him also freely give us all things That is God will freely give us all things if we will receive it according to the tender of his Grace in his Word and with patience wait for it as these did And whereas he saith in 33. v. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that Justifieth 33. Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right hand of God who also maketh interessione for us That is as I elsewhere said that we are no sooner converted and brought into an holy Resignation of our selves unto God but we are accepted of God through the satisfaction made by the Death of Christ who now lives to make intercession for such And as to what we were before we were Converted those sins will not be laid to our charge But this is no incouragement to us to sin and defer Repentance for those Romans never had the knowledg of the truth before But we are born Children of the visible Church and if we defer Repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit and refuse to be obedient to the word thinking it will be time enough hereafter to look after Heaven In so doing we tempt God to leave us to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind therefore the Apostle doth so earnestly exhort the Hebrews To day whilst it is called to day not to harden their Hearts That is not to put off Repentance till to morrow And when we are brought home to Christ by Repentance and resigning up our selves to him we are then no sooner in him but we must walk in newness of Life Of which St. Jude puts in remembrance Jude 6.7 Of the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitations he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great day Even as Sodom and Gomorrha and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange Flesh are set forth for an Example suffering the vengeance of eternal Fire By which we see if we give our selves a liberty to sin God does with hold his restraining Grace from us and so through sin we become subjects of God's wrath And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 8.35 Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword 36. As it is written for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as Sheep for the Slaughter 37. Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerers through him that lovedus 38. For I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come 39. Nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. By these words we see that St. Paul was of this perswasion That they being once in Christ that it was not any nor all of these forementioned things should be able to separate them from the Love of God through Christ By which we see there is nothing but wilful sin that can separate the Soul from the Love of God in Christ if once accepted And whereas St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.13.14 We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you Brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation thro' Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the gloey of our Lord Jesus Christ Now whereas St. Paul saith That God from the beginning chose the Thessalonians to Salvation Now were these words to be taken as hitherto we have done there is a contradiction in the Apostles own words For in the Ephesians he there saith that they were chosen in Christ before the Foundation of the World And here in the Thessalonians he saith from the beginning Now were they chosen from the beginning of the material Heavens and Earth or from the beginning of the first world of People which was in the seed of Cain and Seth. Then were they not chosen before the foundation of the World but at the foundation of the World therefore these words admit of a contradiction And from the beginning here spoken of could not reach to God and Eternity for there is neither beginning nor end therefore his words here and in the Ephesians admit of two meanings The first is as I before proved to you That the Churches that first trusted in Christ was made choice of for the glorious Tabernacle and so will appear to the praise of his Glory as being approv'd of of God as to matter of choice or liking in God for the glorious Tabernacle sooner then Israel or before Israel which is the foundation of the world here spoken of as I have already clearly proved Now whereas he saith that the Thessalonians were chosen from the begining to Salvation is no other then from the begining of the preaching of the Gospel The which begining I shall make clear to you by the words of our blessed Lord and St. John First what the Lord saith to his Disciples in John 15.27 And ye shall also bear witness because ye have been with me from the begining And St. John saith 1 John 2.24 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the begining If that which ye have heard from the begining shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father By what is here said it is evident that the Apostle had no other meaning then from the begining of the publishing of the Gospel by reason Christ and the Apostles did express themselves so And the Apostles own words are to the like effect in Phil. 1.5 For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now which is no other then from the first day they heard the word Now the Thessalonians their being chosen to salvation was not so absolute but that they might through their own neglect fall short of salvation as St. Pauls own words make appear Because he saith in the 2 Thes 1.11 Wherefore also we pray alwaies for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power By what is here said it doth appear that the Thessalonians being chosen to salvation was like that of the children of Israel who was chosen of the Lord for the Land of Canan for God brought them out of the Land of Egypt That was God by his own out stretched arm brought them out of Egypt and through the red Sea This being that which lay not in their power to do But when he brought them into the Wilderness they were to fight for the Land of Canan or else they were never to
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Now we are to take notice that this Man was one that truly feared God and in that he then believed that Christ was the Son of God which he no sooner believed but he knew that he must render to him the like obedience as he had done unto God The which he believing was baptized And also the Text saith that Philip Preached to him Jesus and in so doing he taught him the conditions upon which Christ had offered life and salvation to which he must yield if he would become justified by him Chap. VII Abolishing the Ceremonial Law the Yoke taken off of the Neck of the Disciples ACts 15.6,7,8 And the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter And when there had been much disputing Peter rose up and said unto them Men and Brethren ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel and believe And God which knoweth the hearts bare them witness giving them the Holy Ghost even as he did unto us Now whereas he saith God which knoweth the hearts bare them witness giving them the Holy Ghost even as he did unto us That is God bare them witness that this belief in them was according to the tenour of the Gospel and therefore God gave to the first Gentile-Churches the Holy Ghost as he did to the believing Jews And therefore he saith in the 9th verse And put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by Faith Here we see that by this Faith their hearts were purified in their believing the mercy was not to be received nor retained without a complying frame of spirit to the will of God in yielding their obedience to the Gospel which requires our love to God and his Commands Whereas he saith in verse 10. Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a Yoke upon the neck of the Disciples which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear This Yoke which he here speaks of was Circumcision Sacrifices and often Washings and Purifications which were very burdensom and not profitable for they could no ways make the comers thereunto perfect But Faith in Jesus Christ begets a holy life For in the believing that Christ is become the Author of eternal Salvation to all that obey him Heb. 5.9 The belief of this makes Faith a purifying Faith But whereas the Apostle saith Acts 15.11 But we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they That is the Believers of the Jews that were Circumcised which had yielded their obedience unto Christ did alike believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ they should be saved even as the Believers of the Gentiles that had embraced the Faith in yielding their consent to be obedient to the Gospel For as the Believers of the Gentiles were saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ without Circumcision and the Ceremonial Law So the Believers of the Jews did also believe that they might be saved without them as well as the Gentiles But as for the Moral Law we are as much obliged to keep it as ever Israel was Rom. 2.13 For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified By these words Saint Paul declares that the Moral Law was in as full force as ever it was But as for the Ceremonial Law which afterwards was termed the Law of Moses about which was this Contention it being then to be abolished This is further treated of Acts 21.21 They are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses saying that they ought not to Circumcise their Children neither to walk after their Customs And so in v. 23,24 of the same chapter it is to the like effect Chap. VIII Of things strangled and Blood NOW as to the things forbidden in the Ceremonial Law which we are still to refrain he singles out and writes concerning them Acts 15.28,29 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that ye abstain from Meats offered to Idols and from Blood and from things strangled acd from Fornication These things not being forbidden in the Moral Law it was thought good by the Holy Ghost and by them to leave a Command that those things should still be refrained But as for the Doctrine of the Gospel in which is included the Moral Law the Apostles had before well instructed the Church in In which Gospel there is required obedience to all God's Commands and Precepts with a Promise of the Everlasting Inheritance to them that obey Rev. 2.10 This their Faith in believing the Promise carried them out into all good works even to suffering and to death Chap. IX What is required of a Christian to be a Christian indeed shewing that he is also obliged to keep the Moral Law SAINT Paul exhorteth Timothy To fight the good fight of Faith 1 Tim. 6.12 In which Faith we see there is included a Battle to be fought And St. Paul saith The World was crucified to him and he to the World Gal. 6.14 And that he that is in Christ must become a new Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Rom. 12.1,2 And That ye present your bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service And be not conformed to this World but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God And in Ephes 4.22,23,24 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts And be renewed in the spirit of your mind And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Wherefore putting away lying speak every man truth to his neighbour Gal. 6.7,8,9 Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the slesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting Let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not As we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all especially unto them who are of the houshold of Faith Gal. 5.22,23,24 The fruits of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law And they that are in Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Now tho' there was no Law to condemn such yet there was the Law of God to guide them And of such as these the Apostle spake when he said They were not under the Law but under Grace The like he saith Gal. 5.18 But if
the hearers of the law are justified before God but the doers of the law shall be justified That is as I tell you they were upon their first conversion and resignation justified by their faith in Christ but after we are converted and justified by faith then whilst we have life we must use our diligence to walk in obedience and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. And here we see he acknowledges the moral law to the greatest height and tells us that we must be judged by it and the Gospel 2 Cor. 7.1 For he saith in the 16. v. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Therefore as St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 3.14 We must be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless And the Apostle saith again 1 Pet. 1.13,14,15 Wherefore gird up the loyns of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ As obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation That is endeavour to be holy in all your conversations And as it is said in Heb. Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. By which we see nothing but a close walking with Christ will keep us in the love of Christ for if we sin willfully after we have thus received the knowledge of the truth I find no hope of mercy for the greater light we sin against the greater condemnation we fall under as witness when the Lord was in the Camp of Israel the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day was utterly cut off from the Congregation of the Lord. Rom. 15.29,30,31,32,35 Because he despised the word of the Lord therefore was he cut off in his iniquity and was stoned to death So also underneath the evident manifestations of the Spirit of God in the Apostles time we see in the Acts by Ananias and Saphira his Wife Acts 5.1,2,3,4,5 that having joyned themselves to the Church and in that they hypocritically would appear in the sight of the Apostles more devoted to the interest of the Church then really they were therefore St. Peter tells them they had not lyed unto man but unto God for he saith likewise whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thine own power why hast thou conceived this in thine heart thou hast not lyed unto men but unto God And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the Ghost By which we see of what dreadful consequence it is for us to pretend to be more holy than we really are Therefore let this be a warning to us to be better than we pretend to be for 't is God that knoweth the heart and tryeth the Spirits of men And also God saith Ezek. 33.12 Therefore thou Son of man say unto the Children of thy people the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression as for the wickedness of the wicked he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth And the Apostle saith Heb. 6.5,6 that if they willfully sin after they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the World to come they cannot be renewed by repentance For if we are only of the outward Church we fall short of Salvation and must have our share in the threatned misery and if we deferr repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit we thereby lose the day of grace and so are left of God And if we go to hear the word and do not benefit thereby we are like the Earth which drinketh in the rain Heb. 6.3 yet bearing thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned And if we are willfully ignorant It is said it is only the Fool hates knowledge Pro. 1.22 And God saith my People are destroyed for lack of knowledge Hosea 4.6 And whereas the Lord saith John 5.20,21,22,23,24 For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth and he will shew him greater works than these that ye may marvel For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickneth them even so the Son quickneth whom he will For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son By this we may plainly see that Christ spake this for the time to come in which he will jduge the World for when he then came it was to teach and to suffer and now as he is at the right hand of God it is said he sits there as an Advocate with the Father but when he comes again he is then our Judge therefore this is spoken for that time when all judgment shall be given to him The Lord saith That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father he that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Now the Jews and Turks honour him not as they do the Father therefore spoken for time to come And he saith Verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life That is when the Lord again cometh that them which he then findeth thus will have everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but then will be passed from death unto life And he saith John 5.24,25,26,27,28,29 Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself By all the foregoing words it doth evidently appear to be the first resurrection the which will be at the coming of the Lord and here spoken in the usual way of Scripture speaking in mentioning that which is to come as though it were already come Now although the wicked are termed to be dead in sin yet in the foregoing words there was made no mention of them but of the judgment that was committed to Christ Neither is the voice of Christ after his Ascension said to call home any but St. Paul And the Holy Ghost was not given till after the People were brought home by the voice of his Messengers in the call of the Gospel Therefore this must needs be meant of the first Resurrection which will be when Christ again cometh And the Lord saith Joh. 5.27,28,29 And
we have in our new Translation turned into Charity which in the old is Love for Charity will not sufficiently explain the meaning of the word Therefore it is said in the 3. v. Though I bestow all my Goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing That is if we have not Love for Love cannot be without Charity but Charity may be without Love for we may be Charitable by the way of Merit thinking to purchase Heaven by it and that will not do But if we are without Charity in the way of our Duty and Love in the fellow feeling of one anothers sufferings then is not the Love of God in us For St. John saith in the 3. chap. 17. v. But whosoever hath this world's goods and seeth his Brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of Compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him 18. v. My little Children let us not Love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth And St. James saith in the 1.17 Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from the World And he saith in the 2. c. 13. v. For he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy and mercy rejoyceth against Judgment 14. v. For what doth it profit my brethren tho a man say he hath Faith and have not Works can Faith save him 15. v. If a Brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily Food 16. v. And one of you say unto them depart in Peace be you warmed and filled Notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the Body what doth it profit 17. v. Even so Faith if it hath not works is dead being alone We are not here now to wait for new Calls but to improve the Talent that God hath given us in that we have his word the good motions of his Spirit and the Checks of Conscience the which Talents well improved will bring us to Eternal Blessedness for if we take to the rule which he hath set before us and according thereunto beg his continual Assistance God will then never be wanting to us And St. Paul saith of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 That from a Child thou hast known the Scriptures which is able to make thee wise to Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus By which the Promise is obtainable for as there is an absolute Election of whom it is said their Names was Written in Heaven from the Foundation So there is a conditional Election and us a Day of Grace Therefore as the Apostle saith having a promise of entring into his Rest let us fear lest we should fall short of it Therefore let us up and be doing that thereby we may make our Calling and Election sure for we are not of that number that are chose to be his standing Witnesses thro' the World and therefore may fall away the which I have clearly proved by the word where I have spoken of Election Of Baptism AND whereas St. Paul saith Gal. 3.27 For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ The which is meant 〈◊〉 the Spiritual Baptism whereby they become conformable to Christ as in Rom. 8.9,10 Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is Life because of Righteousness But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you The which indwelling of his Spirit is this Spiritual Baptism Now with the Spiritual Baptism there is joyned a sign or Seal the which is the outward Baptism of Washing or Plunging So as to be buried under the Water and therefore said buried with him in Baptism for as Christ was underneath the Earth so we should be plunged under the Water the which doth also signify to us that we should be Spiritually Dead to the World as having no delight in it or to it Now the Children of believing Parents are said to be Holy therefore fit to receive this sign of Baptism and they also being in Covenant as well as their Parents And by the Blood of Christ it is that both are made partakers of the Promises but to any that are of Maturity and not Believers the which Belief is such as brings our Wills over into a conformity to the will of God then Christ dwells in us by his Spirit and then are we Spiritually Baptised And if the outward sign and Seal is fixt on them that within them is not sound the thing signified It is but like a Seal to a blank Bond For St. Paul saith Rom. 2.28 For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh 29. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of Men but of God Now Children are innocent as to any actual Sin and if they come of believing Parents are said to be Holy and so fit to be Baptised and the Covenant of God made by Moses was as well made with Children as with those of Maturity Of the Trinity THe meaning of the Trinity is this That the Infinite God consists of three Glorious Beings or Persons as God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost and these three to be one God being of one Will one Mind one Power one Glory this being the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity which was from all Eternity and so continues to all Eternity the only true God blessed for ever more Amen Heb. 1.3,8 John 5.21,22,23 1 John 5.20 Col. 1.15,16,17 John 1.3 Acts 5.3,4 Wisd 7.24,25,26,27 Let us all learn to know God in Christ Christ in Faith by an Holy reliance upon him and a self Resignation of our Wills and affections to him and to know our Faith by good works and so to know the Will of God as to do it and before the knowledg of all other things we should learn to know our selves Whereas it is said in 1 John 5.7,8 that the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost are One so it is said the Spirit the Water and the Blood a gree in one as to the renewing of a sinner the Spirit of the Lord doth again Renew us the Water in Baptism washeth us and the Blood of Christ 't is that Justifies us if we take hold of the tender of his Grace according to the condition as it is offered And again the Spirit the Water and
from another and what James saith c. 1. v. 17. Every good and perfect gift cometh from above Yet by the words of Christ in the parable it is plain that some improved the Talents they had received and some improved not their Talent Matth. 25. And Israel was cast off of God for their not improving their day of grace Matthew 23.37 Rom. 4.11,12,13 And he received the Sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe tho' they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed unto them also And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the Circumcision only but also walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham which he had being yet uncircumcised For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed thro' the Law but thro' the righteousness of Faith Now what was the steps of that Faith that our Father Abraham walkt in being uncircumcised It was that he staggered not at the promise of God but believed that he should have it according to the word of the Lord in the way of his obedience that he thereby should be made the Father of many Nations and heir of the world which carried him thro' all difficulties and caused him to tread in the steps of Righteousness according as the Lord required of him Gen. 17,1,2 I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect And I will make my Covenant between me and thee and will multiply thee exceedingly These words shew that God required of Abraham his sincere obedience that thereby he might be the heir of this promise Accordingly St. Paul saith verse 13. For the promise that he shoulld be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the Law but through the righteousness of faith Which was through the righteousness which this his faith produc'd the which Circumcision was afterward given him as a Seal of this his righteousness by faith And whether circumcised or uncircumcised whosoever treads in the steps of our Father Abraham in looking for the performance of the promise in the way of their obedience shall also become heirs of life Rom 4.14,15,16 For if they which are of the Law be heirs faith is made void and the promise made of none effect because the Law worketh wrath for where no Law is there is no transgression Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all Now the Law expected the perfect performance of the thing required before they could become justified by it but then under the Law through mercy they that did render their sincere obedience thereunto it was accepted of them so as they had the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them for their Justification But hereby it sheweth that Justification was not to be attained by the Law but that Justification and Righteousness is to be attained by Faith that draws out the heart in love to God and Christ with an assent to yield obedience to him Such are made partakers of his grace and so by the Righteousness of Christ become justified And where this complying frame of spirit is it was and is the seed to whom the promise belongs whether under the Law or Gospel and unto such as these that tread in Abraham's steps he is a Father For all are his servants to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 6.16 Rom. 4.21,22 And he being fully persuaded that what God hath promised he was able to perform And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness That is Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able to perform what he had promised him which drew out his heart to yield that obedience which God required of him He thus believing it was imputed to him for righteousness And whereas the Apostle saith verse 23,24,25 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification That is if we believe in him that raised up our Lord from the dead that the purchased Salvation by Christ is to be imputed according as he in his Word hath declared and so accordingly we lay hold of the promise of Life then Christ was delivered for our offences as well as for theirs and likewise rose again for our Justification as well as theirs if we according as these Romans had done to whom he wrote have obeyed from the heart the Doctrine of the Gospel then also we by Christ are made free from the condemning power of sin and are become the servants of Righteousness Rom. 6.17,18 But we are no sooner set clear from the condemning power of sin by the free grace of God purchased by the Blood of his Son but we are immediately thereupon listed Souldiers of Christ to fight under his Banner against the World the Flesh and the Devil and all our corrupt Affections and Inclinations and bringing down every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 Chap. III. The Election of the first Churches EPhes 2.8,9,10 For by Grace are ye saved thro' Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of works lest any man should boast For we are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them By these words the Apostle also clearly sheweth that by good works standing alone without the merits of Christ no man can be justified in his sight And therefore all boasting is taken away from man in the sight of God But whereas he saith in v. 10. For we are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Here the Apostle hath his peculiar reference to the first Churches who were brought out of darkness sin and errour And as he saith in verse 12. Ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenant of Promise having no hope and without God in the World Now at that time God did not only abound in his mercy towards them of the first Churches in all wisdom and prudence Ephes 5.8 in shewing his mighty power in them and in calling them as the Apostle saith out of darkness into his marvelous light 1 Pet. 2.9 and thereby bringing over the consent of their wills to his Laws he did then freely justifie them by his grace but also when God had done this
themselves without fear Clouds they are without water That is for any to feed themselves without fear the Apostle terms them Clouds without water But for Believers to be timerously fearful of themselves because of their own weakness lest they should offend that fear is pleasing in the sight of God because it keeps them in a diligent watchfulness And were there not great cause of fear the Apostle would not have so forewarned the Saints of that roaring Lion that walks about seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 And of such as fear it is said The Lord will deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage Heb. 2.15 Here we see there is comfort for them that so fear But as for such as are mistrustfully fearful of the faithfulness and power of God that he will not perform his promise according to his word and therefore they will not venture the loss of the delights and advantages of this World so as to obey his Commands and Precepts of such fearful and unbelieving it is of whom the Lord saith They shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 21.8 Therefore St. Paul saith to the Saints Heb. 10.35 Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward That is confidence in the power and faithfulness of God for as we believe that God is so we must believe that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. v. 6. And that the Crown of Life according to the promise of the Lord will be given to them that continue faithful to the death Rev. 2.10 Therefore St. Paul saith For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise Heb. 10.36 For whosoever doeth the will of God comes in as Heirs to the promise And accordingly St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 9.26 I therefore so run not as uncertainly so sight I not as one that beateth the Air. This being the Apostle's faith his confidence in the faithfulness of the promiser which made him thus run and fight for in so doing he knew that he was not at an uncertainty And this is the faith or belief which is to the saving of the Soul For verily there is a reward for the righteous Psal 58.11 For God doth never justifie the ungodly by the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ but when they turn from sin unto God for God will no otherwise clear the guilty 1 John 4.18 He saith Perfect love casteth out fear That is where perfect love is it casteth out all slavish fear but not a filial Child-like fear but it is not every sincere-hearted Christian can be thus assured they are made perfect in love and those that are so are not thereby assured that their love will so remain For the Lord saith of the Church of Ephesus That she was fallen from her first love for which she was threatned to be removed out of his favour if she did not repent and do her first works Rev. 2.4,5 Chap. X. Christ the Author of Faith HEB. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of Faith For had not God promised Christ and by him everlasting Life to all them that should keep his Covenant there had been no ground for Faith or hope of Salvation Therefore of this Faith Christ is the Author the which faith or hope caused all those Worthies of old to undergo all those difficulties mentioned in the foregoing chapter which are as a Cloud of Witnesses to incourage us to suffer and to follow the Lord Jesus thro' all difficulties Who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God ch 12. v. 2. The which if we accordingly deny our selves in obedience to him Christ will then compleatly finish our faith in giving the Crown of Life to them who have continued faithful to the death Chap. XI What it is to be born of God and to overcome the World 1 JOHN 5.1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him Now we must always look to the words that go before and to those that follow after if we would come to a right understanding of the word For in that he saith They that love God they likewise love Christ that is begotten of him or else they cannot be born of God For if they or we are not by our believing that Christ is the Son of God brought off from the delights of this World we cannot be born of God For it is such a belief in us that Christ is the Son of God which draws out our heart to love and obey him as God or else our belief in him is not such as makes us to be born of God Therefore he saith in verse 2. By this we know that we love the Children of God when we love God keep his Commandments For by the Commandments of God we are commanded to love the Children of God and by keeping the commands of God it is we know that we love God therefore the Apostle saith in v. 3. This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous By which we see our love to God and Christ is in keeping their Commands And he saith in verse 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World and this is the victory that overcometh the World even our faith What meaneth the Apostle here in saying that by faith they overcame the World He meaneth all the vain fleshly and covetous desires of any thing relating to the World which by their faith they overcame Which faith set them on work looking for the reward promised which is the Crown of Life But notwithstanding some have again been overcome by the World and so made shipwrack of faith and a good conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 and others as in 2 Pet. 2.18,19 They allure thro' the lust of the flesh thro' much wantonness those that were clean escaped from them who live in errour While they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage By which nothing can be more plain than that those that have had the New Birth wrought in them and have overcome the World may again be overcome by the World and brought into bondage and so the latter end is worse with them than the beginning as in ver 20,21 Now the man that is born of God is brought off from the World and whilst he so continues new-born or brought off from the World he sinneth not because he doth not wilfully commit sin For the sins that are not wilfully committed will not be imputed for Christ remains their Advocate John 5.16 If any man see his
that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Now in the Apostle's time there was a twofold way of Christ's being in the Churches for Christ said to his Disciples The Spirit that dwelleth with you shall be in you John 14.17 because unto them was given the Holy Ghost to be in them which afterward also was but with the Churches But Christ in every true Believer must be so in them as to have the ruling-power in their hearts and affections in that their wills must be brought into subjection unto Christ by a complying frame of spirit to his will And thus Christ dwells in every true Believer For whosoever is in Christ in them is required a mind agreeable to the will of Christ that he thereby may rule in the heart Now the Corinthians having embraced the faith in yielding their consent to be obedient unto Christ and had also received the Spirit of whom St. Paul afterward heard of their disorderly walking therefore he writes to them to examine themselves whether they were in the faith and to prove themselves whether Christ were still thus in them or not for if Christ were not thus in them then they had rebelled from their subjection unto him and thereby grieved the Spirit of God and so become Reprobates But those that had never yielded their obedience to God or Christ cannot properly be said to be Rebels or Reprobates because they did never own themselves as servants to them but did all along yield themselves servants to sin for which they shall receive their punishment tho' not as Rebels or Reprobates But Israel whom God had taken into Covenant with himself they likewise were termed Reprobates for their wilful disobedience for which they were rejected of God Jer. 6.28,30 They are all grievous revolters walking with slanders they are Brass and Iron they are all corrupters Reprobate Silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Now tho' the Lord saith The Spirit like the Wind bloweth where it listeth but it listeth not to blow on them by whom it is grieved and therefore Israel was rejected Now some of them of Corinth were fallen into great iniquity and also had spoken evil of St. Paul and some other Disciples Therefore he saith in verse 6. But I trust that ye shall know that we are not Reprobates As much as to say ye shall know that we have not rebelled from our great Master and therefore not Reprobates For it is said Every one is his servant To whom they yield themselves to obey his servants they are to whom they obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 6.16 Chap. XV. The Everlasting Life that is now given the Believer explained JOHN 6.47 Christ saith He that believeth in me hath everlasting life Now we have misapprehended the words of Christ for the everlasting life that is now given the Believer is no otherwise given except to the standing Witness than it was to Adam and Eve in Paradice For when sin in the Soul is pardoned the will changed Christ's Righteousness imputed then it is the everlasting life lost by Adam again takes place of which everlasting life nothing can again disinherit them but wilful and presumptuously sinning or negligently and carelesly departing from the ways of God Therefore Christ saith Rev. 3.2,3 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God If therefore thou wilt not watch I will come upon thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee And likewise St. Paul cautions the Church of Corinth fearing lest the Serpent should beguile them as he beguiled Eve 2 Cor. 11.3 For if Adam and Eve had never sinned they had never died Now the Churches thus standing were to take heed lest they should fall and to fight to keep their ground thereby to make their Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. c. 1. v. 10. And St. Paul saith Phil. 2.12,13 It is God that worketh in them both to will and to do according to his own good pleasure That is it was so far the good will and pleasure of God to restore them and renew them by his Spirit and to put them into a capacity of sincere obedience in which capacity they were to use their utmost diligence to work out their salvation with fear and trembling So likewise are we to do the same also For those that received the Talents were to improve that which was given them and he that did not according to his ability improve that which he had received was therefore condemned Matth. 25.15 Chap. XVI A Believer not coming into Condemnation explained CHrist saith John 5.24 He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life These words of the Lord may admit of a two-fold meaning That is whilst the Believer continues believing that Salvation is to be had according to the promise of the Lord in the Gospel in the way of their love and obedience Whilst he thus believeth he shall never come into condemnation But this which the Lord here saith hath its peculiar reference to his second Coming at which time he cometh to judge the world and restore all things as in verse 22. The Judgment is then committed unto Christ at which time as in verse 23. All men shall honour the Son as they honour the Father The which never yet hath been done for the generality of the Jews hitherto have not honoured the Son as they honour the Father Neither by the Turks is the Son honoured as the Father Therefore this the Lord spake for the time when he again shall come That whosoever he shall then find a true practical Believer shall not come into condemnation For then the everlasting life that is now given the Believer will be secured to their persons for at that time they will be put into a capacity never more to offend For not only the raised Saints but the living Believer will then receive the Crown of Life For when the Lord again cometh the Crown of Righteousness is given to all that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 For when an inherent perfect Righteousness is given and the continuance of it secured to us by the establishing of the now-promised new everlasting Covenant then is Life crowned to the Soul This is the Covenant of Promise which now the Believers with Israel are but Heirs to And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham 's seed and Heirs according to the Promise Gal. 3.29 but when the Lord again comes his other Sheep will be brought into that Fold with them that do securely stand For the Lord saith At that time when there is one Fold there shall be but one Shepherd John 10.16 Therefore this will not be till the Lord again comes But we taking all the Promises as
relating to us and the present time has occasioned our falling into great mistakes For whereas the Lord said to his Disciples Matth. 17.20 If ye have faith as a grain of Mustard-seed ye shall say to this Mountain Remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be unpossible unto you Now tho' at that time the Disciples faith was but weak yet afterwards according to the promise of the Lord they did greater Miracles than that of removing Mountains but this promise belongs no more to us than that of sitting upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel But as much as we can do the Miracles so much the Promise belongs to us Likewise the Apostle speaking of the Gentiles which had received the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. v. 2,3 Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb Idols even as you were led Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Now he spake this of those that were convinced by the Holy Ghost that Christ was the Son of God For the others that were not then thus convinced would not own him But now all the Christians have learned by rote to say that Christ is the Son of God without the assistance of the Holy Ghost Now the persons of the first Churches were in a more particular manner chosen to be Heirs to the promised everlasting Covenant because unto them was given the Holy Ghost as the earnest of their Inheritance so as they must wilfully disinherit themselves if they mist of the promised blessedness but to the succeeding Generations of the Gentile Churches to them the Promises belonged as they before did to Israel And tho' they were not given the Holy Spirit to be in them as he was in the first Churches but to be with them as he was with Israel yet none can come in as Heirs to the promised Mercy without bringing their wills and affections into subjection unto Christ for he must be so in them as to have the ruling-power in the heart for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Rom. 8.9 That is so as to have their minds brought into subjection to the will of Christ Therefore St. Paul saith Rom. 8.13,14 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye thro' the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God That is whosoever will not be led by the Spirit of God to obey the revealed Will of God are not the Sons of God Therefore St. Paul when he related who they were that were in Covenant he there declares it is the Believer that is in Covenant and therefore saith If one of the Parents be a Believer then are the Children holy 1 Cor. 7.14 Whereby we see all that come in as Heirs to the Covenant are included as Believers And the Believer is no longer a Believer than he believes Salvation is to be had according to the tenour of the Gospel But when the Everlasting Covenant is establisht with Abraham and his Seed together the which will be at the Resurrection of the Just which is at the restitution of all things then it is that God will never turn away from them neither shall they then any more depart from him Jer. 32.40 God saith I will make an Everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me This is that which crowns life to the Soul This promise is not only to the natural Seed of Abraham but to all the adopted Seed that shall be found true Believers in that day then it is that the Lord will perform his promise as in the 39th I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their Children after them This is clearly evident that this promise was never made good to the Children of the Gentile Churches and therefore this promise remains to be made good in time to come for his faithfulness cannot fail for hath he said it and shall he not do it no let God be true and every man a lyar Now Israel when they were first brought under the Covenant then was the time when God saw them in their sin and said unto them live For when God brought them out of Egypt they were then polluted in their blood the which time was the time of love the Lord then taking them into Covenant with himself and thereby he said unto them live But Israel not obeying the voice of the Lord in living according to his Commands and Precepts therefore they were cast off of God So when God first took into Covenant the Transgressors of the Gentiles they were then polluted in their blood whom God then renewed by his Spirit and took them into Covenant with himself and put them into a capacity of obedience And the Believers Children were sharers in the promised Mercy until such time as they grew to have no love to the truth but like Israel took pleasure in unrighteousness Then God left them to strong delusions that they might believe lyes That all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.12 But God hath promised all to be with them whilst they keep the way and to the remnant of whom the Disciples sprang which were his Fathers before and given to Christ it was those of whom Christ said None shall pluck them out of my hand but that he would be with them to the end of the World Now when Christ first came the Spirit was shed on Believers abundantly Titus 3.6 Yet notwithstanding St. Paul terms it but night to that approaching day which is at hand and therefore saith The night is far spent the day is at hand let us walk honestly as in the day c. Rom. 13.12,12 Thereby shewing that in that day there will be no disorderly walking amongst them for then it is that both the natural and adopted Seed of Jacob will be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them so as they shall no more teach every man his Neighbour and his Brother For then it is The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea I shall not here insist upon the Everlasting Covenant because I intend fully to explain it in another Treatise Chap. XVI A Belief in Christ further Explained NOW whereas Christ saith He that believeth in me or on me shall be saved And the Apostles also Saying He that Believeth in Christ shall be saved Which is no other than in short to declare that Christ had said and manifested the way and
contrary Gen. 6.5,6 Jer. 18.8,9,10 Ezek. 18.22,23,24,25 And whereas St Paul saith Titus 1.2 In hopes of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began His meaning here was no other than that God promised eternal life before the world began in which they were to receive it Which world is the world to come in which all they that obey him are promised eternal life I have also fully proved by the word in another Treatise that is to come forth that it was after the fall of Adam that the decree was made that the entrance into life should be made strait and how that straitness doth consist Chap. XX Chosen from the foundation and before the foundation explained I Have in the fore-mentioned Book by the word fully proved what is meant by being Chosen from the foundation of the world And also proved that in the word there is mention made of three evers three times three generations three worlds and that there was none chosen before the foundation of the material Heavens and Earth That these three worlds spoken of in Scripture are three worlds of people First that which sprang from Adam Secondly that which sprang from the Seed of Noah And thirdly That the foundation of the world to come was laid in the seed of Abraham when God brought them out of Aegypt and laid them for the foundation of the world to come For all that comes in Heirs to that world comes in as the Seed of Abraham from the foundation of which world was Christ figuratively slain in the Paschal Lamb. And from that foundation of the world was the works of those unbelieving Jews finished when they thro' their unbelief refused to go to fight for the land of Canaan therefore were condemned to die in the wilderness from 20 years old and upward save Caleb and Joshua And then after this miscarriage God elected and secured a remnant in Christ of that foundation which was then a laying in Israel for the world to come But for Israel's miscarriage God did likewise elect and make choice of the first Gentile Churches to partake of the Holy Ghost and God chose them before the body of Israel which were the foundation of the world to come And therefore the Apostle Paul saith They were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world That is before the body of Israel who were the foundation of the World to come And this not as to matter of time but as to matter of choice and liking in God rather to appoint and make choice of them that ignorantly offend him to call them in by a particular calling and give to them with the remnant the Holy Ghost that they thereby might bear their testimony to the world of the truth of the Gospel rather than those of Israel that did wilfully rebel and would not be a light to the world All these things are fully and clearly proved in the other Treatise with the hardning of Pharaoh's heart And what it was God hardned him in Shewing that it was not in sin and cruelty but for his sin and cruelty God hardened him in unbelief so as he should not believe the miracles done by Moses to come from God And therefore he followed them into the Red Sea where he and his Army were destroyed And therein also is shewed what is the meaning of being before of old ordained to this condemnation Now there was none of the Apostles that were Scholars but St. Paul And to understand some part of his Epistles has been more difficult than all the writings of the rest of the Apostles And according to the saying of St. Peter many poor Souls have wrested them to their own Destruction Chap. XXI The Call to the Eternal Inheritance explained ST Paul saith Heb. 9.15,16 That they which are called might receive the promise of the eternal Inheritance This he does not only speak of them that had the peculiar calling as the remnant chosen from among Israel and of the first Gentile Churches which were likewise chosen to bear their Testimony to the truth But these words had also a reference to all Israel who were all called and unto whom the promises belong'd and to their Children So the promises belonged to them that were called of the Gentile Churches and their Children And unto all to whom the word of God shall come accompanied with the good motions of the Spirit of God to them likewise does the promise of the Eternal Inheritance belong if they according to the condition as it is tendred will lay hold of it And whosoever continues faithful shall at the end have the fruition of the eternal inheritance that was promised upon those conditions Acts 10.35 For in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted with him And it was the Gentile Nations that Abraham had the promise from God to be Father to Rom. 4.17 And when the Gentile Nations were called in it was then God made good his word to Abraham and then did the promise belong to them and their Children as it did to Israel and their Children So as they might receive the promise of the Eternal Inheritance upon the conditions offered Now the first Gentile Churches were not only called that they might receive the promise of the Eternal Inheritance but they had also the Holy Ghost given to them as the earnest of that Inheritance which afterwards they should receive if they did not disinherit themselves And to their Children that followed after them did the promise of the Eternal Inheritance belong But at the time that any Nation or people have not the Gospel at that time they have not the call At which time the promise of Eternal Inheritance belongs not to them Yet they are not excluded all mercy But where the word of God is as the call thereof is rightly understood there it is where the eternal Life may be laid hold on But such as by often sinning have caused God to withdraw the good motions of his Spirit from them they are thereby left to blindness of mind And as God was with the natural Seed of Abraham till they by often sinning caused him to withdraw from them So God was with the Nations of the adopted Seed of Abraham till such time as by often sinning they caused God to with-draw from them and leave them to strong delusions to believe lies 2 Thess 2.10,11,12 Chap. XXII The Gifts and Callings of God explained ST Paul saith Rom. 11.29 The Gifts and Callings of God are without Repentance That is according to the conditions upon which God calls them they are without Repentance from him But by the disobedience of many that have been called the call has proved uneffectual to them to the saving of their Souls Therefore St. Paul saith He kept under his body lest that by any means when he had preached to others he himself should be a cast-away 1 Cor. 9.27 And he never declared himself to be sure
ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's Seed and heirs according to the Promise Now by all this we see that every true Christian comes into the Covenant to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ Now we know that both the Seeds of Abraham which came of Isaac were both Circumcised the which was â—he Seal or Sign of the Covenant So the Roâ—ans receive the Sign of Baptism as well as the â—rue Christians who take the word of God for â—he Rule of their Lives to which Christians is 〈◊〉 Promise made That unto all them that obey him â—hrist is become the Author of Eternal Salvaâ—on Now the Romans though they have the sign of Baptism yet wholly renounce Obedience to the will of God in his word the which he hath given both to Jew and Gentile as a rule to walk by Now Moses knowing by the Spirit of Prophesy that there would come in strangers to be joyned in Covenant with Israel in and through Christ and so become the Seed of Abraham of whom also there would be a Seed the which should prove an Esau Generation who would fall off from the true ways of Godliness and fall into Wickedness Pride and Cruelty and therefore when he speaks of the Jews miscarriage he hath joyned the miscarriage of these with them that is these degenerated Christians the which time and the event hath made clearly evident by the Destruction that he pronounced against their Land the which was never threatned against the Land of Canaan that that should become Brimstone Salt and Burning Neither hath any such thing ever falleâ— upon any part of the aforesaid Land But now God has made it plainly appear to whom these Prophesies did relate since in Sicily and Naples the threatned Judgments are evidently broken forth among them And Moses in Deut. 29.16,17,18 saith For ye know how we have dwelâ— in the land of Egypt and how we came through thâ— Nations which ye passed by And ye have seen their abominations and their idols wood and stone silvâ— and gold which are among them Lest there should be among you man or woman or family or tribe whose Heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God to go and serve the Gods of these Nations lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood By which we see that this has not its reference to the Body of Israel in that he mentions Man or Woman or Family or Tribe by which words the Body of Israel cannot be comprehended And whereas he saith lest there should be among you a root that beareth Gall and Wormwood Now a root doth signify one of the Tribes or the major part of a tribe for in the Scripture the greater number is taken for the whole and a Man or Woman or single family is but a bough or branch of a root Now a root hath its springing increasing and continuance and we know that the Tribes when spoken of singly are termed as one Man as Judah and Benjamin Manasses and Ephraim the which each of them signifies a Tribe Now those that are brought in to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ come in as of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah from which Tribe there was a root of Gall and Wormwood to spring forth of which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.3 Except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the Son of Perdition Ye see also that the Apostle here terms the Beast to be a Man And he also forewarneth the Hebrews of him c. 12.15 Bidding them looâ— diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you and thereby many be defiled 16. Lest there be any fornicator or prophane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright By these words we find also that out of this root of Bitterness would spring up trouble and thereby many should be defiled which by sad experience has been made evident And the Apostle also here compares him to Esau whose representative he is or Figure of him altho many degrees worse therefore for him is reserv'd the worser Punishment who as Esau parted with his Birthright so this Man here spoken of parted with the promised Blessing which was for Eternity for this World's morsel Now Moses in the forementioned verse at which I left off wherein he speaks of the root that beareth Gall and Wormwood of which he saith Deut. 29.19 And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this Curse and he blesseth himself in his Heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine Heart to add drunkenness to thirst 20. The Lord will not sparâ— him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven 21. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to aâ—… the Curses of the Covenant that are written in this Book of the Law 22. So that the generation tâ— come of your Children that shall rise up after you and the stranger that shall come from a far Land shall say when they see the Plagues of that Land and the sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it 23. And that the whole land thereof is brimstone and salt and burning that it is not sown nor beareth nor any grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath Now we are to take notice what are the sins against whom God did by Moses pronounce these Ireful Judgments as in Deut. 29.18,19 Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst Now we are to consider what the Scripture calls Dunkenness besides that excess of drinking good Liquor In the first place God mentions another sort of Drunkenness by Moses Deut. 32.42 I will make mine Arrows drunk with Blood And this Drunkenness which Moses speaks of is mentioned by St. John Rev. 17.6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration Now this Woman that was thus Drunken is mystical Babylon as in the 5. v. of this chapter and in the 3. v. she is termed Babylon the great the mother of harlots and the abomination of the earth The Beast that beareth her that is beareth her up in her Grandeur and Greatness is the Pope which sets himself up as a God And this is the man that addeth Drunkenness to his thirst for he first thirsteth
shall live together with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew is as the dew of Herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past 21. For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain That it is as well those that are Spiritually Dead in Sin wherein by the Lord 's saying Men is comprehended the whole Man both Soul and Body The Soul being already Dead and the Body daily dying Now when these dead Men shall Live he farther tells us it shall be when his dead body shall arise which is in the first Resurrection as I have proved by Scripture And as to the Body of the Saints you see they are not termed Men because the better part of them is alive and united to the Lord of Glory Upon which the Lord terms the dead Bodies of the Saints to be his dead Body And that this rising is at the first Resurrection is further cleared in that he then tells us the Earth shall cast out the Dead In the following verse the Lord instructeth his People that then shall be on the Earth to hide them for a little moment until the indignation be over past that is not to appear much in the World either in pompous splendor Action or Labour But in a more particular manner to secure themselves in himself and that the more we see the day approaching At that time when the Lord cometh to Punish the Inhabitants of the Earth he also then will punish the Leviathan and slay the Dragon that is in the Sea By this we see that Isaiah gives us the same account as St. Paul and St. John does as concerning the destruction of the beast and the binding of Satan And God speaking to Ezekiel of the Restoration of Israel and of the Resurrection saith in the 37 c. where he shewed him the Valley of dead bones which were very many and very dry and they are represented to him how they came together all in figurative way after which the Lord opens to him the meaning thereof as in v. 11. God said unto him Son of Man these bones are the whole House of Israel Behold they say our bones are dryed and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts V. 12. Therefore Prophesy and say to them thus saith the Lord God behold O my people I will open your Graves and cause you to come up out of your Graves and bring you into the land of Israel V. 13. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your Graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves V. 14. And shall put my Spirit in you and ye shall live and I shall place you in your own Land then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it saith the Lord. V. 15. The word of the Lord came again unto me saying V. 16. Moreover thou Son of Man take thee one stick and write upon it for Judah and for the Children of Israel his companions then take another stick and write upon it for Joseph the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions V. 17. And joyn them one to another into one stick and they shall become one in thine hand V. 21. Say unto them thus saith the Lord God behold I will take the Children of Israel from among the Heathen where they be gone and I will gather them on every side and bring them into their own Land Now here you see again by this what was the meaning of the dry bones the which the Lord declared to him was the whole House of Israel that is the whole of them that are to be saved for St. Paul saith they are not all Israel that are of Israel But this Promise was made to them that then said we are cast off that they were a part of the whole Body which should arise out of their Graves and be made partakers of the Resurrection and be united to their Head and Husband at which time the two Families of Israel should be gathered together from among the Heathen and be made one People for ever And Isa saith in the 66. c. 8. v. Who hath heard such a thing who hath seen such a thing shall the Earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a Nation be born at once for as soon as Sion Travelled she brought forth her Children V. 9. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord shall I cause to bring forth and shut up the Womb saith thy God v. 10. Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that Love her rejoyce for joy with her all yâ— that Mourn for her v. 11. That ye may suck and be satisfied with the Breasts of her Consolations that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abnndanâ—… of her Glory v. 12. For thus saith the Lord behold I will extend peace to her like a River and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream then shall ye suck ye shall be born upon her sides and be dandled upon her knees v. 13. As one whom his Mother comforteth so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem v. 14. And when you see this your heart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish like an herb and the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his Servants and his indignation towards his enemies v. 15. For behold the Lord will come with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebukes with flames of Fire v. 16. For by fire and sword will the Lord plead with all Flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many Here you see that a Nation shall be born at once and at that time Israel shall rejoyce in Jerusalem When they are again re-established they nor their Seed shall never more be cast off But be the inheritors of Eternal Life Now that some will enter into this Kingdom but not by this Everlasting Covenant is evident by what God saith in Isa 19.24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assiria even a blessing in the midst of the Land V. 25. Whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless saying blessed be Egypt my people and Syria the work of my hands and Israel mine inheritance And in Ezek. 16.59 Thus saith the Lord God I will even deal with thee as thou hast done which hast despised the Oath in breaking the Covenant V. 60. Nevertheless I will remember my Covenant with thee in the days of thy youth and I will establish unto thee an Everlasting
1.7,8,9,10 Heb. 9.28 but unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation and so come Lord Jesus Amen A Definition of a true Soul-saving Faith according to the Rule of God's Word which the Lord requireth of us to interest us in himself is this FIrst that all those that come to God must believe that God is and that he is such as he hath declared himself to be in his Holy Word three Persons Father Son and Holy Spirit these Three to be but one God from everlasting to everlasting Isa 40.27,28 Isa 40.23,24 Jer. 23.24 1 Joh. 5.7 Psal 90.2 Rev. 1.8 Psal 90.2 Ps 41.13 John 10.38 of one Will one Mind one Power and one Glory and dwelleth in that light that no mortal Eye is able to approach unto and beyond the Apprehension of Man to comprehend the height of his glorious Excellency this is that God blessed for ever from all Eternity to all Eternity and he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him and that through the alone Merit and meritorious Satisfaction and Intercession of the Lord Christ Jesus Heb. 11.6 2 Cor. 5.18,19 Rev. 1.5 1 Pet. 1.18,19,20,21 Mark here what the Apostle saith It is he that diligently seeketh the Lord is promised the reward and he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Heb. 11.6 Prov. 28.13 1 Joh. 3.3 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 5.17 this is the Faith which the Apostle saith purifieth the Conscience from dead Works to serve the living God for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked as much as in us lies 1 Joh. 2.6 Mat. 7.17 Luk. 6.44 Gal. 5.6 2 Tim. 1.10 1 Joh. 4.18 for the Tree is known by its fruit saving Faith worketh by Love and draweth out our hearts and affections after the Lord in the apprehensions of his bringing us to life and immortality which removeth from us the slavish Fear and the Lord hath bidden us take hold of his strength for of our selves we are not able to overcome the Evil of sin the Snares of the World the Wiles of the Devil nor the Treachery of our own Hearts Isa 27.5 Joh. 15.5 Therefore the Lord hath invited all them that are weary and heavy laden to come unto him and he will give them rest Matt. 11.28 Isa 41.3 promising that he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax therefore in and through Christ we have boldness to the throne of grace through that new and living way the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 4.16 Heb. 10.29 Heb. 12.24 Heb. 13.20 Col. 1.10 whereby the Lord hath made reconciliation in nailing our sins to his Cross and justifying us if we have an interest in him with his righteousness Isai 53.4.5.12 1 Pet. 3.18 2 Cor. 13.5 but be sure let us take the advice of St. Paul with us in that he bids us examine our selves and prove ourselves whether we have the fruits of the Spirit as love joy peace long-suffering temperance meekness gentleness brotherly-kindness charity being easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits doing to others as we would they should do unto us for he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit and therefore whether you have given up your will to the will of God in sincerity to be guided thus by him and to order your course of life thus for him for it is the love and the heart God requireth and if he has that he will never leave us nor forsake us when we leave all this World it is our love will lanch with us into eternal happiness and bring us into the injoyment of that God beloved of us and there we shall be put into a capacity never to offend him and ever to sing Hallelujah to him Gal. 5.22.23 2 Pet. 1.5,6,7 Jam. 1.22,25,26,27 Jam. 3.17 Jam. 4.7,8 Mal. 7.12 1 Cor. 6.17 1 Cor. 19.20 1 Cor. 8.3 Mat. 10.37 Luk. 10.27 2 Cor. 4.14 Joh. 14.21 Joh. 12.26 Joh. 14.2 Rev. 14.13 Rev. 3.12 Rev. 22.7.12 A Covenant made with God MOst great and glorious Lord my God in all thy attributes infinitely above what I am able to apprehend or comprehend of thee who art glorious in holiness rich in grace transcendent in loving kindness and mercy although a severe judge to the incorrigible sinner but unto the repenting sinner that loves and fears thee Lord thou hast promised to shew thy salvation and therefore in the sence of my own unworthiness and misery I lay hold on the offer of thy mercy according as Lord thou hast tendred it in thy Gospel which is by faith and repentance love and new obedience and accordingly thereunto I here unfeignedly resign up to thee my whole heart with its will and affections my Lord and God to be guided and governed by thee begging Lord that thou wilt graciously accept me and make my heart thy habitation by the indwelling of thy Spirit in me so as I may be enabled by thee to love all that thy Majesty loveth and hate all that thou my Lord hatest and also desiring more strength of thee whereby I may be enabled by thee O my God to walk more suitably to thee in all things so putting my whole trust and confidence in thy mercy herein resting upon thy word that Lord thou wilt not forsake the Soul that puts her trust in thee therefore my God leave me not nor forsake me neither leave me so as to forsake thee the fountain and foundation of my eternal happiness but as I here in truth and sincerity do resign up my self my God to thee to be thy servant and spouse in the way of thy Gospel covenant let this Lord be registred in Heaven with thee so as I may be washed in thy Blood from all my filthiness and that I may be covered over with the garment of thy righteousness and here fully regenerated by thy Spirit so as I may find eternal acceptance with thee my God through thy beloved and that my interest in thee my Lord may be more and more clear'd up to me day by day so as I may be brought more into the knowledge of thy love which passeth knowledge and enabled by thee my Lord to live in the flames of love with thee who wilt be glorified in thy Saints and admired in those that do believe and O my God that thou wilt uphold me by the right hand of thy righteousness through this valley and shadow of tears and keep me in or from the hour of temptation and give me a part with thee in the first resurrection O my God be not angry with me for the largeness of this my request since thou hast bidden us open our mouths wide and thou wilt fill them therefore my Lord and God say Amen to these Petitions of thy Unworthy Servant Of a false Faith and Instructions as to the true one THere is a new found
Wherefore because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone That is they sought it by the righteousness of the works of the ceremonial Law which consisted in sacrifices washings and often purifications Of which the Apostle saith Heb. 10.1,2 For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect For then would they have ceased to be offered because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sin Now this was the Law to which Israel trusted to take away their sin Of which Law or Statutes God saith Ezek. 20.25 they were not good Because as it is said in the Hebrews they were but a shadow of the good things to come and therefore could not make the comers thereunto perfect But had Israel employed their utmost diligence in their obedience to the moral Law they had not been left to stumble at that stumbling stone as God by the Prophets hath declared And also Christ himself saith Matth. 23.23,24 Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone Ye blind guides which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel And again he saith Matth. 19.16,17 One came and said unto him good Master what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life And the Lord said unto him if thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments And again Luke 10.25,26,27,28 Another came unto the Lord saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life He said unto him What is written in the Law how readest thou And he answering said thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy neighbour as thy self And he said unto him Thou hast answered right this do and thou shalt live And St. Paul saith Rom. 10.6,7,8,9,10,11 The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation For the Scripture saith whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed The which word of faith mentioned in the 8. v. comprehends all that is contained in the Gospel relating to man's salvation Wherein is declared Christ coming from Heaven his rising again from the dead with the conditions on which Christ and Salvation is offered The knowledge of which he saith was in their mouth and in their heart it being that which he had preached to them And whereas he saith in the 9. v. Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Now this verse as they have parted the words is a contradiction to all the Scripture but the words that go before and the verse that follows after explain the Apostles meaning Where he saith in the 10. v. Rom. 10.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness The which we no sooner are converted but we resign up our selves to him desiring in all things to walk suitably to him the which if we so do we may believe that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us For it is only the sincerity of the heart as to the truth of their belief which will produce a holy life according to the will of God For it is said Heb. 11.12,14 Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Now what the Apostle here said in the 9. v. was to the Church that he had before instructed and of whom he had had proof of their sincerity and therefore incouraged them to go on in the open acknowledging and confessing of the Lord although they were but a few People amongst a multitude of Heathens And that their faith might not flag as to God's raising Christ from the dead he lets them understand it was a great point of their Salvation according to what he saith 1 Cor. 15.14,16,17 If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain For if the dead rise not then is not Christ raised and if Christ be not raised your faith is vain ye are yet in your sins By which we see it is one of the material points of our Salvation And St. Paul saith Rom. 10.12,13,14 There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Here we see in these verses he speaks in general to all but in the 9. v. he speaks to a particular People or Persons to whom he wrote Now in the 12. v. Whereas he saith there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek That is salvation was alike common to all that did alike call upon him And whereas he saith in the 13. v. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved I hope that you do not here apprehend that it was only with a vocal voice that if they so call that they shall be saved No it is the voice of the heart that there may be a suitable frame of Spirit whereby we may call upon God as is required for it is the tongue that expresseth but the meaning or voice of the heart and the tongue is not the man but a small member of him And had we no tongue to express our desires yet the sincerity of our heart in our affections towards God and being sensible of our own unworthiness is that voice which the Lord will hear And like unto this was the voice of the Malefactor that was crucified with Christ who in the sence of his own unworthiness and of Christ's righteousness called on the Lord for mercy Luk. 23.40,41,42,43 faith in him being strong when the Lord was most afflicted and eclipsed which made his believing on him at that time more wonderful but it was the Lord look'd in upon his heart he not before
had brought down his will into subjection to Christ in hopes to obtain eternal salvation by him and his love a full satisfaction Therefore he saith after he had spoken of the righteousness of Abraham Gal. 3.7,8 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the Children of Abraham And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all the nations be blessed This is as I before told you was upon the publication of the Gospel that all that were converted thereby so as to be brought into the fold of Christ they no sooner so believed but that all original and actual sins that they had aforetime committed were done away and they accepted as perfectly righteous in and through the imputed righteousness of Christ by faith in him And so they were excluded from the curse oâ— the law for all their past sins before conversion done by them Gal. 3.9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham That is if they continue faithful as he did And St. Paul farther saith Gal. 3.13,14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for 〈◊〉 is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith That is if we have not our spirits brought over into a conformity and suitableness to the spirit of Christ then are we not of this faith and so not delivered from the curse of the law And it is further said Rom. 8.6 For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace And St. Paul also saith Rom. 3.20,21,22 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin That is we cannot fulfill the law to that perfection as to become justified thereby But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets That is by the law with the paschal Lamb and the bloody Sacrifices by the Prophets in that they did all along Prophesie of him Rom. 3.23,24,25 Even the righteousness of God which is by â—aith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all â—hem that believe for there is no difference 〈◊〉 all have sinned and come short of the â—…ry of God Being justified freely by his â—ace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Whom God hath set forth to â—e a propitiation through faith in his blood 〈◊〉 declare his righteousness for the remission 〈◊〉 sins that are past through the forbearance 〈◊〉 God Here he tells them when their â—ns are to be forgiven that it was their â—ast sins before they were brought into â—e faith of Christ that upon their conâ—ersion were all forgiven them As the â—postle saith Rom. 3.26 To declare I say at this â—ne his righteousness that he might be â—ct and the justifier of him which belieâ—…th in Jesus Whereas he saith that â—e might be just which was in that he â—…t the Son of his love according to his â—…omise and so justified them that belieâ—ed in Jesus which belief is as I beâ—…e proved to you for we are no sooner 〈◊〉 Christ but we must become new Creaâ—…res 2 Cor. 5.17 And he saith Rom. 3.27,28 Where is boasting â—en it is excluded by what law of works â—y but by the law of faith Therefore we â—nclude that a man is justified by faith â—ithout the deeds of the law Here Paul â—akes this conclusion that a man is juâ—…fied by faith without the deeds of the law For he here wrot to the Gentiles that had been given to all sin and idolatry to let them understand how they became justified that it was by faith which faith has as large an extent as I have before shewed you and that it must be a faith like Abrahams And in the 25. v. before-mentioned He there tells them when their sins are forgiven so as they become justified without the works of the law Rom. 3.25 that it is upon their conversion that then their forepast sins shall be forgiven them and that they are then justified by faith without the deeds of the law so that iâ— they are suddenly after taken away by death they shall be accepted through the righteousness of Christ And St. Paul saith Rom. 3.29,30 Is he the God of the Jews only is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also Seeing it is one God which shaâ—… justifie the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith Now Stepheâ— saith to the Jews Acts 7.51 they were uncircumcifed in heart and ears although they were circumcised in the flesh Now the Gentiles were not circumcised yet they aâ—… said to be circumcised by faith then thaâ— must be in heart and ear by which wâ— may also see that this justifying faith 〈◊〉 such as doth produce a holy life Anâ— the Apostle saith Rom. 3.31 Do we then make voâ—… the law through faith God forbid ye 〈◊〉 establish the law That is none can obey the law with that sincerity delight and desire as those that are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands And St. Paul saith of the outward circumcision Gal. 5.6,7,8 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Ye did run well who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth This perswasion cometh not of him that calleth you We also here see that saving faith worketh by love and there is no such obedience as that wherein the heart is engaged And he here tells the Galatians that they did run well who did hinder them that they should not obey the truth And before he told them that they had begun in the Spirit by which it was certainly sure they were in the right And he farther lets them understand that it was not of him that called them that this delusion or perswasion came therefore it was by the wiles of Satan and his Instruments that they foolishly were insnared But St. Paul saith Rom. 2.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile For there is no respect of Persons with God For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law For not
Lord is my Helper Now Moses rehearsed the Covenant of the Lord to Israel before his Death Where he saith in Deut. 30.10 If thou shalt hearken unto the Voice of the Lord thy God to keep his Commandments and his Statutes which are written in the Book of the Law and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine Heart and with all thy Soul V. 11. For this Commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off V. 12. It is not in Heaven that thou shouldst say who shall go up for us into Heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it V. 13. Neither is it beyond the Sea that thou shouldst say who shall go over the Sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it V. 14. But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy Mouth and thy Heart that thou maist do it This you see was spoken to the Church that was Elected Called and Chosen out of the whole World and so far Renewed and Inlightned as to be put into a Capacity of Obedience so as they might have done it as Moses saith If they had used their Diligence therein and with Prayer sought to God for his Assistance then the Lord according to his Promise would not have fail'd them nor forsake them Now the Heathen had neither the word in their Mouth nor in their Heart and some of them must have crossed the Seas if they would have had it Now Moses saith in the 15th v. See I have set before thee this day Life and Good Death and Evil. V. 16. In that I command thee this Day to Love the Lord thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Statutes and his Judgments that thou mayest live and multiply and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the Land whether thou goest to possess it V. 17. But if thine Heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear but shalt be drawn away and Worship other Gods and serve them V. 18. I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the Land whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it V. 19. I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you that I have set before you Life and Death a blessing and a Cursing therefore choose Life that both thou and thy Seed may live Now this was said to the whole Jewish Church that God had brought out of Darkness and given them the knowledg of himself and his Law Upon which Moses absolutely saith that he hath set Life and Death before them which he could not have said had their Destruction been absolutely decreed before the foundation of the Material World was I do not deny a fore-knowledg in God that Man mightmiscarry but I absolutely deny that God made a Decree for Mans Damnation before ever man was Created or the World in which they Transgressed but that the Decree was passed according to the saying of the Angel after Man had offended Neither do I deny but that some particular persons are so chosen or their Election to be such so as they shall not be cast off But that which I deny is That the Jewish Church was not so chosen or Elected but that by their sinning they might be cast off For it was but a conditional Covenant that then God made with them But as to that New Covenant the which God hath promised to make with them to give them a New Heart and a New Spirit that they should not sin against him and that they should be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them and that he would never leave them nor forsake them nor leave them so as to forsake him but then he will rain down Righteousness and shower down blessings upon them Hos 10.12 Isa 65.22 Ezek. 24.34 Jer. 31.33,34 Jer. 32.40,41 Isa 60.21 But this Promised Covenant still remains to be made with them which God has Promised by his Oath shall be made with them and confirm'd unto them the which Promise will be made good to them at the Restitution of all things which will not be till Christ again comes to which St. Paul's Epistles do most of them drive at wherein he speaks of Election And as to that of Esau and Jacob whom God hath set as the Figure of both Worlds Esau being the Figure of this World and Jacob of that which is to come therefore it is said I have loved Jacob and hated Esau because the Glory was intended for the other World which is Jacob and that they of this World that are of Esau will part with their Birth-right rather than withstand a Temptation or wrestle with Affliction in the day of Tryal which Birth-right is the Promise of Salvation if they hold out to the end for which we must all Pray Wrestle and Run or else we shall not receive the Prize For now the Body of the Christian Church stands on no other Conditions than Israel then did as to their Calling and Election That is they are so far renewed as to be brought into the knowledge of God and put into a capacity of Obedience in which as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.10,11 We are to use all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure For if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And St. Paul to the Philippians saith Phil. 2.12,13,15,16 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling And in the next Verse it is said For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure That is it is so far the good will and pleasure of God as to call us renew us and enlighten us in the knowledg of himself whereby he hath put us into a capacity of working out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling And he saith in the 15th Verse That ye may be blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in she midst of a crocked and perverse Nation among whom ye shine as Lights in the world Verse 16. Holding forth the word of Life that I may rejoyce in the Day of Christ that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain Now he knew there was a possibility of their miscarriage by the Admonition that he gave them which if they did it would take away his rejoycing in the Day of Christ in that he had laboured for them in vain And the same Apostle to the Hebrews saith Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having your hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and your bodies washed with pure water And here the Apostle tells us what is required of us if we are made partakers of
that ye walk not in the ignorance of Youthfulness and Fornication wherein I over shot my self and defiled the Bed of my Father Jacob. For I assure you that the Lord did therefore strke me with a sore Plague in my Flanks the space of seven Months and I had perished if my Father Jacob had not Prayed to the Lord for me because he was minded to have slain me I was thirty years old when I did this evil in the Sight of the Lord and seven Months was I sick to Death and with a free heart did I afflict my self seven years before the Lord I drank no Wine nor Strong Drink no Flesh came within my Mouth I tasted not any fine Bread but I mourned fot my Sin for it was great and there shall none such be done in Israel And my Sons hear me that I may shew you what I saw concerning the seven Spirits of Error in my Repentance Belial giveth seven Spirits against a Man which are the Well-Springs of Youthful Works seven Spirits are given a Man in his Creation whereby all his Works are dore the first is the Spirit of Life wherewith is Created his Being The second Is the Spirit of Seeing wherewith cometh Lusting The third The Spirit of Hearing wherewith cometh Learning The fourth The Spirit of Smelling wherewith cometh delight by drawing of the Air and breathing it out again The fifth I the Spirit of Speech wherewith Knowledg is made The sixth Is the Spirit of Tasting whereof comes the feeding upon things that are to be Eat and Drank and through them is ingendred strength The seventh Is the Spirit of Seed and Generation wherewith entereth in the Lust of Pleasute Fot this cause it is the last of Creation and the first of Youth because it is full of Ignorance and Ignorance leadeth the younger sott as a blind body into the Ditch and as an Ox to the Stall Amongst all these is the Eight which is of Sleep with whom is Created the wasting away of Nature and the Image of Death With these Spirits are mingled the Spirit of Error whereof the first is the Spirit of Lechery who lieth within the Nature and Senses of a man The Second Spirit of unsatiableness lieth in the belly The Third Spirit of Strife lieth in the Liver and in Choler The Fourth Syirit is of Bravery and Gallantness that the party may seem comely by Excess The Fifth is the Spirit of Pride which maketh a man to mind over-great things or to think well of himself And the sixth is the Spirit of Lying or vain-gloriousness in boasting a man's self and in desire to fill his Talk concerning his own Kindred and Acquaintance The Seventh is the Spirit of Unrighreousness which stirreth up the Affections that a man should perform the lustful pleasures of his heart for Unrighteousness worketh with all the other Spirits by taking Guile unto him Unto all these Spirits is matched the Eighth Spirit which is the Spirit of sleep or sluggishness in Error and Imagination and so the Souls of Young Folks perish because their minds are darkned and hidden from the Truth and udderstand not the Law of the Lord neither obey the Doctrine of their Fathers as befell me in my Youth But now my Children love the Truth and that shall preseve you For Fornication is the destruction of the Soul separating it from God because it leadeth the mind and understanding into Error For Whoredom hath undone many men And although a man be Ancient or Noble yet doth this make him a Laughing Stock But Joseph because he kept himself from all Women and cleansed his Thoughts from all Fornication found Favour both before the Lord and Men. Therefore my Sons fly Fornication charge your Wives and Daughters that they trim not their Heads and will them to chasten their Looks for every woman that dealeth deceitfully in these things is reserved to the punishment of the World to come That is to the Sentence of Judgment which will be in the World to come Now since it was Woman that was first in the Transgression therefore Women and Gentlewomen imploy all your Diligence to escape the near approaching Judgment of the World to come Now whereas Kuben saith had not his Fathers Prayers prevailed with God that God would have killed him Yhe which had the Lord then taken him off where would then have been the Twelve Tribes To which I answer God could raise up Two Tribes out of One Stock as there was of Joseph or God could have given Jacob another Son in his stead For Ruben did at time lose his birthright And Eve said when she had born Seth that God had given her another Seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew Gen. 4.25 And God said unto Cain before he committed that Murder Gon. 4.7 If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted And if thou dost not well sin lieth at the door And also the rest of the Patriarchs that was guilty of that sin against Joseph they at their Death declared what terrible Afflictions they fell under for that sin of theirs and the great Repentance they had for it And Judah likewise gives an account of his Affliction and Repentance for the sin that he was overtaken in And where the Old World is spoken of Gen. 6.3 The Lord said my Spirit shall not always strive with man The which words argue the striving of the Spirit of God with Man that had not Man been wanting to himself but had used his utmost endeavour he might have obtained salvation For although after the Fall of Adam the Entrances into Life were made strait yet not so strait but with Labour and Diligence thro' the promised Messiah it was and is attainable But it is said in the fifth verse God saw the wickedness of Man was great in the Earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the Face of the Earth both Man and Beast and the creeping things and the Fowls of the Air for it repenteth me that I have made them But Noah found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man Now whereas the Lord doth express that it repented him that he had made man and that it grieved him at his heart the which shews a concern in God that man had not then lived up to his Decree whereby his Mercy was attainable Numb 23.19,20 Now whereas it is said That God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of Man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good I have received Commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it Now whereas it is said that God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of
man that he should repent For man will deceitfully promise that he never does intend to perform or else he may promise that thing the which after consideration or in time he may repent of But it is not so with God for if One Man or One Generation through sinfulness excludes themselves from the promised Blessing or Mercy yet God will make good his Promise to another As for Example God brought forth all the Children of Israel out of Egypt and promised them the Land of Canan but they were to keep his Covenant in which was included their Obedience to him But they through their own default in being disobedient all the Fathers from 20 years Old and upward their Carcasses fell in the Wilderness save Caleb and Joshua but the younger sort or Generation that came out of the Land of Egypt to them did God perform his promised blessing in bringing them into the Land of Canan Now by the word Promise without Repentance it doth signifie something desirable to them to whom the Promise is made For when God pronounceth any Judgment against a People or Nation it is never said a promised Judgment but a threatned Judgment for the Word Promise doth signifie a kindness to them to whom the Promise is made And whereas it is said without Repentance it shews the stableness of the Promiser And also to prove this was only spoken in the way of Blessing Balaam said Num. 23.20 Behold I have received Commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it But when God threatens a punishment against a Nation or People it is not so for upon their Repentance God hath said Jer. 18.8,9 It repenteth him of the evil And also it is said in Jonah 3.10 And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not Now it was not so with them before the Flood for Noah was a Preacher of Righteousness but they repented not And it is said Gen. 6.11,12,13 God looked upon the earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the Earth That is God found them not in the state or condition that he had put them in but that they had miserably corrupted their way And it is said in the 11th verse The earth was filled with Violence And in the 12th verse God said unto Noah the end of all flesh is come before me for the earth is filled with Violence through them and behold I will destroy them with the earth That is the Earth for that time the Waters were upon it was destroyed But they were the Earth or World that perished And no doubt but when they saw the Flood come into all their houses and the Waters like a Sea about them that they then believed the Words of Noah and repented but then it was too late So when Christ cometh we that have had the knowledge of him must stand or fall as we are found by him Then it is they shall strive to enter into blessedness but shall not be able and the foolish Virgins also shall be shut out And whereas the Lord saith Luke 13.24,25,26,27,28,29 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able When once the Master of the House is risen up and hath shut the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence you are Then shall ye begin to say we have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of iniquity There shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and ye your selves thrust out And they shall come from the East and from the West and from the North and from the South and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God What is here spoken hath its particular reference to that time when the Lord riseth to Judgment For then the door of Mercy will be shut to them to whom now it is open if now they refuse to live an holy Life But then they will begin to call Lord Lord open to us and he shall answer I know you not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity Here is something very remarkable in the 28. verse which I cannot pass by That is when these wicked shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out These that are here spoken of cannot then be in Heaven as from thence to be thrust out Therefore it is at the Restitution of all things when the Kingdoms of this World is become the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ Then it is that these wicked from this Kingdom will be thrust out And like to that other saying of the Lord where the Lord saith Matt. 13.41,42 He shall send his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity And cast them into a Furnace of Fire there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Now whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 9.8,9,10,11,12 That they which are the Children of the Flesh these are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise are counted for the seed For this is the word of Promise at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a Son And not only this but when Rebecca also had conceived by one even by our Father Isaac For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to the Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth It is said unto her the Elder shall serve the younger Now these two Children God made the representative of the two Worlds Which is so made out by the Lord both to Malachy and Esdras And therefore Jacob here spoken of by St. Paul as touching the Promised Elect which shall be freely taken in at the coming of the Lord and shall be with the Raised Saints and the rest of the Elect the World to come For it is so that God then will freely chuse Israel by whom is chiefly comprehended the next World with that free Election in that he hath promised then to give unto them a new Heart and a new Spirit that they should not sin against him But that they should be all Righteous and inherit the Land for ever Whilst he has but to this World set open a Door for Repentance and left Man to do part for himself as to wrestle for the Blessing in endeavouring to make his Calling and Election sure Now whereas it is said the Elder shall serve the younger that is Egypt and
the words of the Apostles make out But I shall here only mention the words of St. Paul what he saith in Heb. 6.4,5,6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly Gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renue them again by repentance seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame By these words of the Apostle it is fully evident although they were thus sealed with the Spirit of Promise which is the Holy Ghost yet it was not impossible for them to fall off again And therefore he useth all those Admonitions and Exhortations to them that they might persevere in Holiness and in the fear of the Lord. And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance Now these words were in a more particular mannet spoken of Israel when the Lord again comes as in Rom. 11.25,26,27,28,29 where he saith For I would not Brethren that you should be ignorant of this mystery lest ye should be wise in your own conceits that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in 26. And so all Israel shall be saved as it is writteu there shall come out of Sion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 27. For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins 28. As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes but as touching the Election they are beloved for their Fathers sakes 29. For the Gifts and calling of God are without Repentance This blindness we see happened to Israel not from any Decree in God before their own default occasioned it for the word happened makes it appear it was not designed for them These Words are concerning the wonderful Promises made to the Fathers concerning 〈◊〉 which will be made good to them whe◠〈◊〉 Lord again come at which time he will give them a New Heart and a Now Spirit so as they shall not sin against him and then 〈◊〉 â—hat he shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. So as it is said that then he will not be angry with them nor rebuke them any more Now as to what reference the gifts and calling of God has to us or chiefly to the first Christian Churches was in giving Christ and the Holy Ghost and in calling the then Churches out of the Darkness of Heathenism and in forgiving them all their past sins and that through the imputed righteousness of Christ they were accepted as perfectly righteous in the sight of God as it is said he not imputing their iniquities And after they or we are regenerated the sins that are not wilfully committed are not imputed Therefore St. Paul faith That if he did that he would not then it was no more he that did it but sin that dwelleth in him Now the then gifts and callings of God to them and us did exrend no farther then thus renewing us again as to set them and us upright Therefore the Apostle wisely cautions them and us that he that standeth must take heed lest he fall But the first Churches being thus regenerated and renewed by the Holy Ghost the Apostle might well say that they were chosen to salvation since God had put them into such a Capacity and made them fit for it if they did not again fall away the choice being absolute in God But because the frail or sinful nature of man was not removed therefore there remained a defect in them and our selves and therefore we are continually to go to God to beg renewed strength from him And if we take to the rules that he hath set before us he will perfect â—he work that he hath begun in us according to the saying of the Psalmist Psa 84.11 The Lord will give grace and glory No good thing will he withold from them that walk uprightly For God doth not withdraw from his people on purpose to damn them For the Apostle Peter saith 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance The like St. Paul saith in Timothy 2 Tim. 2.2,3.4 But it may be said how is it then that all are not saved The reason why Christ himself tells us Mat. 13.25 There is several sorts of ground Thereby giving us to understand that we are not naturally all alike For by the words of the Lord it appears that he had done alike for all which is the generality of all but that we cannot bring forth fruit alike according to what the Lord saith in Mat. 13.18.19 Hear ye therefore the parable of the Sower 19. V. When any one heareth the word of the Kingdom and understandeth not then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was Sown in his heart This is he which received the Seed by the way side We see this sort of ground or people were wanting to themselves by reason they did not consider their ways to be wise And therefore are destroyed for lack of knowledge And whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 13.20,21,22,23 But he that received the Seed in stony places the same is he that heareth the word and anon with joy received it yet hath he not root in himself but dureth for a while for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word by and by he is offended Here is great defect in the ground or Man himself And he saith in 22. V. He also that received the Seed among the Thorns is he that heareth the word And the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becometh unfruitful Here the diligent husbandman might root out most part of these Thorns which makes his ground unfruitful or his heart barren of faith and love to God And the Lord saith in 23. V. But he that received the Seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some an hundred fold some sixty some thirty By this we may clearly see it was the ground which the Lord here declares did differ for as it is said the Lord dyed for all and the promises are made to all that will receive him according to the Tenor of the Gospel But we see they cannot all alike receive him For we read that the same Seed was Sown but the ground could not bear alike but in that they brought forth no fruit was because they were wanting to themselves But although God may give to some more and to some less yet he requireth of all an improvement according to what he hath given them As witness to whom he gave the Talents Now me thinks of all the ground the stony seems to be in the worst condition being that in which man can be least helpful
to himself Herein is not comprehended how God doth deal with some particular persons but to the general carrying on of the Church in the World Now whereas St. Paul saith in Rom. 3,9 For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin 10. v. As it is written there is none Righteous no not one And he faith in Eph. 2.3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lust of the Flesh fulfilling the desires of the Flesh and of the mind and were by Nature the Children of wrath even as others Tho through sin both Jews and Gentiles are all of them fallen under the Curse and so the wrath of God yet our natures are not alike estrang'd from God Now in Acts 18.9,10 Spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a Vision be not afraid but speak and hold not thy peace 10. v. For I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee for I have much people in this City That is People or much ground capable to receive Seed so as to bring forth Fruit. And as there is several sorts of ground so the Lord tells us there is two sorts of Seed But not that God did Reprobate Man before the Foundation of the material heavens and Earth to Damnation but that the Devil hath since so twisted himself into the Nature of great part of Mankind that he is as it were become one with them Therefore the Lord put forth Matt. 13.24 Another Parable unto them saying the Kingdom of Heaven is likned unto a Man which sowed good Seed in his Field 25. v. But while men slept his Enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way 26. v. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit then appeared the Tares also 27. v. So the Servants of the Housholder came and said unto him Sir didst not thou sow good seed in thy Field from whence then hath it Tares 28. v. He said unto them an enemy hath done this The Servants said unto him wilt thou then that we go and gather them up 29. v. But he said nay lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up also the wheat with them 30. v. Let both grow together until the Harvest and in time of Harvest I will say to the Reapers gather ye together first the Tares and bind them into bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn Here is a clear demonstration that the Tares are a false Seed of the Devils sowing And the Lord speaks of them in Isa 57.3 But draw near hither ye Sons of the Sorcerers the Seed of the Adulterer and the Whore 4. v. Against whom do ye sport your selves against whom make ye a wide mouth and draw out the tongue are ye not Children of Transgression a seed of Falshood Here we see that a false Seed comes in much this way and what is here spoken of by the Lord has a more particular reference to the Christians who are guilty of these things and in especial manner to the Romans by whom all those abominable wickednesses are allowed and that this was spoken to the Christians it doth appear in the foregoing Chapter Isa 56. from the 7. v. to the end by reason God speaketh of the gathering of the out cast of Israel and that he then will gather others with them and it is evident Israel hath never since been gathered And at that time it is said That all the Beasts of the Field and Forrest should come to devour And that could not be to Devour Israel for it is said they are then to be restored and it is made farther evident in that it is said The Watchmen are all blind and so treating of the same effect in the next Chapter as I have set down in the 3. and 4. v. Now as to what St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 4.7 For who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it That is the good ground before it receiveth Seed will bring forth Weeds as the other doth Thorns but when the good ground does receive Seed there is presently a difference in the growth of the Fruit in that of the good ground from that of the Thorny yet nothing to be boasted of because all that is good in them came from that hand that gave the Seed or else they might for ever have remained the Children of wrath as well as others Therefore the lower we set in our own Estimation the higher we rise in God's Now whereas Christ saith in John 6.44 No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him That is at first God must draw the Heart to Christ that the Soul might be convinc'd that he was the Christ And in the Apostles time there was given the Holy Ghost to bear witness to the World the truth thereof Neither can any now come to Christ except the Father draw him And in the visible Church of Christ there is a three-fold drawing of God First By the Invitation of his word and by way of Reproof Instruction and Exhortation Secondly There is the reproof of the Spirit of God which we commonly call the checks of Conscience Thirdly There is the good Motions of the Spirit of God all these being the drawings of God to bring us home to him through Christ to Repentance This being the ordinary way of God's Working in his Church And Israel having these drawings of God therefore he calls out to them by his Prophets for to come to Repentance because â—e had put them in a capacity so to do giving them power to do that part for themselves but when through their continual resisting the good Spirit of God and in refusing to be obedient to his word And then it is God leaves them And therefore St. Stephen said to them Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye And then it is as it is said they that are accustomed to do evil cannot learn to do well That is when through their own resisting they weary out the good Spirit of God so as he leaves them to themselves But whilst God calls Israel to come to Repentance there was a door of Mercy open to them Therefore God saith in Ezekiel 33.11 Say unto them as I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the Death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die O house of Israel Here it is evident by the Word of God that when he thus invited them there was a door of Mercy open to them but when God would not shew Mercy to his people Israel then doth God neither call on them to Repentance
their eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth Of certain this is the Battle that is to be fought after Satan is loosed for it is after Christ appears upon Mount Olivet after the Mountain cleaved in the midst for a Receptacle for them that are saved whilst the Earth is renewing after the wicked are destroyed and after Jerusalem is again built After which it is said in the 11th verse There shall be no more utter destruction but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited because none shall make any attempt against them till after the Thousand Years After which Gog and Magog whom the Devil will gather together will come up against Jerusalem whom God will destroy as in the 38th Chapter of Ezekiel and in Rev. 20.9,10 and them that escape the Fire and Hail that comes from Heaven shall pine away as in Zachariah Now having fully proved how some became to be more estranged from God than other some the which was as St. Paul said of Israel that it hapned to them so may it be said of these that it hapned unto them first through the subtle Insinuations of the Devil to them and secondly by their own willful miscarriage when they were again restored to mercy by Christ and again renewed in him And in that Israel will have the preheminence it also was through the Faithfulness of Abraham in his service and in the patient waiting for his promise after the Lord had chosen him And also in that Abraham did offer up his Only Son Isaac for the doing of which the Lord did inlarge his promised blessing to Abraham which was That in him and his Seed all the Families of the Earth should be blessed Gen. 22.17 And had Israel walked in the steps of Abraham according to the Capacity God had put them in their Kingdom had never been destroyed Isa 48.18,19 Jer. 25.5 But God foreseeing they would be wanting to themselves in not keeping his Covenant therefore their destruction was foretold by the Prophets And also because David patiently waited upon the Lord till it was his time to bring him to the Kingdom bearing all his Afflictions till it was the Lord's time to bring him out of them And when he was on the Throne he persisted in his desire of Advancing the Glory of the Lord therefore God made that great Promise to him and his seed as in 2 Sam. 7.14 Now God likewise chose Jeroboam and Jehu to be Kings but they acting contrary to his Commands therefore they were Accursed of him And also they that suffer for God in well doing shall in time to come receive the greater Glory as those that have been most wicked shall receive the greater Punishment And whereas God saith Ezek. 33.13 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely Live If he trust to his own Righteousness and commit Iniquity all his Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Now God here saith when he shall say to the Righteous That he shall surely live yet if he upon the promise of God for Life and for his past Obedience does take a Liberty to do iniquity his past Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity he shall die And so is our Callings and Elections to Life and Salvation that are absolutely promised to us by God Yet if we are wanting to our selves they prove of no effect to us And the case stands so with the wicked For the Lord saith in the 14. v. Again when I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die If he turn from his sin and do that which is Lawful and Right 15. v. If the wicked restore the Pledg give again that he hath robbed walk in Statutes of Life without committing iniquity he shall surely Live he shall not die That is without wilfully committing iniquity By this we also see that if God doth say to the wicked Thou shalt surely die Yet that threatning was not of force no longer than the Man remained sinful of which the Lord in Jer. 36.3 It may be that the House of Judah will hear all the Evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin And also the Lord saith in Jer. 25. from the 3. to the 9. v. But as for those sinners who by their continued custom in sin God has left to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind they cannot come to amendment of Life And God saith in Ezek. 18.21 to the 31. v. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked shall die saith the Lord God and not that he should return from his ways and live Now while the Lord calls to a sinner to Repentance there is power in the sinner to turn from his ways and to seek to God that he may live 25. v. Yet ye say the way of the Lord is not equal Here now O House of Israel is not my way equal are not your ways unequal 30. v. Therefore I will judg you O House of Israel every one according to his ways saith the Lord God repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruin 33. v. Cast away from you all your Trangressions whereby ye have Transgressed and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die O House of Israel 32. v. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord wherefore turn your selves and live ye Now whilst God calls to a People to come to Repentance there is a door open to them for Mercy and then they are not left of God to hardness of Heart and blind ness of mind so as if they do but use their utmost diligence in indeavouring to forsake their sins and go to God by Prayer they shall not want his assistance Now whereas the Apostle saith Eph. 4.28 Let him that stole steal no more So for all other sins there remains a power in us to withstand and make resistance against till such time that through the often refusing obedience to his word and resisting the good motions of his Spirit God leaves them to hardness of Heart and blindness of Mind Now whilst the door of Mercy is open we may cast away all our Transgressions That is take up Resolutions against them and continually beg of God for his Assistance in our Performance And Cant. 1.4 cry out with the Church Lord draw me we will run after thee God hath left us a sure rule if we will take to the means therefore let us walk in the ways of God and keep to our constant duty in Praying and we shall never be
forsaken of him For the new Heart and the new Spirit which God requireth we should make us is that they should desire Holiness and Righteousness as they did heretofore sin and wickedness and also to use their utmost diligence for attaining unto an Holy Life desiring God's Assistance for he will never leave us nor forsake us if we so do for God withdraws not the good motions of his Spirit from any of his People till such time as they fall away from him And this new Heart and new Spirit in the Capacity he hath put us and by the means set before us we are able to make us by his promised assistance but this is not the new heart which he hath promised to give Isa 45.19 By which we may see it is our slothfulness and slugishness and also in our giving way to Temptations and to our own inclinations and affections whereby Satan for our want of bridling them hurries the Soul which way he pleaseth and so for want of watchfulness diligence and labour in the service of the Lord They lose the promised blessing which is Eternal Life and so come to have their Portion in Hell it self but if we are found in the ways of God as St. Paul tells us God doth not forget our Work and Labour of Love And twice in this foregoing Chapter of Ezekiel God saith I have no pleasure in the Death of him that dieth Now after the fall of Man the decree was that the entrances into life should be made strait so as those that will not wrestle for the blessing cannot have it And whereas St. Paul saith in Rom. 11.13 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all That is Israel also being sinful and therefore God left them to blindness of mind and so concluding them all in unbelief that is the greater part of them that they might taste the fruit of their own doings in the weight of his displeasure and that afterward he might make some of all sharers of his mercy And the Lord saith in Amos 3.6 Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not afraid Shall there be evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it This is spoken of the Evil of Punishment as all the Chapter makes appear For as man is the committer of the Evil of sin so God is the inflictor of the Evil of punishment And also the like is said in Isaiah 42.24 And St. Peter speaking of Christ saith in Acts 2.23,24 Him being delivered by the determined Counsel and fore-knowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Whom God hath raised up having loosed the pains of Death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it This being most certain that the Jews could have had no power to crucifie the Lord of Life had it not been done by the determined Counsel and Foreknowledge of God But by these words there is not one syllable from whence we may gather that this Counsel was before the material Heavens and Earth but rather the contrary in that he mentions them not And as to what St. Peter saith Acts 4.27,28 For of a truth against thy Holy Child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together 28. For to do whatsoever thy Hand and thy Counsel determined before to be done Now God eclipsing the Glory of Christ and Christ taking upon him the Form of a Servant and he speaking against their Wicked Ways the which the Jews could not bear and thereupon Satan made them his Instruments to accomplish his Hellish Design by which he thought to have conquered the Lord of Life but he thereby wrought his own eternal perdition and thereby the determined Counfel of God was brought to pass in Satan's Overthrow and man's salvation Now whereas it is said by the Angel where he mentions the Beast and the Kings Rev. 17.17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will and to agree and give their Kingdom unto the Beast until the words of God shall be fullfilled Now we may say Wherefore was it the Will of God to put in the Hearts of these Kings to agree in giving their Power to the Beast until his Word should be fullfilled The Reason is this There was a Foreknowledge in God of their miscarriage And upon that foreknowledg of their miscarriage God did determine to leave them to delusion till such time his Words should be fullfilled according to which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.9,10 where he speaks of the Beast Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders 10. v. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved We see this was so determined of God by reason God foreseeing they would have no delight in his Ways nor receive the Truth in the Love thereof Therefore they were given up by God to follow the delâ—sions of the Beast and the Devil Now whereas it is said in Acts 13.46,47,48 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judg your selves unworthy of everlasting life lo we turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us saying I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles that thou shouldest be for Salvation unto the ends of the Earth And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal Life believed Now by the Ordaining here spoken of if we take it for granted that there was a certain number of the Gentiles as there was of the Jews so absolutely given to Christ as they should never fall away and that they were here so chosen at Antioch where St. Paul spake this for Antioch was an eminent place for Believers insomuch that they were first there called Christians Yet however this does no way prove that all believers are so Ordained to Everlasting Life so as they shall never finally fall away for by the word of God it is absolutely the contrary as I have here proved But as to the Ordaining here spoken of when explained according to the Tenor of the Gospel it does appear to be no such thing for the Believer upon his believing that Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 by which his Heart is drawn out in thankfulness love and obedience to Christ Gal. 5.6 for it is a Faith that worketh by Love is required the which the sinner no sooner so believeth but that all his past Sins are then forgiven him and the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him so as the Believer becomes compleat in him for God by
saith That they were then made the ofi-scouring of all things Now from among the scattered Church was God's special Elect which were so secured in Christ that they could not fall away and therefore in time to come will be a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation who were at that time but a scattered People Now whereas St. Paul saith 2 Tim. 2.11,12 It is a faithful saying For if we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer we shall also reign with him if we deny him he also will deny us That is Dead to all the â—inful pleasures and injoyments of this World In the 15. v. of the same Chapter he saith Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth Here the Apostle lets us understand the word is so joyn'd as there must be skill in the Dividing of it And the Apostle speaking of Hymeneus and Philetus saith in the 2. chap. and the 18. v. Who concerning the Truth have erred saying that the Resurrection is past already and overthrew the Faith of some 19. Nevertheless the Foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from Iniquity Now in the 18. v. he saith That the Faith of some was overtheown and that by the false Brethren But in this verse he saith The foundation of God standeth sure The which foundation is those which are so absolutely given to Christ as they should not fall away Whilst the other Elect were but called renewed and put into a capacity of Obedience Now whereas he saith in the 20 verse But in a great House there are not only Vessels of Gold and of Silver but also wood and earth some to honour and some to dishonour if a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a Vessel unto honour Sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work That is the Gold and Silver are those that are more absolutely chosen of God but the wood and stone if they improve the benefits that God gives them and purge themselves from an evil Conversation they shall become meet for the Master's use shewing that there is a power in our selves to reform and amend till such time that by often resisting they exclude themselves from his mercy And by the words of Christ we may receive certain Confirmation of this by what he saith to the Church of Ephesus in Rev. 2.3,4,5 And hast born and hast patience and for my sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first Love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent This shews that their Candlestick was in the right place but if they did not Repent and do their first works then Christ said he would remove their Candlestick out of his place And also the Lord saith to the Church of Sardis Rev. 3.1,2,3 I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and Repent If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Now this doth shew that one part of the Church was become dead through sin and so become forsaken of God and therefore left off to hardness of Heart and blindness of Mind but to the other part that was ready to die the Lord calls to them to come to Repentance whereby we may know that when we have had the knowledg of God and his ways and he hath not withdrawn the good motions of his Spirit from us There is a Power in us to come to Repentance and amendment of Life For God calls not the People to come to Repentance after they have no Power in their Hand to do it but then he saith let them alone Hos 4.17 When he will no farther shew mercy to them Now in this Church there was three sorts one part Dead another part ready to die and another part alive and well as it is said Rev. 3.4,5 Thou hast a few Names in Sardis which have not defiled their Garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white Raiment and I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life but I will confess his Name before my Father and before his Angels From which words it remains certain that some names are blotted out of the Book of Life And St. James saith James 4.8,9,10 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you cleanse your Hands ye sinners and purify your Hearts ye double minded Be afflicted and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy into Heaviness Humble your selves in the Sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up And St. John saith Matt. 3.8 Bring forth therefore Fruits meet for repentance For we shall all be judged according to our works and God doth not require of us that which he hath not put us in a Capacity to do Rom. 2.12 And the Heathen that have not the Law shall not be judged by the Law As to what Moses saith in his Song That their Feet shall slide in due time hath a quite contrary meaning to what we have apprehended it the which is fully explained where I speak of the Covenant and Song As for the Promise made to David mentioned in Psal 99. is Answered where the special Election is Treated of Now all these Controversal Points being fully opened to the bottom whereby we may plainly see that the words of the Apostles had no such meaning as hitherto we have apprehended them to have and having the Oath and Word of God again and again to assure us the contrary And also Christ hath told us that whosoever comes to him he will in no wise cast out so that we need not fear to be forsaken of God if we do not forsake him and that God does not withdraw from the Soul on purpose to leave them to fall into Sin that he might Damn them but God does try all his to see if they will follow him and if they so do he is their exceeding great Reward Now if any would have greater assurance than the Words and Oath of God and the Word of Christ must look to have it in their last Punishment I bless the Eternal God by his opening his Word unto me he hath brought me out of that dangerous mistake the which did so take off from
Well-doing and to take to the Rules that he has set before us that we may so do According to which Christ saith in John 8.51 Verâ—…y verily I say unto you if a man keep my saying he shall never see death That is he shall never see Hell And the Lord saith John 10.14,15,16 I am the good Shepherd and know my Sheep and am known of mine Here the Lord seems in a more especial manner to signifie the very Elect. And in the following Words the Lord includes all the Sheep as in the 15. v. As the Father knoweth me even so know I the Father and I lay down my Life for the Sheep Here is all the Sheep included And the Lord saith in the 16. v. And other Sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also must I bring and they shall hear any Voice and there shall be one Fold and one Shepherd Here the Lord plainly declares to us that he hath two sorts of Sheep and that they are not now of one fold That is the one does not now stand so securely in him as the other does but he saith He must bring them into one fold at which time they shall hear his Voice And then it is there shall be one fold and one shepherd And this will be when the Lord comes again to Mount Sion at which time the Lord will make the promised New Covenant with the House of Israel And then all Israel will be so fixed in him that they shall never more fall away For God saith Isa 40.17 Ezek. 36.24,25,26,27,28 For I will take you from among the Heathen and gather you out of all Countries and I will bring you into your own land Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new Heart also will I give you a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony Heart out of your flesh and I will give you an Heart of Flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your Fathers and ye shall be my people and I will be your God So it is said Ezek. 11.19,20 and in Jer. 32.37 Behold I will gather them out of the Conntries whither I have driven them in mine anger and in my fury and in great wrath and I will bring them again into this place and will cause them to dwell safely And they shall be my People and I will be their God And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their Children after them And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their Hearts that they shall not depart from me Yea I will rejoyce over them to do them good I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole Heart and with my whole Soul And the Lord saith Jer. 31.33.34 But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my Laws in their inward Parts and write it in their Hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my People They shall teach no more every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying know ye the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more And God saith Jer. 30.9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their King whom I will raise up unto them And Ezek. 34.22 Therefore I will save my flock and they shall no more be a prey and I will judg between cattle and cattle And I will set up one Shepherd over them and he shall feed them even my servant David he shall feed them and he shall be their Shepherd And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David a Prince among them I the Lord have spoken it And I will make with them a Covenant of Peace and will cause the Evil Beasts to cease out of the Land and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods And the Lord in John having fully declared to us that he hath two sorts of Sheep And that they are not now of one Fold with those that are the very Elect but that he must bring them into one Fold and then there shall be but one Fold at that time when there is but one Shepherd And that will be when the Lord maketh the Promised New Covenant with the House of Israel Now when this New Covenant is made with Israel we see by the oft repeated words of God that then Israel will be so secured as the very Elect are now whom God hath set as his standing Witness in this World So as it remaâ—ns a thing impossible to deceive them And then sâ—all Israel no more fall into sin arâ—er this New Covenant is made with them And as for us we now stand on the same terms as Israel did the which is we have a promise of Everlasting Life if we concinue in well doing Heb. 5.9 For he is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him And as it is said in Rom. 2.7 And to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality and eternal Life So it is by our continuance in well-doing after conversion that we shall be made partakers of Eternal Life Or if otherwise we shall be cut off For the Apostle saith Rom. 2.9,10 Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile 10. v. But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile That is as many of the Christians as are brought in by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and so became the seed of Abraham For it is said Gal. 3.29 and Gal. 3.9 If ye be Christs chen are ye Abrahams Seed and heirs according to the promise So when this promised New Covenant is made with the Natural and with the Adopted Seed of Abraham And although the rest of the Elect that are to be called in at the coming of the Lord have not that Everlasting New Covenant made with them as to secure their Off-spring so as they shall never more fall away yet they will stand secure whilst the Eminent Glory is among them and Satan bound up from them and the glorious Tabernacle in their View then they will all be of One Fold so as none for that time shall fall off according to which is the saying of the Lord