Oh what can I now do You may know a mothers heart to her tormented childe and a Believers bowels to a Saviour here 's a burden above a load But why answereth he all sinners but not one word to me Ans. 1. Few or none are tempted but the upshot of the temptation is to beget big apprehensions of the temptation never was man in the condition I am in Christ answereth the Divels when they cry he wil not give me one look one cast of his eye not one halfe word The temptation must represent Christ as a non-such for rough dealing and the tempted a non-such for misery Elias must say 1 Kin. 18.20 I even I only am left alone and they seek my life Ps. 22.4 Our father 's trusted is thee they trusted in thee and were delivered vers 6. But I am no body But I am a worm and no man Lam. 1.12 O passers by hear behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow c. 1 Cor. 4.9 We are made a theator a spectacle to men and Angels The temptation must put on the face of Hell to drive at this to cause the childe of God put himself out of the Kalender and society of Gods children hence that no there was never a soul since the world was like me I am my alone 1. Christ once first or last must be no Christ and God not God to the tempted Hath he forgotten to be gracious Psal. 77. A forgetting God a changed God is not God stick by this principle Yet he is Christ and my Christ too 2. It s said he answered her not a word but it s not said he heard not one word these two differ much Christ often heareth when he doth not answer his not answering is an Answer and speaks this pray on go on and cry for the Lord holdeth his door fast bolted not to keep out but that you may knock and knock prayer is to God worship to us often it s but a servant upon meer necessity sent on a businesse The father will cause his childe say over again what he once heard him say because he delighteth to hear him speak so God heareth and layeth by him an answer for Ephraim Jer. 31.18 I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself but Ephraim heard not knew not that God told
they are unrenewed are strangers to inward conflicts of souls praying and not answered of God the fainting and swooning Church Cant. 5.6 7. is pained O dear watch men saw you my Husband Heavy was her spirit but what then v. 7. The watch-men that went about the City found me they smote me they wounded me the keepers of the walls took away my vail from me in stead of binding up her wounds they returned her buffets and pulled her hair down about her ears And the daughters of Ierusalem say to the sick sighing Church pained for the want of her Lord v. 9. What is thy beloved more then another beloved c. Whereof is thy Christ made of Gold or is thy beloved more precious then all beloveds in the world Troubled Hannah grieved in spirit to Eli is a drunken woman The Angels finde Mary Magdalen weeping they leave her weeping they give her a doctrinall comfort Woman why weepest thou he is not here he is risen again 1. If a string in the conscience be broken the Apostles that were with Magdalen cannot tye a knot on it again If there be a rent in the heart so as the two sides of the soul of the woman rent asunder she poor woman still weepeth O why speake you O Angels to comfort me they have taken away my Lord. Angels what are you to me And indeed they cannot sew up the womans rented heart This is the Lords Prerogative Esa. 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace I know no Creator but one and I knowÌ„ no Peace-Creator but one Peace of conscience is Grace Grace is made of pure nothing and not made of nature Pastors may speak of peace but God speaketh peace to his people Ps. 85.8 2. There be some acts of nature in which men have no hand to bring Bread out of the earth and Vines men have a hand but in raising Winds in giving Rain neither Kings Armies of men nor acts of Parliament have any influence The tempering of the wheeles and motions of a distempered conscience is so high and supernaturall a work that Christ behoved to have the Spirit of the Lord on him above his fellowes and must be sent with a special Commission to apply the sweet hands the soft mercifull fingers of the Mediator with the art of Heaven Esa. 61.1 That I saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should as a Chyrurgian bind up with splints and bands the broken in heart and comfort the mourners in Sion There must 3. be some immediate action of Omnipotency especially when he sets a Hoast of terrors in battle array against the soul as is evident in Saul in Iob c. 16.13 His Archers compasse me round about that is no lesse then the soul is like a man beset by enemies round about so as there is no help in the creature but he must die in the midst of them Job 6.4 The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me only the Lord of Hoasts by an immediate action raiseth these souldiers the terrors of God he only can calme them What wonder then that Ministers the Word Comforts Promises Angels Prophets Apostles cannot bind up a broken heart friends cannot while a good word come from God It s easie for us on the shore to cry to those tossed in the sea between death and life Saile thus and thus it s nothing to speak good words to the sick yet Angels have not skill of experience in this the afflicted in minde are like infants that cannot tell their disease they apprehend Hell and its real hel to them Many Ministers are but Horse physitians in this disease wine and musick are vain remedies there is need of a Creator of peace she is frantick say they and it s but a fit of a naturall melancholy and distraction The Disciples are Physitians of no value to a soul crying and not heard of Christ. Oh Moses is a meek man David a sweet singer Job and his experience profitable the Apostles Gods Instruments the Virgin Mary is full of grace the glorified desire the Church to be delivered but they are all nothing to Jesus Christ there is more in a piece of a corner of Christs heart to speak so then in Millions of worlds of Angels and created comforts when the conscience hath gotten a back-throw with the hand of the Almighty 24. But he answered and said I am not sent but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel In this answer two things are to be observed 1. The temptation coming from Christ denying he had any thing to do with this woman I am not sent for her 2. The matter of the temptation containing Christs 1. sending 2. to whom To the house of Israel 3. Under what notion The sheep of the house of Israel 4. what sort of sheep The lost sheep In the temptation consider 1. who tempteth 2. the nature of the temptation for the former It s Christ who tempteth Hence these Positions 1. Pos. God tempeth no man to sin Jam. 1.13 Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted neither tempteth he any 14. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust God doth try rather then tempt 1. God cannot command sin 2. He cannot actuate the crooked faculties to sin as he that spurreth a Horse putteth the horse to actuall motion But the dislocated legge of the horse putteth in act the halting power of the horse 3. He cannot infuse sinfull habits which are as weights of Iron and Lead to incline the soul to sin 4. He cannot approve sin Satan never tempteth but upon practicall knowledge either that the wheels may run down the mount as he tempted Eve and upon that false perswasion tempted Christ to sin or then he knoweth sin hath oyled the wheels and inclinations and so casteth in Fire-brands knowing that there 's powder and fire-wood within us in our concupisence he should not offer to be a Father to the brood of Hell if he knew not that a seed and mother were within us except Christ by grace cast water on our lâ—sts and coole the furnace wee conceive flames easily 2. Pos. Neither Devils nor men nor our heart may without sin tempt or try the creature by putting it to do that which may prove sin upon any intention to try whether that creature shall obey God or not Had Abraham cooÌ„manded Isaac to kil Iacob his son to try whither Isaac loved God or no it had been a sinful tempting of him A creature cannot put his fellow-creatur upon the margin border of death such as all sin is to try if the creature hath a good head that cannot be giddy God may try duties by events He is the Potter we the Clay but clay is limited to try events upon clay by duties only and not by events duties 3. Pos. Wanton and vain reason would say Why did the
was in the Father and so though there was no unfitnesse in either to be our King Priest and Prophet yet the love grace mercy righteousnesse of God and his infinite wisdom dwelleth in the Son O what a bargain of love that to borrow the word the lot of matchlesse love and free grace fell upon the Son Son my onely begotten Son thou must go down empty thy self and leave heaven and go and bring up the fallen sons out of Hell Mankinde like a precious Ring of Glory fell off the Finger of God being his Image and was broken the Son must stoop down though it pain his back to lift up the broken Iewell and mend and restore it again and set it as a seal on the heart of God This was the rise of the Covenant from Eternity that Christ gave his word as the prime Son that all the derived sons should put their hands and hearts to the Pen and signe and subscribe the Covenant of Grace the Writs Evidences and Charters of our salvation were concluded and passed the sign and seal of the Blessed Trinity in Heaven from Eternity The Gospell is not a yesterdayes fable it s an old counsell of infinite wisdome 2. The Son was qualified 1. With a Passive aptitude to speak so to be a man that hee might suffer 2. He was graced with all active indowments to be a Mediator The ground-work of all was the grace of Union the God-head dwelling bodily in him 2. The sea of infused graces above all his fellows to say nothing of what he learned by experience being a Son put to School 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he learned his lesson of obedience with many stripes though an innocent childe Heb. 7. v. 8. Hence he came loaded with Grace and blessings for all the cursed sons 3. All was nothing except this Ambassador of Heaven had also had a Commission for us but he brought two Writs two Books from Heaven 1. He came as a flying Angel with the everlasting Gospel to preach to the Nations 2. The book of life also in the former were three acts of Law So Christ is our Saviour both by nature and by a Positive Law Christ and Grace is Law 1. Because of his place and birth being our goel and neerâ—st kins man he was more kind then any other here to redeem the sold inheritance CHRISTS nature in the womb was grace it s nothing but nature and that bad enough for us to be born Christs mothers wombe was Grace It was grace that the Son should be conceived and born and by this he had law to us 2. Christs act of dying was a speciall Law Ioh. 10.18 This commandement received I of my Father that I should lay down my life 3. By his death and Resurrection he is made a Prince by Law and hath Law and authority to forgive sins Acts 5.31 Mat. 9.6 And power to give life eternall Ioh. 17.2 And rule all by a new Law in his new Kingdom Mat. 28.8 Our heaven now is by Law and a speciall Commission But the Gospel is a Generall he brought all Gods secrets from Heaven and in his speciall Commission Christ hath as it were private Instructions Save such and such persons not any other not all Israel but the lost sheep Not the Goats thers's a great mystery how there be no double dealing in the Gospel and two contrary wills in GOD. 1. He offereth in the Gospel life to all so they believe and God mindeth to work Faith and intendeth to bestow life on a few only like a Kings Son coming to a Prison of condemned men with offered Pardons to all upon condition they accept of them but yet he singleth out some perswadeth them to lay hold on the Fathers Grace and by the head taketh them out leaveth all the rest to justice Yet is this no greater mystery then this Many are called but few are chosen so Christs sending with his Commission cometh under a twofold notion one is in the intention of the Euangel the other is in the intention of him who proposeth the Evangel to men I mean Gods intention to give Faith and effectuall Grace The former is nothing but Gods morall complacency of Grace revealing an obligation that all are to believe if they would be saved and upon their own perill be it if they refuse Christ. This is the heart and minde of Christ to persons revealing two 1. Mens dutie 2. Gods Grace to give life Eternall to believers but the latter is not a morall will in God only but a reall physicall will to speak so according to the which Christ effectually strongly layeth bands of love cords of sweet inforcing Grace to perswade the Soul to take Jesus Christ. Christ cometh to the minde under a higher apprehension with his rainy and wet hair knocking and againe knocking to shew his face in such soul redeeming beauty and excellency as the soul must be taken Captive subdued and overcome with the love of Christ as the Spouse is so wrought on with the Beauty Grace Riches Indowments of excellency words of love of such an husband that she is forc'd to say I have no power neither heart nor hand to refuse you Now the former notion of the Gospel is enough to lay on the obligation of beleeving on all so as though the Gospel reveal not Gods purpose of Election that is only and formally revealed in and by Gods efficacious working of Faith called the inward calling yet it saith this to all You are all to beleeve no lesse then if there were not any Reprobated persons amongst you If therefore any dispairing ones as Cain yea and many weak ones refuse to beleeve on this ground Why shoald I beleeve the Gospel hath excepted me it belongeth not to me I am a Reprobate they are deluded for the Gospel formally revealeth neither the Lords decree of Election nor Reprobation the embracing of the Gospel and the finall rejection thereof can speak to both these but that is neither the Gospell voice nor the Gospel spirit that revealeth any such bad tidings Its true Satan may speak so but Christ cometh once with good tidings to all Elect and Reprobate men do hereby buy a Plea against Christ and force a quarrell upon him the beleever breaketh first with Christ before ever Christ breaketh with him bad tidings are too soon true I doubt if Reprobation be so far forth revealed to any even to those that sin against the Holy Ghost as they are to beleeve their owne impossibility to be saved For though a man knew himself to be over score and past all remedy he is obliged to beleeve the power of infinite mercy to save him and to hang by that threed in humility and adherence to Christ. 2. If Christ be sent for lost Israel and say in the Gospel Who will go with me And say to thee My Father the King sent me his own son to bring thee up
Regenerate from both Principles are to walke in love and holinesse as Christ did the Law directing is not abolished by Grace or by love to Christ and this is no other then the reasoning of old Libertines Paul said Rom. 7.6 Now we are delivered from the Law O then said Libertines We may sin and fleshly walking shall not prejudge salvation nor condemn us v. 7. What shall we say then Is the Law sin God forbid and Rom. 5.20 Where sin abounded grace did much more abound Then said the Libertine chap. 6.1 What shall we then say Shal we continue in sin that grace may abound 2. God forbid then the Law commandeth and directeth not to sin and Christ and Grace being friends speak with the same mouth God forbid that we sin we are not so freed from the commanding power of the Law as that we sin not when we do what is contrary to Gods law we are so far under the Law as not to sin because the rule of Law is removed nay the Law backs a man while he come to Christ and to glory and Christ backs the Law and saith the Law forbiddeth you sin I say Amen Grace saith sin not and Christ also layeth new bands of love and obligation to thankfulnesse on us not to sin but removeth not the ancient bounds Grace and condemnation are opposite but not Grace and the commanding power of the Law Obj. 5. The Law is a letter of death and bondage and can never convert the soul only the Gospel doth that for in the Gospel Grace is given to obey what is commanded Therefore your Law-preachers lead men from the foundation Christ. Ans. 1. The Letter of Law without the spirit of Christ cannot convert any nor can the Letter of the Gospel or Gospel-threatnings without the spirit of Grace convert any both Law and Gospel separated from the spirit are alike in this and neither Law nor Gospel according to this reasoning should be preached Antinomians do in down right tearms teach this for they say 1. That the due searching and knowledge of the Scriptures is not a safe and sure way of searching and finding Christ. The Word saith the contrary Psal. 19.7 8 9. Act. 10.43 Rom. 3.21 Joh. 5.39 Luk. 1. 70.71 2. To do any thing by vertue of a commandement is a Law way not Gospel obeâ—dience Contrary to Psal. 119.6.43 44. v. 11. 2 Pet. 1.19 20. 2 Tim. 3.16 3. All verball Covenants and the word written is but a Covenant of Works and taketh men off from Christ And the whole letter of the Scripture holdeth forth a Covenant of works All Doctrines Revelations and spirits are to be tried by Christ rather then by the Word Those that go from the Sun must at length walk in darknesse Anabaptists of old said the Covenant of Grace was written in the inward parts and in the heart therefore there was no need of word or ministery But when Satan knocketh his knock is dumb and speechlesse he bringeth not the Word and speaketh not according to the Law and Testimony Because he is a dumb Devil Christ bringeth the word with him To all these we can say no other then that they condemn the Scriptures and the Preaching of the word Because nothing can avail us to Salvation without the spirit This is 1. to condemn the wisdom of our Lord who hath appointed that Faith should come by hearing and that the things that are written are written That we in believing might have Eternal life Ioh. 20.31 2. It s to fetter the free operation of the spirit whose winde bloweth when he listeth to the preaching of the word 3. Yea to make Christs Death Resurrection Ascension and Intercession at the right hand of God which all must be the marrow of the Evangel things meerly legall and things belonging to the Covenant of works because all those without the Grace of the spirit are meerly fruitless to many thousands Obj. 6. But repentance in the New Testament is nothing else but the change of the mind and to be of another mind then to seek Righteousnesse by the works of the law even to seek it in Christ alone and mortification is but the apprehension of sin slain by Christ and so Repentance is a part of Faith though Repentance in the Old Testament was to bewail sin and so sake it Ans. But this is to dally with Christ all mortification and dominion over our lusts that fighteth against mercy and justice and the duties of the second Table must be by this means an act of Faith and the New light of Christ in the mind believing our Righteousnesse to be in Christ And so an act of Internall worship belonging to the first Table then as the Scripture saith The sinner is justified by Faith apprehending Christs Righteousnes so might we well say that we are justified by Repentance and by mortification 2. That Repentance layeth hold on Christs Righteousnesse 3. That as to beleeve only without works doth justifie and save so to repent only that is to change the minde and apprehend Righteousnesse not in works but in the Christ without all holinesse and forsaking of sin should save us But this is to acquit men from all duties of the second Table yea and of all the first Table loving of God Praying Praising hearing c. except only we are to beleeve This is clear the way of the old Gnosticks who placed all holinesse in meer knowledge and apprehension of Gods will without love or obedience 2. Repentance is sorrow according to God 1 Cor. 7.9.10 Jam. 4.9 And eschewing evill and doing good 1 Pet. 3.11 And the Crucifying of the old man and the lusts thereof as Fornication Vncleannesse Inordinate affection evil Concupiscence Covetousnesse Col. 3. 5. And these are commanded in the New Testament as the very lesson of the Grace of God Tit. 2.11 It s true in the Old Testament the People were under Tutors and bondage but that was in regard of the carnall commandement of Ceremonies the cognizance of our bloody demerit held forth in bloody sacrifices 2. In regard lesse of Christ and the sweetnesse of the Gospel was then known and the Law chased harder the guilty to Christ. But 1. Servile obedience through apprehension of legall terrors was never commanded in the spirituall Law of God to the Jews more then to us 2. The Jews were not justified by the works of the Law more then we but by Faith in Christ as well as we Act. 15.11 Act. 10.42.43 Heb. 11. 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3. Yea we are justified as David and Abraham were Rom· 4.3 4 5 6 7 8 Yea the Iews seeking of Righteousnesse by the works of the Law is a stumbling at the stone laid in Zion Rom. 9.31.32 33. Yea its blasphemy to say Repentance in the Old Testament was a sorrow for sin and a forsaking of it as if under the New Testament we were Licensed to sin and turn Grace
you the hope of glory Nor are the faculties of the soul and the workings thereof in our conversion destroyed as some say as if the Holy Ghost should come in stead of these for Christ taketh down old work and maketh a new building for himself but the stones are ours the soul remaining in its powers and operations the understanding and will remain but opened Luke 24.45 Joh. 21.18 Eph. 1.17.18 Eph. 4.23.24 Christ removeth the rubbish and the frowardnesse and over-goldeth our stones it s our matter and his workmanship Hence we are agents Grace teacheth no man to be lazie for because all the morall actions of the renewed are commanded of God if we by Grace were no agents in these but meer Patients and Christ and the Holy Ghost the only immediate agents in the omitting of beleeving praying praising hearing in not doing all our naturall and civill actions for God and in a spirituall way yea and in our forbearing to murther whore blaspheme c. for by the Grace of Christ the Saints abstain from sin we should not sin all these wicked acts were to be imputed to the Grace of Christ and the Holy Ghost which is blasphemy and a flat turning of the Grace of God into wantonnesse Now we are by Grace to be agents to purge our selves 1 Joh. 3.3 to run with inlarged hearts in Gods way Psal. 119.32 to stir up and blow upon Grace under ashes 2 Tim. 1.6 To walk in Christ as we have received him Col. 2.6 To keep our selves in the love of God Jud. 21. Vse We are to be carefull of the stock not to hurt or wast the stock of Grace he who is spending on his stock ere it be long shall have nothing cast not water upon your own coal to quench the spirit or to grieve it See what grows out of your stock What income and crop of the fruits of the spirit shall return to Christ The Lord demandeth of every child of God what and where is the stock and where is the rent of Heaven It is the vertue of the Merchant to increase the stock and in all losses to strive to keep it whole There is a wasting of the habit of Grace which is a dangerous thing Eph. 4.30 There is a â—adding of the spirit and a rubbing off of some letters or Characters of the broad Seal of the spirit which is forbidden even as break some spaikes or Ax-tree of the wheels of a great work and the mill or the horologue is at stand and can work nothing beware that no wards of the Conscience be broken for fear that the key of David that openeth the heart fit them not or suit not with the lock David brake a ward and a sprint of the new heart by his Adultery and bloodshed and therefore no Artificer but one only in Heaven could put the lock in frame again Psa. 51.10 The new creation is like a curious horologe made of Christall glasse it must be warily and tenderly handled the frame of the workmanship of the holy Ghost dwelling in us 2 Tim. 1.14 must be kept from the least craze or throw in all the wheels and turnings thereof yea the least mote must not rest on it Quest. What must be done to keep in good temper the new Creation Ans. 1. Beware to go to bed and sleep with a bone broken or disjointed in the inner man It s good to be disquieted in spirit as if there were an aking in the bones after some gâ—â—at sin not repented nor bewailed when Peter by denying his Lord had rotted a bone or a joint of the new man in himself he rested not well that night he went out and wept bitterly Mat. 26.57 Jeremiah made a rash and passionate vow to speak no more in the name of the Lord but he could not sleep with that coal of fire in his bones Jer. 20.9 2. Put the keeping of the new Creature off your hand make it a pawn committed to Christs keeping 2 Tim. 1.12 let him answer for it be not you under the burden of it your self The habit of Grace and the man put under lock and key to Christ is in sure keeping consider what cometh of him Jude ver 24. This is a broken world there be many loose-handed devils going abroad through the earth there be robbers lying await in the way to heaven to take the crown from us Rev. 3.11 The believer who hath a stock of Grace must be at holding and drawing with men and devils Commit the keeping of your souls to the faithfull Creator but be not you idle do it in well-doing 1 Pet. 4.19 3. Deal kindely with Christ when you have him break not with Christ if you would keep the habit of Grace safe do nothing against your state grieving of the Holy Ghost is unworthy of the condition of a redeemed one your place cannot consist with walking after the flesh The Campe you are in cannot well bear compliance with the flesh You have put on the Lord Iesus Ro. 13. v. 14. You cannot lay in for or victuall such a Castle as the flesh for some exercise a providence and lay in provision for the flesh 4. To be doing good keepeth the habit of Grace in exercise and in life also for Grace is of the nature of life and life is preserved by motion and the frequent operations of life yea with this difference the naturall life may be worn out and consumed away with too frequent and violent labour and toil This life is increased by assiduous walking with God for Ioh. 15.2 Every branch that beareth fruit in Christ My Father saith he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit Be it unto thee as thou wilt Christ cannot long dissemble to speak so and keep up his love he tryed this woman hardly now he praiseth her in her face Great is thy faith and granteth her desire to the full if there was such a brotherly and naturall compassion in Ioseph Gen. 43.30 Iosephs bowels yerned they were hot and Gen. 45.1 Joseph could not refrain himself Vatablus noteth that the Hebrew word is He could not do violence to himself His love was like a hot Furnace and it was like to make a captive of him and to overcome him now the man Christ hath the same heart and bowels of a man and I conceive as Christ was a man void of sin so the acts of naturall vertues as to pitty the afflicted were stronger in him then in us sin blunteth naturall faculties especially such as inclineth to acts laudable and good such as are love compassion to the miserable and sin boweth or rather breaketh naturall acts that are indifferent in their nature and farther removed from mortality and maketh them intense above nature sin being a violent thing so in natural men there is little power in carnal reason over acts of generation hunger thirst sleep and such as have their rise from the sensitive soul Christ having strength of
oppressour and delivered them from pressures of conscience under Episcopacy a Masse-service and burdensome ceremonies and for the sins of the King Queen Court Prelats and Prophets the persecuting and killing the witnesses of Christ in Queen Maries days and in the late Prelats time and the present unjustice carelesse and remisse minding Religion and their labouring to spoile the Kingdome of Christ of that power that Christ hath given to his people of Church-discipline and translating it to their Parliament to make Church-discipline Parliament-discipline confounding so the two kingdoms their tolerating of blasphemous sects some denying the Godhead of Christ some his Kingly Office to sanctifie govern his people some his Priestly some his Propheticall Office and many other sins of Prophets and people not repented of and most of these sins and many others and especially the breach of the Covenant in Scotland these two Kingdomes are to fear heavy judgements and that their calamity is not yet at an end But rather one wo is passed but another cometh Except these lands be humbled and lie in the dust before the Lord Yet in all this the dispensation of God though bloody is but the Lord saying as of old so now to Britain Isa. 1.25 And I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy drosse and take away all thy tin 26. And I will restore thy Judges as at the first and thy counsellors as at the beginning afterward thou shalt be called the city of righteousnes the faithfull city 27. Zion shall be redeemed with judgement and her converts with righteousnesse 2. A rough dispensation of Christ cannot abide long rough to the Saints he must answer and ease the pain of the womans broken spirit it s a nights pain to Christ to cause the tears run down the cheeks of his Church all the night he cannot but bring a day light of joy before the Suns ordinary time to rise Ps. 30.5 Christ smiteth and weepeth for compassion both at once Tender mercy in Christ moveth as much if not more within then without The mothers bowels are as much on work within when the childe is but upon her breasts and he is not capable to know a mother as a mother and love as love as ever when the deserted is but new and hot come out of the second womb and a babe born over again yet in a spirituall Feaver he is as much as ever in the bowels of Christ though he be not in that case capable of the sense and actuall apprehension of Christ as Christ and of the sense of Christs love as his love Ier. 31.20 Since the time that I sufficiently talked with him in correcting him or since the time of my sufficiency of speaking against him in remembring him I do remember him I spake much in mine anger against him and half against my will I did chide him and scourge him but my moved bowels the stirrings of a compassionating heart did contradict in a manner my rough correcting my heart came out of me with every rough word and stroke The Sun and nature worketh long and many years under earth in the generation of Gold and Silver ere we see gold and silver God and his servant nature did us a pleasure a great favour in that kind in secret down in the bowels of the earth to make unseen and concealed provision for our purses this secret love to us acted down in the dark is no love to us while we find it and see it yet is nature in a mystery under a vail sweating under earth to bring forth for us Mettals Trees Herbs Flowers corn for our service but we see no harvest at that time Christs bowels are sweating and as much labouring in childe-birth paine of compassion and love and tender mercy toward us when we are in an Ague and a fit of desertion as at any time but we are loved of Christ and pittied and we know no such thing All Christs answers and words to this woman till now were but interpretations and Proclamations of wrath and rejecting of her as not one of the lost sheep of the house of Israel a Dog under the Table not a child of the house love came never above ground till now yet did Christs affection and love yern upon her all the time Out of all this we collect Christ may love persons yet his dispensation may be so rough as that to their sense there is no ground of being assured that Christ loveth them til he shall be pleased to manifest it Hence we may gather these Propositions considerable for the Times 1. Propos. Gods free and unhired love is the cause of our Redemption Vocation Sanctification and eternall salvation he loved us in our blood and while we were polluted in our blood Ezech. 16.6.8 When we were the lost world Joh. 3.16 ungodly Rom. 5.6 Enemies ver 10. He quickned us called us when dead in sinnes Eph. 2.1 Without works 2 Tim. 1.9 The bil of Grace is Christs welcome and pay nothing 2. Our Divines say God loveth the persons of the Elect but hateth their sins M. Denne offendeth at this and so doth the Arminians with the same reason if God hate the works of iniquity he cannot but hate the persons and workers of iniquity also It s true the Lord hateth so the persons of the Elect for their sins as he taketh vengeance of their sins on their Surety Christ but this consisteth with the Lords loving of their persons to eternall salvation The truth is Gods affection ad intra of hatred and displeasure never so passeth on the persons of the Elect as on the persons of the Reprobate he had thoughts of love and peace in secret from eternity to his own Elect he did frame a Heaven a Saviour for them before all time 3. Propos. Our Divines do rightly teach that there is a twofold love in God Amor benevolentiae A love of wel willing which he did bear to them before the world was it is called the love of Election Of this love Rom. 9.13 Paul speaketh I have loved Jacob and hated Esau this is fountain love the wel-head of all our salvation There is another love called Amor complacentiae A love of complacency a love of justification so M. Denne termeth it which presupposeth faith Without which its unpossible to please God Heb. 11.6 of this Christ speaketh Joh. 14.21 He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him ver 23. If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him so Christ the wisdom of God saith I love them that love me Pro. 8.17 And so Christ speaketh of his love to his redeemed and sanctified Spouse Can. 4.9 Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy eyes with one
body of Christ that ye should be married to another 5. For when we were in the flesh the motions of sins which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death 6. But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held we should serve in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the Letter Hence it is clear that there was a time in which Paul and the Elect at Rome were servants of sin Rom. 6.20 21. Under the lusts and motions of sin which work in their Members to bring forth fruit that is sins to death eternall Ro. 7.5 Ergo They were then under the curse of the Law and so far from blessednesse and the servants of sin Rom. 6.20 and persons in the flesh But the case is changed they are now not the servants of sin but servants of righteousnesse Rom. 6.22 Married to a new husband Iesus Christ Rom. 7.4 Whence came this change of two contrary states yea and before God contrary for before God it cannot be one state to be servants of sin under the Law and servants of God and under Grace Certainly from Faith on our part or some other grace in us at least there must be something of grace by which the alteration from a cursed estate to a blessed estate is made then faith is not a naked manifestation of the blessednesse of justification to the which we was intitled before we believed for before we believed we was in a cursed estate This also may be added that if Faith be but a Declaration or manifestation that we are justified before we believe Paul had no reason to deny that we are justified that is that we know to our comfort by works of holinesse that we are justified for works of sanctification are evident witnesses that we are in Christ and are justified 2 Cor. 5.17 1 Joh. 3.14 1 Joh. 2.3 Jam. 2.24.25 2 Pet. 1.10 3. It layeth down this false ground that grace is nothing in us but a meer comfortable sense and apprehension of Free-love and Grace is conceived to be only and wholly in Christ so that there is no inherent grace in the Believer by which he is differenced from an unbeliever sanctification and duties flowing from the habit of grace are nothing but dreams of Legall men Christ justifying the sinner is all and some in the Elect strict and precise walking conduce nothing to salvation To think that it can do any thing in order to salvation is to worship saith Mr. Denne an angry deity 2. To satisfie justice with our works fasting tears duties Therefore our 6. Propos. Is that it is a vain distinction of Master Denne who would have a reconciliation of God to man and of man to God 1. Because we read that man is reconciled to God Rom. 5.10 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. Col. 1.20 21. Eph. 2.16 Man is the enemy whereas in Adam he was a friend and in Christ the second Adam he is made a friend but that God is reconciled to man or changed toward his own Elect from an enemy and a God that hateth their persons into a friend and lover of them I never read if at any time God be said to be comforted toward his people or eased these are borrowed speeches 2. Love of Election yea the love that putteth God on work to Redeem Call Justifie Sanctifie the Elect is no love bought with hire yea the price of Redemption which Christ gave for sinners cannot buy eternall love blood and the blood of God shed cannot woodset ancient love all the sins of Devils of men cannot forfeit it make sins floods and seas and ten thousand worlds of rivers they cannot quench that eternall coal and flame in the brest of so free a Lover as God in a word the shed blood of Christ is an â—ffect not a cause of infinite love 3. What â—hen doth reconciliation place any new thing in God No Doth it turn him from an Hater to a Lover No Reconciliation active on the Lords â—art is a change of his outward dispensation not â—f his inward affections Fury is not in me he â—ith himself Isa. 27.4 He cannot wax hot and â—â—ry in the Acts of his spotlesse and holy will Reconciliation turneth not the heart but the hand of the Lord upon the little ones as he speaketh so that he cannot deal with or punish his elect as otherways he would do The Lords justice may be satisfied his love cannot be budded or hired and the effect of justice the inflicting of infinite wrath is diverted as a River that runneth East hath been made to run West and an issue of blood in one member of the body hath been diverted to run at another channell justice was to run through the Elect of God in the due legal punishing of the sinner which yet is extraneous to the just and eternall will of God but infinite wise mercy caused that River to run in another veine through the soul of Iesus Christ. 7. Propos. Joy of the holy Ghost is a fruit of the Kingdom of Grace Rom. 14.17 But not that joy spoken of Rev. 21.4 and Is. 35.10 Which excludeth all tears death sorrow crying all sighing as Mr. Denne dreameth so as joy can no more be separated from the Subjects of that kingdom then light from the Sun heat from the fire or ebbing and flowing can be stopped in waters as he saith far lesse is it true that actuall love and obedience doth inseparably follow this condition except we were made Angels when we are once justified nor is the Kingdom of God spoken of 1 Cor. 6.9 10. And the seeing of God Heb. 12.14 The Kingdom or state of Grace or the seeing of God in a vision of Faith here in this life but of the Kingdom of glory and of the vision of God in the other life as M. Denne expoundeth it that he may elude all necessity of holinesse but that which floweth from no obligation of any Law or Commandement of God But which is in our power of love to perform or not perform if we perform it not it s no transgression of any Law of God 1. M. Denne himself granteth pag. 84. God is not like some nigardly man who will not bid us welcome to his house unlesse we bring our cost with us Nor is holinesse required of us without Faith and before we believe and enter Citizens of the kingdom of Grace Nay by this interpretation 1 Cor. 6. We must be Justified and washed before we can inherit this Kingdom v. 9 10.11 But we are not to be washed and justified before we inherit the Kingdom of Grace and before we believe for so we should be justified and washed before we be justified and washed and the like I say of the Kingdom of God John 3.3 For it should follow that a man must be born again ere he be born again if he must be born again ere
Christ the fountain of Heaven and though ye should know Moses David Paul in glory you shall be so taken with beholding the face of the Lamb for evermore in an immediate vision that you find no â—easure to look over your shoulder to Moses or any other For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it it must be sweeter when the sweet immediate hand of Jesus Christ shal pluk the soul-delighting Roses of the high Garden and hold them to your senses with an immediate touch so as you shall see behold smell and touch his hand with the rose and when he shall put immediately in your mouth the Apples of the Tree of life and the King himself shal make himself as it were your Cup-bearer for there shall be neither need of Pastor Prophet or of any Christian brother but only Christ himself to hold to your head A Cup of the water of life Rev. 22.1 2. And he shewed me a pure River of water of life clear as Christal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb be shewed me which He The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb c. 2â— 22. He that talked with me who had a golden reed to measure the City v. 15. v. 10. He who carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and shewed me the great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God no created Angel could shew to John The Bride the Lambs Wife and what is that He shewed me He made me see Is that but a naked cast of the eye or a speculation No it is more He himself who only reveals all the secrets of God And measures the Temple with a golden Reed He only gave me a drink of the water of life immediatly for to see in the holy language is to injoy Heb. 12.14 Rev. 22.4 Jer. 17.6 Psal. 34.12 Iob 19.26 And then he shewed me must be this in good sense He He the increated King himself made me or caused me to injoy Messengers carry love-Letters now there 's no need of love-Letters betweene the Lord Jesus and the Bride the Lambs wife in this condition certain it is a draught of such water at the Wel-head must be sweetest Then immediate comforts in a heavy condition must be sweetest also as in heavy desertions Word Ministery Pastors Prayer and Ordinances cannot raise up the Spirit What doth the Lord else speak in this No lesse then that mediation of means is but mediation of means and Christ is Christ means in a soul sicknesse yea Apostles Angels Watchmen fail But Christ himself with his immediate action faileth not Cant. 3.1.2.3 vers 4. Joh. 20.8.9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17 Christ himself immediately by himself will do in a moment that which all means all Ordinances all sweatings all indeavours cannot do I do not now cry down means and extol immediate inspirations the latter I deny not in some cases but I only compare means and Christ and is not this an experience of some who are broght to the Margin and black borders of Hel and dispairing all Creature comforts having failed them and they having received the Sentence of the second death yet Christ cometh with an immediate glimpse like a fire flaught in the air which letteth the lost and bewildered Traveller in an extream dark night see a lodging at hand whereas otherwise he should have fallen in a pit and lost himself and in a moment in the twinkling of an eye the Lord having rebuked the winds and the stormy Tempests in the soul there is a calm and peace Ps. 31.22 Jona 2.4 Christ is speedy and swift as a Roe his leap is but a stride over a whole mountain at once over many mountains hils Can. 2.8 Especially in his immediats when he coÌ„forts by himself he then maketh no use of a deputy-Sun to shine or of borrowed light the Sun himself riseth with his own immediate salvation and his own immediate wings and we see it was Christs immediate love yea comfort because immediate carrieth with it the heat and smel of Christs own hand it hath the immediate warmnesse of Christs bosom-consolation it was an act of tender mercy that came hot and smoking from the heart of Christ the immediate coal of love smelling of the perfume of the hearth it came last from and that was heaven and the bowels of Christ waters carried from a precious fountain in a vessel many hundred miles are not so sweet as at the well head because they are separated from the fountain they lose much of their vertue sometimes it is so long since the Rose was plucked that the colour and smell which it had while it grew on its own stalk is quite gone Look how inferiour Art which is but medicine for sick nature is to nature in its beauty and strength as painted Physick can neither purge nor cure so far are all means and Ordinances being but the deputies of Christ below Christ himself What is Paul What is Apollo Put all the Prophets all the Apostles all the Patriarchs all the chiefest of Saints in one floor I confesse they should cast forth an excellent smell like the utter borders of the garden of the high Paradise but all their excellency should be mediate excellency and but somewhat of Christ but alas as low as very nothing to Christ as the smallest drop of dew that sense can apprehend to ten thousand worlds of seas fountains floods We defraud our spirits of much sweetnesse because we go no further in our desires then to creature-excellency we rest on mediate comforts because mediate painted things do work but objectively only a painted meadow casteth no smell a painted tree bringeth forth no Apples the comforts and sweetnesse of the creatures have somewhat of paintry in them in comparison of Jesus Christ all reality and truth of excellency is in him and we know God marreth the borrowed influence of means Armies Parliaments Learning and all miscarry Therefore there was never a Reformation nor a great work wrought on earth but Omnipotency put forth many immediate Acts in it The Lord would not be beholding to Moses he himself divided the red Sea he would not ingage himself to fountains and vine trees but he gave them water out of the Rock he would not borrow from the earth and sowing reaping and plowing bread for his peoples food he would give them the bread of Angels from heaven immediately he would have no Engines at the taking of Jericho the blowing of Rams horns was a signe not a cause God immediately cast down the walls he would not have a sword drawn nor a drop of blood shed in the peoples return from Babylon but the Lord putteth an immediate impulsion upon the Spirit of Cyrus as if he had been in a dead sleep and he being awaked by God only sendeth the people away and the Temple must be builded again But how Neither by King nor Parliament nor Armies
Gods not loving of men to Gods disposition heart will and pleasure and not to our defects is blasphemy Ans. The Lord ascribeth his having mercy and his hardning to his own Free-will Rom. 9.17 Exod. 33.19 and his love is as free as his mercy and by this means Gods first love to us should arise from our love preventing his contrary to his own word Deut. 7.7 Eph. 2.3 4. Tit. 3.3 2 Tim. 1.9 and man should be the first lover of the two the creature then putteth the Lord in his debt and giveth first to God and God cannot but recompence Esa. 40.13 14. Rom. 11.34 35. now it s no shame for us to live and dye in the debt of Christ The Heaven of Angels and men is an house of the debtors of Christ Eternally engaged to him and shall stand in his Debt-book ages without end Obj. 3. Infinite goodnesse may as soon cease to be as not be good to all or withhold mercy from any Ans. Every being of Reprobate Men and Devils is a fruit of Gods goodness but of Free-goodnesse else God should cease to be if he should turn his Creatures to nothing for he should cease to be good to things without himself if these were all turned to their poor mother-Nothing 2. Mercy floweth not from God essentially especially the mercy of Conversion Remission of sins Eternall life but of mer Gracc for then God could not be God and deny these favours to Reprobats Freedome of mercy and salvation is as infinitely sweet and admirable in God as mercy and salvation it self Obj. 4. But God is so essentially good to all as he must communicate his goodnesse by way of Justice in order to free obedience and that is life Eternal to those who freely beleeve and obey Ans. But the great Enemy of Grace Ja. Arminius teacheth us that all the freedom of Grace Rom. 9. is resolved in the free pleasure of God in which he freely and without hire purposed to reward Faith not the works of the Law with life Eternall whereas it was free to him to keep another order if so it shuld seem good to him and by this means God is yet freely and by an act of pure grace not essentially good to all even in communicating his goodnesse by way of Justice For what God doth by necessity of his nature and essence that he canot but do but sure it is by no necessity of nature doth the Lord reward works faith or any obedience in us with the Crown of life Eternal He may give heaven freely without our Obedience at all as he giveth the first Grace freely Eze. 16.6 7 8. Rom. 5.10 Ephes. 2.3 4 But this is surer the fewer have Grace Grace is the more Grace and the more like it selfe and free Obj. 5. But I have a good heart to GOD. Ans. A quiet heart sleeping in a false peace is a bad heart most of sinners give their souls to the Devil by theft they think they are sailing to heaven and know nothing till they shoare sleeping in the land of Death Matth. 7.21 22 23. Luk. 16.27 28. Obj. 6. Why But God hath bestowed on me many favours and riches in this world Ans. Gods Grace is not graven on gold it should be but the Logick of a beast if the slaughter Oxe should say The Master favoureth me more then any Oxe in the stall I am free of the yoak which is upon the neck of others and my pasture is fatter then theirs Obj. 7. The Saints love me Ans. The Saints can mis-father their love and love where God loveth not Obj. 8. All the world loveth me Ans. You are the liker to be a step-childe of Jerusalem and of Heaven for The world loveth its own Ioh. 15.19 better it were to have the world a step-Mother then to be no other but to lye in such a womb and suck such breasts Obj. 9. I believe life Eternall Ans. That Faith is with childe of Heaven but see it be not a false Birth few or none come to age and none clothed in white and Crowned but they were jealous of their Faith and feared their own wayes Naturall men stand aloof from Hell and Wrath. SERMON IV. The Woman was a Greek a Syrophenician by Nation MUch woe is denounced by the Prophets against Tyrus and Sidon yet sweet Jesus draweth by the curtain and openeth a window of the partition and saveth this Woman Loe here Christ planting in the wildernesse the Cedar the Shittah tree the Mirttle the Oyle tree Esa. 41.19 and here Esa. 55.13 is fulfilled And in stead of the thorn what better are Sidonians then thornes shall come up the Firre tree and in stead of the Bryar shall come up the Mirtle tree and no praise to the ground but to the good husband-man And it shall be to the Lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off Christ then can make frame a fair Heaven out of an ugly Hell and out of the knottiest timber he can make vessels of mercy for service in the high Pallace of glory 1. What are they all who are now glorified The fairest face that standeth before the throne of Redeemed ones was once inked and blacked with sin you should not know Paul now with a Crown of a King on his head he looketh not now like a Blasphemer a Persecuter an injurious person The woman that had once seven Devils in her is a Marie Magdalen far changed and Grace made the change 2. Grace is a new world Heb. 2.5 The Land of Grace hath two Summers in one year Esa. 33.24 The inhabitant shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Ioh. 11.26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye They are not mortall men that are in Grace there 's neither sicknesse nor death in that Land 3. We say of such a Physician he hath cured diseases that never man could hee cured stark death then you may commit your body to him he is a tryed Physician 1 Tim. 1.16 Christ hath made a rare copy a curious samplar of mercy of the Apostle Paul For in him he hath shewn all long-suffering for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe in him to life Eternall Heaven is a house full of miracles yea of spectacles and Images of Free-Grace you may intrust your soul with all its diseases to Christ he hath given many rare proofs of his tried art of Grace he hath made many black limbs of Hell fair Saints in Heaven such a man such an Artificier threw down an old dungeon of clay and made it up a fair Palace of Gold Obj. But what am I a lump of unrepenting guiltinesse and sin to such a vessel of mercy as holy Paul and repenting Mary Magdalen Ans. Grace as its in God and fitnesse to receive Grace in us is just alike to all There was no more