shall be saved Knocke and it shall be opened Hee that overcometh shall inherite all things actu secundo to a beleever who under a distemper doth doubt of them infallible So The love of the brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 The keeping of the Commandements and the word of Jesus is infallible in it selfe That I know Christ savingly and that hee dwelleth in me 1 Joh. 2. vers 3.5 but that it infallibly concludeth so to me actu secundo is not sure except the wind blow faire from heaven and the Spirit act in me So the love-tokens and testimoniall rings and bracelets of the Husband my love to the Saints my keeping of his word my holy walking in Christ being the works of his Spirit which dwelt in Jesus Christ are actu primo in themselves as infallible signes of the Bridegromes love to me as the Beloved's word who spake and said Arise my love And if the spirations and breathings of the Spirit goe not along both the voice and the love-bracelets for Christ is no more counterfeit in his love-tokens then in his word when hee speaks as a Husband are alike ineffectuall to perswade the soule I see no reason to call the workes of Sanctification inferiour helps in the Manifestation more then the voice of the Beloved for both without the Spirit are equally ineffectuall and if the Spirit breathe and move with them both are effectuall actu primo secundo and they infallibly perswade It is then a weake Argument None can simply perswade Japhet but God ergo The word of the Bridegrome onely can infallibly perswade or therefore love-bracelets cannot infallibly perswade for the word not quickned by the Spirit of Jesus cannot simply perswade and the Lords perswading of Japhet is the Lords work of converting Japhet not his enlightening of Japhet to know his faith to be true faith Hence for that which infallibly perswadeth us I say 1. Our act of beleeving doth no more perswade of it selfe that wee doe beleeve except the Spirit breathe with the act of beleeving for actuall illumination and perswasion then any other act of loving Christ his Saints or universall intention or sincerity of heart to obey doth prove to us that wee beleeve for many beleeve who know not yea doubt of their beleeving because the Holy Ghost maketh not the light of faith effectuall to perswade that they truly beleeve 2. Asser. The testimony of the Holy Spirit is the efficacious and actuall illumination and irradiation of the Sunne of righteousnesse and his Spirit assuring us that wee are the sonnes of God This light cometh from inherent acts of grace in us 1 Joh. 2.3 4 â— chap. 3.14 2 From the testimony and rejoycing which resulteth from a good conscience 2 Cor. 1.12 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. 1 Tim. 6.17 18. Heb. 13.18 3. From the experience they have had of the Lords dealing with their soules and the love of God spread abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5.3 4 5. 4 From a sincere aime and respect to all the Commandements of God Psal. 119.6 Acts 24.16 1 Joh. 3.20 21. 1 Thess. 5.23 Phil. 4.12 Revel 22.14 15. 5. From the positive marks that Christ putteth on his Children as markes of true blessednesse Math. 5.3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Psal. 119.1 2. Psal. 32.1 2. 6. From the judgement that the Saints maketh of themselves and their owne begunne communion with God Psal. 73.25 Psal. 18.20 1 22. Psal. 26.3 4.8 Psal. 40.9 10.7.8 Job 31. Job 29. Esayâ—8 â—8 3 Psal. 42.1 2. Psal. 6â— 1 2 3 4 8. Psal. 84.2 3 4 5. Psal. 119. â—0 31 40.46.50.57.60 62 63.81.82.97.98 99.101 103 111 112.125.127.128.136.139 145.148.162.164 Cant. 1.5 chap. 2.4.5.6.16 chap. 3.1 2 3 4 5. chap. 5.6 7 8 9 10 11 12. All which were needlesse floorishes if they had neither peace consolation nor assurance from these as from marks and signes which do infallibly convince the light breathings and irradiations of the Holy Ghost concurring with them that they are in a saving condition who have these qualifications in them 7. Because by holy walking the Saints make their calling and election sure and firme not to God but to themselves 2 Pet. 1.10 11 12. vers 5.6 7. Asser. 3. As there is in the eye lumen innatum in the eare aer internus a certaine inbred light to make the eye see lights and colours without and a sound and aire in the eare within to make it discerne the sounds that are without So is there a grace a new nature an habituall instinct of heaven to discerne the Lords Spirit immediatly testifying that we are the Sonnes of God Rom. 8.16 1 Cor. 1.12 Grace within knoweth Christ speaking without the voice of my beloved As the Lambe knoweth by an internall instinct the mother but for wakening and quickening of the instinct to apprehend this there is neede of opened eyes and the presence of the mother to the eye or of the bleating of the mother to a waking eare for instincts cannot worke in the sleepe if the Spirit speake and the voice behind be heard the soule knoweth what sound it heareth but not otherwaies it is but curiositie so to compare the evidence by signes and markes of Sanctification with that evidence that commeth from the Spirits immediate voice or testimonie so as the former should be lesse sure fallible conjecturall and the latter infallible sure and efficaciously convincing For the evidences are both supernaturall certaine divine and strongly convincing if there bee any deception in either it is because of the dulnesse of our apprehension or our imagination which fancieth we see what we see not or from our unbelief who will not be convinced For the Holy Ghost speaketh the same thing by his operations of grace in holy walking that he speaketh by either the Word preached or by the Word and immediat voice of the Spirit witnessing to our Spirit and there is the same authority revealing to us a thing hid and the same thing revealed it maybe there be a variation of the degrees of light and divine irradiation Or the one may cary in to the soule a more deepe impression of God then the other and the radiation of light in the subject may be more strong in the one then in the other but of themselves they are both infallible supernaturall and convincing It is doubted which of these evidences bee more free and partake more of the nature of Grace Antinomians conceive that an evidence by marks in our self is more selfie lesse free and neerer to a seeking of assurance in our selfe then that evidence which resulteth from the immediate testimony of the Spirit But the ground they build on is false and the superstructure is lesse sure If it were a matter of giving and receiving or of wages and worke it were something but it s a matter of meere knowledge God reveiling our condition to us one way not another Possibly the more
come into condemnation but is passed from death to life Ch. 7.37 If any man thirst let him come to me and drink Acts 13.39 And by him all that beleeve are justified from all things from which yee could not be justified by the Law of Moses Acts 16.30 The Jaylor saith to Paul and Silas what must I doe to be saved Vers. 31. And they said beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy houshold There is an expresse required of the Jaylor which he must performe if he would be saved And Rom. 10. looke as a condition is required in the Law Vers. 5. For Moses describeth the righteousnesse of the Law that the man that doth these things shall live by them So beleeving is required as a condition of the Gospel Vers. 6. But the righteousnesse which is of Faith c. Ver. 9. Saith that if thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleeve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 3.27.28.29.30 ch 4. ch 5. Faith is the condition of the Covenant of Grace and the only condition of Justification and of the title right and claime that the Elect have thorow Christ to life eternall Holy walking as a witnesse of faith is the way to the possession of the kingdome As Rom. 2.6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds Vers. 7. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternall life Vers. 8. To them that are contentious Vers. 9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soule of man that doth evill of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Matth. 25.34 Then shall the King say to them on his right hand come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Ver. 33. For I was hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirstie and ye gave me drink c. And let Antinomians say we are freed from the Law as a rule of holy walking sure the Gospel and the Apostles command the very same duties in the letter of the Gospel that Moses commanded in the letter of the Law as that children obey their parents servants their masters that we abstaine from murther hatred of our brother stealing defrauding lying c. that we keepe our selves from Idols swearing strange gods I doe not say that these duties are commanded in the same way in the Gospel as in the Law For sure we are out of a principle of Evangelike love to render obedience and our obedience now is not Legall as commanded by Moses in strict termes of Law but as perfumed oyled honeyed with the Gospel-sense of remission of sinnes the tender love of God in Christ. So that wee justly challenge two extreme waies both blasphemous as we conceive 1. Arminians object to us that which the Antinomians truely teach to wit that we destroy all precepts commands exhortations and active obedience in the Gospel and render men under the Gospel meere blocks and stones which are immediately acted by the Spirit in all obedience and freed from the Letter of both Law and Gospel as from a Legall bondage This we utterly disclaime and doe obtest and beseech Antinomians as they love Christ and his truth to cleare themselves of this which to us is vilde Libertinisme And by this Arminians turne all the Gospel in literalem gratiam in a Law-Gospel in meere golden letters and sweet-honeyed commandements of Law-precepts and will have the Law possible justification by works conversion by the power of free will and morall suasion really without the mighty power of the Spirit and Gospel-grace and receive the doctrine of merit and set heaven and hell on new Polls to be rolled about as Globes on these two Poles the nilling and willing of free-will and they make grace to be sweet words of silke and gold on the other hand Antinomians doe exclude words letter-perswasions our actions conditions of Grace promises written or preached from the Gospel and make the Spirit and celestiall rapts immediate inspirations the Gospel it selfe and turne men regenerate into blocks and how M. Den can be both an Antinomian and loose us from the Law and an Arminian defending both universall attonement and the resistible working of grace and so subject us to the Law and to the doctrine of Merit and make us lords of our owne faith and conversion to God let him and his followers see to it Wee goe a middle way here and doe judge the Gospel to bee an Evangelike command and a promising and commanding Evangel and that the Holy Ghost graceth us to doe and the Letter of the Gospel obligeth us to doe Pos. 3. The decree of Election to glory may bee said to bee more free and gracious in one respect and justification and glorification and conversion more free in another respect and all the foure of meere free grace For Election as the cause and fountaine-grace is the great mother the wombe the infinite spring the bottomlesse ocean of all grace and wee say effects are more copiously and eminently in the cause then in themselves as water is more in the element and fountaine then in the streames the tree more in the life and sapp of life then in the branches and conversion and justification have more freedome and more of grace by way of extension because good will stayeth within the bowels and heart of God in free election but in conversion and justification infinite love comes out and here the Lord giveth us the great gift even himselfe Christ God the darling the delight the onely onely well-beloved of the Father and he giveth Faith to lay hold on Christ and the life of God and all the meanes of life in which there be many divided acts of grace to speake so which were all one in the wombe of the election of grace Pos. 4. Conversion justification are free for election and therefore election is more free but all these as they are in God are equally free and are one simple good will Though Christ justifie and crowne none but such as are quallified with the grace of beleeving yet beleeving is a condition that removeth nothing of the freedome of grace 1. Because it worketh nothing in the bowels of mercy and the free grace of God as a motive cause or moving condition that doth extract acts of grace out of God only we may conceive this order that Grace of electing to glory stirres another wheele to speak so of free love to give Faith effectuall calling justification and eternall glory 2. It s no hire nor work at all nor doth it justifie as a worke but onely lay hold on the Lord our righteousnesse Object There is more of God in election to glory then in giving of Faith or at least of Christs righteousnesse and eternall glory therfore there must bee more grace in the one then in
such hazard or lotterie as such imaginary dispositions oâ— good humours thousands being brought in to Christ in chaines in saddest afflictions Nor is grace being a plant of heaven a flower that grows out of such clay ground Asser. 7. Christ drawes by such a power and this is the last point in the drawing That it is not in the power of man to resist him 1. He drawes by the pull of that same arme and power by which he commanded light to shine out of darknesse 2 Cor. 4.6 by which he raised the dead out of the graves Ephes. 1.18 19. by the exceeding greatnes of his power and the mighty power by which he raised Christ from the death Arminians answer this was omnipotency of working miracles but what was it to the salvation of the Ephesians and to the hope of their glory to know with opened eyes such a power as Judas knew and can the dead chuse but be quickned and come out of the grave when God raiseth them Joh. 5.25 That Vaga necessitas the strong morall necessity talked of by Jesuites when strong morall motives work is a dream there for it may come short a man quickned in the grave and put to his feet as Lazarus was of necessity must come out he will not lie down in the grave again and kill himselfe A man starving for hunger when meat is set before him on any termes he desires if he be in his right wits will necessarily eat and not kill himself but the necessity of saving soules in the tender and loving mind of God in Christ is much stronger and if we consider the corruption of will this fancied vaging necessity cannot so bow the will but it is necessary that corrupt will dissent rather then consent to Christ. 2. God taketh away all resisting and the vitious and wicked power of resisting hee removeth the stony heart openeth blind eyes removeth the vail that is over the heart in hearing or reading the Scriptures Ezek. 36.26 2 Cor. â— 16 17. Deut. 30.6 Col. 2.11 takes the mans sword and armour from him cuts off his armes so as he cannot fight or resist you It is true Christ taketh not from David Abraham Prophet Apostle or from any Men or Angels that are to be saved the natural created power of nilling and willing purum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posse nolle Christo trahente but he taketh away the morall wicked and godlesse power hic nunc and vitious and corrupt disposition of resisting 3. God layeth bonds on himself by 1. Promise 2. Covenant 3 Oath to circumcise the heart of his chosen ones Deut. 30.6 to put his Law in their inward parts Jer. 31.32 33. To give them one heart to fear God for ever not to depart from God Jer. 32.39 40. Heb. 8.6 7 c. to blesse them Heb. 6.16 17 18. Gen. 22.16 17. Psal. 89.33 34 35 36 37. Heb. 1.5 6. We cannot imagine that God will keep Covenant promise and oath upon a condition and with a reserve that we give him leave so to doe that is as much as the Creator will be faithfull if the creature will be faithfull And there is nothing glorious in the Gospel and second Covenant above the Law and first Covenant if God promise not to remove the power of resisting for if God doe not promise to work our obedience absolutely without any condition depending on our free will then must free will be so absolutely indifferent as it can suspend God from fulfilling his oath Now the Law had a promise of life If yee doe this ye live eternally but God neither did work nor was tyed by the tenour of that Covenant to work in us to doe to will to continue to abide in all written in the Law of God to the end and therefore it was a broken Covenant Nor can Arminians make the Covenant Gospel-promise and oath of God so conditionall as the Law of works or as the promise of giving the holy Land to the seed of Abraham upon condition of faith because many could not enter in because of unbeliefe except Arminians and Jesuites prove 1. That all that entred in to the holy Land yong and old did beleeve and were elected to salvation redeemed and saved as Caleb and Joshua were as all that enter in to the true promised Land are beleevers otherwise they die are condemned and can never see God John 3.18.36 v. 16. Joh. 11.26 and 5.24 Mark 16.16 Acts 15.11 Acts 11.17.18 but the former is most evidently false in the History of Joshua and Judges multitudes entred in who never beleeved as multitudes entred not in who beleeved as Moses and many others And therefore from this that many entred not in because of unbeliefe The Arminians shall never prove that as God makes a promise of life eternall that beleevers infallibly and only shall be saved and unbeleevers excluded so God made a covenant and promise that all these of Abrahams seed infallibly and all these onely should enter into the holy Land who should beleeve as did Caleb and Ioshua I put all Arminians and Papists and Patrons of universall atonement to prove any such covenant or promise 2. Let Arminians prove that faith and a new heart was promised to all Abrahams seed who were to enter in tâ— the holy Land as it is promised to all the Elect who are saved and to enter in the Kingdome of Heaven Ezek. 36.26 Jer. 31.32 3â— Jer. 32.39 40. 3. That the promise of eternall rest in heaven was typified by conversion to Christ and conversion upon condition of faith as they say but without ground the holy Land was promised to all Abrahams seed upon condition of Faith the like we say to all oâ—her conditionall promises of God made in Scripture that are as the legs of the lame unequally paraleld with the Covenant of Grace Because this is the only answer Adversaries can give though it be as a parable in a fooles mouth Let it be considered 1. The difference between the first Covenant which was broken Jer. 31 32 33 34. and the better Covenant which is everlasting and cannot be broken Jer. 31.35 36 37. and 32.39 40. Isai. 54.10 11. Isai. 59.19 20. Heb. 8.6 7 c. is expresly holden forth to make the new Covenant better then the Old But it s close removed for both are broken Covenants by this reasoning 2. When God promiseth the removing of an old and stony heart and to give a new heart he promiseth to take away resisting in us for nothing can resist Christs drawing but the stony and old heart 3. The Apostles reason Heb. 6.13 14 15 16. of the Lords two immutable things his oath and promise is That wee might have strong consolation and hope Now this makes undeniably the consolation though never so strong the hope never so sure to depend on our free will if the sinner brue well he drinks well if he resist not grace as he may or accept it
way to be sure of the truth of good things is tasting and feeling Eat O friends drinke yea drink abundantly O beloved Answ. This reason would inferre that there is not a Saint on earth capable of such a sinne as to doubt whether they beleeve or not because wee read not of it in any of the hearers of Christ or the Apostles This is a bad consequence except you say All the various conditions of troubled consciences are set down in particular examples in the New Testament Which is contrary to all experiences of the Saints 2. It is one thing to doubt of the truth of the promises and another thing to doubt whether my apprehension of the promise be true or false The latter is not alwayes sin for it may be my apprehension of the truth of the promises be beside the line and off the way and then I question not Christ's dainties which to doe were unbeleefe but my owne deluded fancie which may appeare to be faith and is nothing lesse the former is indeed unbeleefe not the latter 3. It s true tasting makes sure the truth of the Lord 's good things that are inclosed in the promises but then an unconverted sinner who is void of spirituall senses cannot be the beloved nor the friend that Christ speaketh to Cant. 5.1 Wee doe not say a beleever ought to doubt whether hee hath true faith or no but because the command of beleeving obliegeth the non-converted as well as the converted shall the naturall man eat as a friend and a beloved hee remaining in nature and not yet converted and this man in nature ought not to doubt whether his fancie be faith or not but hee is oblieged to beleeve that is to imagine that his fancie is faith 4. I see not how if the faith of the Saints be tried as gold in the fire they may not through the prevalencie of temptation be shaken in their faith as Peter was when hee denyed his Saviour and Paul who 2 Cor. 1 8. was pressed out of measure above strength despaired of life had the sentence of death 2 Cor. 7.5 was troubled on every side fightings without and feares within and the sonnes of God who may feare that they have received the spirit of bondage to feare againe opposite to the Spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 but that they may faint in their tribulations Ephes. 3.13 and may be surprised with feare which hath torment and must be cast out 1 Joh. 4.18 and may be ready to faint and die Revel 3.2 and turne luke-warme be wretched miserable poore blind naked and yet beleeve the contrary of themselves Revel 3.16 17. All these may come and often doe come to that low condition of spirit after Justification as to say and think that all men are liars their faith is no faith that they are forsaken of God to their own sense and cast out of his sight and question whether they ever did beleeve or no And why would the Apostle say Patience bringeth forth experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed Rom. 5.4 if experience that ever God loved me or that ever I beleeved to my present sense cannot be removed But this is but the Doctrine of Famulists who teach That after the revelation of the Spirit neither devill nor sinne can make the soule to doubt And To question whether God be my deare Father after or upon the committing of some hainous sinnes as murther incest c. doth prove a man to be in the Covenant of works Doe not they then teach us a way of despairing who say that Wee find not in the whole course of Christ's preaching or the Disciples that any asked the question whether they beleeved or no whether their faith were true faith or no What then shall thousands of smoking flaxes and weak reeds doe who often ask this question and say and think Ah I have no faith my faith is but counterfeit mettall And then by this Doctrine of despaire beleevers ought to conclude I am not under Grace but under the Law and a Covenant of works and so not in Christ yea whatever lusters were in me before I am in no condition of any wee read of in the New Testament who were hearers of Christ and the Apostles for Libertines never true beleevers doubted whether their faith was true or not Object 3. For any to doubt whether they beleeve or no is a question that Christ onely can satisfie who is the Author and Finisher of our faith Who can more properly shew one that hee sees then the Light which enlightens him Answ. Christ solves not questions that no man ever made S. thinkes that beleevers never doubt whether their faith be true faith or not which is a strong way of beleeving and those must be so strong in the faith who doubt not of this as they are above all temptations But this will be found against the experience of all beleevers It is most true none can work faith but the onely Creator and Author of faith but will the Author hence inferre no man the most wicked nor any that ever heard Christ or his Apostles preach doubted of their faith 2. The sunne with all its light cannot perswade a blind man who seeth not that hee seeth beleevers often think they see when they see not and think they are blind when they see as experience and Scripture Revel 3.16 17. Joh. 9.38 39. teach us Object 4. Faith is truly and simply this A being perswaded more or lesse of Christ's love and therefore it is called a beleeving with the heart Now what infallible signe is there to perswade any that they are perswaded when themselves question the truth of their perswasion God onely shall perswade Japhet Who can more principally and with clearer satisfaction perswade the Spouse of the good will of him shee loves but himselfe Can all the love-tokens or testimoniall rings and bracelets They may concurre and help in the manifestation but it is the voyce of the beloved that doth the turne My beloved spake and said unto me Rise my love my faire one saith the Spouse Answ. 1. Faith may be a perswasion in some sense but that it is a perswasion that my faith or perswasion is true not counterfeit and so formally is utterly denyed How many beleeve and love Christ with the heart who are not perswaded that they doe so yea much doubt whether they beleeve with the heart and would give a world to know if it were possible that they truly love God No Divine who knoweth that a direct act of faith and to beleeve is when there is no reflexe act can deny this 2. Arguments or signes in accurate speech are not called infallible actu secundo the word of God is in it selfe infallible actu prâ—â—o But to Aristotle this In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth is not infallible actu secundo nor are the promises Hee that beleeveth
externall the more immediate and farre a thing be from a condition even of Grace the more free as the election to Glory the paying of the ransome of Christs bloud or the act of attonement are most free for they require not so much as the condition of faith wrought by the free Grace of God but Justification say our Divines requireth faith as a condition And heere God may keep his hands free of any knot or obligation of a condition and it would seeme that the immediate testimony of the Spirit is more free then evidence from inherent marks the wind seemeth to be freer in its motion which hath not a restriction to fixed causes rather at this houre then at that the Sea againe in its ebbing and flowing and the Sunne in its rising and going downe are more fettered to set times and condition of naturall causes yet all these detract nothing from the freedome of God the creator in his concurring with these causes nor doe conditions that are wrought in us irresistably by the grace of God lay any tye on that independent soveraigne and high freedome of Grace which doth no lesse justifie and save us freely then chuse us to glory and redeeme us with the same freedome without pâ—ice and hire onely I will mind Libertines who deny that Justification the covenant of grace and salvation have any the most gracious conditions in us for that should obscure the freedom of Grace they say all within the visible Church without a-any preparations are immediatly to beleeve salvation and remission of sinnes to themselves in particular But I hope Faith is a worke of free Grace and must presuppose conversion and a new heart as an essentiall condition else with Pelagians they must say that out of the principles of nature all are to beleeve and this obscureth farre more the freedome of the grace of God working Faith in us then all the conditions of Grace which we hold to be subservient not contrary to the freedome of grace Object 5. We ought to beleeve till we be perswaded that we beleeve Ephes. 1.13 In whom after yee beleeved yee were sealed The way to be warme is not onely to aske for a fire or whether there be a fire or no or to hold out the hands a little toward it and away and wish for a greater but to stand close to that fire and gather heat Answ. 1. That beleeving bringeth perswasion I doubt not but not such a sealing with the broad and great seale of heaven as excludeth all doubting as Antinomians teach nor doth the place proove it For these who can flee with such strong wings and are above all doubting 1. need not Christs intercession that their faith faile not they are above and beyond the Sphere of all obligation to Grace nor 2. need they pray Leade us not into temptation Nor 3. need they beare in meekenesse the overtaken weake ones who trip and stumble unawares considering lest they also be tempted Gal. 6.1 4. The faith of the strongest is not full Moone or uncapable of growing Phil. 3.12 5. There is neede of praising of Grace for the prevailing victory of a faith beyond doubting 6. Nor neede such pray Christ to encrease their faith Judge then of Libertines who talke of a broad seale of perfect assurance and say There is no assurance true and right unlesse it be without feare and doubting 2. The way to be warme at a painted fire such as is the immediate revealing of Christ to an unconverted sinner never humbled nor despairing of himselfe which is the Libertines dead faith is not the way to be warmed nor are we to beleeve in Christ but in Christs owne way and order and its safe to call in question whether such a painted fire be fire nor are wee to goe on in this beleeving till wee be perswaded that we beleeve truely this is no Gospel-secret If Libertines say its unpossible to beleeve but we must despaire in our selves I answer So I beleeve but then must it follow that Libertines deceive and are deceived when they teach that sinners as sinners are to beleeve because sinners despairing of salvation in themselves must be fewer in number then sinners as sinners for sinners as sinners comprehendeth Pharisees and all secure and malitious slaves of hell but selfe-despairing sinners include not any such farre lesse include they all sinners they be onely such sinners as are halfe sicke looking a farre off with halfe an eye to Jesus Christ not daring fully to make out to Jesus Christ proud Pharisees despaire not of salvation in themselves for then they should not be proud Pharisees in so farre but Libertines teach us that Pharisees remaining Pharisees without any preparations going before are immediatly to beleeve in Christ if they say Selfe-despaire is an essentiall part of Faith not a preparation going before faith they erre Judas Cain despaire of salvation both in themselves and in Christ yet have they not any essentiall part of saving faith nor can any essentiall part of saving faith bee in such nor can any come to Christ and beleeve in him whil first they know sin by the law and their mouth be stopp'd that the law cannot justifie nor save them Rom. .19 20 21. Anâ— Mâ— Eaton and the Antinomians that are not meere Familists and Enthysiasts rejecting all written Scripture doe also grant this then it must be unpossible that any can beleeve but some preparation fore-going there must be and because all sinners as sinners have not such preparation all sinners as sinners are not at the first clap to beleeve in the soule Physitian Christ but onely such as in Christs order are plowed ere Christ sow on them and selfe-condemned ere they beleeve in Christ. Object 6. Wee are no more to question our faith then wee ought to question Christ the foundation of our faith for salvation to the soule in particular is destroyed by unbeliefe they entered not in because of unbeleefe The word profitted not being not mixed with faith Answ. 1. Wee cannot question Christ more then wee can question whether God be God but wee may examine Paul's Doctrine as the Beroans did wee may try our owne faith if it can hold water If some would wash their false coyne and bring it to the touch-stone the false mettall would be seen 2. The unbeleefe in weake ones doubting of their faith is not that which destroyes salvation and excludeth men out of the holy Land they are cruell to weak reeds who exclude them out of heaven because in their mis-judging distempers they exclude themselves were Christ as cruell to a faint beleever who is sick of mis-givings as hee is to himselfe who could be saved But a beleever may appeale from himselfe ill-informed and doubting groundlesly to meek Jesus well-informed and judging aright a weak reed to be a reed a sick beleever and a swouning faith to be a beleever and a faith that will beare a
Nations who never by anâ— sound heard of the Gospel and Arminians yeeld to us that this was done arcanâ— Dei dispensatione by the secret and unsearchable providence of God they would say if they would speak truth by the Lords absolute higheâ—t independent and unseaâ—chable good pleasure in his decâ—ees of absolute election and reprobation 2. Again they are made unexcusable and freed from all guiltinesse of unbeâ—ief and hoplesnesse of comfort or ground of comfort in the Gospel promises who never heard of the Gospel yâ—a even these who heard the Gospel as the Athenians Act. 17. who â—udged Paul to be a babler and Festus who thought him mad and the Grecians who esteemed the preaching of the Gospel foolishnesse 1 Cor. 1. And so must have heard the Gospel yet â—re not condemned so much for doubâ—â—â—ng of the â—â—fficiency of Christs death seeiâ—g â—hey believed Christ to be a â—aâ—se Prophet as for theâ—r not hearing men sent of God Christ and the Apostles speaking with the power of God and enâ—ued with the power of working Miracles 3. â—ut what assurance boâ—e and comfort of salvation doe Aâ—minians give One â—homas Moore has written book intiâ—â—led The Vniversality of Gods free gracâ— in â—hrist to mankinde that all might be comforted encouraged every one confirmed and assured of the pâ—oâ—itation and dâ—ath of Christ for the whole race of mankind and so for himself in particular Hear then what Arminiâ—s and Mr Moore saith Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith â—he Lord comfort and encourage with the joy of tâ—e holy Ghost with the lively hope fâ—ternall life with the comforts of the Scripture Scipio Aristotle Cato Regulus Seneca all the Turks Americans Indians Virginians such as worship the Devils the Sunne and Moone such as have no hope and are without God and without Christ in the world bid them be assured Christ dyed for them prayes and intercedes for them intends and will their salvation upon good condition no lesse then the salvation of his chosen people But 1. The object of this faith hope and comfort may stand and consist though all and every one of the race of mankinde should belive it with no lesse certainty of eternall damnation then Indians all the reprobate and condemned Devils are under now saving faith removeth all hazard of damnation Joh. 3.16 Joh. 5.25 Joh. 11.26 1 Tim. 1.15.16 Gal. 2.10 but thousands believe yea the damned Devils who assent to the letter of the Gospel and gave testimony that Iesus is the Sonne of the living God by the judgement of the Arminians believe that Christ dyed for all and every one of the race of mankinde Ergo all the Reprobates may have this faith assurance comfort and hope 2. Saving faith bringing peace justification rejoycing in tribulation purifieth the heart But I am not a whit nearer peace that I believe that Christ intendeth to redeemn save justifie all and every one of mankinde upon condition they believe for this remaineth ever a hole in the heart God either efficaciously intendeth to save all or inefficaciously committing the event to the good guiding of free-will which once lost all mankinde now the former neither can be known to any living it s a doubt to Arminians if it be known to God himselfe Arminians saith Deum posse excideâ—e fine suo quia non semper intendit finem secundum praescientiam God may saile and come short of his end because he doth not especially in events that fall out freely and may not fall out intend the end according to fore-knowledge See then here the Arminian courage hope and comfort God intendeth to redeem and save me in Christ but ah it is as the blind man casteth his club or shoots his arrow he winks and drawes the string it may come up to the white but it runs a hazard to fall short and wide Againe its false that God intendeth efficaciously to save all therefore Bellarmine and Arminius say the Lord doth here as Polititians who have two strings in their bow for God say they lyeth at the wait between two ends and intendeth either the obedience conversion and salvation of all or if he misse he has another string in his bow and intends the declaration of the glory of his justice if free-will shall thwart and crosse the former intention of God and this is the latter intention all and every man is to believe that God intends his conversion and salvation ineffectually but ah this is cold comfort and dubious hazard-some and farre off hope the poore man is here between hope to be saved if the fortune or loose contingency of free-will be lucky and feare to be eternally thrice more miserable then if God had never born him any good will if free-will miscarry as it doth in the far greatest part of mankinde for Arminians doe not say one man is more saved by their pendulous and venturous good wishes and doubtsome intentions to save all and every one then we doe by the Lords most wise sâ—aid poysed fixed and absolute decrees so it is but a toome and an empty spoon they thrust in the mouths of the whole race of mankinde when they will them thus to hope for salvation 2. By this meanes God intending two ends either the salvation or damnation of all and every one he puts all mankinde upon large as great fear and dispair as upon comfort and hope and hee intends and wils the destruction of all mankinde more efficaciously and with farre greater successe then he wills their salvation only here is a comfort men may take to Hell with them and an East-winde hope they may feed on God primarily antecâ—dently and first wils my salvation but secundarily and with better certainty of the black event he wils in justice my damnation and the eternall destruction of the farre greatest part of mankinde and this is the Arminian comfort and white hopes that the Tenent of Arminian universall grace liberally bestowes on all much good doe it them 3. They stand not to make God to fluctuate between two ends either this or this justice or mercy mercy is the port God desires to sail to and to carry all to heaven but because he cannot be master of tyde and winde and free-will bloweth out of the East when God expecteth a faire West wind the Lord is compelled to arrive with a second wind as a crossed Sea-man must doâ— and to land his Vessell in the sad port of revenging justice and make such a Sea-voyage as against the heart of God what will ye say of the destiny of free-wils ill luck must cast the far greatest part of mankind as ship broken men into eternall damnation and except God would have strangled free-will and destroyed the nature of that obedience which is obnoxious to threatnings and rewards he could not for his soule mend the matter and here good Reader you have the Arminian hope and consolations if you list to harken to the Arminians
Not to minde Mr Town that else-where he meaneth by the Law that we are not under not the Morall Law only but the Ceremoniall also if we be freed from all authority of the Law then hath the sixth command no authority from God to teach that murthering of our brother 〈◊〉 sinne that Idolatry is contrary to the second command 〈◊〉 acts of holinesse and worship performed by 〈…〉 wil-service and wil-worship for if 〈…〉 and direct us what is holy walking 〈…〉 by the Antinomian way doth not teach any such thing in the letter then it s all unwritten wil-walking that a believer doth this is licence not holinesse wee are called unto 2. Then is it not the Lawes office to reveale sinne to us Paul saith contrary Rom. 3.20 for by the Law is the knowledge of sinne Rom. 7.7 I had not known lust except the Law had said thou shalt not covet free a believer from all the offices of the Law Then the believer when he lies and whores and murthers is not obliged to know or open his eyes and see from the light of the Law that these be sins for Mr Town looseth him from all the offices of the Law Paul mis-judged himself when in his believing condition he saith Rom. 7.14.15 for we know that the Law is spirituallâ— but I am carnall sold under sinne 3. From the Lawes teaching of believers to inferre that the Law lordeth it over a beliver is a great fallacy 4. If the enemy sinne be spoyled of all power even of indwelling and lusting against the Spirit then the believer cannot faile against a Law then he may say he has no sin which Iohn saith is a lie 5. If Christ communicate abundant effectuall grace of sanctification then is sanctification perfect but the Scripture saith the contrary in many things we offend all and we are not perfect in this life nor are we more then Conquerours in every act of sanctâ—fication nor is that Pauls meaning Rom. 8. that we are never foiled and that lusts in some particular acts have not the better of us too often but that finally in the strength of Christ the Saints are so farre forth more then Conquerors that nothing can work the Apostacy and separation of the Saints from the love God in Christ. Mr Towne 's assertion of Grace Pag. 4.5 Mark three grounds of mistakes 1. That justification and sanctification are separable if not in the person yet in regard of time and word of Ministration as if the Gospel revealed justification the Law were now become an effectuall instrument of sanctification 2. That to ease men of the Laws yoak is to suffer them to range after the course of the world and 〈…〉 luâ—s not considering that the righteousnâ—sse of 〈…〉 to Christ their Lord head and Governour that they may be led by his free Spirit and swayd by the Scepter of his Kingdome 3. That all zealous and strict conformity to the Law of works though but in the letter is right sanctification Answ. 1. Not any of these are owned by Protestant Divines they are Mr. Townes forged calumnies to the first I cannot see that sanctification is any thing at all by Antinomian grounds but meere justification and that he is an Antinomian saint that believeth Christ satisfied and performed the Law for him but no letter of Law or Gospel layeth any obligation on him to walk in holinesse But the Gospel only revealeth engraffting of the branch in Christ the Vine-tree and stock of life and the bringing forth fruits by the faith of Christ to be the only true sanctification but if the apples be not of the right seed conforme to the derecting rule of all righteousnesse the Law of God they are but wilde grapes we never made the Law the effectuall instrument of sanctification a help it is being preached with the Gospel but neither is the Gospel of it selfe the effectuall instrument of sanctification except the spirit of grace accompany it nor the law of it selfe 2. The second is a calumny also But we would desire to know how Antinomians can free themselves of it for the righteousnesse of faith doth not so unite believers to Christ as to their Governour so as Christ governeth them by the Spirit and the Word for the letter of the whole Word both Law and Gospel say they holdeth forth nothing but a covenant of works to search the Scripture either Law or Gospel is not a sure way of searching and finding of Christ and Mr Towne passeth in silence all guidance of the Saints by commandements of either Law or Gospel and tells us of a leading by a free Spirit only So that by Antinomians we are no more under the Gospel as a directing and commanding rule then we are under the Law what hindereth then but Antinomian justification bids us live as we list we think the Gospel commandeth every duty and forbiddeth every sin as the Law doth under damnation what is sinne to the one is to the other But the Gospel forbiddeth nothing to a justified believer under the paine of damnation more then to Iesus Christ. 2. A dead lâ—râ—er forbiddeth no sinne commandeth no duty but the Gospel of it selfe without the Spirit is a dead letter as well as the Law the major is the Antinomian doctrine the assumption is undeniable 3. Pharisaicall conformity to the Law we disclaime but if any could be strictly and perfectly conforme to the Law of works as Christ was we should think such a man perfectly sanctified but through the weaknesse of the flesh that is unpossible I know not what Mr Towne meanes by a conformity to the Law though but in the Letter if he meanes that the literall meaning and sense of the Law requireth no spirituall inwardâ— and compleatly perfect obedience he is no good Doctor of the Law and if it be not such an obedience it is not zealous and strict obedience but its ordinary to Antinomians now to tearm these whom the Prelaticall party of late called Puritans and strict Precisians because they strove to walk closely with God Pharisies and out-side Professors who think to be justified and saved by their own righteousnesse so farre are they at odds with sanctification if by conformity to the Law in the Letter Mr Towne meanes externall obedience without faith in Iesus Christ or union with him he knows Protestant Divines acknowledge no â—ound sanctification but that which is the naturall issue and fruit of justification and flowes from faith which purifieth the heart and such strict conformity to the Law as floweth from saving faith we hold to be true sanctification though all enemies to holy walking cry out against it such as mockers of all religion the Prelaticall and Antinomian party who mock strict walking and long prayer and humble confession of sinnes and smiting of conscience for sinne Towne Page 5. Blinde and sinister suspition and causeless fear inclined Doctor Taylor to this exposition to say our Apostle
peace 2. How with the personall union 3. What cause there was 4. What love and mercy in Jesus to be troubled for us 5. What use wee must make of this 1. Pos. This holy soule thus troubled was like the earth before the Fall out of which grew roses without thorns or thistles before it was cursed Christs anger his sorrow were flowers that smelled of heaven and not of sinne All his affections of feare sorrow sadnesse hope joy love desire were like a fountaine of liquid and melted silver of which the bankes the head-spring are all as cleare from drosse as pure Chrystall such a fountaine can cast out no clâ—y no mudde no dirt When his affections did rise and swell in their acts every drop of the founâ—aine was sinlesse perfumed and adorned with grace so as the more you stirre or trouble a well of Rose-water or some precious liquor the more sweet a smell it casts out Or as when a summer soft wind bloweth on a field of sweet Roses it diffuseth precious and delicious smells through the aire There is such mudde and dregs in the bottome and banks of our affections that when our anger sorrow sadnesse feare does arise in their acts our fountaine casteth out sinne Wee cannot love but wee lust nor feare but wee despaire nor rejoyce but wee are wanton and vaine and gaudie nor beleeve but wee presume wee rest up wee breath out sin wee cast out a smell of hell when the wind bloweth on our field of weeds and thistles our soule is all but a plat of wild-corne the imaginations of our heart being onely evill from our youth O that Christ would plant some of his flowers in our soule and blesse the soyle that they might grow kindly there being warmed and nourished with his grace If grace be within in sad pressures it comes out A Saint is a Saint in affliction as an hypocrite is an hypocrite and every man is himselfe and casts a smell like himselfe when he is in the furnace Troubled Christ prayes Tempted Job beleeves Job 19.25 The scourged Apostles rejoyce Act. 5.41 Drowned Jonah looks to the holy Temple Jonah 2.4 2. Christs affections were rationall reason starts up before feare reason and affection did not out-run one another Joh. 11.33 when Christ sees his friends weep hee weeps with them and that which is expressed in our Text by a Passive Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soule is troubled is there expressed by an Active Verb Hee groned in the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hee troubled himselfe Hee called upon his affections and grace and light was Lord and Master of his affection's There was in CHRIST three things which are not in us First The God-hâ—ad personally united with a Man and a Mans soule had an immediate influence on his affections This was Christs personall priviledge and to want this is not our sinne to have it was Christs glory But the nearer any is to God the more heavenly are the affections Secondly When God framed the humane nature and humane soule of Christ hee created a more noble and curious piece then was the first Adam It is true hee was like us in all things except sinne and essentially a man but in his generation there was a cut of the art of heaven in Christ more then in the forming of Adam or then in the generation of men suppose man had never sinned as Luk. 1.35 The power of the most High shall over-shadow thee never man was thus to be borne Whence give me leave to think that there was more of God in the humane nature of Christ as nature is a vessel coming out of the Potters house then ever was in Adam or living man though man had never sinned And so that hee had a humane soule of a more noble structure and fabrick in which the Holy Ghost in the act of sanctification had a higher hand then when Adam was created according to the image of God though hee was a man like us in all things sinne excepted 3. Pos. Undeniably Grace did so accompany Nature that hee could not feare more then the object required Had all the strength of men and Angels been massed and contemperated in one they should have been in a higher measure troubled then Christ was So how much trouble was in Christs affections as much there was of reason perfumed and lustered with grace Hee was not as man in his intellectualls wise or desirous to be wise as Adam and Evah and men now are taken with the disease of curiosity above what was fit So neither were his affections above banks hee saw the blackest and darkest houre that ever any saw suppose all the sufferings of the damned for eternity were before them in one sight or came on them at once it should annihilate all that are now or shall be in hell Christ now saw or fore-saw as great sufferings and yet 1. beleeved 2. prayed 3. hoped 4. was encouraged under it 5. suffered them to the bottome with all patience 6. rejoyced in hope Psal. 16.9 Now our affections rise and swell before reason 1. They are often imaginary and are on horse-back and in armes at the stirring of a straw 2. They want that clearnesse and serenity of grace that Christ had through habituall grace following nature from the womb 3. Wee can raise our affecâ—â—ons but cannot allay them as some Magicians can raise the Devill but cannot conjure or command him or some can make warre and cannot create peace It is a calumnie of Papists that say that Calvin did teach there was despaire or any distemper of reason in Christ when as Calvin saith Hee still beleeved with full assurance And this extremity of soule-trouble was most rationall coming from the infallible apprehension of the most pressing cause of soule-trouble that ever living man was under 4. Pos. Christ had now and alwayes Morall peace or the grace of peace as peace is opposed to culpable raging of Conscience First Hee never could want faith which is a serenity quietnes and silence of the soule and assurance of the love of God Secondly Hee could have no doubting or sinfull disturbance of mind because hee could have no conscience of guilt which could over-cloud the love and tenderest favour of his Father to him But as peace is opposed to paine and sense of wrath and punishment for the guilt of our sinnes so hee wanted Physicall peace and was now under penall disturbance and disquietnesse of soule So wee see some have peace but not pardon as the secure sinners 1 Thes. 5.3 Secondly Some have pardon but not peace as David Psal. 38.3 who had broken bones and complaineth vers 8. I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart And the troubled Church Psal. 77.1 2 3 4. Some have both peace and pardon as some like Steven that are so neare to the Crowne as they are above any challenges of Conscience
why there is not among troubles any so grievous as the want of the presence of God to a soule fattened and feasted with the continuall marrow and fatnesse of the Lords house No such complaints read you so bitter so patheticke and comming from deeper sense then the want of the sense of Christs love It 's broken bones and a dryed up body to David it 's bitter weeping and crying like the chattering of a Crane to Ezechiah it 's more then strangling and brings Job to pray he had been buried in the wombe of his mother or that he had never been borne or his mother had beene alwaies great with him it is swoning and the soules departure out of the body sicknesse and death to the Spouse Cant. 5. vers 6.8 it 's Hell and distraction to Heman Psal. 88.15 It is to Jeremiah the cursing of the Messenger that brought tidings to his Father that a man-child was borne and a wishing that hee never had being nor life it 's death to part the lover from the beloved and the stronger love bee the death is the more death But in all that we yet have said Christs greatest Soule trouble as a Sonne for that he was essentially was in that his holy soule was sadded and made hâ—avie even to death for sinne as sinne and as contrary to his Fathers love The Elect sinned against the Lord not looking to him as either Lord or Father but Christ payed full deare for sinne eying God as Lord as Father Wee looke neither to Lord to Law nor to Love when we sinne Christ looked to all three when hee satisfied for sinne Christ did more then pay our debts it was a summe above price that he gave for us it is a great question yea out of all question if all mankind redeemed came neere to the worth to the goodly price given for us So according to the sense of any happinesse so must the Soule-trouble for the losse of that happinesse be in due proportion First as we love so is sorrow for the losse of what we love Jaakob would not have mourned so for the losse of a servant as of his Sonne Joseph Now no man enioying God could have a more quicke and vigorous sense of the enjoyed God-head then Christ so his apprehension and vision of God must have been strong 2. Because the union with the Godhead and communion of fulnesse of Grace from the wombe must adde to his naturall faculties a great edge of sense his soule and the faculties thereof were never blunted with sinne and the larger the vessell be the fulnesse must be the greater What or who of the highest Seraphims or Dominions or Principalities among Angels had so large and capacious a a spirit to containe the fulnesse of God as Christ had When Salomons heart was larger theâ— the sand in the Sea-shore and he was but a shaddow of such a soule as was to divell personally with the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily O how capacious and wide must the heart of the true Salomon be it being to containe many Seas and Rivers of Wisdome Love Joy Goodnesse Mercy above millions of Sandes in millions of Sea-shoares What bowels of compassion and love of mâ—â—â—â—nesse gentlenes of free grace must be in him Since all thousands of Elected soules sate in these bowels and were in his heart to die and live with him and withall since in his heart was the love of God in the highest Love must make a strong impression in the heart of Christ and the stronger purer and more vigorous that Christs intellectuals are the deeper his holy thoughts and pure apprehensions were and more steeled with fulnesse of Grace his fruition sense joy and love of God must be the more elevated above what Angels and Mâ—n are capable off Hence it must follow that Christ was plunged in an uncouth and new world of extreame sorrow even to the death when this strong love was Ecclipsed Imagine that for one Spring and Summer season that all the light heat motion vigour influence of life should retire into the body of the Sunne and remaine there what darkeness deadness whithering should be upon flowres herbs trees mountaines valleys beasts birds and all things living and moving on the earth Then what wonder that Christs Soule was extreamly troubled his blessed Sunne was now downe his Spring and Summer gone his Father a forsaking God was a new World to him and I shall not beleeve that his complaint came from any error of judgement or mistakes or ungrounded jealousies of the love of God As his Father could not at any time hate him so neither could he at this time actu secundo let out the sweet fruits of his love the cause of the former is the nature of God â—s the ground of the latter is a dispensation above the capacitie of the reason of Men or Angels We may then conclude that Jesus Christs Soule-trouble as it was rationall and extreamely penall so also it was sinneless and innocent seldome have we Soule-trouble sinneless but it iâ— by accident of the way For our passions can hardly rise in thâ—ir extremity except when God is their onely object but they goe over score yet Soule-trouble intrinsecally is not a sinne Then to be troubled for sin though the person be fully perswaded of pardon is neither sin noâ— inconsistent with the state of a justified person nor is it any act of unbeleefe as Antinomians falsely suppose For 1. To be in soule-trouble for sin which cannot to the perfect knowledge of the person troubled eternally condemne was in Jesus Christ in whom there was no spot of sin And Antinomians say Sin remaining sin essentially must have a condemnatory power so as its unpossible to separate the condemnatory power of the Law from the mandatory and commanding power of the Law 2. Because as to abstaine from sin as it offendeth against the love of God shâ—wing mercy rather then the Law of God inflicting wrath is spirituall obedience so also to be troubled in soule for sin committed by a justified person against so many sweet bonds of free love and grace is a sanctified and gracious sorrow and trouble of soule 3. To be troubled for sin as offensive to our heavenly Father and against the sweetnesse of free Grace and tender love includeth no act of unbeleef nor that the justified and pardoned sinner thus troubled is not pardoned or that hee feareth eternall wrath as Antinomians imagine no more then a sons griefe of mind for offending a tender-hearted father can inferre that this griefe doth conclude this son under a condition of doubting of his state of son-ship or filiation or a fearing hee be dis-inherited Wee may feare the Lord and his goodnesse Hos. 3.5 as well as wee feare his eternall displeasure 4. Sanctified soule-trouble is a sonlie commotion and agonie of spirit for trampling under feet tender love spurning and kicking against the lovely warmnesse of the flowings of the
the Society mixed with the godly they thinke it a worke of the flesh to confesse their owne sinnes this is to steale the word of the Lord from his people So David Psal. 25.7 Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my trangressions The sinnes of his youth as touching obligation to eternall wrath were pardoned I question it not but in regard God was turned from him in the flamings of love and his sinnes sealed up in a bagge in regard of innumerable evils that lay on him he prayeth Vers. 16. Turn thee unto me Hebr. Set thy countenance on me Gods favour in the sense of it was turned away and Vers. 18. Looke upon mine affliction and paine and forgive all my sinnes the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a point in the left side of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to carry away Jerome aufer take away all my sinnes Isai. 53.4 hee carried or did beare as a burden our iniquities Vatablus portavit Pagnin parce condona Spare or pardon all my sinnes then sinne heere is pardoned onely according to the present paine and griefe of body and soule that was on David Psal. 3â— 4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head as a heavy burden they are too heavie for me Wee have no reason to beleeve that David thought himselfe already a condemned man and now in hell though some sparkes of hell's wrath and fire not in any sort as satisfactory to divine justice or as a fruit of Gods hatred and enmity can fall on the children of God yet it s not imaginary but reall anger God was really angry with Moses at the waters of strife The thing that David did against Vriah displeased the Lord not in David's opinion onely And though the hell for a time in the soule of God's children and the hell of the reprobate differ in essence and nature in that the hell of the reprobate is a satisfactory paine 2. and that iâ— floweth from the hatred of God but the hell of the godly not so yet in this materially they are of the same size that the one as well as the other are coales and flames of the same furnace and neither are imaginary Then againe Sinnes of youth long-agoe pardoned though sometimes dearly beloved are like the ghost of a deare friend some yeares agoe dead and buried that re-appeareth to a man as dead Samuel did to Saul look how loving and deare they were alive they are now as terrible and dreadfull when they appeare to us living out from the land of death so are sins of youth when they rise from the dead and were pardoned in Christ long-agoe they appeare againe to David and Job and the Saints with the vaile and mask or hew of hell and sealed with temporary wrath Psal. 99.8 Thou wast a God that pardonedst or forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions The same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is given to God when hee taketh vengeance on his enemies Num. 31.2 Esay 1.24 I will be avenged of mine enemies 2 King 9.7 That I may avenge the bloud of my servants the Prophets So is the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vengeance used Deut. 32.43 Hee will render vengeance to his adversaries And if one and the same temporary judgement in the two Theeves that were crucified with Christ be so differenced that mercy is stamped on the same death to the one and wrath to the other wee may well say there is a temporary vengeance and wrath that befalleth both the Saints and the Reprobate in this life and the difference is in the mind and intention of God in both And that God pardoneth sin when hee removeth temporary wrath So 2 Sam. 12.13 Nathan saith to David The Lord also hath caused thy sinne to passe away why Thou shalt not die This is meant of temporall death especially as the context cleareth V. 10. The sword shall not depart from thine house And V. 14. The child borne to thee shall surely die Then the Lords putting away of Davids sin was in loosing him from the sword in his own person not in his house and children for by proportion of divine justice though tempered with mercy the Sword was punished with the Sword I doe not exclude relaxation from eternall punishment but remission going for relaxation of punishment Then as there be two sorts of punishmenâ—s one temporary and another the eternall wrath to come so there are in Scripture two sorts of remissions one from the temporary another from eternall punishment Therefore sin is put for punishment Gen. 4.13 Mine iniquity saith Cain is more then I can beare or My punishment is more then I can bear Levit. 24.15 Hee that curseth his God shall beare his sinne Ezek. 23.49 And yee shall beare the sinnes of your Idols Num. 9.13 The man that is cleane and forbeareth to eat the Passe-over that man shall beare his sinne So when God layeth sin to the charge of the sinner in punishing it hee is said to lay a burden on the sinner 2 King 9.25 And to remove this burden is to pardon the sin 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people humble themselves then will I heare from heaven and will forgive their sinne and will heale their land by removing the locusts and the pestilence See the pardoning of their sin is exponed to be the removing of the locusts and pestilence And to call sins to remembrance is to punish sin The Shunamite saith 1 King 17.18 Art thou come to me O man of God to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my sonne Job complaineth c. 13.26 Thou makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth Now though out of unbeleefe hee might apprehend that hee was cast off of God and a man rejected of God and that his sins were never pardoned and hee himselfe never delivered from the wrath to come these legall thoughts might keep Job in a distance from God to his owne sinfull apprehension yet it shall be unpossible to prove that Job in all these complaints had no other but a meere legall esteeme of Gods dispensation and that 2. God stamped not temporary wrath and the paine of a hidden and over-clouded God the substraction of the sense of divine manifestations of love the Lord standing behind the wall in all these afflictions Now it s known that as these are often trialls of the faith of the Saints yet are they soure fruits of our fleshly indulgence to our carnall delights and of our not opening to our Beloved when hee knocketh Cant. 5.2 3 4 5 6. And though the godly doe stedfastly beleeve their salvation is in a Castle above losing yet in reason sin bringing broken bones Psal. 51.10 a sad cloud the damming up of a spring of Christs love spread abroad in the heart a temporary hell in the soule it must be sorrowed for hated mourned for confessed and yet in all these there is no necessity of such a Law-spirit of bondage to work these
after drawing bloud and cutting a veine more commeth in the place and after a great Feaver and decay of strength in a recovery Nature repaireth it selfe more copiously And often in our sad troubles wee have that complaint of God which he rebuketh his people for Esayâ—0 â—0 27 Why sayest thou O Jaakob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from God that is the Lord takes no notice of my affliction and hee forgets to right me as if I were hid out of his sight and David Psal. 31.22 I said in my hast I am cut off from before thine eyes It s not unlike a word which Cain spake with a farre other mind Gen. 4.14 From thy face shall I be hid But this is 1. To judge God to be faint and weake as if hee could doe no more but were expiâ—ing Esay 40. vers 28. He will bee both weake and wearied if he forget his owne and our darkenesse cannot rob the Lord of light and infinite knowledge he cannot forget his office as Redeemer God is not like the Storke that leaves her egges in the Sand and forgets that they may be crushed and broken When Christ goes away hee leaves his heart and love behind in the soule till hee returne againe himselfe if the young creation be in the soule he must come backe to his nest to warme with his wings the young tender birth Asser. 16. Nor is Christ so farre departed at any time but you may know the soule he hath been in yea hee stands at the side of the sicke bed weeping for his pained childe yea your groanes pierceth his bowels Jer. 31.20 For since I spoke against him saith the Lord I doe earnestly remember him it s not the lesse true that the head of a swoning sonne lyeth in the bosome and the two armes of Christ that the weake man beleeveth that he is utterly gone away Asser. 17. Nor will Christ more reckon in a Legall way for the slips mis-judgings and love-rovings of a spirituall distemper then a Father can whip his childe with a rod because he mis-knoweth his Father and uttereth words of folly in the height of a feavor Christ must pardon the fancie and sinnes of sicke love the errors of the love of Christ are almost innocent crimes though unbeliefe make love-lyes of Jesus Christ. There be some over-lovings as it were that foames out rash and hasty jealousies of Christ when acts of fiery and flaming desires doe out-runne acts of faith as hunger hath no reason so the inundations and swellings of the love of Christ flow over their banks that we so strongly desire the Lord to returne that we beleeve he will never returne Asser. 18. Though hid Jewels be no Jewels a losed Christ no Christ to sense yet is their an unvisible and an undiscerned instinct of heaven that hindered the soule to give Christ over Shall we upon all this extend all these Spirituall considerations to all men whether they bee in Christ or not Some teach us this as the great Gospel-secret concerning Faith That none ought to question whether they beleeve God to be their Father Christ their Redeemer or no but are to beleeve till they bee perswaded that they doe beleeve and feele more and more of the truth of their faith or beliefe righteousnesse being revealed from faith to faith The 1. ground of this is Christs command to beleeve now commands of this nature are to be obeyed not disputed But this is so farre from being a Gospel-secret that it is not a Gospel truth and sends poore soules to seeke honey in a nest of Waspes the path-way to presumption For though these who truly beleeve ought not to doubt of their beliefe yet these who have lamps of faith and no oyle ought to question whether there be oyle in their lamps or no and true faith with their profession else the foolish Virgines were not farre out who never questioned their faith till it was out of time to buy oyle and that these Virgines should beleeve they had oyle in their lamps when they had none till they should bee perswaded that empty lamps were full lamps and a bastard faith true faith were to oblige them to feed upon the East-winde till there should be a faith produced in the imagination that the East is the West 2. All the Scriptures that charge us to trie our selves 1 Cor. 11. â—8 To examine our selves whether we be in the faith and to know our selves that Jesus Christ is in us except we be reprobats 2 Cor. 13.5 and to know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 and so to know our faith Phil. 1.29 doe evince that wee are to trie and so farre to question whether we beleeve or not as multitudes are obliged to acknowledge their faith is but fancy and that there is a thing like faith which is nothing such and that we are not to deceive our selves with a vaine presumption which looketh like faith and is no faith And James 2. many who beleeve there is a God and imagine they have faith being voide of good works and of love in which the life and efficacie of faith is much seene have no more faith then Devils have Vers. 18 â—9 20. â— It is true that we are to beleeve on the name of his Sonne Jesus Christ without any disputing concerning the equity of the command of beleeving or of our obligation to beleeve For both are most just And to dispute thâ— holy and just will of God is to oppose our carnall reason to the wisdome of God but we are noâ— because wee cannot dispute the holy command of God nor to reason our duty not to examine whether that which wee conceive wee doe as a dutie be a bastard and false conception or a true and genuine dutie nor because I may not reason the precept of beleeving given by Jesus Christ am I therefore to beleeve in any order that I please and to come to Christ whether I bee weary and laden with sinne or not weary and laden Christ commandeth mee to beleeve Ergo remaining in my wickednesse regarding iniquity in my heart without despairing of salvation in my selfe I am to beleeve I shall deny this câ—nsâ—quence It is all one as if Antinomians would argue thus All within the visiblâ— Church are obliged to beleeve and râ—st on Christ for salvation whether they be elect or reprobate whether their whoorish heart be broken with the sense of sinne or whole Ergo they are obliged to presume or to rest on Christ their righteousnesse whether they distrust their owne or not Object 2. Wee find not any in the whole course of Christ's preaching or the Discioles that asked the question whether they beleeved or not or whether their faith were true faith or no. It were a disparagement to the Lord of the feast to aske whether his dainties were reall or delusions The
deare bought and his intercession in heaven speaketh his hearty Amen and fullest consent of love to our Redemption 8. All this was done by Christ for nothing Grace fell from God on the creature by meere grace Grace is the onely hire of grace 9. When Ancient Love looked first on sinners how â—glie and black did the Lord see and fore-see us to be but Christ loved us not according to what wee were but to what Grace and Love was to make us and that was faire and spotlesse And this love was so free in the secret of eternall election that it was not increased by Christs merits and death but the merits death and fruit of this love had being and worth from Christs eternall love and Christs love hath no fountaine and cause but love 10. The Law of Gratitude tieth us to love Christ for hee hath loved us If the love of Christ be in us it worketh nothing in order to merit or hire Libertines need not weaken Christs love from doing upon this feare but love doth all in order to the debt of love and oblieged expressions to love which excludeth not Law but the Law 's rigid cursing and imperious commanding Christs love is most imperious but is no hireling and looks not to the penny wages but the free Crown But for this cause came I to this houre Here is the fifth Article in this Prayer a sort of correction in which Christ doth resigne his will as man to the will of God as Mat. 26.39 Luk. 22.42 Neverthelesse not my will but thine be done In this there is offered to us a question Whether or no there be in this Prayer any repugnancy in the humane will of Christ to the will of God For 1. a correction of the humane will seemeth to import a jarring and a discord 2. Christ desired that the contrary whereof hee knew was from eternity decreed of God 3. The Law of God is so spirituall straight and holy that it requireth not onely a conformity to it and our will actions words and purposes but also in all our affections desires first motions and inclinations of our heart that no unperfect and halfe-formed lustings arise in us even before the compleat consent of the will that may thwart or crosse the known Law and command of God and by this Thou shalt not lust Rom. 7. and the duty of the highest love wee owe to God to love him with all the heart soule mind and whole strength Mat. 22.37 Mark 12.33 Luk. 10.27 Some Arians and Arminians Joh. Geysteranus at the Synod of Dort have said blasphemously that there was concupiscence and a will repugnant to Gods will in the second Adam as in the first But this they spoke against the consubstantiality and deity of the Sonne of God To which wee say Asser. 1. Jesus Christ that holy thing Luk. 1.35 was a fit high Priest holy harmlesse undefiled separated from sinners Heb. 7.26 Which of you saith Christ to the Jewes convinceth me of sinne Joh. 8.46 There could not be a spot in this Lamb sacrificed for the sinnes of the world no prick in this Rose no cloud in this faire Sunne no blemish in this beautifull Well-beloved Asser. 2. An absolute resolved will or desire of heart to lust after that which God forbiddeth in his Law must be a sinfull jarring betweene the creature 's and the Creator's will Now Christ's will was conditionall and clearly submissive it lay ever levell with his Father's holy will Asser. 3. I shall not with some affirme that which in the generall is true a will contrary to Gods revealed command and will called voluntas signi which is our morall rule to obliege us is a sinne but a will contrary to Gods decree called voluntas bene-placiti which is not our rule oblieging except the Lord be pleased to impose it on us as a morall Law is not a sinne Peter and the Apostles after they heard that prophecie of their denying of Christ and their being sinfully scandalized and their forsaking of Christ when the Shepherd was smitten were oblieged to have a will contrary to that decree and to pray that they might not be led into temptation but might have grace to confesse their Saviour before men and not flee nor be scattered Here is a resolute will of men lawfully contrary to the revealed decree of God yet not sinfull But the Lords will that Christ should die for man as it was a decree of the wise and most gracious Lord pitying lost man so was it also a revealed commandement to Christ that hee should be willing to die and be obedient to the death even the death of the crosse Phil. 2.8 Yea a rule of such humble obedience as wee are oblieged to follow as is said Vers. 5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus c. If the Lords will that Christ should die be nothing but his meere decree it could not obliege us in the like case to be willing as John saith to lay down our life for the brethren Yea Joh. 10.18 Christ hath a commandement of God and the revealed will of God to die for us No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my selfe I have power to lay it down I have power to take it againe this commandement have I received of my Father Here is an expresse commandement given to Christ to die for sinners and the Father loveth Christ for obedience to this commandement Asser. 4. A conditionall and a submissive desire though not agreeable to a positive Law and Commandement of God is no sinne nor doth the Law require a conformity in all our inclinations and the first motions of our desires to every command of God though most contrary to nature and our naturall and sinlesse inclinations 1. If God command Abraham to kill his onely begotten sonne and offer him in a sacrifice to God which was a meere positive commandement for it s not a command of the law of nature nor any other then positive for the father to kill the sonne if yet Abraham retaine a naturall inclination and love commanded also in the law of nature to save his sonnes life and to desire that hee may live this desire and inclination though contradictory to a positive command of God is no sinne because the fifth command grounded on the law of nature doth command it Nor did Gods precept Abraham kill now thy sonne even Isaac thine onely begotten sonne ever include this Abraham root out of thine heart all desire and inclination naturall in a father to preserve the life of the child So the positive command of the Father that the Son of God should lay down his life for his sheep did never root out of the sinlesse nature of the man Christ a naturall desire to preserve his owne being and life especially hee desiring it with speciall reservation of the will of God commanding that hee should die 2. A Martyr dying
ô house of Israel Christs will is heaven Christ thinks it is best that his Fathers will stand and his humane will be repealed Rom. 15.3 for even Christ pleased not himselfe to have no will of your owne is the Pearle in the ring a Jewel in submission 2. that the Lords end is good he minds to have me home to heaven then as in his six dayes workes of creation he made nothing ill so hee hath been working these five thousand years and all his works of providence are as good as his works of creation hee cannot chuse an ill meane for a good end if God draw my way to heaven through fire tortures bloud poverty though hee should traile me through hell hee cannot erre in leading I may erre in following Object But there is a better way beside and hee leades others through a rosie and greene valley and my way within few inches to it is a wildernesse of thornes Answ. Gold absolutely is better then a draught of water but comparatively water is better to Sampson dying for thirst then all the gold in the earth So cutting a veine is in it selfe ill but comparatively letting bloud through a cut veine is good for a man in danger of an extreame Feaver there is no better way out of heaven for thee then the very way that the Lord leades thee God not onely chuses persons but also things and every crosse that befalls thee is a chosen and selected crosse and it was shapen in length and breadth and measure and weight up before the Throne by Gods owne wise hand Heaven is the workehouse of all befals thee every evill is the birth that lay in the wombe of an infinitely wise decree so God is said to frame evill as a Potter doth an earthen vessell so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jatsar signifieth Jer. 18.11 to frame a vessell of clay is a work of art and wisedome so it s a worke of deliberation and choise God is said to devise judgement against Babylon Jer. 51.12 And the Lord hath done to his people the things which he devised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to think meditate studie devise Deut. 19.18 and Isai. 45.7 he creates darknesse and evill it is such a worke of omnipotency and wisedome as the making of a world of nothing then if God follow infinite art in shaping vengeance against Babylon farre more must he wisely study to mould and shape afflictions for his owne for no afflictions befalleth the Saints but they be well framed chosen wisely studied forged and created crosses A Potter cannot frame by deeper Art and judgement a water-pot for such an end and use a fashioner cannot frame clothes in proportion for a mans body so fitly as the wise Lord in judgement and cunning shapes frames this affliction as a measure for thy foot only poverty for this man and its shapen to his measure wicked children and the sword on Davids house fittest for him such a loathsom disease for this Saint want of friends and banishment for such a man another more and heavier should be shapen to wide for thy soule and another lighter should have been too strait short and narrow for thee It s comfortable when I beleeve the draught portraiture and lineaments of my affliction were framed and carved in all the limmes bones parts qualities of it in the wise decree and in the heart and breast of Christ It were not good to bear a Crosse of the Devils shaping were there as much wormwood and gall in the Saints cup as the Devil would have in it then hell should be in every cup and how many hells should I drink and how often should the Church drinke death It s good I know Christ brewed the cup then it will worke the end for be it never so contrary and soure to my taste and so unsavory Christ will not taste poyson in it he hath purposed I should sail with no other winde to heaven and I know its better then any winde to me for that Port. Rule 6. Christ prescribes no way to his Father but in the generall The Lords will be done on me saith he be what it will Let hell and death and Devils malice and heavens indignation and enmity and warre ill-will and persecution from earth hard measure from friends and lovers if the will of my Father so be welcome with my soule welcome black crosse welcome pale death welcome curses and all the curses of God that the just Law could lay on all my children and they are a faire number welcome wrath of God welcome shame and the cold grave The submission of faith subscribeth a blanke paper let the Lord write in what he pleaseth patience dares not contest and stand upon pennies or pounds on hundreds or thousands with God Moses and Paul dare referre their heaven and their share in Christ and the book of life to Christ so the Lord may be glorified Submissive faith putteth much upon Christ Let him slay me yet I will trust in him said Iob 13.15 Heman alledgeth it was not one single crosse Psal. 88.7 Thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves And David Psal. 42.7 All thy waves and thy billowes are gone over me One of Gods waves could have drowned David afflictions coming in Armies and in a battle-array say that one single Souldier cannot subdue us Lawfull warre is the most violent and the last remedy against a State and it argueth a great necessity of the Sword Job had an Army sent against him and from heaven too cap. 6.4 The terrors of God doe set themselves in array against me See what a catalogue of sufferings Paul did referre to God 2 Cor. 11.23 24 25 c. one good violent death would have made away a stronger man then Paul yet he was willing for Christ to be in deaths ofen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many deaths many stripes many prisons five times nine and thirty stripes this was neer two hundred stripes every one of them was a little death Thrice beaten with rods once stoned thrice in shipwrack night and day sailing in the deep in journeying often in perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils of his owne country men in perils by the heathen in perils in the City in perils in the wildernes in perils in the Sea in perils among false brethren in wearinesse and painfulnesse in watching often in hunger in thirst in fasting often in cold in nakednesse c. Many of us would either have a crosse of our own carving as we love will-worship and will-duties so we love will-suffering and desire nothing more then if that we must suffer Christ with his tongue would licke all the gall off our crosse and leave nothing but honey and a crosse of sugar and milk we love to suffer with a reserve and to die upon a condition an indefinite and catholique resignation of our selves without exception to Christ and to undergoe many furnaces many hels
irrevocable decree but this is it holy wisdome to knocke hard heads with God It s true Pride growes greene and casteth out its golden branches in the fattest soile But Job 9.4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardned himselfe against him and prospered There is infinite wisdome in God and infinite power to bring to pasâ—e his Decrees will clay counterworke Gods infinite counsell The Former of all things makes fire-workes under the earth against sinners can sinners make counter-mines to out-worke the Almighty Sure if he be wise in heart who hath a most eminent holy and just providence in all that falleth out when we heare that the Gospell and the Church of Christ are oppressed in judgement we are to looke on that oppression as on the sinne of other men and as our crosse and to mourne for it In the former consideration and in the latter as it troubles us to judge it good necessary and better then if it had been otherwise The formall reason of goodnesse is the will of God and your judgement is to esteeme that good which is ill to you though it bee sowre and heavie for it hath goodnesse from this and goodnesse to you that the Lord hath decreed it to be sowre and sweet make up a middle taste most pleasant Christ twisteth blacke and white in one web the Jewes sinnes which he willeth not and their sinne is the redemption of man which hee loveth and these two are pleasant to behold and when they are mixed in one and come from the most wise God they have beauty to God farre bee it from mee to judge them blacke or unjust which are faire to him Rule 13. Christ submits his will to the will of God in soule-desertions so should we doe Christs love to his Father is no Critick no knotty Questionist to spinne and forge jealousies against the Lords dispensation in the influence of heaven on his soule He is willing to lay his soule-comforts in the bosome and free-will of his Father and in this he judgeth the Lords will better then his owne will We have too many querelous love-motions against the reality of Christs love when he hides himselfe O but wee are covetous and soule-thirsty after our owne will in the matter of soule-manifestations either I see little here or we Idol comforts and would gladly have a Christ of created grace rather then Christ or his grace and when we are thirsting for Christ it is his comforts the Rings Jewells Bracelets of the Bridegrome wee sick after rather then himselfe it s not an unmixed nor a poore mariage-love to maâ—y the riches and possessions and not the person Math. 22.2 The Kingdome of heaven is like unto a certaine King which made a Mariage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for his Son not for his daughter in law The glory of Gospel-dainties resembled to a Marriage are for the Kings Sonne and the glory of Christ not for our glory but for our grace Christ is the finall end for whom all the Honey-combes the Myrrhe the Spices the Wine and the Milk of the banquet are prepared Cant. 5.1 We have need of Christ to cure even our perfections there be some wild oats some grains of madnesse and will-wit in our best graces 2. You cannot Idolize Christ himselfe love in pounds in talent weights is too little for him his sweet accidents his delights consolations love-embracements are sweet but swel-ling and too fatning and if Christ send these to a beleever in a box of gold or in a case made of a piece of the heaven or of a chip of the noone-day-Sunne and not come himselfe they should not satisfie the soule Cant. 3.1 I sought him whom my soule loved Watchmen saw yee him O it is the beloved himselfe that is a great man in the Spouses bookes his Wine his Spiknard his Myrrhe his Oyntments his Perfume the Savour of his Garments his Apples of love are all in that heavenly song set out for himselfe Love-tokens are nothing duties nothing inherent righteousnesse nothing heaven nothing if separated from Christ but Christ himselfe is all in all Our 2. disease is we forget that hee that created the love of Christ in the heart can onely cure our love when its sicke for Christ As he that created the first World can rule it so he that created the second new world can guide it and all the creatures in it though our faith stagger touching his speciall providence in particulars of either as we are deserted and left to our selves 3. We often thirst after comforts and sense as the people did and Esai 58.5 were reproved for their fast Is it such a Fast as I have chosen And Zach. 7.5 Did yee at all Fast to me even to me So may Christ blame us for the like sinne and say Have ye thirsted to me and for me and not rather for your selves Let us examine delusions and not father them upon Christ except we know he will owne them 4. We desire a never interrupted presence and sense of God whereas Christ submitted to want it for a time when he saw it was Gods will so to doe and though we have not nor can we have positively alway an edge of actuall hunger yet wee negatively can be submissive to want when wee see it is his will we want whereas he is the same Christ with the same immanent and eternall love of election without variation of the Degrees of the altitude and height thereof the same infinite wisdome when he frownes and hides his face and when he shines and smiles in his kingly manifestations Cloudes alters not the Sunne-light coverings changeth not Christ that he cannot love behind the curtaine Except we take a cloud to be the Sunne or created sweetnesse to be Christ were the beame separated from the Sunne what should it be but as good as nothing We dreame that the curtaines and robes of Christs manifestations of love adds somewhat to his excellency then hee must be of more eminency when hee expresseth himselfe in love-embracements to us then when hee was from eternity the floure of his Fathers delight Christs out-side in revealed sweetnesse and in transient manifestations of his beauty must then be more excellent then himselfe this is too selftie a conception of Christ. The Lord Jesus is more within then we can enjoy of him in his love-expressions he loses none of that immanent sweetnesse under his wise withdrawings though you or I or Men or Angels should never feed upon any time-injoyments of sweetest love and manifested glory from his revealed kindenesse 5. It s a great Quere if it be expedient that our motion to heaven should bee as the motion of the Sunne that never rests but moves as swiftly in the night as in the day and if we should ever be on wings I know it s our dutie but even the falling on our owne weight and the conscience of our clay-mould our short
one day Courtiers of heaven and Saints should walke like Angels and keepe good quarters with Christ. Grace is a pure cleane innocent thing teacheth Saints to deny ungodlinesse and so much the more have Angels of God that they are among devils and sinnefull men and yet by Grace are kept from falling the more grace the more innocencie Grace as pardoning hath its result from sinne but is most contrary to sinne Grace payeth debt for sinne but taketh not on new arreares its abused grace that doth so 2. But these thus convinced that the Lords voice is more then a thunder Goe no further they say here others said it was an Angel Hence touching conviction Pos. 1. Conviction of conscience may bee strong and yet at a stand Never man spake like this man say the Jewes yet they hate him Joh. 7.28 Jesus cryed in the temple as he taught saying Yee both know me and yee know whence I am I am not come of my selfe but he that sent me is true whom yee know not Vers. 29. But I know him Then they knew Christ for conviction and they knew him not for they crucified the Lord of glory and if they had known him under the supernaturall notion of the Lord of glory they would not have crucified him 1 Cor. 2.8 Felix trembles and is convinced but imprisons Paul The Devils beleeve there is a God and tremble Iam. 2. but Light is made a captive and made a prisoner Rom. 1.18 It s a most troublesome prisoner it holds the conquerour waking and yet he cannot be avenged on it Pos. 2. Conviction turned to malice becomes a Devill the Pharisees convinced goe on against heaven and the operation of the Holy Ghost And the Jewes saw the face of Stephen as it had been the face of an Angel Acts 6.15 Yet Acts 7.57 58. they runne on him and stone him to death Pos. 3. Conviction maketh more judiciall hardning then any sinne it revengeth it selfe upon heaven hell neere heaven is a double hell Joh. 12.37 â—8 Though hee had done so many miracles before them yet they beleeved not A reason is Verse 40. Hee hath blinded their eyes and hardened their Pos. 4. Omnipotencie of grace can onely convince the will heart Preachers may convince the minde and remove mind-heresie but Christ onely can give â—ares to love feare sorrow and remove will-heresie John 6.45 There be reasonings and Logick in the will stronger then these in the mind the will hath reason why it will not be taken with Christ Joh. 5.40 and a Law Rom. 7.23 of sinne why it is sweet to perish and death is to be chosen Pos. 5. It is the right conviction of the Spirit to be convinced 1. Of unbeliefe 2. Of the excellencie of Jesus Christ that I must have Christ cost me what it will say it were all that the rich Merchant hath Math. 13.45 46. There is a white and red in his face hath convinced the mans love and hath bound his affection hand and foot that hee takes paines on despised duties that lye under the very drop of the shame of the Crosse Acts 5.4 Pos. 6. To be willing to doe a duty that hath shame written on it as to be scourged for Christ as the Apostles were and for an honourable Lord of counsel as Joseph of Arimathea was to petition to have the body of a crucified man to burie it being a duty neere of bloud to the Crosse both apparent losse and present shame is a strong demonstration that the whole man not the minde onely but the will and affections are convinced Some duties grow among thornes as to be killed all the day long and to take patiently the spoiling of our goods for Christ. Some duties grow among Roses and are honourable and glorious duties as to kill and subdue in a lawfull warre the enemies of God The former are no signe of wrath nor the latter of being duely convinced of the excellency of Christ except in so farre as we use them through the grace of Christ as becommeth Saints or abuse them but it is more like Christ to suffer for him then to doe for him Pos. 7. God will have some halfe gate to heaven though they should dye by the way some are more some lesse convinced the more conviction if not received the more damnation The Gospel is not such a messenger as the Raven that returneth not againe Esay 55.11 My word that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not returne to mee void it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it The Gospel and opportunity of reformation falleth not in the Sea-bottome when a Nation receive it not but it returnes to God to speak tydings We will not give an account of the Gospel but the Gospel gives an account of us 2. Even when the Ordinances are rejected they prosper Esay 55.11 to harden men they are seed sowne and raine falne on the earth they yeeld a crop of glory to God even a sweet savour to God in those that perish as in those that are saved 2 Cor. 2.15 16. The lake of fire and brimstone as a just punishment of a despised Gospel smells like Roses to God 30. Jesus answered and said This voyce came not because of me but for your sake 31. Now is the judgement of this world now shall the Prince of this world be judged Now followeth the other effect of Christs Prayer toward the world 1. In generall The Prayer is answered saith Christ not so much for my cause to comfort me for hee might otherwise be comforted as for you that yee may beleeve in mee hearing this testimony from heaven 2. In particular Hee sets down the fruit of his death 1. On the unbeleeving world they shall be judged and condemned 2. On the spirituall enemies and by a Synecdoche the head of them Satan the god of this world shall be cast out and sin and death and hell with him 3. The prime fruit of all Vers. 32. When I am crucified by my Spirit of grace the fruit of the merit of my death I will draw all men to me This voyce came not because of me Christs well and woe his joy his sorrow is relative and for sinners Christ as Christ is a very publike person and a giving-out Mediator And it addeth much to the excellency of things that they are publike and made out to many As the sun the starres the rain the seas the earth that are for many are so much the more excellent It is a broader and a larger goodnesse that is publike Heaven is an excellent thing because publike to receive so many crowned Kings and Citizens that are redeemed from the earth The Gospel is a publike good for all sinners Eternity is not a particular duration as time is that hath a poore point to begin with and end at but the publike good of Angels and glorified Spirits Time
cannot determine the will of an inferiour as hee himselfe can doe Sure my knowledge and will are inferiour powers in comparison of Angels 1 Cor. 13.1 Yet have I greater dominion over my owne understanding and will then thâ— Angels have over my understanding and will and can know my owne actuall thoughts and determine mine owne will by grace which no superiour powers of Angels or any els save the Almighty can doe I rather conceive that the outward and inward senses humors imagination fancie memory bâ—ing naturall agents and Scripture clearely shewing that Angels and Devils can and doe worke upon naturall agents have a power over all our dispositions temperature senses fancie imagination memory therefore what is naturall in the acts of understanding and memory not morall Angels doe and may know What heart-secrets Devils know from the disposition of body palenesse rednesse trembling dejected countenance are good conjectures and surer it may be then wee can apprehend but no certaine knowledge God onely knowes all the thoughts of man and his secrets 1 King 8.39 For thou even thou onely knowest the hearts of all the children of men Prov. 15.11 Hâ—ll and distruction are before the Lord how much more then the hearts of the children of men He that can read hell and destruction and all the secrets of darknesse can also read as a booke opened at noone-day the midnight-thoughts of all the children of men Psal. 44.21 Jerem. 17. Rom. 8.27 1 Thess. 2.4 Rev. 2.23 Acts 1.24 Prov. 17.3 Prov. 21.2 Joh. 2.24 25. Yea to know the present thoughts is propâ—r to God Matth. 19. â— And Jesus knowing their thoughts said wherefore think yee evill in your heart Nor can Angels see the present thoughts come out in action for otherwise the man himselfe knoweth his owne thoughts when he actually thinketh them 1 Cor. 2.11 els he could not be convinced of the sinnefulnâ—sse of them nor comforted in the spiritualnesse and preciousnesse of them It s a fond opinion of some who say Angels can see the thoughts of the heart when they are but not what they are whether they he good or bad love or hatred for that is non-sense to see Morall acts and not bee able to passe any judgement on them or that Angels see our thoughts but not whether they be intense and vehement or cold and remisse for its proper to God as the searcher of hearts to know the secrets of the heart and all the qualities of it that he may accordingly judge them And if Angels see them as Morall acts they must know the vehemencie or slownesse of them the Scripture placeth also the difficultie of knowing the thoughts and the distance and remotenesse of them from the understanding of men or Angels in the thoughts themselves not in the vehemencie or slownesse of the thoughts and it s but an evasion that some have that Angels may know the thoughts and acts of the will in themselves but not know to what end they are directed and that the intention of the minde is the great secret that God hath reserved to himselfe because 1. The Scripture placeth the secrecie of the free acts of will and understanding in the acts themselves and not in the intention for so most of the actions of Men and Angels their speaking this not that their walking to this Citie their eating sleeping now not another time their praying hearing reading shall be secrets known to God onely not to Angels or Men just as the acts of understanding the will are because the particular intention whether wee doe these sincerely for a good or bad end yea often for what end we doe them is amongst the secrets of the heart as farre distant from the understanding of Men or Angels as any secret can be 2. The intention of all our elicite acts that issueth from wâ—ll and understanding are also acts of the heart and reines that fall under the present question and the greatest secrets in man Hebr. 4.12 Neither see I any reason from the disproportion betweene the knowing faculty and the understanding of Angels why Angels may not know the thoughts of my heart aswell as I may know them my selfe nor can the reason bee as Suarez saith Because Angels though they have sufficient power in the facuâ—ty of understanding to know these things yet have not in their understanding the species the babies images and representations of heart-secrets but with his good leave this is Petitio principij For the question is how commeth it to passe that Angels who have the species of higher and more profound things as of the naturall knowledge that there is a God that hee is infinite eternall yet have not the species of an object farre inferiour and yet intelligible to wit of the heart-actions of a man 2. When I aske how commeth it that an Angel or a Man knoweth not this I aske indeed how cometh it to passe that an Angel or a Man wanteth such a species of such a thing so Suarez saith in effect Angels know not heart-secrets because they know not heart-secrets I conceive God hath laid a covering over the hearts of Men and Angels from his own free and wise will and reserved that secret to himselfe For God gave speech to men and a way how Angels should communicate their thoughts to Angels and Men which is Angel-speaking and this gift had bin uselesse if Angels and Men could intuitively read and behold the thoughts of one anothers hearts nor is it usefull for the end of reasonable nature for love and societie that we know the secrets of one anothers hearts for the author of nature giveth not that by nature which with lesse impeachment of love and not without danger of contention and hatred may by industrie be acquired And we should take heed what is written in the booke of our heart when such a searching eye readeth it as God and will one day read out to the hearing of Men and Angels all these secrets Eccles. 12.14 except we bee pardoned in Christ many state-secrets many foule contrivances may come out to our everlasting shame And for this cause we are to blesse the Lord who hath reserved from Satans Princedome and left out of his charter any power to compell our will It s true Satan hath a bordering or as it were some out-land Prince-dome over Sauls will in that he can sit and ride on his melancholie so as he is moved to throw a Javeling at Jonathan and to seeke to kill David yet so as he that is so acted by an evill Spirit is blame-worthy and then it must be presumed he hath some dominion over his will Acts 5.2 Peter saith to Ananias why hath Satan filled thine heart to lye to the holy Ghost Here the Holy Ghost arraigneth not Satan but Ananias for a lye which yet came from the Father of lyes Which is 1. Because there was fewell and powder in the harth before and Satan did but blow the
are as unable to beleeve without the Spirit as to pray without the Spirit 4. To bid them set on Evangelike duties without trusting in them that is to feele their lost condition to despaire of salvation in themselves to looke a farre off to Christ to desire him are the set way that Christ walkes in to fit us for saving Grace Object 2. Dispaire of salvation in my selfe is a part of Faith so you exhort the troubled in minde at first to beleeve Answ. Not so Judas and Cain both dispaired of salvation in themselves yet had they no part of saving faith It s unpossible that any can rely on Christ while they leave resting on false bottomes Faith is a saying and a swimming Ships cannot sayle on mountaines its â—npossible to swim on drie land as it is impossible to have a soule and not to have a love so we cannot have a love to lye by us as uselesse but a lover we must have and Christs worke of conversion is orderly as first to plow and pluck up so then to sow and plant and first to take the soule off old lovers We are on a way of gadding to seeke lovers Jer. 2. â—6 On a high and loftie mountaine to set our bed Esai 57.7 God must straw thornes and briars in our love-bed and take Ephraim off his Idols Hos. 14.6 and from riding on horses and make the soule as white and cleane paper that Christ may print a new lover on it Therefore its young mortification in the blossome to give halfe a refusall to all old lovers this is Christs ayme Cant. 4.8 Come from the Lyons dens and the Mountaines of Leopards with me Object 3. Desires to pray and beleeve being sometimes cold sometimes none at all cannot satisfie a troubled soule I must have besides desires indeavours And desires to desire and sorrow because I cannot sorrow for sinne are but Legall works not such as are required in a broken heart Answ. Desires going before conversion are nothing lesse then satisfactory nor are they such as can calme a storming conscience he knowes not Christ who dreames that a wakened conscience can bee calmed with any thing lesse then the bloud of Jesus Christ that speakes better things then the bloud of Abel Never Protestant Divines promise soule-rest in preparations that are wrought by the law 2. If Antinomians can give soule-rest to troubled consciences by all the promises of the Gospel and raise up the Spirits of Judas or Cain to found comfort let them be doing yea or to weake afflicted soules while the Spirit blowes right down from the Advocat of sinners at the right hand of God we much doubt Sure there is a lock on a troubled conscience that the Gospel-letter or the tongue of Man or Angel can be no key to open Christ hath reserved a way of his owne to give satisfaction to afflicted Spirits But the question is now supposing yee deale with unconverted men whether or no yee are not First to convince them of the curses of the Law to come on them to humble them and so to chase them to Christ and if to bid them be humbled and know their dangerous condition the state of damnation and set to these preparatory duties be to teach them to seeke righteousnesse in themselves Wee answer no. Object 4. If we preach wrath to beleevers we must either make them beleeve they lye under that wrath or no if they be not under that wrath we had as good hold our tongues if we say if they commit these and these sinnes they are damned and except they performe such and such duties and except they walke thus and thus holily and doe these and these good works they shall come under wrath or at least God will be Angry with them what doe we in this but abuse the Scriptures We undoe all that Christ hath done we bâ—ly God and tell beleevers that they are under a covenant of workes I would have wrath preached to beleevers that they may abstaine from sinne because they are delivered from wrath not that they may be delivered from wrath for God hath sworne Isai 54. as the world shall be no more destroyed with waters so he will be no more wrath with his people Answ. 1. Wee are to make beleevers know if they beleeve not and walke not worthy of Christ in all holy duties their faith is a fancie and a dead faith and the wrath of God abides on them and they are not beleevers 2. Though they be beleevers wrath must be preached to them and is preached to them every where in the New Testament as death Ro. 6.21.22 damnation Ro. 14.23 the wrath of God Ephes. 5.6 condemnation 2 Thes. 1.8 perdition flaming fire eternall fire 1 Cor. 3.17 1 Cor. 11.32.34 Jude 7.8 1 Tim. 6.9 1 Cor. 16.22 to the end they may make sure their calling and election 3. What is this but to make a mock of all the threatnings of the Gospel For by this argument the threatnings are not to bee preached to the Elect before their conversion except wee would make them beleeve a ly that they are reprobats and under wrath when they are under no wrath at all but from eternity were delivered from wrath nor should the Gospel-threatnings be preached to reprobats Why shew mee one word where Pastors are bidden tell men they are to beleeve they are reprobats and under eternall wrath peremptorily except wee know them to have sinned against the Holy Ghost 4. Nor is deliverance from wrath to be beleeved as absolutely by us whether we beleeve and walke worthy of Christ or doe no such thing but walke after the flesh as we are to beleeve the world shall never be destroyed with waters that is a comparison to strengthen the peoples weak faith Else I retort it thus whether the world beleeve in Christ or not they shall never be drowned with water and that we are to beleeve absolutely Then by this reason whether men beleeve on Christ or no there is no condemnation or wrath to be feared The contrary is expressely Joh. 3.18.36 I take the mystery to be this Antinomians would have no morall no Ceremoniall Law preached at all and therefore one of them writeth expressely 1. That there be no commandements under the Gospel 2. No threatnings or penalties at all 3. That the whole Law of Moses Morall as well as Ceremoniall is abrogated under the Gospel That is a merrie life Object 5. Other Preachers bid the troubled soule be sorry for sinne lead a better life and all shall be well Answ. Such as lead not men to Christ with their sorrow for sin or to any good life that is not or fits not for the life of faith are none of ours but the Antinomians Object 6. But others bid the troubled soule beleeve but he must first seek in himselfe qualifications or conditions but this is to will them to walke in the light of
their own sparks Answ. If to bid men abstaine from flagitious sinnes and from seeking glory of men that are both neck-breakes of faith Joh. 5.44 and bring men under eternall displeasure both before and after we beleeve be to walk in the light of our own Sparks then when the Lord forbids these in his Law and commandeth both the beleever and unbeleever the contrary vertues he must counsell the same with us To beleeve and not be humbled and despaire of salvation in your selfe is to presume he that beleeveth right is cast on that broaken board like a ship-broken man either must I cast my self on the Rock Christ or then drown eternally and perish The unjust Steward was at what shall I doe ere he came to a wise resolution to goe the road way that Christ leades all beleevers is not to walke in the light of our own sparks It s one thing to seeke qualifications of our selves trusting in them and another thing to seek qualifications in our selves as preparatory duties wrought by Christs grace the former we disclaime not the latter Object 7. I will relate mine own experience First when I was minded to make away my selfe for my sinne the Lord sent into my minde this word I have loved thee with an everlasting love Ah thought I then hath God loved me with such an everlasting love and shall I sin against such a God 2. Many doubts and feares arose from the examination of my self I was afraid of being deluded 3. The Promise Esai 55.1 did sweetly stay my heart Christ in his ordinances witnessed to me that he was mine 4. I went on for some time full of joy 5. I was in feares againe that I could not pray but I had a promise I will fulfill the desires of them that feare me c. Answ. The method of the conversion of a deluded Antinomian is no rule to others 2. Nor doe I thinke that Gâ—d keeps one way with all especially when this mâ—â—s â—â—st stâ—p is from nature and thoughts of selfe-murther up to the Lambs booke of life the secret of eternall election in the bâ—â—ast of God I have loved thee with an eternal love How knew the Author this to bee Gods voice from a qualification in his soule It kept him from selfe-murther Yee see qualifications in our selfe which the Author saith is the way of Legall Preachers are required in any that beleeve 2. It is utterly false that the Gospel-faith commanded to all the Elect and Reprobate is the apprehention of Gods eternall love to me in particular the Scripture saith no such thing Experience contrary to Scripture can be no leading rule So the Antinomian way of conversion is that every soule-troubled for sinne Elect or Reprobate is immediatly without any foregoing preparations or humiliation or worke of the law to beleeve that God loved him with an everlasting love A manifest lie for so Reprobats are to beleeve a ly as the first Gospel-truth This is I confesse a honey-way and so Evangelike that all the damned are to beleeve that God did beare to them the same everlasting good will and love he had in heart toward Jacob. 2. All Reprobates may abstaine from selfe-murther out of this principle of the Lords everlasting love of election revealed immediately at first without any previous signes or qualifications going before 3. The Gospel wee teach saith eternall election is that secret in the heart of the Lambe called his booke so as really God first loves and chooses the sinner to salvation and we are blacked with hell lying amongst the pots till Christ take us up and wash and lick the Leopard Spots off us but to our sense and apprehension wee first love and choose him as our onely liking and then by our faith and his love on us we know he hath first loved us with an everlasting love but there be many turnings windings ups and and downes ere it come to this I have not heard of such an experience that at the first without any more adoe forthwith the Lord saith Come up hither I will cause thee read thy name in the Lambs booke of life The same Author saith Election is the secret of God and belongeth to the Lord. Pag. 104. and shall the beleeving of the love of election to glory bee the first Medicine that you give to all troubled consciences Elect and Reprobate This is to quench the fire by casting in oyle but if Antinomians take two wayes one with the unconverted Elect troubled in conscience another with unconverted Reprobats so troubled we should bee glad to heare these two new wayes 4. In the second place he is so well acquainted with the way of the Spirit as if through the casement of the Cabinet-counsell of God he had seene and reckoned on his fingers all the steps of the staires he saith He had many doubts and feares to be deluded that is hee doubted if his faith was true and saving for this is all the delusion to be feared upon self-examination So Pag. 24. c. 2. But you may read his words chap. 5. pag. 93. I find not any saith the same Author in the whole course of Christs preaching or the Disciples when they preached to them to beleeve asking the question whether they beleeved or no. then it is like this experience finds no warrant or precedent in the Saints to whom Christ and the Apostles preached 5. The sweet witnessing of the Spirit from Esai 55.1 Ho every one that thirsts come to the waters is Gospel-honey but consider if there were no law-worke preparing no needle making a hole before Christ should sew together the sides of the wound It s but a delusion 1. Because Esai 61.1 no whole-hearted sinners meet with Christ none come at first laughing to Christ all that come to Jesus for helpe come with the teare in their eye 2. To come dry and withered to the waters Esai 55.1 is the required preparation 3. The gold in a beggars purse in great abundance is to be suspected for stollen gold because he laboured not for it This I say not because preparations and sweatings and running that goe before conversion are merits or such as deserve conversion or that conversion is due to them Antinomians impute this to us but unjustly I humbly conceive it not to be the doctrine of Luther Calvine or Protestants which Libertines charge us with that I may cleare us in this let these propositions speake for us Propos. 1. We cannot receive the Spirit by the preaching of the Law and covenant of Works but by the hearing of the promises of the Gospel Gal. 3. The Law its alone can chase men from Christ but never make a new creature nor can the letter of the Gospel without the Spirit doe it Propos. 2. when we looke for any thing in our selves or thinke that an unrenewed man is a confiding person to purchase Christ we bewilder our selves and vanish in foolishnesse This wrong
a Sermon free love that the man spake such an excellent word free love that I was not sleeping when it was spoken free love that the Holy Ghost drove that word into the soule as a nayle fastened by the Master of the assembly it was free mercy so that there 's a meeting of shining favours of God in obtaining mercy and this would be observed Asser. 2. There be two ordinary wayes of God in drawing sinners one Morall by words another Physicall and reall by strong hand Which may be cleared thus Fancie led with some gilding of apparent or seeming good as hope of food doth allure and draw the bird to the grin and sometime pleasure as a glasse and the singing of the Fowler So is fish drawne to nibble at the angle and lines cast out hoping to get food Now this is like Morall drawing in men and all this is but objective working on the fancy But when the foot and wing of the bird is entangled with the net and the fish hath swallowed down the bait and an instrument of death under it now the Fowler draweth the bird and the Fisher the fish a farre other way even by reall violence The Physician makes the sick child thirsty then allures him to drink physick under the notion of drink to quench his thirst this is morall drawing of the child by wiles But when the child hath drunk the drink works not by wiles or morally but naturally without freedome and whether the child will or no it purgeth head and stomack That there is a Morall working by the word in the drawing of sinners to Christ though most evident yet must be proved against Antinomians and Enthusiasts who write That the whole letter of the Scripture holds forth a covenant of works And The due search and knowledge of the holy Scripture is not a safe and sure way of searching and finding Christ. And There is a testimony of the Spirit and voyce unto the soule meerly immediate without any respect unto or concurrence with the word And Such a faith as is wrought by a practicall Syllogisme or the word of God is but an humane faith because the conclusion followeth but from the strength of reasonings or reason not from the power of God by which alone divine things are wrought Ephes. 1.19 20. Col. 2.20 and that because such a faith wrought by the word the works of sanctification in the regenerate and light of a renewed conscience are all done by things that are created blessings and gifts and these cannot produce that which is onely produced by an Almighty power For the word of it selfe without the Spirit yet the word is more then works of sanctification is but a dead letter but that God works faith by the word his owne Spirit concurring is cleare 1. The Prophets alledge this for their warrant Thus saith the Lord. Ergo You must beleeve it And one more and greater then all the Prophets But I say so Christ God equall with the Father speaketh 2. Rom. 10.17 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God Verse 14. How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard It s true the word the works of God are not the principall object of faith nor objectum quod faith rests onely on God and the Lord Jesus Joh. 14.1 1 Thes. 1.8 Your faith toward God 1 Pet. 1.21 Deut. 1.32 Joh. 3.12 Gen. 15.6 Dan. 6.23 Rom. 4.3 Gal. 2.16 2 Tim. 1.12 The word promises and Prophets and Apostles are all creatures and but media fidei the meanes of saving faith they are objectum quo Joh. 5.46 Psal. 106.12 Exod. 4.8 Psal. 78.7 of themselves they are dead letters and dead things and cannot without the Spirit produce faith Yea all habits of grace of faith of love in us are like the streames of a fountaine that would dry up of themselves if the spring did not with a sort of eternity furnish them new supply so would habits of grace being but created things wither in us if they were not supplied from the Fountaine Christ. And all beings created in comparison of the first Being are nothing and all nations to him are lesse then nothing and vanity Isai. 40.17 and so are the infused habits of grace nothing If this were the meaning of Familists and Antinomians who say that there is in us no inherent grace but that grace is onely in Christ we should not contend with them Wee teach no such thing as that Reasonings Syllogismes or the Scriptures without the Spirit can produce Faith yet is it vaine arguing to say raine and dew the Summer-Sunne good soyle cannot bring forth roses floures vines cornes because sure it is a worke of Omnipotencie that produceth all these and so its vaine to say that because Faith is the worke of the omnipotencie of Grace therefore Faith commeth not by hearing and reasoning from Scripture the contrary whereof is evident in Christs proving of the resurrection by consequence from Scripture Mat. 22.31 32. Luk. 20.37 â—8 Nor can any say Christ may make discourses from Scripture and his reasonings because he is the King of the Church are valid and may produce faith but we cannot doe the like nor are our reasonings Scriptures for Christ râ—buketh the Saduces Yee erre not knowing the Scriptures c. because they beleeved not the consequences of Scripture as Scripture and made not the like discourse for the building of themselves in the faith 3. The searching of the Scriptures is life eternall the onely way to find Christ. Joh. 5.39 Acts 10.43 Rom. 3.21 Esai 8.20 4. Gen. 9.27 God shall perswade Japhet by the Scriptures preached and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem Acts 16.14 Gods opening of the heart and Lydia's hearing and attending to the word that Paul spoke goe together 5. The way of Enthusiasts in rejecting both Law and Gospel and all the written word of God is because there is no light in them Some immediate sense of God and working of the holy Ghost on the soule of the child of God witnessing to me in particular that I am the child of God I deny not and that my name expressely is not in Scripture is as true but this testimony excludeth not the Scripture as if the searching thereof were no safe way of finding Christ as they blasphemously say 1. Because this Enthusiasme excludeth the onely revealed rule by which we trie the Spirits and we are forbidden to presume above that which is written 1 Cor. 4.16 and Enthusiasts have acted murthers and much wickednesse under this notion of inspirations of the Spirit 2. Because if the matter of that which is revealed be not according to the written Word Now after the Scriptrue is signed by Christs owne hand Revel 22.18 I see not what we are to beleeve of these inspirations What extraordinary impulsions and propheticall instincts have been in holy men and such as God hath raised to reforme his
honourable being come of the bloud-royall of the Princely seed Joh. 1.13 1 Joh. 3.1 9. And the Church is a spirituall Monarchy The Plant of renowne their Head said of her Isai. 62.3 Thou shalt be a crowne of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royall diadem in the hand of thy God Asser. 6. The other particular manner of drawing sinners to Christ is reall In which wee are to consider these two 1. Gods fit application of his drawing of the will 2. His irresistible pull of omnipotency In the former way of working I desire that notice be taken for Doctrines cause rather then for Art of Logicall method of these foure wayes 1. God worketh by measure and proportion 2. By condiscension 3. By fit internall application 4. By externall providentiall accommodation of outward meanes 1. In works of omnipotency without God we see hee keeps proportion with that which hee works upon When God waters the earth hee opens not all the windowes of heaven as hee did in the Deluge to poure on mountaines and valleyes all his waters in one heap for hee should then not refresh but drown the earth therefore hee makes the clouds like a sieve and divides the raine in hoasts and millions of drops of dew that every single flower and inch of earth may receive moistening according to its proportion If the sun were as low down as the câ—ouds it should with heat burn up every green herb tree rose flower and our bodies and if it were the highest of Planets all vegetables on earth should perish through extreme cold It may be a question though the omnipotent power of God move the will invincibly and irresistibly Whether Omnipotency puts forth all its strength on the will or whether the will be able to beare the swing of Omnipotency in its full strength If the Fowler should apply all his force and strength to catch the bird alive hee should strangle and kill it Divines say that Christs dominion in turning the will is Dominium forte sed suave strong but sweet and alluring No wonder if hee carry the lambs in his bosome Isai. 40.11 the warmnesse and heat of his bosome must sweetly allure the will Drive a Chariot as swiftly as an Eagle flieth and yee fire and break the wheels Knock Chrystall glasses with hammers as if yee were cleaving wood and yee can make no vessels of them This is not to deny that Gods omnipotent power must turne the will but to shew how sweetly hee leadeth the inclinations 2. The Lord by wiles and art works upon the will Hos. 2.14 I will allure her and bring her to the wildernesse and speak to her heart The word of alluring is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seductus deceptus fuit to be beguiled and the Hebrew is I will beguile or deceive her as Deut 11.26 Take heed to your selves that your heart be not deceived So Pethi is the simple man that is facile and easily perswaded Psal. 116.6 The Lord preserveth the simple Then hee saith hee will speak to her heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 super secundum hee will speak friendly to her not according to the renewed heart for it was not yet renewed not according to the corrupt and unrenewed heart for nothing that the Lord speaketh according to sinners is sutable but contrary to the renewed heart and to internall perswading but hee speaketh all reason according to the temper and naturall frame of the heart to convince and perswade that there is more reason in turning to God then that the wit or engine of man can speak against it Grace is pia fraus a holy deceit that ere the soule be aware it is catched and though that be spoken of Christ Cant. 6.12 Ere ever I was aware my soule made me like the chariots of Amminadab yet it hath truth in this that 1. No unconverted man intends to be converted till God convert him because spirituall intention is a vitall act of the soule living to God No living man can put forth a vitall act of life till the Lord be pleased to give him a new life 2. That spirituall love alluring the soule worketh by such art as cannot be resisted Hence conversion and being drawn to Christ is termed by the name of charming even as turning off Christ is a bewitching or killing with an evill eye as wee say Gal. 3.1 And so being drawne to God is called a charming And the wicked are rebuked for this Psal. 58.4 5. that being strangers to God they are like the deafe adder that stoppeth her eare and will not hearken to the voyce of Charmers or Singers who sing as Witches and Inchanters doe charming wisely There be two words that signifieâ—inchanting the former is to mutter with a low voyce as they doe to serpents to take and kill them the other is to conjoyne and associate in one as Witches doe things most contrary Conversion to God is to be allured bewitched overcome with the art of heaven that changeth the heart And the Lord made Peter and the Apostles fishers of men Christ layeth out hooks and lines in the Gospel Luk. 5.10 to catch men with hope as fishes are taken Christ so condiscendeth to work upon the will as with art and unawares the will is taken and made sick of love for Christ and the man intended no such thing as sicknesse cometh on men beside their knowledge or intention So Christ maketh himselfe and heaven so lovely and such a proportion and similitude between the soule and his beauty as hee appâ—ares most desirable taking and alluring Gal. 4.20 I desire to be present among you saith Paul and to change my voyce I desire not to speak roughly and with asperity as I have written but as a mother speaketh to her children to allure you The word of God is an arrow that kills afarre off and ere yee see it There is a great difficulty to perswade a man who is in another element and without the sphere of the Gospels activity as Christ and the naturall man are in two contrary elements There is required art for a man on the earth to take a bird flying in the aire or for a man in a ship or on the bank of the river to catch a fish swimming in the element of the water Christ layes out the wit the art and the wiles of free grace to charme the sinner but the sinner stops his eare there is need of the witch-craft of heaven to doe this The love of Christ and his tongue is a great Inchantresse Ezek. 16.8 I said unto thee when thou wast dying in thy bloud Live 3. Christ knoweth how to apply himselfe internally to the will Suppose one were to perswade a stiffe and inexorable man and knew what argument would win his heart hee would use that The will is like a great curious engine of a water-work consisting of an hundred wheels of which one being moved it moveth all the
by election 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of Christ constraineth us there is a peece of eternitie of heaven in the breasts of the Martyrs of Jesus Christ. Abraham must goe when he is called Lydia cannot keepe the doore when love removes the handles of the barre and must be in The Lord casts in fire-workes of love in at the windowes of the Apostles soules O! their nets and callings and their All become nothing they must leave all and follow Christ. Wee must bee loggish and crabbed timber that take so much of Omnipotencie or else we cannot be drawne to the Sonne Men thinke it but a step to Christ and Heaven ah wee have but a poore and timorous suspition of heaven by nature it is no lesse then a creation to be drawne to Christ. 2. We are needy sinners and neede as much mercy as would save the Devils as may bee gathered from Hebrew 2.16 3. We are by nature as good clay and mettall to be vessels of revenging justice and firewood that could burne as kindely in hell as Devils or any damned whatsoever 4. Not onely at our first conversion must wee bee drawne but the Spouse prayes Cant. 1. to be drawne there 's need that Christ use violence to save us while wee be in heaven for Christ hath said Matth. 7.14 Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life I grant Antinomians who loose us from all duties and say Christ hath done all to our hand make little necessity of drawing at all For Crispe saith The strictnesse of the way Math. 7.14 is not the strictnesse of the conversation but all a mans owne righteousnesse must bee cut out of the way otherwise it is a broader way then Christ allowes of I confesse if in this one point all the strictnesse of the way to heaven were then the way 1. should bee strait and narrow onely to those that trust in their owne righteousnesse but I hope there is much more strictnesse then in that one point as in mortifying idol-lusts loving our enemy feeding him when he is hungry suffering for Christ bearing his Crosse denying our selves becomming humble as children being lowly and mocke and following Christs way in that 2. Christ speaks of two wayes a wide and a broad way and a narrow way Now if the narrow way be all in a quitting our owne righteousnesse onely as Crispe saith perverting the Text then all the latitude and easinesse of the broad way must be that all the world that runne to hell they follow no sinnes sweet and pleasant to the flesh no delightfull lusts contrary to the duties of the first and second Table their onely sinne is to trust in their owne righteousnesse which is against both Law and Gospel 3. Christ commandeth his hearers to enter in this strait way which is clearely a way of holy walking no lesse then of renouncing our owne righteousnesse For Christ both in the foregoing and in the following words urgeth duties as not to judge rashly Vers. 1. to eye our owne faults rather then our brothers Vers. 3.4 5. not to prophane holy Ordinances Vers. 6. to pray assiduously Vers. 7.8 9 10. to doe to others as we would they should doe to us Verse 12. to be good trees and bring forth good fruit not to content our selves with an empty dead Faith as Dr. Crispe and Libertines doe but to doe the will of our heavenly Father to the end of the Chapter But let the Reader observe as we doe detest all confidence in our inherent holynesse and all merit and deny that our strictest walking can in any sort justifie us before God so Libertines in all their writings and conference cast shame upon strict walking as Popish Pharisaicall and Legall and will have this our Christian liberty that holy walking is not so much as no part of our justification which thing wee grant but saith Crispe All our sanctification of life is not a jot of the way of a justified person to heaven the flat contrary of which Paul saith Ephes. 2.10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus into good works which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them That which we should walk in must be a jot and more of our way to heaven and the same Crispe Beleevers are kept in holynesse sincerity simplicity of heart but all this hath nothing to doe with the peace of their soule and the salvation and justification thereof See hee confounds salvation and justification As if sincere walking were no way to salvation because it is no way to justification and because it s not the meritorious cause of our peace and salvation for Christ alone is so the cause But therefore must it be no condition of salvation It is a prophane and loose consequence But doe not Libertines teach that no man is saved but these that walke holyly and that sanctification is the unseparable fruit and effect of justification Answ. They say it in words but fraudulently 1. Because all Sanctification to them all Repentance all mortification all new obedience is but an apprehension that Christ hath done all these for them and that is their righteousnesse and so Christ repented for them and mortified sinne for them and performed all active obedience for them Now this sanctification is Faith not the personall walking in newnesse of life that Christ requires 2. This sanctification by their way is not commanded by God nor are beleevers obliged to it under danger of sinning against God for through the imputation of Christs righteousnesse saith Chrispe All our sinnes are so done away from us that wee stand as Christs owne person did and doth stand in the sight of God nor is there a body of sinne in Christ. I assume but Christ is not obliged to our personall holiness that were an impossible immagination 2. All acts of sanctification to the justified person are free he may doe them yea hee may not doe them and can bee charged with no sinne for the omitting of them for hee is not under any morall Law and where there is no Law there is no sinne say Libertines 3. Men are kept in holinesse sincerity simplicity of heart saith Crispe What is that kept They are meere patients in all holy walking and free will does nothing but the Spirit immediatly workes all these in us if therefore we omit them it must bee the fault of the Spirit as Crispe speaketh not our fault nor ought wee to pray but when the Spirit moves us as before you heard so that this sanctification is not any holyness opposite to the flesh and to sinne forbidden in the Law of God but a sort of free and arbitrary and immediate acting of the Spirit in the omission of which acts the justified person no more sinnes against God then a tree or a stone which are creatures under no morall Law of God when these creatures doe not pray nor love Christ
wicked for the ill day and for whose pleasure all things are Revel 4.11 must be such an Efficient and Author such a finall cause of all as shapeth a particular being to things actions and every creature as their determinate being must be from him If the being of the actions of free will rather then their not-being be from free will not from God but in a generall universall or disjunctive influence that is in such a way as whatever God decreed from eternity touching Peters acts of willing or nilling embracing or repudiating Christ or what way soever the Lord shape and mould his influence and concurrence in time either the one or the other may fall out and Peter may embrace Christ or not embrace him and so may Judas and all Men and Angels then shall I say The Kings heart and his nilling and willing is in the hand of his owne heart so the King turnes his owne heart whither soever hee determines his owne will and not as Solomon saith Pro. 21.1 in the hands of the Lord and the creature is master of worke Angels Men free and contingent necessary and naturall causes are Mint-masters to coyne what actions they will this or this election and reprobation vessels of mercy and of wrath beleeving or not-beleeving are in the hands of Angels and Men the creature shall be both Potter and clay The great Lord and former of all things and the vessel for Gods conditionall decree his collaterall and universall his disjunctive and dependent influence hath no force to cast the scale of free will to willing and so to salvation election inscription in the book of life more then to nilling damnation and blotting out or not-inrolling in the book of life but is indifferent to either is determined and bowed by the free will of man to which of the two shall seeme good to lord will and the Lord cannot turne the heart whither soever hee will Which close sets up fortune independent and absolute contingency and a supremacy and principality of working every effect and event on both sides of the sun and above the sun in order of nature by the creature before and without the efficiency of the cause of causes and the intention or counsell of God yea it involves the Lord in a fatall chaine hee must either concurre or the creature disposeth of the militia lawes and affaires of heaven and earth without the King of ages 1. I cannot make prayers to the Lord to determine my will to his obedience not to lead me into temptation 2. I cannot thank his free grace for either 3. I cannot intrust God with working in me to will and to doe Nor 4. comfort my selfe in the Lord 5. Nor be patiently submissive to God under all my calamities that befall me by the hand of men devils or creatures Why The Lord can doe no more then hee can hee had no more will nor counsell before time nor hand and disposing of the businesse in time for all these then for the just contradicent of these say the lord-patrones of indifferent and so absolute a free will 6. How doth Jacob pray that the Lord would give his sonnes favour with the Governour of Egypt whom hee beleeved to be a heathen and pray that God would change his brother Esau's heart and Esther and her maids pray that God would grant her favour in the eyes of Ahashuerus if God have not in his hand power to turne their hearts from hatred to favour as pleaseth him 7. The Lord takes on him to turne mens free will in mercy or judgement as pleaseth him Pro. 3. My sonne forget not my law so shalt thou find favour Vers. 4. with God and man The Lord gave Joseph favour in the eyes of Potiphar Gen. 39.21 God brought Daniel in favour and tender love with the Prince of the Eunuches Dan. 1.9 The Lord made his people to be pittied of all those that carried them captives Psal. 106.46 The Lord turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people Psal. 105.25 Warre and peace are from the free wills of men as second causes yet the Lord saith according to his absolute dominion Isai. 45.7 I forme the light and create darknesse I make peace and create evill And Isai. 7.8 The Lord shall hisse for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the river of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria and they shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys Isai. 10.6 I will send the Assyrian against an hypocriticall nation So Jer. 1.15 16. Isai. 13.1 2 3. Chap. 15.1 2 â— 17.1 2 3. 19.1 2 3 4. Now God could not be the Author of warre and peace as God and Soveraigne all-Disposer if it were in the indifferent arbitriment and free election of men that warre should freely issue from mans free will so as God could neither decree command ordaine it in his providence threaten it in his justice fore-see it in his wisdome and fore-tell it by his Prophets determine it by his free grace except the free will of nations and men first passe an act in this poore low Court of clay in the heads and brests of little lords free-will-men and make sure work on earth of its coming to passe and so the Almighty Soveraigne of all things should have the second conditionall vote of an after-game in heaven of all actions contingent and managed by free will of Angels and Men such as peace warre honour infamy riches poverty health sicknesse life or violent death by sword gibbet poyson c. hatred favour learning ignorance faith unbeleefe obedience to God disobedience salvation damnation long or short life sailing selling buying eating speaking joying weeping building planting praying praising cursing Christs coming of the seed of David the use of Prophets prophecying c. Object Is it not contrary to the nature of freedome to be determined by a forraigne and externall agent and that by a power stronger then the free will can resist or master If yee with a stronger power tye a sword to my arme and strongly and irresistibly throw my arme and sword both to kill a man can I be the murtherer of this man Answ. All the question here is Whether the Lords freedome and dominion in these actions of clay-vessels or mens must stand Wee had rather contend for the Lord and grace than for the creature and free will 2. It is contrary to the nature of freedome to be determined with one sort of determination not with another 1. With such a determination naturall as is in the stone to fall down the sun to give light its true but now the assumption is false 2. Should wee suppose that hee who tyes the sword to your arme so as hee carries along with him in that motion your reason judgement elective power so as you joyne in your arbitrary and free election yea and with delight and joy which is
infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sinne Christ cannot now sigh but he can feele sighing he cannot weepe he hath a mans heart to compassionate our weeping in such a way as is sutable to his glorrâ—ed condition the head is in heaven but hee hath left his heart in earth with sinners there can bee nothing dearer to Christ then the holy Spirit he hath sent us downe that comforter the Spirit to abidâ— with us Vse 1. O that men would come and look into this Ark and that Christ would draw the curtain Doâ— but hear himself crying to the Cities of Iudah Isai. 40.9 Behold your God Isai. 65.1 I said to a Nation that was not called by any Name Behold me Behold me The doubling of the word saith Christ desires to out his beauty Shall your farme and youâ—â—ve yoak of Oxen keep you from him Men will not be drawn to him to satisfie their love Vse 2. Christ is a drawing and a uniting Spirit then all that are in Christ should be united certainly the divisions now in Britaine cannot be of God The wolfe and the good Shepherd are contrary in this the good Shepherd loves to have the flock gathered in one and to save them that they may find pasture and the flock may be saved The wolfe scatters the flock or if the wolfe would have the flock gathered together it is that they may be destroyed then it would be considered if a bloody intention of warre between two Protestant Kingdomes for carnall ends and upon forced and groundlesse jealousies be from an uniting Spirit and not rather from him who was a Murtherer from the beginning Vse 3. Jewes and Turks and civill men that are but Morall Pagans are not in Christ nor can they have any communion with God nor be drawn to Christ because no man can be in love with God except he see God as opened and made lovely to the soul in Christ Morall civility and Pharisaicall holiness is one of the most heaven-like and whitest wayes to hell that Satan can devise Many morall mâ—n go by theft to hell Satan by open violence pulleth the prophane and openly wicked men to perdition but he stealeth millions of civill Saints honest married men that have whereon to live in the world plenâ—ifully to hell in their whitâ—s as if they were Saints because civill and clean in the Morals of the second Table yet not being borne againe they cannot see the Kingdome of God and most men deceive themselves with countrey Religion and Moralities but such be but civill honest Antichrists and deny there is any need that Christ should come in the flesh to die for sinners for they can live honestly for sinners and save themselves and not be beholding to Christ for heaven or mortification or faith Verse 32. And I if I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men This drawing of sinners to Christ is bottomed on Christs dying on the Crosse and his dying on the Crosse is an act of extream and highest love Joh. 3.16 Joh. 15.13 1 Joh. 4.9 10. Hence let us consider a little further what drawing and alluring power is in the love of God and what way we may come to the sweet fruit of the strongest pull of Christ Which may be consiâ—dered in 1. The revelation of the drawing lovelines of Christs dying 2. The fulnesse of this lovelinesse For the former Christ openeth himselfe to us we cannot discover him first and there be two Acts of this 1. Christ opens the understanding Luke 24.45 and the heart Acts 16.14 He taketh away the thick vail that is over the heart 2 Cor. 3.15 16. and rendereth the Medium the Aire as it were thin cleare visible as when the Sun expelleth night-shadowes and thick clouds so Davids key That openeth and no man shutteth Rev. 3.7 removeth the doore and the seale that the first Adams sin putteth on the heart Joh. 14.21 He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him And Christ can show the Father The Lord Jesus cometh out of his depth and Ocean of glory and Yvory chamber as it were and the Son of God revealeth the Son of God as Gal. 1. v. 12. compared with v. 15 16. sheweth He would not say Behâ—ld me behold me Isai. 65.1 and thâ—n get into a thick cloud and hide himself if he had not had a mind to reveal his glory and to show himself The King in his beauty Iâ—ai 33.17 all his lovelinesse the mysteries â—f his love the rosiness whiteness redness comliness of his face Cant 5.10 Nor would the Spouse pray for a noon-day sight of Christ Cant. 1.7 If he could not offer himselfe to be seen in his loveliness of beauty Thus Christ doth make manifest the savour of his knowledge in the Ministery of the Gospell 2 Cor. 2.14 When he letteth out to the soul the smell of Myrrhe Aloes of all the sweet ointments of his death and wounds that the soul seeth smelleth tasteth the Apples of love in the beleived mercy free grace satisfied justice peace reconciled with righteousnesse purchased redemption in his blood and he standeth behind the wall of our flesh and so is called Our wâ—ll Cant. 2.9 Behold â—e standeth behind our wall Or Behold that is he standing behind our wall he looketh forth at the window shewing himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bewraying himselfe through the latâ—esse Yet this is not a perfect vision of God attainable in this life as the Author of the Bright Star dreameth I see a man more distinctly in the field and before the Sun then when he looks out at the grates or lattesse of a window and a window behind a wall for so we but see Christ in this life The compleatnesse of the lovelinesse is 1. In that there is no spot in Christ crucified when he is seen spiritually no blemish no lamenesse no defect for an eternall and infinite Redemption and an absolute righteousnesse more cannot be required nay not by God 2. Nothing that the desiring faculty and appetite can stumble at Paul's determination the last resolved judgement of his minde and his ripest resolution and purpose was to know nothing save Jesus Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 Christs beauty can fill all the corners and emptiness of the wide desires of the soule 3. There is an actuall fulnesse of God spoken of Ephes. 3. Paul praying that the Ephesians may comprehend the great love of God v. 19. saith That yee may know the love of God that passeth knowledge that yee may be filled with all the fulnesse of God This is a satisfying fulness and is an admirable expression To be filled with God must be a soul-delighting fill But 2. To be filled with the fulnâ—sse of God is more for there is unspeakable fulness in God â— The expression is yet higher That ye may be filled
our working and doing it was done by Christ with the Father all our work is no work of salvation but in salvation we receive all not doing any thing that we may receive more but doing because we receive so much and because we are saved and yet we are to work as much as if we were to be saved by what we doe because we should doe as much by what is done already for us and to our hands as if we were to receive it for what we did our selves So here is short worke saith the man Beleeve and be saved there are yet these grounds why salvation is so soon done 1. Because it was done before by Christ but not beleeved on before by thee till now 2. Because it is the Gospel-way of dispensation to assure anâ— passe over salvation in Christ to any that will beleeve it 3. There needs no more on our sides to worke or warrant salvation to us but to be perswaded that Iesus Christ died for us because Christ hath suffered and God is satisfied now suffering and satisfaction is that great worke of salvation And the man taking on him to determine controversies of Arminians touching the extent of free Grace whether Christ died for all in which questions I dare make Apology for his innocency that he is not guilty of wading too deep in them he would father on the Reformed Churches of Protestant Divines that we make this a rationall way of justice That God will meerly and arbitrarily damne men because he will so as God hath put every one under a state of Redemption and power of salvation and they are damned not from their own will but from Gods The opinion by Arminians is fathered upon that Apostolick light of the Church of Christ Eminent and divine Calvine and Saltmarsh will but second them that he may appear a star in the Firmament with others of some great magnitude But saith he the other way is Christ died only for his but is offered to all that his who are amongst this all might beleeve and though he died not for all yet none are excepted that is as he saith all and every one to whom Christ is preached elect or reprobate are to be perswaded that Christ died for them in particular and yet none are accepted but they that beleeve and none beleeve but they to whom it is given And having shown some dreames of his owne touching these controversies hee concludeth with a Truth I beleeve easily Thus have I opened though weakly the mystery Weakly but wilfully and daringly But Faith is formally no such perswasion as to be perswaded Every man is loved with an everlasting love chosen and redeemed in Christ for it changeth the whole Gospel in a lie Christ obligeth no man to beleeve an untruth Now all are charged to beleeve in the Son of God and Elect and Reprobate as there be of both sorts within the net of the Kingdome are not loved with an everlasting love nor did Christ die for them all 2. It s meer presumption not Faith that all Hypocrites fleshly men slaves to their lusts idolaters covetous men remaining such never broken with any Law-work should immediately beleeve Christ is their Saviour died for them and the Father loved them to salvation before the world was True it is before a sinner beleeve he is an unpardoned an ungodly and guilty sinner but that he is unbroken yea or unconverted before he beleeve I speak of order of Nature it s as unpossible as that a thristle can bring forth figs for then he should beleeve having no new heart in him which is the only principle of Faith 3. It s a more ingenuous opinion that Christ died for all and every one though it have no truth in it selfe then to hold that he died for the Elect only and yet oblige men as Antinomians doe against their conscience to beleeve he died for all and every one that are ingaged in the practise of beleeving 4. He that beleeveth not maketh God a liar then that which is to be beleeved must be an Evangelike truth 5. Faith layeth bands on all within the visible Church to be knit together in love unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to thâ— acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ Col. 2.1 2. to be perswaded that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Rom. 8.37 38 39. To full assurance Heb. 10. without wavering or declining or bowing like a tottering wall Now sure all and every one within the visible Church to whom the command of beleeving comes Reprobate or Elect are not holden to have a full assurance that they are chosen in Christ to salvation and redeemed in his blood Assertion 2. The object of saving Faith required of all within the visible Church is 1. Christs faithfulnesse to save beleevers Heb. 10.23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering and the Apostle backs it with an Argument that saving faith must lean upon for he is faithfull that hath promised And Paul 1 Cor. 1.9 presseth the same God is faithfull by whom yee were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 2. We doe not read in the Old or New Testament that the decree purpose or intention of God to save and redeem persons in particular is the object of that saving Faith required in the Gospel For the second object of this Faith is the truth and goodnesse of that Mother promise of the Gospel Ioh. 3.16 and 5.25 that Gospel-record 1 Iohn 5.10 11 12. He that beleeveth hath life eternall and Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 To seek and to save the lost Luke 19 1â— that he came to save me in particular is apprehended by sense not by faith for the Election of me by name to glory and the Lords intention to die for me is neither promise nor precept nor threatning if it be a History that I must beleeve its good shew me Histories of particular men now to be beleeved except of the Antichrist the second comming of Jesus Christ to judge the world Election to glory is not held forth as a promise If yee doe this yee shall be elected to glory nor is the contrary holden forth as a threatning If ye beleeve not ye shall be reprobated nor does the Lord command me to be chosen in Christ to salvation before the foundation of the world nor doth he command all men within the visible Church to beleeve they are chosen to salvation or that any one Elect person should beleeve a thing as revealed which is not revealed when he is pleased to give to any Elect person the white stone and the new name and to give him Faith by which he chuseth Christ for his portion he is then and never till then to beleeve or rather by spirituall sense to apprehend that he
5.43 44 45 46 47 48. nor doth God miscarry in this love he desires the eternall being of damned Angels and Men he sends the Gospel to many Reprobates and invites them to repentance and with longanimity and forebearance suffereth pieces of froward dust to fill the measure of their iniquity yet does not the Lords generall love fall short of what he willeth ro them 3. There is a love of speciall election to glory far lesse can God come short in the end of this love For 1. the work of redemption prospereth in the hands of Christ even to the satisfaction of his soule saving of sinneâ—s all glory to the Lamb is a thriving work and successefull in Christs hands Esa. 53.10 11. He shall see of the travell â—f his soule and be satisfied 2. Christ cannot shoot at the rovers and misse his marke I should desire no more but to be once in Christs chariot paved with love Cant. 3. Were I once assured I am within the circle and compasse of that love of Election I should not be affrayd that the chariot can be broken or â—urned off its Wheels Christs charâ—ot can goe through the red Sea though not dryed up hee shoots arrows of love and cannot misse he râ—dâ—s through hell and the grave and makes the dead his living captives and prisoners 3. This love is natively of it self active Ezechiah saith in his sâ—ng Esai 38.17 Behold for peace I had bitternesse but thou hast in love to my soule delivered me from the pit of corruption but in hebrew it is thou hast loved my â—oule out off the pit of corruption because thou hast cast all my sinnes behind thy back he speaketh of Gods love as if it were a living man with flesh and bones armes hands and feet went down to the pit and lifted up Ezechiahs soul out of the pit so has the love of Christ loved us out of hell or loved hell away to hell and loved death down to the grave and loved sinne away and loved us out of the armes of the Devill Christs love is a persuing and a conqâ—ering thing I shall never believe that this love of redemption stands so many hundreth miles aloof on the shoare and the bank of the river aâ—d lake of fire and brimstone and â—â—yes afar off and wisheth all mankinde may come to land shoaâ— and casâ—eth to them being so many hundreth miles from them wordâ— of milk wine and honey out of the Gospel and cryeth that Christ loveth all and every one to salvation and if wishes could make men happy Christ earnestly wâ—shes and desires if all men were alike well minded to their own salvation that all and every one might be saved that there were not a Hell but he will not put the top of his little finger in their â—earâ— to â—ow and incline their will and Christ cryeth to the whole world perishing in sin I have shed my blood for you all and wish you much happinesse but if ye will not come to me to believe I purpose not to passe over the line of Arminian decency or Iesuiticall congruity nor can I come to you to draw your hearts by way of efficacious determination if yee will do for your selves and your own salvation the greatest part of the work which is to apply redemption by your own free-will though I know you cannot be masters of your selves of one good thought and are dead in sinnes as I have done the other lesser part purchased salvation for you or made you all reconciliable and savablâ— it s well oâ—herwise I love the salvations of you and every one but I will not procure it but leave that to your free-will chose fire or water heaven or hell as the counsels of your own heart shall lead you and I have done with you Oh such a love as this could nâ—ver save me If the young heire had wisedom he should pray that the wise Tutor lay not the falling or the standing of the house on his green head and raw glassie and weather-cock free will we shall cast down our crowns at the feet of him that sitteth on the Throne because he has redeemed us out of all nations tongues and languages and lâ—ft these nations to peâ—ish in their own wicked way sure in heaven I shal have no Arminianâ—houghts â—houghts as now I have through corruption of nature I shall not then divide the song of free Redemption between the Lamb and free-will and give the largâ—st share to free-will my soule enter not into their counsels or secrets who thus black Christ anâ— shame that faire spotlesse and excellent grace of God Vse 3. Here is excellent ground of encouragements to the Elect to the believe for the feare of reprobation from eternity is no ground that thou shouldst not believe Object 1. I fear that I am a reprobate Answ. If thou wilt know the neede that a Reprobate man has of that saving Saviour Iesus Christ thou wouldst upon any termes cast thy soule upon Christ which if thou doe now thou hast answered the question and removed the fear that thou art a reprobate for a reprobate cannot believe Object 2. But sinne and unworthinesse inclines more to reprobation then to be loved eternally of God Answ. Not a whit except the Lord had revealed reprobation to thee sinfull clay nothing but the great Potter may wash the clay and frame thee a vessell of honour Objct. 3. But sinne continued in such as my sinne is is the first morning dawning of reprobation as faith and sorrow for sin is the first opening of election to glory Answ. Sinne finally and obstinately continued in is a sign of reproâ—ation but say you had obstinately gone on in sinne as I love not to cuâ—e spirituall wounds by smoothing and lessening them yet your duty lies on you in a sence of your need of Christ to come to Christ the event is Christs you may say It s fitting Lord I be a râ—probâ—te but many thousands of bad deserving as I am are singing the praises of free-grace before the Throne Objct. 4. But if my sinne evidence to me reprobation it s a cold comfort to goe to Christ and believe for sure I have obstinately gone on against Christ and reâ—sted his call Answ. Though we are not to lessen the sins of any yet a Physitian may say it s not so desperate a disease as yee say it is so may we say it s a strong disease that overcomes the art of Christ though it falls seldom out never to my observing that any finally obstinate can attaine to wide broad and auxious wishes to enjoy Christ with some seene and acknowledged need of Christ. Object 5. But what encouraging comfort have I to believe since I have gone farther on in obstinacy then any Answ. There cannot be such an encouraging comfort in a non-convert as is satisfactory no work can be in a non-convert of that straine with sâ—ch as are in converts
Christ see what expâ—â—ssion is put on the last judgement that same is on the judgemâ—nt of Ierusalems destruction for resisting Christ For 1. It s hell-like when mothers shall wish their children had never been born and when they shall as damned in the day of judgement pray Mountaines fall on us and Hils cover us Luk. 23.29.30 Vse 2. If Christ draw all men to him then they are farre wide who think that free-will and morall honesty can bring men to heaven there be no Moralists in heaven who were pure Moralists on Earth and had nothing of the Gospel-drawing and of supernaturall work in them civill Saints can never be glorified Saints thousands are deceived with this they think their lamp can shew them light to know the Bride-grooms chamber-doore but taâ—e these for marks of deluded men 1. Such men will shoot and cry at adultery as he that took Abrahams Wife from him and a Cain may be madded with murthering his brother but was Cain touched for Gospel sins is Judas wakened in conscience for that which is the speciall condemning gospel-sinne the cause of condemnation and dying in sin Ioh. 3.36 Ioh. 16.9 chap. 8.24 No but for murthering his Master it s the light of the Spirit that seeth spirituall sins spiritually 2. Profession looketh like Paradise and the raine-Bow its big in its own eyes and the fairest for variety of coulors but it s a self-plague and doth carry millions of souls to hell without din and noise of feet its Christ acting judicially on the hypocrite within pistoll shot of a besieged soule making fire-works under the earth and when all within are sleeping Christ springeth a powder-Mine and burneth up all forward Gospel-fire-works maketh more then ordinary fury in the soule open open to Christ multiplyed fastings and taking Christs crown from him are dreadfull 3. They had never a sick-night for the want of Christ Gospel profession is a light to let men see to sinne a candle to let men see to goe to hell and lye down in sorrow with art Ah what comfort is it that I goe to hell no man seeing me and by stealth and my back to the Pit What a poore comfort to goe to eternall perdition fasting and praying monthly multiplying dayes of thanksgiving and withall plundering Christ of his Royall Crown following the sinnes of Prelates whom God cast out before us exercising rapine and unjustice giving new lawes to Christ and planting plants which God will root out The manner of perishing is a poor accâ—dâ—nt of death O but heart-boyling of love a faint pulse a pale and a lean sinner dying for the absence of Christ no man but the Spirit and Physitian knowing what ails hâ—m are sweet diseases let the love of Christ absâ—nt be in the mans soule a deep river how sweet were it to be drowned in â—hat river and to die an hundreth deaths in one day because he whom the soule loves is gone away O watchmen know you not where he is O daughters of Ierusalem can you tel him that I am sick of love O shepheards where is Christs Tent where dwels he what is profession to this a shadow a straw nothing vanity 4 What a decitfull thing is it make free-will the great Idoll and to hire an house in heaven for the income and rent of merit can it be imagined that the love of Christ can be hired so much as it should have of hire so much it should want of free-love how can the heart of God be taken with the merit of man grace is the floure and the freenesse of grace like the beautifull bloome of the floure and this freenesse is so taking that it layes bands and chaines on the heart were there a good deserving in the man to buy grace the cord should be as a single and untwisted thred Vse 3. Christ so drawes all men to him that drawn mans will is not forced as we have seene and therefore Libertines erre fouly who make the drawn partie blocks and stones and meere patients hence these positions of Familists and Libertines 1. In the saving and gracious conversion of a sinner thâ— faculties of the soule and working thereof in things pertaining to God are destroyed and made to cease 2. And instead of these the holy Ghost doth come and take place and doth all the works of these naturall faculties as tâ—e faculties of the humane nature of Christ doe 3. The new creature or the new man mentioned in scripture is not meant of grace but of Christ. 4. Christ worketh in the regenerate as in those that are dead and not as in those that are alive or the regenerate after conversion are altogether dead to spirituall acts 5. There is no inherent righteousnâ—sse in the Saints or grace or graces are not in the soules of beleevers but grace is Christ himselfe working in us who are meere patients in all supernaturall works 6. Faith repentance new obedience are gifts not graces all the elect are saved and receive the Kingdome as little children doe their fathers inheritance passively Mr Towne saith in Sanctification as well as in justification we are meere patients and can doe nothing at all Assertion of grace p. 11.68 7. The Spirit doth not work in Hypocrites by gifts and graces but in Gods children immediatly 8. We may not pray for gifts and graces but onely for Christ. 9. The efficacy of Chirsts death is to kill all activity of Graces in his members that he might act all in all 10. All the activity of a beleever is to act sinne 11. We are not bound to keep a constant course of prayer in our families or privately unlesse the Spirit stirre us thereunto 12. If Christ will let me sinne let him look to it upon his honour be it 13. The new heart and the walking in Gods commandements are no conditions of the Covenant of Grace where is there one word that God saith to man thou shâ—ll doe this if God had put man upon these things then they were conditions indeed but when God takes all upon himselfe where are then the conditions on mans part If there be a condition he that vndertaketh all things in the covenant must needs be in the fault if the Lord work not in us a cleane heart and cause us not walk in his commandements it s then the Lords fault absâ—t blasphemia if we sinne against the covenant 14. The blessednesse of a man is onely passive not active in his holy and unblameable walking To the end that these errors may the more fully bee discovered we are to enquire in these Assertions what activitie wee have in works of grace Asser. 1. In the first moment of our conversion called actus primus conversionis we are meer patients 1. Because the infusion of the new heart Ezech. 36.26 the pouring of the Spirit of Grace and supplication on the familie of David Zach.
12.10 and of the Spirit on the thirsty ground Esai 44.3 is a work of creation Ephes. 2.10 Psal. 51.10 a quickning of the dead Ephes. 2.1.2.3.4 Ioh. 5.25 2 Cor. 4.6 and the wildernesse is not here a coagent for the causing roses to blossome out of the earth 2. The effect is not wholly denyed of the collaterall cause and ascribed wholly to another If Peter and Iohn draw a ship between them with joynt strength you cannot say the one drew the ship not the other But Christ said flesh and blood maketh no revelations of Christ but his father only Mat. 16.17 Mat. 11.25.26.27 Iam. 1.18 Ioh. 1.18 Then neither blood nor the will of man contribute any active inâ—â—uence to the first framing of the new birth nor can clay divide the glory of regeneration with the God of grace who maketh all things new Asser. 2. The soule or its faculties are not destroyed in conversion Peters will which he had when he was young was the same when converted but renewed Ioh. 21.18 the Saints that Peter writeth to are not to â—unne to the same excesse of ryot as of old they wrought the will of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 4.3.4 Paul and Titus were the same men when dâ—sobedient and serâ—ing divers lusts and when converted and now washen regeneratâ—d and justified heirs Tit. 3.1.2.3.4 Paul the same man a persecuter and an Apostle but Grace made a change 1 Cor. 15.9.10 the same minde and spirit remaineth in nature but they are renewed in the spirit of the minde Rom. 12.2 Eph. 4.23 It is the same heart but turned to the Loâ—d 2 Cor. 3.15.16 Christ but removeth the scum and the drosse and the false metall and frames the man a new vessell of mercy Asser. 3. The person of the holy Ghost is not united to the soul of a beleever nor are there two persons here united or made one Spirit by union of person with person but the person is said to come to the Saints and to dwell with them and to be in them Ioh. 14.16.17 and God hath sent the Spirit of his son in our hearts crying Abba Father not that the holy Ghost in propper person doth in us formally and immediately beleeve pray love repent c. We being meer patients in understanding will affections memory as Libertines teach But the holy Ghost cometh to the Saints and dwelleth in them in the spirituall gifts and saving graces and supernaturall qualities câ—eated in us by the holy spirit and acted excited and moved as supernaturall and heavenly habits to act with the vitall influence of our understanding will and affeâ—â—ions I prove the former part 1. Because such a union of the person of the holy Ghost in us beleeving loving joying praying and immediately in us were that blasphemous dei-fying and Goding of the Saints so as beleeving loving praying were not our works but the immediate acts of the holy Ghost and either the faint manner of beleeving or the cold slacked loving and praying of Saints or their not beleeving and sinfull omission of the acts of faith love praying rejoycing could not be more imputed to Saints as their sinfull defects and transgressions but must be laid on the holy Ghosts score then we can impute the splitting of a ship to the ship it self and not to the negligent and willfull pilot who of purpose dashed the vessell on a rock but we must not in reason blame the ship but the Pilot for the losse of the ship is the onely and proper fault of the man that stirred the ship and the ship is innocent and harmlesse timber Now what sinne can be in the Saints in these supernaturall acts if the holy Ghost immediately in his owne person stirre the helme and only without us act these in us we might with as good reason say the shop that a man worketh in doth make the portrait which is a great untruth since the artificer in the shop doth it as say that the Saints doe pray beleeve rejoyce if the holy Ghost immediateâ—y doe all these in them as in a shop 2. Vpon the same ground the Lords coming down and filling Iohn Baptist from his mothers womb and the Apostles and Steven full of the holy Ghost should be the holy Ghosts personall filling of them and his immediate acting in them without any action of them in preaching praying and their heavenly bold confessing of Christ before men and there should be no difference betweene the Ark and Temple of Ierusalem filled with the immediate presence of God in the Lords manifestation of his glory there and these Saints filled with God in these works of free grace I shall not beleeve that the person of God can be said to be united to either Ark Temple Apostle or Martyr all the union is in the effects and manifestations of graces or tokens of Divine presence which are creatures rising and falling with time 3. That excellent and living â—rk the most gloâ—ious and admirable thing that heaven hath the Lord Iesus is God and man two natureâ— united in one person But both the word of God making that He that same Holy thing borne of the virgin Mary the Son of God Luke 1.5 and that same He and person who came of the Iewes according to the flâ—sh to be God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 Hâ—br 7.3 Matth. 16.13.16 and the third generall Councell called that of Ephesus and after the counsell of Chalcedone ver 4. and 5. doe evidence to us that Christ cannot be two persons as Nestorius dreamed and one person Paul spread the Gospel from Jerusalem to Iliricum about ten hundreth miles I know not he but the Grace of God that was with him 1 Cor. 15.9.10 not hee but the Lord True but the question now is whether Paul and the holy Ghost in all these works of grace were two persons become one Spirit by union as some dreamers affirme because both did the work I beleeve not God and cloudâ— rained down Manna to Israel O but Christs father Ioh· 6. gave the Manna but the question is if the person of God were united with the clouds or any second caâ—ses producing Manna so the Lord maketh rich and poore killetâ— and maketh alive maketh snow froast fair weather dâ—outh and raine the Sunne to rise and go downe and that in his owne person Father Sonne and Spirit He he onely made Heaven Earth Sea and all creatures and the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 17.25 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 33.9 doe prove him to be a person who doth all these But we cannot say that the person of God must be united with Clouds Ship Sea Sunne Heavens Men fighting and Men Saving and Killing and that God personally filleth all creatures only God in the immensitie of â—is nature is all these and every where and is in them by his operation so the holy Ghost is with the Saints and dwelleth in 〈◊〉 not by union of his person to them or the immensitie
close the doore in the lowest roome so I see the throne and him that sits on it it is enough to me 2. Arg. All the tie of the covenant lyeth on God not any on man as bond or obligation for the fulfilling of the covenant or partaking of the benefits thereof Heb. 8.10 Ezech. 36.25.26 Jer. 1. the Lord promiseth to doe all and the new heart is but a consequent of the covenant where is thee in all this covenant one Word that God sayes to man Thou must do this If God had put man on these conditions then they were conditions indeed But when God takes all upon himself where are then the conditions on Mans part Give me leave suppose there should be a fault of performing in this covenant whose were the fault must not the fault or failing be in him who is tyed and bound to every thing in the covenant and saith he will do it If there bee a condition and there should be a failing in the condition he that undertaketh all things in the covenant must needs be in the fault God saith not make your selves cleane get you the Law of God in your mind get you power to walk in my Statutes and when you doe this then I will be your God and enter in Covenant with you Answ. 1. We never teach that the making to our selves a new heart is an antecedent condition required before the Lord can make the New-Covenant with us as this mâ—n would charge Protestant Divines but that it is a condition required in the party covenanting which is conditio federatorum nonfederis and such a condition without which its unpossible they can fulfill the other condition which is to believe and so lay hold on the Covenant but it is clear Antinomians think the new heart no inherent grace in us but that Christ is grace working immediately in us as in stones and the new heart is justification without us in Christ only let Crispe shew where the making of a new heart is commanded to us as a consequent and an effect of the Covenant surely the new heart the washing of us with cleane water be it an antecedent or be it a consequent of the Covenant of Grace it is a promise that God doth freely and of meere grace undertake to perform in us Ezech. 36.26 A new heart will I give you so Ier. 32.39 40. Ier. 31.33 Eâ—ech 11.19.20 Esa. 54.13 Ioh. 6.45 Ezech. 36.32 Not for your sakes doe I this saith the Lord God be it known unto you be ashamed and confounded for your own wayes O house of Israel ver 22. I doe not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy names sake which yee have prophaned amongst the heathen whether ye went and Crispe saith the Covenant in the old Testament had annexed to it divers conditions of legall washing and sacrifices whereas the New Covenant under the New Testament is every way of free grace He is farre wide conditions wrought in us by grace such as we assert take not one jot or title of the freedome of Grace away and though there be major gratia a larger measure of grace under the New Testament yet there is not magis gratia there is no more of the essence of free-grace in the one then in the other for all was free grace to them as to us why did the Lord enter in Covenant wâ—th the Iewes more then with other Nations Deut. 7.7 The Lord loved you because he loved you Was Ierusalem Ezech. 16. holier then the Ephesians Eph. 2. No their nativity was of the land of Canaan their Father an Amorite their Mother an Hittiâ—e Ezech. 16.5 Thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast borne ver 6. And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said to thee in thy blood live And to cause grace have a deeper impression and sinking down into the hearts bottome he repeateth it againe I said unto thee in thy blood live And will Crispe say that this iâ— not a history of free grace as farre from bribe or hire of meritâ— as in the world or will he say it was Gods meaning First wash you with holy water and sacrifice to me and performe all these legall conditions to me while you are Amorites and Hittites by kinde and that being done He enter in Covenant with you when yee have done your work He pay your wages and be your God 2. This Argument militateth strongly against every Gospel duty and the whole course of Sanctification God must so be the cause only cause of all our sinfull omissions sins under the Covenant of grace in that he promiseth to work in us to will and to do to give us grace to abstain froÌ„ sin but does not stand to his word as Antinomians teach which is an Argument unanswerable to me that its the minde of Antinomians that no justified person can sinne but that they omit good or commit ill God is in the fault not they and that the justified are meer blocks in all the course of their sanctification in all the sins they doe they are patients God should more carefully see to his own honour and not suffer them to sinne so they and the old Libertines goe on together For say that the new heart that to will and to doe to persevere stedfastly in the Grace of God were no conditions of the Covenant sure believing in the Lord Iesus is clearly a condition of the righteousnesse of faith as doing is of the righteousnesse which is of the Law Rom. 10.3 4 5 6 7 8. Gal. 4.22 23 24 25 26 27 28 say that to repent pray love God and serve him were not from God through the tye of the New-Covenant yet Gods promise his single word when he saith he will doe such and such things is as strong a tye as his Covenant and oath when he knoweth its unpossible these things that he saith he will doe can be done except he of his meer grace work them in us Now the Lord clearely promiseth that he will give repentance Act. 5.31 Sorrow for sinne the Spirit of grace and supplication Zach. 12.10 a circumcised heart to love and serve the Lord Deut. 30.6 Ezech. 36.26 perseverance in Grace Ier. 32.40 41. Esai 54.10 chap. 59.20.21 Psal. 1.3 Joh. 4.14 chap. 10.28 Phil. 1.6 Ephes. 5.26.27 1 Ioh. 2.1 Then let D. Crispe or any Libertine say when the Saints sinne in not praying in not sorrowing for sin in not willing and doing in their sinnes and falls in their Christian race to heaven let me speak in the words of Crisp whos fault is it or failing not to perform the word or promise of God God undertaketh by promise yea by his simple word to fulfill what he promiseth and saith he will work all these in us yea to will and to doe Ergo if it be not done the fault cannot
be mans but it must be which I abhorre to writ or speak the Lords 3. God takes all upon himselfe in genere causae gratiosae Liberrimae independentis primae non obligatae ad agendum ex ullae lege in the kind of a cause that worketh by meer grace freely Indepdenently without any Law above him to obliege him to doe otherwise with his own then he freely willeth decreeth promiseth for men carnally divide Gods decree which is most free from his promise which is as free as his decreeâ— but it followeth in no sort as Arminians and Jesuites object to us therefore men who doe not believe pray walk holily are not in the fault being under a Law to obey for sinnefull inability to obey can ransome no man from the obligation of obedience and most blasphemous it is that because God undertaketh in the Covenant that we shall walk in his commandements as he doth promise Ezech. 36.27 and that we shall feare him Ier. 32.39.40 That God should therefore be in the fault and we free of all fault when in many particulars we offend all Iam. 3.2 and we fear not God in this or this sinne as is possible and may be gathered from Iosephs speech to his brethren who sayes he would not wrong them for he feared God and Iobs word that he durst not dispise the cause of his servant because he was affraid of God Yet God promiseth that he will keep Ioseph Iob and all the elect in the way of Gods Commandements that they shall not fully fall away from him God never by promise covenant oath or word undertaketh o keep his elect from this or this particular breach and act of unbeliefe against the Covenant of grace 4. The fault against the Gospel or any sin in a believer must justly be imputed to him because he is tyed by the Evangelick Law not to sinne in any thing the Gospel granteth pardons but not dispensations in any sins and it can in no sort bee imputed to God because if any believer fall in a particulaâ— sin or act of unbeliefe against the covenant of grace the Lord neither decreed nor did ever undertake by Covenant or promise to keep him by his effectuall grace from falling in that sinne for the Lord would then certainly have keeped him as he did Peter and doth all the Elect that are effectually called that in mighty temptations their faith faile them noâ— Nor is the act of believâ—ng that is wanting in that particular fall such a condition of the Covenant as Christ either promised to work or the necessary condition of the Covenant of Grace or such a condition the want whereof doth annull and make voyde the eternall Covenant of grace 5. I here smell in Antinomians that God must bee in fault as the author of our unbelief our stony hearts our walking in our fleshly wayes because God hath promised to give us faith and a heart of flesh to walk in his wayes as the old Libertines said God was the principall and chief cause of sin and that God did all things both good and ill the Creatures did nothing So Calvine in insâ—itut adversus Libertines chap. 14. in opus pag. 446. Mr. Archer down right saith God is the authour of sin what end is there of erâ—ing if God leave us It is true the tie and all the tie of giving a new heart and the Spirit of grace and supplication lieth on the Lord who promised so to do Deut. 30.6 Ezech. 11.19.20 chap. â—6 26.27 Ier. 31.33 34.35.36 But yet so that we are under the obligation of divine precepts to doe our part Ezech. 18.31 make you a new heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die O house of Israel Ier. 4.4 Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the fore-skinne of your heart Ephes. 4.23 be renewed in the Spirit of your mind Rom. 12.2 Rom. 13.14 and 1 Thessal 5.17 pray without ceasing Psal. 50.15 Call upon mee Matth. 26.41 Watch and pray Therefore all the tie and obligation of what ever kâ—nd cannot so free us from sinfull omissions nor can the tye ly on God evangelick commandments are accompanied with grace to obey grace layeth a tie on us also to yeeld obedience 6. It s a foule and ignorant mistake in Crispe to make the Covenant nothing but that love of God to man which hee cast on man before the Children had done good or evill Rom. 9.1 That love is eternall and hath no respect to faith as to a condition but it s not the covenant it selfe because it is the cause of the covenant 2. To the love of election there is no love no work no act of beleeving required on our part Yea no mediator no shedding of blood wee are loved with an everlasting love before all these but the covenant though as decreed of God it be everlasting as all the works of creation and divine providence which fall out in time and have beginning and end are so everlasting for God decreed from eternity that they should be yet it is not in being formally while it bee preached to Adam after his fall and there is required faith on all the Saints part to lay hold on the Covenant Esai 56.4 and to make it a covenant of peace to the Saints in particular 2. Faith is the condition of the covenant 3. Christ the mediator of it 4. Christs blood the seal of it 5. The Spirit must write it in our heart But the love of election is a compleat free full love before our faith or shedding of blood or a mediator be at all Object We are not saved nor justified nor taken in Covenant by faith as a work saith Crispe for then we should not bee saved by grace and grace should not be grace but wee are justified by faith that is by that Christ which faith knoweth according to that by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many therefore faith is no condition of this covenant Answ. The contrary rather followeth 1. Seeing Crisp doth say none under heaven can bee saved till they have believed We are not taken in covenant by faith neither wee nor scripture speak so taking us in covenant is before wee can beleeve but we lay hold on Christ and righteousnes by faith not as a work but a necessary condition required of us 2. I leave it to the consideration of the Godly if beleeving in him who justâ—fieth the ungodlâ— be no condition a work justifying I do not think it but onely I beleeve and know that Christ justified me before I beleeved from eternity as some say when I was conceived in the womb â—s Crispe saiâ—h and that the threatning he that believeth not iâ— condemned already carries this sence he that believeth not that he is not condemâ—â—d hee is already condemned Who can believe such toyes 2. Beleeving is a receiving of Christ Ioh. 〈…〉 Christs dwelling in the heart Ephes. 3.17 Then to 〈◊〉 must bee to
of our own 3. Wee are to beleeve in the generall we being within the covenant the Lord will keep his promise Deut. â—0 6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heaâ—t and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule that thou mayest live Ezech. 11.19 And I will give them one heart and I will put a new Spirit within you 20. that they may walke in my Statutes Ezech. 36.27 then are we so to set to these duties of waâ—king in the Lords way as wee are to beleeve he will nor deny actuall grace necessary for our perseverance because it is his expresse promise Ier. 31.33.34.35.36 Ier. 32.39 â—0 Esai 59.19 20 21. Esai 54 10.11 Ezech. 36.26.27 1 Ioh 2.1.2 Matth. 16.18 Luk. 2â— 3â—.32 though in acts not fundamentall and simply nâ—cessary for our being in the state of grace the Lord hath reserved a latitude of independent Sovâ—raigntie to act the soule in these and these particular aâ—ts as seemeth good to him that every new breathing of the Spirit of â—esus may bee a new debt and obligation of free grace to Christ. We are absolutely to pâ—ay for the breathings of Christs Spirit to goe aâ—ong wiâ—h us in all the particular acts of a gracious and spirituall walking but we know the Lords absolute good pleasure is his rule hee walks by so here our desires may bee absolute in seeking where the Lord gives upon condition of â—is owne good will nor are our desiâ—es in prayer to bee conformable to Gods decree or free pleasure but to his revealed will Grace is the culours of the inhabitants and citizâ—ns of the house of the lower and higher roomes of the new Ierusalem all the way and all the home the Sainâ—s walk in this white Christ keeps not his Spouse in a close chamber it is not one great act of free grace onely when all were in one day redeemed on the crosse but dayly Christ weareth his Church as a bracelet about his neck as a seal on his heart as his Royall diadem and a crowne of glory on his â—ead as his love-ring on his hand this day grace to morrow new and fresh supply of grace the next houre grace hee has strowed all the way to heaven with new grace every day new wine new Spiknard new peâ—fume new ointments When will Christ grow old and gray-haired Never Will his heart evâ—r grow cold of love No Will hee tyre of love will he weare out of delight in the Spouse that lyeth for eternity betweene his breasts No no The love of â—hrist is alwaies greenâ— as young-like as fair and white today as from eternity this rose is not altered a whit Who knowes how grace and love in Christs breast solaced themselves in these infinite revolutions of ages before the creation how Christs heart was cheering it selfe and rejoycing to have the first day of the creation dawning that he might enjoy the love of the sonnes of men not then created Proverb 8 3â—.31 as if grace and love had thought long to finde a channell with wide banks to flow in as if Christ having infinite love within him in that long long age to borrow that expression should say when shall time begin and sinfull men and my mysticall body and desired spouse my Church have being in the world that I may out that grâ—ce on her I have love within me and lying beside me I rejoyce to have a lover as if grace in Chriâ—t hâ—d been in too naâ—row banks in the inâ—â—nite acts of the infinite minde of God and the heart of Christ and longed to have Men and Angels to give a vent to his love And that long avum the ages that were before the world was brought it green to us that long long endlesse and vast duration when time shall bee no more cannot make Christs love change the colour or grow lesse or root one Saint out of his heart When God leaveth off to bee God â—râ—ce will leave off to bee Grace Make Christ repent of Grace if you can as Christ has washen his Spouse and in regard of the guilt of sin has made her all fair and spotlesse so doth he dayly lick and purge and cleanse her in regard of the inherent bâ—ot while shee bee faire as the Sunne and all a new heaven Asser. 7. In the third consideration from this suspension of divine influence cometh our sinne as a necessary consequent and result yet so as the Lords suspension and our transgression fall both in the bosome of divine providence The Lord knoweth why be withdraweth his grace that we mâ—ght know how weighty a thiâ—g grâ—at heaven is laid upon our poor shoulders and that we would make foule woâ—k out of all wee have received and the flock the second Adam has given is if we had not Christ to stirre the ship to lead the minors to heaven to keepe the inheritance to the little heirs of Christ should evanish to nothing Poâ—tion 9. If wee consider the Lords denyall of Christ from wicked men they câ—nnot turne to God but that impotency lay in the womb of will it is not weaknesse onely but also wilfulnesse Matth. 23. verse 37. I would have gathered you saith Christ yee would not Ioh. 5.6 Christ saith to the sick man wilt thou bee made whole Then there was a stop in his will as well as in his weaknesse er 44.16 As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not heaâ—ken to thee 2. Love and delight to do ill is from the strength and marrow of the will not from weaknes only the seruant that would not leave his master because he loved him is a slave for ever through love to slavery rather then through impotency to bee free In those that dâ—light to doe eâ—il Will hath a strong influence in the evil they doe every sinner esteemes his prison of hell a heaven hiâ— fetters of sinne on his legs as a gold chain about his neck 3. It is a journey of a hundreth miles to Christ it is unpossible to the naturall man to compasse it yet he may walk two of these hundreth miles though not as a part of the way he will not so much as cast a sad look after Christ the will not bestow one sigh after Christ nor know his own weaknesse nor dâ—spair of his own hability nor lie at the water-side and câ—y Lord Iesus come carry me over he positively hates Christ were it possible that the unrenewed man had the two eyes of a renewed man to see the beauty and high excellenâ—y of Iesus though he had still his own lame legs he would weep out his eyes for a Chariot to carry him to Christ hee would send sad love-challenges after Christ could these that ' are scortched in hell-fire and hear the howling of their fellow prisoners and see the ugly Devils the bloody Scorpions with which
that they were counted worthy to suffer shame and the Saints are persâ—cuted reviled and men speak all manner of evill against them falsly for the name of Christ Matth. 5.11 12. and yet are so farre from the boyling and rising of sinfull lusts in them that as if choir lusts were dead they rejoyce under the hope of glory then are they mortified to these lusts and the like I say of fleshly pleasures of unlawfull gaine 2. Mortification is when the heart runnes not out wantonly and whoorishly upon the pleasures of the creature we are too ready to take the creature in our bosome but mortification is when the heart stands at a distance from creatures as Iob saith of himselfe Chap. 31.24 If I have made gold my hope or said to the fine gold thou art my confidence ver 25. if I rejoyced because my wealth was great 3. It s to be from under the power or bondage to the creature or the world the believer is above the creature and the world is under his feet as a drudge or servant they have no Dominion over the heart he has a wife as if he had no wife the man buys and possesseth not because when he has bought houses gardens lands they are no more in the center heart of his love then if they were the houses lands of an other man mortification is a Lord over the creature But there is nothing more contrary to the Gospel and the grace of Christ then that the Apostles rejoycing when they weâ—e scourged shamed for Christ had nothing of realty of scourging of shame nor of reall joy deadnesse to the world in their persons only they believed and apprehended that Christ was scourged shamed crucified for their sinnes this is but opinative not reall mortification The Scripture knoweth nothing of imputed mortification as contra-distinguished from reall personall and inherent mortification 3. When Paul saith Col. 3.5 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon earth fornication uncleannesse inordâ—nate affection evill concupiscence for which things the wrath of God commeth on the children of disobedience hâ—s sense must be believe and apprehâ—nd that fornication uncleannesse are mortified to your hand and that Christ has slaine the body of sin on the crosse and theâ—e is an end now this is to annihilate sanctification and to make justification all whereas justification it alone is no justification being separated from sanctification as Libertines doe and the Popish sanctification or the morall acquiring of a new habit of holinesse and the infusion of supernaturall habits is not justification at all yea nor true sanctification for they separate it from the free imputation of Christs righteousnesse to a believing sinner The Libertine takes away sanctification and makes justification all the Papist takes away justification by faith and the free grace of God and in the place thereof substitutes a supposed morall or civill sanctification which to him is all in all further if this Mortifie your members and the body of sinne be nothing but believe that Christ has mortified the body of sin already then as we are justified from eternity as some Libertines say or as all say before we believe remission of sins in Christs blood so to be mortified to our lusts must he to believe we are mortified to our lusts long before we believe Paul thinks not so of the Colossians set he saith v. 7. chap. 3. In which also yee walked some time when yee lived in them v. 8. But now also put off all these wrath malice c. Then before they were converted and did believe they weâ—e not mortified nor freed from uncleannesse fornication because then they walked in these except Libertines say that they were mortified and did not walk in uncleannesse before they believed but were delivered in themselves from walking in these lusts only they were not in their own sense delivered but in their own sense though not really they did walk in fornication and uncleannesse this is not sober divinity for they say before we believe wee are justified though not to or in our own sense and feeling till we believe and why are we not also sanctified and effectually called before we believe for whom he called and predestinated them also be justified Rom. 8 3â— And the Scripture never shewes us of a man in time justified before hee bee sanctified and mortified in some measure 4. When Paul saith Col. 2.6 As yee have therefore received Christ so walk in him hee meanes so mortifie your lusts then he must intend this walk in Christ that is believe that Christ walked in Christ for you and put on love and brotherly-kindnesse and pray continually in all things give thanks abstaine from worldly lusts love one another keep your selves from Idols seeke the thinks that are above c. must have no other meaning but believe that Christ has put on love for you that he abstaines from fornication for you gives thanks abstains from wordly lusts for you keeps himselfe from Idols seeks the things that are above mortifies his members that are on earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection for you all which are blasphemies or they can have this sense at the best love one another that is believe that Christ hath satisfied for your hating one another and then yee love one another and keep your selves from Idods that is apprehend and believe that Christ hath died for your Idolatry Now this is a mocking of sanctification not a commanding of it Then to doe all these and abstaine from fornication must be commanded and forbidden in souâ—â— other Gospel otherwise we performe will-worship and will-obedience to God without warrant of his word and the grace of God in the Gospel doth not teach us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts in our owne person but onely to beleeve that Iesus Christ has aâ—d doth deny â—ngodlinesse and worldly lusts and performe active and personall obedience for us and to our hand for Libertines cannot expound one Gospel charge one way and another Gospel command another way and that wee are obliged to personall active obedience in one precept and to imputed active or fidei jussory or mediatory obedience in Christ in another yea when we are in the Gospel to beleeve with a promise of â—ife and righteousnesse and that damnation is threatned if we believe not so are wee commanded to mortifie our lusts and seek the things that are above with promises and forbidden to walk after our lusts because for these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience then I may with equall strength of reason say that the sense of these passages Beleeve in Iâ—sus Christ who justifies the ungodly and beleeve the immediate testimonie of the holy Ghost witnessing to your hearts that ye are the sonnes of God must bee not to beleeve in your owne persons but beleeve that â—esus Christ beleeveth for you on Christ that justifieth sinners and beleeve that the Spiritâ— witnesseth
and committing of fornication 2. Because for not mortifying of fornication the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience ver 6 Now wrath comâ—s not on wicked men because they believe not that Christ abstained from fornication for them many walk in uncleannesse covetousnesse who are therefore under wrath who are not obliged to believe that because they never â—eard the Gospel 3. Such an abstinence from fornication is here commanded as the Colossians and other Gentiles walked in ver 7. and which they had now put off with the old man ver 8. But the Colossians while they were Gentiles and heard not of the Gospel did not walk in this as in a sin that they believed not that Christ abstained from fornication for them and satisfied divine justice for their fornication but their sin was that in person they committed these sinnes 1 Pet. 2.11 Dearely beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from flâ—sâ—ly lusts that warre against the soule ver 24. Who his own self bare our sinnes in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sinnes should live to righteousnesse Rom. 8.11 And if the Spirit of him that raised Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall alsâ— quicken your mortall bodies ver 12. Therefore brethren we are debters not to thâ— flesh to live after the flâ—sh vers 13. for if yee live after the flâ—sh yee shall die But if yee through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live ver 10. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin Gal. 5.24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections lusts Gal. 2 1â— For I through the Law am dâ—ad to the Law that I might live unto God all Gospel-commands to subdue the lusts of flesh not to serve the flesh as debters paying rent thereunâ—o to mortifie the deeds of the body not to live to our selves c. were meer precepts for justification not for sanctification and mortification of lusts and should â—urn the Saints into meere Solifidians Gnosticks empty Professors and fruitlesse trees if ouâ— mortification were not in the weakning of lusts â—bstinence from sin service and living to him who is our ransomner There is nothing more false then that ever our Divines taught to mortifie sinnes by vowes promises strictnesse and severity oâ— duties watchfulnesse scarce rising so high for mortification as Christ For its Christ and faith in his death that is the spring and fountaine of mortification yet is mortification formally in holy walking and not formally in belâ—eving for then should we be justified by mortification for sure we are justified by faith 2. Faith is a duty of the first Table respecting God in Christ as its object mortification to uncleannesse vaine-glory or the like is a duty of the second Table respecting men Asser. 4. The living of the just by faith is as well the life of sanctification as of justification its true the life of justification is the cause more compleat and perfect and the other the effect and unperfect but our spirituall condition is not only in sanctification but also in justification And only enemies of free-grace separate the one from the other and highten the one to feed men on the East wind and lessen the other as if sanctification were an accident and some indifferent Ceremony that men walk after the flâ—sh and believe that Christ for them walked after the Spirit and that is enough nor doe wee teach men to weigh their state of Grace in the scales of mortification or simple not acting of sin as mortification commeth from morall and naturall principles but as it floweth from faith apprehending Christ crucified and from the Spirit of the Father and the Son drawing the sinner to Christ and our blessednesse is no lesse in that corruption is subdued and the dominion removed then in that the curse is taken away Saltmarsh when he willeth the sinner as a sinner a Parricide a Man-slayer a slave to his lusts to beâ—ieve and apply Christ as his Redeemer without any sense of sin or humiliation at all and then saith the mans blessednesse is more to have the curse of sin then the corruption of sinne removed clearly concludeth that a man that walks after his lusts in actuall lusting against the Lord Iesus and the Gospel proud vaine selfe-righteous is as such a man to believe and so blessed and may promise to himselfe peace though he walk after the imaginations of his own heart Nor is arguing against the tentation with spirituall reason frâ—m the word as Ioseph did Gen. 39.8.9 and Job ch 2.9.10 and David 2 Sam. 16.7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. our own power or contrary to the fighting by the shield of faith the Word of God as Saltmarsh imagineth Assert 5. It is to be reputed as a most blasphemous assertion that we know we are Christs not because we crucifie the lusts of the flesh but because we do not câ—ucifie them Pet 1. Crucifying of our lusts is a mark of our being in â—hrisâ— Gal. â— 24 Rom. 8.13 This maketh walking afâ—er the Spirit and a parting from iniquity and being pure in Spirit and dying to an 〈◊〉 of no interest in Christ contrary to Rom. 8.1 2. 2 Tim. 2.19 Math. 5.8 1 Pet. 24. Gal. 1.4 1 Pet. 1.18 and contrary to the whole Gospel which was that blasphemy of David George who taught mortification was to act all uncleannesse without shame or sense of sinne â—nd the more men are vâ—yd of the common passion that follows sin the more mortified and spirituall they are and this is very like â—â—e Libertines way who teach That to take delight in the holy service of God is to goe a whooring from God and that they are legally biassed that would mortifie the flâ—sh by watchfulnesse and strictnesse of walking whereas to put our duties on the Throne with Christ and to put Christs crown on our mortification as if we were thereby justified is the Idolatry But the delighting in the Law of the Lord and taking of the Lords testimonines for our heritage a serving the Lord with chearefulnesse and fervor of Spirit Psal. 1.2 Psal. 119.111.262 Isai. 58.13 Psal. 112.1 Rom. 7.22 Rom. 12.8 2 Cor. 9.7 Phil. 4.4 Act. 20.24 Iaem 1.2 are marks of a blessed condition If any teach that wee mortifie the flesh by watchfulnesse and strictnesse of walking as if these did merit mortification we judge it cursed doctrine but if Libertines deny as they doe that acts of mortification doe formally consist in watchfull strict and accurate walking with God in being not taken nor madly drunken with the lusts of sin but dead to pleasures as these acts flow from the Spirit of Christ we curse their fleshly doctrine also It s no consequent to say because Regeneration is not a work of nature but of the Spirit of God and the way of the
a worse end in the farre largest part of mankinde Faith cannot rest on a common generall good Saving Faith the fâ—rst dawning of election to glory The Arminian hope and comfort not in Scripture The Arminian Divinitâ— their faith hope c. Collat. Piscat Voâ—sâ—iâ—s non tam suâ—iâ—o sorâ—asse Deus voâ—â—it Pharaoâ—em populum dimittere The comforts of Armiâ—iaâ—s not in Scâ—ipâ—ure The generall good will of God to save all comfortlesse The fountain Good will of God separated electeâ— persons from oâ—hers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arminians resolve all one mans will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We cannot choose but glory in our selves and not in the Lord â—f free grâ—câ— sepâ—rate not the believâ—ng man from the not believing God equâ—lly intended his two great ends in men and Angels The ground of Pauls crying out O the depth c. It s grace and free grace â—nly that maketh oâ—â— diffâ—râ—râ—m another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graâ—e faâ—leth 〈◊〉 pâ—oâ—oâ—ns such as I and we How indeâ—ring is separating grace What aâ—oundance oâ— gâ—ace bâ—stâ—wed on single peâ—sons and yet nothing of it can be wanting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How active love is No lip-love nor any â—mâ—ty love in God but that which is effectuall and râ—all to work tâ—e good hee dâ—siâ—eth to the party loved A threefold loâ—e in God effectuall Christs love of election cannot miscarry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christs love active Sin proveth not repâ—obation Sin continued is no argument why I should not belâ—eve Finall obstinacy and â—eaâ— sâ—râ—ow and nâ—ppâ—ng â—â—e of minde to believe seldâ—m fall in one person No unconvâ—rted one capablâ— of â—uch are 〈◊〉 to beliâ—ve aâ— a belâ—ever 〈…〉 us to bâ—lieve yâ—t tâ—e proud as proud cannot bâ—lieve No saving humilâ—tie before faâ—th All the Gospel expressiâ—nâ— of the â—eekâ—eâ— of Christ argue a diâ—ease in us to conceive Christ to bee rough lordly cruel to have a heart liâ—e the nether milstone How all are to beleeve though salvation be not purchased for all Neither is faith before all Repentance nor eevry Repentance before all faith If Christ draw all we should be drawn Christ can draâ— as gâ—ilty as thou art Vse 6. Be not satisfied till you come to such a nâ—ck of Christian walking as is attainable by no hypocrite Vse 7. Christ cannoâ— be spared as not necâ—ssary in the work of redemption Doct. It is a matter of greâ—t conceâ—â—ment â—hat sinâ—â—â—st come to Chriâ—t and to Christ only Grâ—unds of the excellency of being drawn to Christ only Christ anâ— home and a house of rest and of love A noble life in Châ—â—st which cannot be brought What excellency is Christ. Three parts of Christs compleatnessâ— 1. 〈◊〉 or fulnâ—sse 2. primacy 3. excellency What fulnesse is in Christ. Câ—â—ist the first and principaâ—l of all things The singular excellency of Christ. None câ—n write or speak of Christ as he is To be dâ—aâ—en to Christ iâ— a â—igh woâ—k The Father gives us to the Sonâ—e not by aliâ—nation (a) Story of the â—ise reign and â—uine of the Antinomians error 41.8 p. Libertâ—nes teaâ—h that we are several seasons under tâ—e working â—f every person of the Trinity What a sin it is to resist Christs drawing None so good at drawing of sinners as Chriâ—â— Nâ—thing like Christ to allure soules Christ the sweet singer of Israel The lower Christ is in his love he is the more drawing Heaven and the Church on earth but ene house It is an honour to dâ—e in the Lord young Christ dying and drawing sinneâ—s in his deatâ—â—â—d câ—mâ—â—nds his love to us Resisting of Christs drawing of sinners near to the sin agaiâ—st the holy Ghoâ—t Maâ—ks of meeâ— Moralists never drawn to Châ—ist Naked proâ—ession a vaine thing Errors of Libeâ—tins touching free-wâ—ll (a) A sâ—ort Story of the rise reign and ruine of the Antinomians c. error 1. pag. 1. (b) Rise reign error 2. p. â— (c) Râ—se reign error 7. p. â— (d) Rise reign error 14. p. 3. (e) Rise reign error 15. p. â— (f) Râ— Town assertion of Grace p. 11. 12 (g) Rise reign c. error 18. p. 4. (h) Rise reign error 23. p. â— (i) Râ—se error 35 p. 7. (k) Rise reign c. â—rror 36. p. 7. (l) Rise reign error 49. p 9. (m) Rise and reign unsâ—â—ory spech 4. p. 19. (n) D. Crisps Christ alone exalted ser. 6. of the N. Covenant pag. 163.164 The life and light of man ch 1. pag. 4. The will minde and end of the internall operative Spirit and life is to be a livâ—ng active Lord God in a dead passive creature as I live yet not I but Christ liveth in mâ— (o) Ro. Towne assertion of Grace against D. Taylor pag. 47 48 49. What activity we have in our conversion In our first conversion we are meer patients The naturall powers in our conversion are not destroyed The Grace in us inherent is not the person of the holy Ghost Henry Nicholas a German a blasphemous Libertine saith c. 34 sent 10. God hath raised up mee H. N. the â—ast among the the Holy ones of God which lay altogether dead and without breath and life among the dead from the death and made me alive through Christ as alsâ— annointed me with his godly being manned himself with me and Godded me with him c. The holy ghost in person immediately worketh not in the Saints Reasons proving that the person of the Holy Ghost is not unâ—ted to our soules but hee is in us in his operations and his effects of graces and gifts Christ and the inherent grace of Christ iâ— us are two different things Grace and ouâ— freeâ—will are said to act together in a foure-fold sâ—nse Grace is simply necessary in all supernaturall actions Golden words and morall swasion cannot give lâ—fe Grace and free-will are not two collaterall and independent causes in the same supernaturall act as two men drawing a boat Free-will in supernaturall aâ—tioâ—s not a meer patient but an Agent Martinez de Ripalda de ente su 〈…〉 1. dâ—sp 29. sect 1. n. 3.4 Concil 〈◊〉 sess 6. c. 5. c. 4. Free-will an agent acting by the strength of grace in supernaturall actions and nâ—t a patient Antinomians dreame The blessednâ—sse of the Saints actiâ—e and not passive only as Antinâ—mians say D. Crispe Serm. 6. pag. 160. Comfortable differences between the Law and the Covâ—nant of Grace Dâ— Crispe 2. arg Grace in the old and New Testament the same grace in nature and essence but different in degrees The justified cannot sinne according to the doctrine of Libertines God never promised in his Covenant to keep the Saints from these particular sins they fall in nor are these such sins as break farre lesse anull the Covenant of grace Faith is a condition of the Covenant but not this â—r that particular act of faith which wee ought to perform when we misbelâ—ve God The Covenant of grace is â—ot formally the love of God but flowes