your believing that you have believed upon and so forcibly to hasten your assurance before the time for though this be not to turn quite back to the covenant of works for that you shall never do yet is it to turn aside towards that covenant as Abraham did who after that he had long wayted for the promised seed though he was before justified by believing the free promise yet for the more speedy satisfying of his faith hee turned aside to go in unto Hagar who was as you have heard a type of the covenant of works so that you see this is not the right way but the right way for you in this case to get your assurance again is when all other things fail to look to Christ That is go to the word and promise and leave off and cease a while to reason about the truth of your faith and set your heart on work to believe as if you had never yet done it saying in your heart well Satan suppose my faith hath not been true hitherto yet now will I begin to endevour after true faith and therefore ô Lord here I cast my self upon thy mercy afresh For in thee the fatherlesse finde mercy thus I say hold to the word goe not away but keep you here and you shall bring forth fruit with patience Neo. Well Sir you have fully satisfied the concerning that point but as I remember it followeth in the same Verse Know yee not your owne selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be repoobates wherefore I desire to heare how a man may know that Jesus Christ is in him Evan. Why if Christ be in a man hee lives in him as sayth the Apostle I live not but Christ liveth in me Neo. But how then shall a man know that Christ lives in him Evan. Why in what man soever Christ lives according to the measure of his faith he executes his threefold office in him viz. his Propheticall Priestly and Kingly Office Neo. I desire to hear more of this threefold office of Christ and therefore I pray you Sir tell me first how a man may know that Christ executes his Propheticall office in him Evan. Why so far forth as any man heares and knows that there was a covenant made betwixt God and all mankinde in Adam and that it was an equall covenant and that Gods justice must needs enter upon the breach of it and that all mankind for that cause were lyable to eternall death and damnation so that if God had condemned all mankinde yet had it beene but the sentence of an equall and just Judge seeking rather the execution of his justice then mans ruine and destruction and thereupon takes it home and applyes it particularly to himself and so is convinced that hee is a miserable lost and helplesse man I say so far forth as a man doth this CHRIST executes his Propheticall office in him in teaching him and revealing unto him the covenant of works And so far forth as any man hears and knowes that God made a covenant with Abraham and all his believing seed in Jesus Christ offering him freely to all to whom the sound of the Gospell comes and giving him freely to all that receive him by faith and so justifies them and saves them eternally and thereupon hath his heart opened to receive this truth not as a man taketh an object or a theologicall point into his head whereby hee is onely made able to discourse but as an habituall and practicall point receiving it into his heart by the faith of the Gospell and applying it to himselfe and laying his eternall state upon it and so setting to his seal that God is true I say so far forth as a man doth this CHRIST executes his propheticall office in him in teaching him and revealing to him the Covenant of grace and so far forth as any man hears and knows that This is the will of GOD even his sanctification c. And thereupon concludes that it is his dutie to endeavour after it I say so far forth as a man doth this Christ executes his propheticall office in him in teaching and revealing his law to him and this I hope is sufficient for answer to your first question Neo. I pray you Sir in the second place tell mee how a man may know that Christ executes his priestly office in him Evan. Why so far forth as any man hears and knows that Christ hath given himselfe as that onely absolute and perfect sacrifice for the sins of believers and joyned them unto himselfe by faith and himself unto them by his spirit and so made them one with him and is now entred into Heaven it self to appear in the presence of God for them and hereupon is emboldned to go immediatly to God in prayer as to a father and meet him in Christ and present him with Christ himselfe as with a Sacrifice without spot or blemish I say so far forth as any man doth this Christ executes his priestly office in him Neo. But Sir would you have a believer to goe immediately unto God how then doth Christ make intercession for us at Gods right hand as the Apostle sayth hee doth Rom. 8.34 Evan. It is true indeed Christ as a publike person representing all believers appeares before God his Father and willeth according to both his natures and desireth as he is man that God would for his satisfaction sake grant unto them whatsoever they aske according to his will But yet you must goe immediately to God in prayer for all that you must not pitch your prayers upon Christ and terminate them there as if he were to take them and present them to his Father but the very presenting place of your prayers must be God himselfe in Christ neither must you conceive as though Christ the Sonne were more willing to grant your request then God the Father for whatsoever Christ willeth the same also the Father being well pleased with him willeth in Christ then I say and nowhere else must you expect to have your petitions granted and as in Christ and no place else so for Christs sake and nothing else and therefore I beseech you to beware you forget not Christ when you go unto the Father to beg any thing which you desire either for your selfe or others especially when you desire co have any pardon for sin you are not to thinke that when you joyn with your prayers fasting weeping and afflicting of your selfe that for so doing you shall prevail with God to heare you and grant your petitions no no you must meete God in Christ and present him with his sufferings your eye your minde and all your confidence must be therein and in that be as confident as possibly you can yea expostulate the matter as it were with God the Father and say lo here is the person that hath well deserved it here 〈◊〉 the person that
from putting any confidence in our own works and doings and exhorted us by faith to lay hold upon the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ onely at the hearing whereof it pleased the Lord so to work upon mee that I plainly perceived that there was no need at all of my works and doings nor nothing else but only to believe in Jesus Christ indeed my heart did assent unto it immediately so that I went home with abundance of peace and joy in believing and gave thanks to the Lord for that he had set my soule at liberty from such a sore bondage as I had been under and I told all my acquaintance what a slavish life I had lived in being under the Law for if I did commit any sin I was presently troubled disquieted in my coÌ„science could have no peace til I had made humble confession thereof unto God craved pardon and forgivenes promised amendment but now I told them that whatsoever sins I did commit I was no whit troubled at them nor indeed am not to this day for I do verily believe that God for Christs sake hath freely and fully pardoned all my sins both past present and to come so that I am confident that what sin or sins soever I commit they shall never be layd to my charge being very well assured that I am so perfectly clothed with the robes of Christs righteousnesse that God can see no sin in me at all And therefore now I can rejoyce evermore in Christ as the Apostle exhorts mee and live merrily though I be never so vile or sinfull a creature and indeed I pitty them that are in the same slavish condition that I was in and would have them to believe as I have done that so they may rejoyce with mee in Christ And thus Sir you see I have declared unto you my condition and therefore I would intreat you to tell me what you think of me Evan. There is in this City at this day much talk about Antinomiaus and though I hope there be but few that doe justly deserve that title yet I pray give me leave to tell you that I feare mee I may say unto you in this case as it was once said unto Peter in another case Surely thou art one of them for thy speech bewrayeth thee And therefore to tell you truly I make some question whether you have truly believed in Christ for all your confidence And indeed I am the rather moved to question it by calling to minde that as I have heard your conversation is not such as becommeth the Gospell of Christ Ant. Why Sir do you think it is possible for a man to have such peace and joy in Christ as I have had and I thanke the Lord have still and not to have truly believed in Christ Evan. Yea indeed I think it is possible for doth not our Saviour tell us that those hearers whom hee resembles to the stony ground immediatly received the word with joy and yet had no root in themselves and so indeed were not true believers And doth not the Apostle give us to understand that as there is a forme of godlines without the power of godlinesse so there is a forme of faith without the power of faith And therefore he prayes that God would grant unto the Thessalonians the worke of faith with power And as the same Apostle gives us to understand there is a faith that is not fained so doubtlesse there is a faith that is fained And surely when our Saviour sayth Marke 4.26 27 28. The kingdome of God is as if a man should cast seed into the ground and sheuld sleepe and rise night and day and the seed should spring up and grow hee knoweth not how first the blade then the eare after that the full corn in the eare he giveth us to understand that true faith is produced by the secret power of God by little and little so that somtimes a true believer himselfe neither knows the time when nor the manner how it was wrought so that we may perceive that true faith is not ordinarily begun increased and finished all in a moment as it seems yours was but groweth by degrees according to that of the Apostle Rom. 1.17 The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith that is from one degree of faith to another from a weake faith to a stroâ—g faith from faith beginning to faith increasing towards perfection or from faith of adherence to faith of assurance but so was not yours and again true faith according to the measure of it produceth holinesse of life but it seems yours doth not so and therefore though you have had and have still much peace and joy yet that is no infallible signe that your faith is true for a man may have great raptures yea he may have great joy as if he were lift up into the third heaven and have a great and strong perswasion that his estate is good and yet be but an hypocrite for all that and therefore I beseech you in the words of the Apostle Examine your selfe whether you be in the faith prove your own selfe know you not your own selfe how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be a reprobate And if Christ bee in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse Ant. But Sir if my friend Nomista went wrong in seeking to be justified by the works of the Law then me thinks I should have gone right in seeking to be justified by faith and yet you speake as if wee had both gone wrong Evan. I remember Luther sayth that in his time if they taught in a Sermon that salvation consisted not in our works or life but in the gift of God some men took occasion thence to be slow to good works and to live a dishonest life and if they preached of a godly and honest life others did by and by furiously attempt to build ladders to heaven And moreover hee sayth that in the year 1525 there were some fantasticall spirits that stirred up the rusticall people to sedition saying that the freedome of the Gospel giveth liberty to all men from all manner of Laws and there were others that did attribute the force of justification to the Law Now sayth he both these sorts offend against the Law the one on the right hand who would be justified by the Law and the other on the left hand who would be clean delivered from the Law Now I suppose this saying of Luthers may bee fitly applyed to you two for it appears to me friend Antinomista that you have offended on the left hand in not walking according to the matter of the Law and it is evident to mee neighbour Nomista that you have offended on the right hand in seeking to be justified by your obedience to it Nom. But Sir if seeking of justification by the works
and apprehend him by faith as blessed be God you see our Neighbour Neophytus hath done and then shall you finde the like loathing of sin and love to the law of Christ as he now doth yea then shall you finde your corruptions dying and decaying daily more and more as I am confident hee shall Neo. I but Sir shall I not have power quite to overcome all my corruptions and to yield perfect obedience to the law of Christ as the Lord knows I much desire Evan. If you could believe perfectly then should it be even according to to your desire according to that of Luther If wee can perfectly apprehend Christ then should wee be free from sin But alas whilest we are here wee know but in part and so believe but in part and so receive Christ but in part and so consequently are holy but in part witnesse James the just including himselfe when he sayth In many things we sin all and John the faithfull and loving Disciple when he sayth If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us yea and witnesse Luther when he sayth a Christian man hath a body in whose members as Paul sayth sin dwelleth and warreth and albeit he fall not into outward and grosse sins as murther adultery theft and such like yet is hee not free from impatience and murmuring against God yea sayth hee I feele in my selfe coveteousnesse lust anger pride and arrogancie also the feare of death heaviness hatred murmuring impenitencie so that you must not looke to bee quite without sin whilst thou remain in this life yet this I dare promise you that as you grow from faith to faith so shall you grow from strength to strength in all other graces wherefore sayth godly Hooker strengthen this grace of faith and strengthen all nourish this and nourish all so that if you can attain to a great measure of faith you shall bee sure to attain to a great measure of holinesse according to the saying of Doctor Preston hee that hath the strongest faith hee that believeth in the greatest degree the promise of pardon and remission of sins I dare boldly say he hath the holiest heart and the holiest life And therefore I beseech you labour to grow strong in the faith of the Gospell Neo. O Sir I desire it with all my heart and therefore I pray you tell me what you would have me to doe that I may grow more strong Evan. Why surely the best advice and counsell that I can give you is to exercise that faith which you have and wrastle against doubtings and be earnest with God in prayer for the increase of it forasmuch sayth Luther as this gift is in the hands of God onely who bestoweth it when and on whom he pleaseth thou must resort unto him by prayer and say with the Apostles Lord increase our faith and you must also be diligent in hearing the word preached for as faith commeth by hearing so is it also increased by hearing and you must also read the word and meditate upon the free and gracious promises of God for the promise is the immortall seed whereby the spirit of Christ begets and increaseth faith in the hearts of all his and lastly you must frequent the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and receive it as often as conveniently you can Ant. But by your favour Sir if faith be the gift of God and he give it when and to whom he pleaseth then I conceive that mans using such means will not procure any greater measure of it then God is pleased to give Evan. I confesse it is not the means that will either beget or increase faith but it is the Spirit of God in the use of the means that doth it so that as the means will not doe it without the Spirit neither will the Spirit doe it without the means where the means may be had wherefore I pray you doe not you hinder him from using the means Neo. Sir for mine own part let him say what he will I am resolved by the assistance of God to be carefull and diligent in the use of these means which you have now prescribed that so by the increasing of my faith I may be the better inabled to subject to the will of the Lord and so walk as that I may please him but yet I doe perceive that in regard of the imperfection of my faith I shall not be able perfectly to apprehend Christ and so consequently shall not be able to live without sin therefore I pray you Sir tell me how you would have mee to be affected when I shall hereafter through frailty commit any sin Evan. Before I can give you a true and full satisfactory answer to this your necessary question I must intreat you to consider with me First that in Rom. 6.14 it is sayd concerning believers Yee are not under the Law but under grace And in like manner Rom. 1.6 it is sayd But now we are delivered from the Law And yet it is said concerning a believer 1 Cor. 9.21 Being not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ And in like manner Rom. 3.31 it is sayd Doe wee then make voyd the Law through faith God for bid yea by faith we establish the Law Secondly That in 1 John 3.6 It is sayd That whosoeuer abideth in Christ sinneth not and in like manner ver 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin And yet it is sayd concerning such 1 John 1.8 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and in like manner Jam. 3.2 In many things we offend all Thirdly That in Numb 23.21 It is sayd concerning believers Hee that is to say God hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perversnesse in Israell in like manner Cant. 4.7 It is sayd behold thou art all faire my love and there is no spot in thee And yet it is sayd Prov. 5.21 as well concerning believers as others that the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and hee pondereth all his goings and in like manner Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to doe Fourthly That in Isai. 27.4 the Lord sayth concerning believers Anger is not in me and in like manner Isai. 54.9 it is sayd As I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more goe over the earth so have I sworn that I would no more be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee and yet it is sayd Psal. 10.40 That because the people went a whoring after their own inventions therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against this people insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance And in Deut. 13.1 Moses a true believer sayth The Lord was angry with him Fifthly That in Isai. 40.2 The Lord sayth concerning believers Speake yee
they will bee guided by the word of truth and all seeme to bring Scripture which indeed is but one as God is but one yet by reason of their severall constructions and interpretations of Scripture and conceits of their own humane wisdome they are many And are there not others of this sort of men that are readie to embrace any new way of worship especially if it come under the cloake of Scripture learning and have a shew of truth founded upon the letter of the Bible and seeme to bee more zealous and devout then their former way specially if the teacher of that new way can but frame a sad and demure countenance and with a grace lift up his head and his eyes towards heaven with some strong groane in declaring of his newly conceived opinion and that hee frequently use this phrase of the glory of GOD ô then these men are by and by of another opinion supposing to themselves that God hath made known some farther truth to them for by reason of the blindnesse of their understanding they are not able to reach any supernaturall truth although they doe by literall Learning and Clerklike cunning dive never so deepe into the Scriptures and therefore they are ready to entertaine any forme of Religious Exercise as shall bee suggested unto them And are there not a third sort much like to these men that are excessive and mutable in the performance of Religious Exercises Surely Saint PAUL did perceive that this was the very GOD of some men in his time and therefore hee willeth TIMOTHY to instruct others that bodily exercise profiteth little or as some read it nothing at all and doth oppose thereunto godlinesse as being another thing then bodily exercise and sayth that it is profitable c. And doe not you thinke there are some men at this day that know none other good then bodily exercise and can hardly distinguish betwixt it and godlinesse Now these bodily exercises are mutable and variable according to their conceits and opinions for all Sects have their severall services as they call them yet all bodily and for the most part onely bodily the which they performe to establish a rest to their soules because they want rest in God and hence it is that their peace and rest is up and down according to their working better or worse so many Chapters must be read and so many Sermons must bee heard and so many times must pray in one day and so many dayes in the weeke or in the yeare they must fast c. or else their soules can have no rest but mistake mee not I pray in imagining that I speake against the doing of these things for I doe them all my selfe but against resting in the doing of them the which I desire not to doe And thus you see that mans blinde understanding doth not onely present unto the sensuall appetite sensuall objects but also to the rationall appetites rationall objects so that mans poore soule is not onely kept from rest in God by means of sensuality but also by means of formality if Satan cannot keep us from seeking rest in God by feedeing our senses with our mother Evahs apple then he sets us to seeke him in away where wee shall never finde him if he cannot doe it more grosely then hee attempts to doe it more closely Nom. But Sir I am perswaded that many men that are so religiously exercised and doe performe such duties as you have mentioned doe finde true rest for their souls in God Evan. Ineeed I am perswaded there are some men that are carefull to performe such duties in obedience to the will of God in Christ as conceiving them to be the way wherein he is accustomed to meete his people and give them an extraordinary visit as also conceiving them to be the meanes whereby hee doth ordinarily beget and increase faith whereby they are enabled to draw neer to God in Christ and so to have peace and rest in him and therefore if they doe omit any of these duties when they conceive that God calls them thereunto they are troubled in their mindes and vexed at themselves for being disobedient to the will of God and for missing his kinde visit and omitting the meanes of increasing their faith now such men as these may and doubtlesse doe finde true rest to their soules in God in the performance of Religious Exercises But alas I feare me that the most part of such men as are so religiously exercised and are of such dispositions as I have shewed doe rather conceive that as they have offended and displeased God by their former disobedience so they must pacifie and please him by their future obedience and therefore they are carefull to exercise themselves in this way of duty and that way of worship and all to that end yea and they conceiving that they have corrupted defiled and polluted themselves by their falling into sin they must also purge clense and purifie themselves by rising out of sin and walking in new obedience and so all the good they doe and all the evill they eschew is to pacifie God and appease their own consciences and if they seeke rest to their soules this way why it is the way of the Covenant of works where they shall never be able to reach God nay it is the way to come to God out of Christ where they shall never be able to come neere him he being a consuming fire Neo. Then Sir it seemeth to me that God in Christ apprehended by faith is the onely true rest for mans soule Evan. I there is the true rest indeed there is that rest which David invites his soule unto when he sayth Returne unto thy rest ô my soule for we which have believed have entred into his rest saith the Authour to the Hebrews And come unto me sayth Christ all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest And truly my neighbours and friends believe it wee shall never finde a hearts happinesse and a true soules rest untill we finde it here for howsoever a man may thinke if hee had this mans wit and that mans wealth this mans honour and that mans pleasure this wife or that husband such children and such servants his heart would be satisfied and his soule would be contented yet which of us hath not by our own experience found the contrary for not long after that we have obtained the thing we did so much desire and wherein we promised our selves so much happinesse rest and content we have found nothing but vanity and emptinesse in it Let a man but deale plainly with his own heart and hee shall finde that notwithstanding he hath many things yet there is ever one thing wanting for indeed mans soule cannot be satisfied with any creature no not with a world of creatures And the reason is because the desires of mans soule are infinite according to that infinite goodnesse which it once
lost in losing God yea and mans soul is a spirit and therefore cannot communicate with any corporall thing so that all creatures not being that infinite and spirituall fulnesse which our hearts have lost and towards the which they do still re-aspire they cannot give it full contentment Nay let mee say more howsoever a man may in the midst of his sensuall fulnesse be convinced in his conscience that he is at enmity with God and therefore in danger of his wrath and eternall damnation and be thereupon moved to reforme his life and amend his ways and endevour to seek peace and rest to his soul yet this being in the way of works it is impossible that he should finde it for his conscience wil ever be accusing him that this good duty hee ought to have done and hath not done it and this evill he ought to have forborne and yet hee hath done it and in the performance of this duty he was remisse and in that duty very defective and many such wayes will his soul be disquieted But when a man once comes to believe that all his sins both past present and to come are freely and fully pardoned and God in Christ graciously reconciled unto him the Lord doth hereupon so reveale his fatherly face unto him in Christ and so make known that incredible union betwixt him and the believing soul that his heart becomes quietly contented in God who is the proper element of its being for hereupon there come◠into the soule such peace flowing from the God of peace that it fils the emptinesse of the soule with true fulnesse in the fulnesse of God so that now the heart ceaseth to molest the understanding and reason in seeking eyther variety of objects or augmentation of degrees in any comprehensible thing And that because the restlesse longing of the minde which did before cause unquietnesse and disorder both in the variety of mentall projects and also in the sensuall and beastly exercises of the corporall and externall members is satisfied and truly quieted for when a mans heart is at peace in God and is become truly full in that peace and joy passing understanding then the Devill hath not that hope to prevaile against our souls as hee had before hee knows right well that it is in vaine to beat his hooke with profits pleasures honour or any other such like seeming good to catch such a soule that is thus at quiet in God for he hath all fulnesse in God and what can be added to fulnesse but it runneth over indeed empty hearts like empty hogsheads are fit to receive any matter which shall be put into them but the heart of the believer being filled with joy and peace in believing doth abhorre all such base allurements for that it hath no roome in it selfe to receive any such seeming contentments so that to speak as the truth is there is nothing that doth truly and unfainedly root wickednesse out of the heart of man but only the true tranquility of the minde or the rest of the soul in God and to say as the thing is this is such a peace and such a rest to the creature in the Creatour that according to the measure of its establishment by faith no created comprehensible thing can eyther adde to it or detract from it the increase of a Kingdome cannot augment it the greatest losses and crosses in worldly things cannot diminish it a believers good works doe all flow from it and ought not to return to it neyther ought humane frailties to molest it howver this is most certain neyther sin nor Satan law nor conscience hell nor grave can quite extinguish it for it is the Lord alone that gives and mayntains it Whom have I in heaven but thee sayth David and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee it is the pleasant face of God in Christ that puts gladnesse into his heart Psal. 4.7 and when that face is hid then he is troubled Psal. 30.7 But to speake more plainly though the peace and joy of true believers may be extenuated or diminished yet doth the testimony of their being in nature remayne so strong that they could skill to say yea even when they have felt God to be withdrawing himselfe from them My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yea and in the night of GODS absence to remayne confident that though sorrow be over night yet joy will come in the morning Nay though the Lord should seeme to kill them with wickednesse yet will they put their trust in him knowing that for all this their Redeemer liveth so strong is the joy of their Lord these are the people that are kept in perfect peace because their minds are stayed in the Lord. Wherfore my deare friends and loving neighbours I beseech you take heed of deeming any estate happy until you come to find this true peace and rest to your souls in God ô beware lest any of you doe content your selves with a peace rather of speculation then of power ô be not satisfied with such a peace as consisteth eyther in the act of oblivion or neglect of examination nor yet in any brain-sick supposition of knowledge theologicall and divine so frame rationall conclusions to protract time and stil the cryes of an accusing conscience but let your hearts take their last farewell of all false felicities wherewith they have been all of them more or lesse detained and kept from their true rest ô be strong in resolution and bid them all farewell and neyther stay in Egypt by the flesh-pots of Sensuality nor yet in the wildernesse of religious and rationall formality but strip your selfe of all putten on contentments eyther in sensuall honours profits or pleasures or religious exercises and become truly poore miserable and naked Nom. But stay Sir I pray you would you have our senses to be no longer exercised about any of their objects would you have us no longer to take comfort in the good things of this life Evan. I pray you doe not mistake mee I would not have you Stoically to refuse the lawfull use of any the Lords good creatures which he shall be pleased to afford you for I right well know that the minde of man hath a naturall motion towards its own delight and recreation in these things and that this motion still remains in the minde of him that is the most mortified and hath taken his truest farewell of them but yet in such a man that motion which before was violent from the cry of the heart is now restrained so that his appetite is not so forcible nor so unruly as it was before the unrulinesse thereof being subdued in the peace of the heart and and brought into a very comely decorum and order so that now the sensuall appetite can with much more easiness and contentednesse be denyed the object of its desire yea the sensuall appetite can in a good measure be
content with what is most repugnant to its desire as with hunger cold nakednesse yea and with death it self such is the wonderfull working of the hearts quiet and rest in God So that although such a mans senses be still exerâ—ised in and upon their proper objects yet is not his life sensuall for his heart taketh no contentment from any such exercise but is still for the most part exercised in a more transcendent communion even with God in Christ so that he useth the world and the things of the world as though hee used them not and receiveth no cordiall contentment from any sensuall exercise whatsoever and that because his heart is withdrawne from them which withdrawing of the heart is not unaptly pointed at in the speech of the Spouse Cant. 5.2 I sleep sayth she but my heart waketh so that it may be sayd that such a man he is sleeping looking hearing tasting eating drinking feasting c. but his heart is withdrawne and is rejoycing in God his Saviour and his soul is magnifying the Lord so that in the midst of all sensuall delights his heart and secretly sayth I but my happinesse is not here Nom. But Sir I pray you why do you call rationall and religious exercises a wildernesse Evan. For two reasons first because that as the children of Israel when they were got out of Egypt did yet wander many yeers in the wildernesse before they came into the land of Canaan even so doe many men wander long in rationall and religious exercises after they have left a sensuall life before they come to rest in God whereof the land of Canaan was a type Secondly because as in a wildernesse men often lose themselves and can finde no way out but supposing after long travell that they are neere the place whither they would goe are in truth further off even so fareth it with many yea with all such as walk in the way of reason they lose themselves in the woods and bushes of their works and doings so that the longer they travell the further they are from God and true rest in him Nom. But Sir you know that the Lord hath endued us with reasonable souls would you not then have us to make use of our reason Evan. I pray you doe not mistake mee I do not contemn nor despise the use of reason onely I would not have you to establish it to the chief good but I would have you to keep it under so that if with Hagar it attempt to beare rule and Lord it over your faith then would I have you in the wisdome of God like Sarah to cast it out from having dominion in few words I would have you more strong in desire than curious in speculation and to long more to feele communion with God then to be able to dispute of the genus or species of any question eyther humane or divine And presse hard to know God by powerfull experience and though your knowledge be great and your obedience surpassing many yet would I have you to be truly nullified anihilated and made nothing and become fools in all fleshly wisdome and glory in nothing but only in the Lord and I would have you with the eye of faith sweetly to behold all things extracted out of one thing in one to see al in a word I would have in you a most profound silence contemning all curious questions and discourses and to ponder much in your heart but prate little with your tongue Be swift to heare but slow to speake and slow to wrath as the Apostle James adviseth you and by this meanes will your reason be subdued and become one with your faith for then is reason one with faith when it is subjugated unto faith and then will reason keepe its true lists and limits and you will become ten times more reasonable then you were before so that I hope you now see that the hearts farewell from the sensuall and rationall life is not to be considered absolutely but respectively it doth not consist in a going out of either but in a right use of both And now for a conclusion let mee tell you when any of your souls shall thus forget her own people and her fathers house Christ her King shall so desire her beauty and be so much in love with her that like a Load-stone this love of his shall draw the soule in pure desire to him again and then as the Hart panteth after the rivers of water so will your souls pant after God yea then will your souls be so ravished with desire and so sick of love that it will bee manifest by your seeking him whom your soul loveth and so shall your soule come to have a reall rest in God and according to the measure of your faith be filled with joy unspeakable and glorious and how can it bee otherwise when your soule shall really communicate with God and by faith have a true taste and by the Spirit have a sure earnest of all heavenly preferments having as it were one foot in heaven whilst you live upon earth ô then what an Eucharisticall love will arise from your thankfull heart extending it selfe first towards God and then towards man for Gods sake because his everlasting love in his Christ is made known to your soule so that then according to the measure of your faith you shall not need to frame and force your selfe to love and doe good duties but being so assured of Gods love to you in his CHRIST your soule will stand bound ever more to love God and according to the measure thereof you will stand bound to the keeping of all his Commandements and this love of God in the heart will cut down selfe love so that now you will be for God and it will be your meat and drinke to doe his will whilst you live on earth and much more when you come to heaven the place of perfect and everlasting rest whither our Lord JESUS CHRIST bring us all in his due time Amen And now Brethren I commend you to GOD and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified Neo. Well Sir at this time I will say no more but that it was a happie houre wherein I came to you and a happie conference that wee have had together surely Sir I never knew Christ before this day ô what cause have I to thanke the Lord for my comming hither and my two friends as a means of it and Sir for the payns that you have taken with me I pray the Lord to requite you and so beseeching you to pray the Lord to increase my faith and to helpe mine unbeliefe I humbly take my leave of you praying the God of love and peace to be with you Nom. And truly Sir I doe believe that I have cause to speake as much in that case as you have for
M. Gray junior H Bishop Hall M. Thomas Hooker L Doctor Luther M. Lightfoot M Wolfangius Musculus Peter Martyr Doctor Mayor M. Marshall O Barnardine Ochine P M. Perkins Doctor Preston R M. Rollock M. Reynolds M. Rouse S Doctor Smith Doctor Sibbs M. Slater T M. Tyndall M. Robert Towne V Doctor Vrban Regius Doctor Vrsinus M. Vaughan W Doctor Willet Doctor Williams M. Wilson M. Ward THE MARROVV OF Modern Divinity Interlocutors EVANGELISTA a Minister of the Gospel NOMISTA a Legalist ANTINOMISTA an Antinomian NEOPHYTUS a young Christian. Nomista SIR My neighbour Neophytus and I having lately had some conference with this our friend and acquaintance Antinomista about some points of Religiâ—n wherein he differing from us both at last â—id he would be contented to be judged by â—ou our Minister therefore have we made bold to come unto you all three of us to pray you to heare us and judge of our differences Evan. You are all of you very welcome to me and if you please to let me heare what your differences are I will tell you what I think Nom. The truth is Sir he and I differ in very many things but more especially about the Law for I say the Law ought to be a rule of life to a believer and he saith it ought not Neo. And surely Sir the greatest difference betwixt him and I is this He would perswade me to believe in Christ and bids me rejoyce in the Lord and live merrily though I feel never so many corruptions in my heart yea though I be never so sinfull in my life the which I cannot do nor I think ought not to do but rather to feare and sorrow and lament for my sins Anti. The truth is Sir the greatest difference is betwixt my feiend Nomista and I about the Law and therefore that is the greatest matter we come unto you about Evan. I remember the Apostle Paul willeth Titus to avoyd contentions and strivings about the Law because they are unprofitable and vain and so I feare me yours have been Nom. Sir for mine own part I hold it very meet that every true Christian should be very zealous for the holy Law of God especially now when a company of these Antinomians do set themselves against it and do what they can quite to abolish it and utterly to root it out of the Church surely Sir I think it not meet they should â—ive in a Christian Common-wealth Evan. I pray you neighbour Nomista be not so hot neither let us have such unchristianlike expressions amongst us and let us reason together in love and with the spirit of meeknesse as Christians ought to do I confesse with the Apostle it is good to be zealously affected alwayes in a good thing But yet as the same Apostle said of the Jews so I feare me I may say of some Christians that they are zealous of the Law yea some would be Doctors of the Law and yet neither understand what they say nor whereof they affirm Nom. Sir I make no doubt but that I both know what I say and whereof I affirm when I say and affirm that the holy Law of God ought to be a rule of life to a believer For I dare pawn my soule of the â—ruth of it Evan. But what Law do you mean Nom. Why Sir what Law do you think I mean Is there any more Lawes then one Evan. Yea in the New Testament theâ— is mention made of a three-fold Law 〈◊〉 wit the law of works the law of faith anâ— the law of Christ and therefore I pray yoâ— tell me when you say the Law ought to bâ— a rule of life to a believer which of their three Lawes you mean Nom. Sir I know not the difference betwixt them but this I know that the Law of the Ten Commandements commonly called the Morall Law ought to be a rule of life to a believer Evan. But the Law of the Ten Commandements or Morall Law may be either said to be the matter of the law of works or the matter of the law of Christ and therefore I pray you tell me in whether oâ— these senses you conceive it ought to be â— rule of life to a believer Nom. Sir I must confesse I do not know what you mean by this distinction but thiâ— I know that God requires that every Christian should frame and lead his life according to the rule of the Ten Commandements the which if he do then may he expect the blessing of God both upon his soule and body and if he do not then can he expect nothing else but his wrath and curse upon them both Evan. The truth is neighbour Nomista â—he Law of the Ten Commandements as it 〈◊〉 the matter of the Law of Works ought not to be a rule of life to a believer but in thus saying you have affirmed that it ought and therefore therein you have erred from the truth And now friend Antinomista that I may also know your judgement when you say the Law ought not to be a rule of life to a believer I pray you tell me what Law you mean Ant. Why I mean the Law of the Ten Commandements Evan. But whether do you mean that Law as it is the matter of the law of works or as it is the matter of the Law of Christ Ant. Surely Sir I do conceive that the Ten Commandements are no way to be a rule of life to a believer for Christ hath delivered him from them Evan. But the truth is the law of the Ten Commandements as it is the matter of the law of Christ ought to be a rule of life to a believer and therefore you having affirmed the contrary have therein also erâ—ed from the truth Nom. The truth is Sir I must confesse 〈◊〉 never took any notice of this three-fold â—aw which it seems is mentioned in the New Testament Ant. And I must confesse if I took any notice of them I never understood them Evan. Well give me leave to tell you that so far forth as any man comes short of the true knowledge of this threefold Law so far forth he comes short both of the true knowledge of God and of himself And therefore I wish you both to consider of it Nom. Sir if it be so you may do well to be a means to inform us and help us to the true knowledge of this threefold Law and therefore I pray you first tell us what is meant by the law of works Evan. The law of works opposed to the law of faith Rom. 3.27 holds forth as much as the covenant of works for it is manifest saith Musculus that the word which signifieth covenant or bargain is put for law so that you see the Law of works is as much to say as the Covenant of works the which Covenant the Lord made with all mankinde in Adam before his fall the summe whereof was Do this and thou shalt live And If
God simply considered in his essence is the party opposite to man and GOD the second Person having taken upon him to bee incarnate â—nd to worke mans redemption was on mans side and takes part with man that hee may reconcile him to God by bearing mans sins and satisfying Gods justice for them and Christ payed God till hee sayd Hee had enough Hee was fully satisfied fully contented Whereupon all Christs people were given to him in their election Ephes. 1.4 Thine they were fayth Christ and thou gavest them mee John 17.6 Hee sayth the Father loveth the Sonne and hath given all things into his hands John 8.35 that is hee hath intrusted him with the oeconomie and actuall administration of that power in the Church which originally belonged to himselfe and hence it is that Christ also sayth the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to his Sonne John 5.22 so that the Covenant for life and salvation since the fall is not that Covenant of works that was betwixt God and Christ for none of Christs are to have to doe with that but Christ onely but the Covenant of life and salvation is that Covenant of grace that is betwixt Christ and his and in thaâ— Covenant there is not any condition or law to bee performed on mans part by himselfe no there is no more for him to doe but onely to know and believe that Christ hath done all for him wherefore my dear neighbour Neophytus I beseech you bee perswaded that here you are to worke nothing here you are to doe nothing here you are to render nothing unto God but onely receive the treasure which is Jesus Christ and apprehend him in your heart by faith although you be never so great a sinner and so shall you obtain forgivenesse of sinnes righteousnesse and eternall happinesse not as an agent but as a patient not by doing but by receiving nothing here commeth betwixt but faith onely apprehending Christ in the promise this then is perfect righteousnesse to heare nothing to know nothing to doe nothing of the Law or works but onely to know and believe that Jesus Christ is now gon to the Father and sitteth at his right hand not as a Judge But is made unto you of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption wherefore sayth the Apostle Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Neo. But Sir hath such a one as I any warrant to believe in Christ Evan. I beseech you consider that God the Father as he is in his Sonne Jesus Christ moved with nothing but with his free love to mankinde lost hath made a deed of gift and grant unto them all that whosoever of them all shall believe in this his Sonne shall not perish but have eternall life and hence it was that Jesus Christ himselfe sayd unto his Disciples Mat. 16.15 Goe and preach the Gospel to every creature under heaven that is goe and tell every man without exception that here is good news for him Christ is dead for him and if he will take him and accept of his righteousnesse hee shall have him Therefore sayth a godly writer for as much as the holy Scripture speaketh to all in generall none of us ought to distrust himselfe but believe that it doth belong particularly to himselfe and to the end that this poynt wherein lyeth and consisteth the whole mystery of our holy faith may be understood the better let us pur the case that some good and holy King should cause a proclamation to bee made through his whole Kingdome by the sound of a Trumpet that all rebels and banished men shall safely return home to their houses because that at the suit and desart of some dear friend of theirs it hath pleased the King to pardon them certainly none of these rebels ought to doubt but that he shall obtain true pardon for his rebellion and so return home and live under the shadow of that gracious King even so our good King the Lord of Heaven and Earth hath for the obedience and desart of our good brother Jesus Christ pardoned us all our sinnes and made a Proclamation throughout the whole world that every one of us may safely returne to God in Jesus Christ wherefore I beseech you make no doubt of it but draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith Neo. O! but Sir in this similitude the case is not alike for when an earthly King sendeth forth such a Proclamation it may be thought that he doth indeed intend to pardon all but it cannot bee thought that the King of heaven doth so for doth not the Scripture say that some men are ordained before to condemnation and doth not Christ himselfe say that many are called but few are chosen and therefore it may be I am one of them that are ordained to condemnation and therefore though I be called I shall never be chosen and so shall not be saved Evan. I beseech you to consider that although some men bee ordayned to condemnation yet so long as the Lord hath concealed their names and not set a marke of reprobation upon any man in particular but offers the pardon generally to all without having any respect eyther to election or reprobation surely it is great folly in any man to say it may bee I am not elected and therefore shall not have benefit by it and therefore I will not accept of it nor come in for it should rather move every man to give diligence to make his calling and election sure by believing it for feare we come short of it according to that of the Apostle Let us therefore feare least a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of us should seeme to come short of it Wherefore I beseech you doe not you say it may bee I am not elected and therefore I will not believe in Christ but rather say I doe believe in Christ and therefore I am sure I am elected and check your own heart for medling with Gods secrets and prying into his hidden counsell and goe no more beyond your bounds as you have done in this point for election and reprobation is a secret and the Scriptures tels us That secret things belong unto God but those things that are revealed belong unto us Now this is Gods revealed will for indeed it is his expresse command That you should believe on the name of his Son and it is his promise that if you believe you shall not perish but have everlasting life Wherefore you having so good a warrant as GODS command and so good an encouragement as his promise doe your duty and by the doing thereof you may put it out of question and bee sure that you are one of Gods Elect Say then I beseech you with a firme faith the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ belongs to all that believe but I believe and
Christ will accept of me so as to justifie and save me Evan. Alas man in thus saying you doe seem to contradict and gainsay both the Apostle Paul and our Lord Jesus Christ himself and that against your owne soule For whereas the Apostle Paul saith That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and doth justifie the ungodly Why you seem to hold do in effect say that Christ Jesus came into the world to save the righteous to justifie the godly and wheras our Saviour sayth The whole need not the Physitian but the sick and that hee came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Why you seem to hold and do in effect say That the sick need not the Physitian but the whole and that he came not to call sinners but the righteous to repentance And indeed in so saying you seem to conceive that Christs Spouse must be purified washed and clensed from all her filthines adorned with a rich robe of righteousnesse before he wil accept of her whereas hee himselfe saith unto her As for thy nativity in the day that thou wast born thy navel was not cut neither wast thou washed with water to supple thee thou wast not swadled at all nor salted at all no eye pitied thee to doe any of these things unto thee but when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea and I sware unto thee and entred into covenant with thee and thou becamest mine And I will marry thee unto me for ever yea I will marry thee unto me in righteousnes and in judgment and in mercy and compassion Wherefore I beseech you revoke this your erroneous opinion and contradict the word of truth no longer but conclude for a certainty that it is not the righteous and godly man but the sinfull and ungodly man that Christ came to call justifie and save so that if you were a righteous and godly man you were neyther capable of Calling Justification or Salvation by Christ but being a sinfull and ungodly man I will say unto you as the people sayd unto blinde Bartime Be of good comfort arise he calleth you and will justifie and save you goe then unto him I beseech you and if he come and meet you by the way as his manner is then do not you unadvisedly say with Peter Depart from me for I am a sinfull man O Lord but say in plain terms O come unto me for I am a sinfull man O Lord yea go on further with your speech and say as Luther bids you Most gracious Jesu and sweet Christ I am a miserable poor sinner and therefore do judge my self unworthy of thy grace but yet I having learned from thy word that thy salvation belongeth to such a one therefore do I come unto thee to claime that right which through thy gracious promise belongeth unto me assure your selfe that Jesus Christ requires no portion with his spouse no verily he requires nothing with her but meere poverty the rich he sends empty away but the poore are by him enriched and indeed sayth Luther The more miserable sinfull and distressed a man doth feele himself and judge himself to be the more willing will Christ be to receive him and relieve him so that sayth he In judging thy self unworthy thou doest theredy become truly worthy and so indeed hast gotten a greater occasion of coming unto him Wherefore in the words of the Apostle I do exhort you and beseech you to come boldly unto the throne of grace that you may obtain mercie and finde grace to help in time of need Neo. But truly Sir my heart doth as it were even tremble within mee to thinke of comming unto Christ after such a manner and surely Sir if I should come so boldly to Christ and speake after such a manner it would be but pride and presumption in mee Evan. Indeed if you should be incouraged to come to Christ and speak thus unto him because of any godlinesse righteousnesse or worthinesse that you conceive to be in you that were proud presumption indeed but for you to come to Christ by believing that hee will accept of you justifie and save you freely by his grace according to his own gracious promise this is no proud presumption at all for Christ having tendred it and offered it unto you freely believe it man it is neyther pride nor presumption but true humility of heart to take what Christ offereth you Nom. But by your favour Sir I pray you give mee leave to speake a word by the way I know my Neighbour Neophytus it may be better then you do yet do I not intend to charge him with any sin otherways then by way of supposition as thus Suppose hee hath been guilty of the committing of grosse and grievous sins will Christ accept of him and justifie and save him for all that Evan. Yea indeed for there is no limitation of Gods grace in Jesus Christ except the sin against the holy Ghost Christ stands at the doore and knocks and if any cruell murdering Manasses or any persecuting and blaspheming Saul or any adulterous Magdalen will open unto him he will come in and bring comfort with him and will sup with him seeke from one end of the Heavens to the other sayth Evangelicall Hooker turne all the Bible over and see if the words of Christ be not true him that commeth unto me I will in no wise cast out Nom. Why then Sir it seems you hold that the vilest sinner in the world ought not to be discouraged from believing in Christ because of his sins Evan. Surely if Christ came into the world to seek and call and save sinners and to justifie the ungodly as you have heard and if the more sinfull miserable and distressed a man doth judge himself to be the more willing Christ is to receive him and relieve him then I see no reason why the vilest sinner should be discouraged from believing on the name of Christ because of his sins nay let me say more the greater any mans sins are eyther in number or nature the more hast hee should make to come unto Christ and to say with David for thy name sake ô Lord pardon mine iniquitie for it is great Ant. Surely Sir if my friend Neophytus did rightly consider these things and were assuredly perswaded of the truth of them me thinks hee should not be so backward from comming unto Christ by believing on his name as he is for if the greatnesse of his sins should be so far from hindring his coming to Christ that they should further it then I know not what should hinder him Evan. You speak very truly indeed and therefore I beseech you Neighbour Neophytus consider seriously of it and let neither Satan the accuser of the brethren nor
justified by faith it is a very needless thing for him to endevour to keep the law and to do good works Evan. I remember Luther sayth that in his time there were some that did reason after the like manner if faith say they do accomplish all things and if faith be onely and alone sufficient unto righteousnesse to what end then are wee commanded to doe good deeds we may go play us then and work no working at all to whom hee makes an answer saying not so ye ungodly not so And there were others that said If the law do not justifie then is it in vaine and of none effect yet is it not therefore true saith he for like as this consequence is nothing worth money doth not justifie or make a man righteous therefore it is unprofitable the eyes doe not justifie therefore they must be plucked out the hands make not a man righteous therefore they must be cut off so is this nought also the law doth not justifie therefore it is unprofitable we do not therefore destroy and condemne the law because wee say it doth not justifie but we say with Paul the law is good if a man do rightly use it and that this is a faithfull saying That they which have believed in God might be carefull to mayntaine good works these things are good and profitable unto men Neo. Truly Sir for mine own part I do much marvell that this my friend Antinomista should be so confident of his faith in Christ and yet so little regard holinesse of life and keeping of Christs commandements as it seemes hee doth for I give the Lord thanks I doe now in some small measure believe that I am by Christ freely and fully justified and acquitted from all my sins and therefore have no need eyther to eschew evill or do good for feare of punishment or hope of reward and yet me thinks I finde my heart more willing and desirous to doe what the Lord commands and to avoid what hee forbids then ever it was before I did thus believe surely Sir I doe perceive that faith in Christ is no hinderance to holinesse of life as I once thought it was Evan. Neighbour Neophytus if our friend Antinomista do content himself with a meere Gospell knowledge in a notionary way and have run out to fetch in notions from Christ and yet is not fetcht in by the power of Christ let us pitty him pray for him and in the mean time I pray you know that true faith in Christ is so far from being a hinderance from holinesse of life and good works that it is the onely furtherance for onely by faith in Christ a man is enabled to exercise all Christian graces a-right and to performe all Christian duties a-right which before he could not As for example before a man believe Gods love to him in Christ though he may have a kind of love to God as he is his creatour and preserver and gives him many good things for this present life yet if God do but open his eyes to see what condition his soul is in that is if he do but let him see that relation that is betwixt God and him according to the tenour of the conant of works then he conceives of him as an angry Judge armed with justice against him and must be pacified by the works of the law whereunto he finds his nature opposite and contrary and therefore hee hates both God and his law and doth secretly wish and desire there were neyther God nor law and though God should now give unto him never so many temporall blessings yet could hee not love him for what malefactour could love that Judge or his law from whom he expects the sentence of condemnation though he should feast him at his table with never so many dainties But after that the kindnesse and love of God his Saviour hath appeared not by works of righteousnesse that he hath done but according to his mercy hee saved him that is when as by the eye of faith he sees himselfe to stand in relation to God according to the tenour of the covenant of grace then he conceives of God as a most mercifull and loving Father to him in Christ that hath freely pardoned â—nd forgiven him all his sins and quite released him from the covenant of works and by this means the love of God is shed abroad in his hart through the Holy Ghost which is given to him and then he loves God because he first loved him for as a man seeth and feeleth by faith the love and favour of God towards him in Christ his Son so doth he love again both God and his law and indeed it is impossible for any man to love God till by faith hee know himself loved of God Secondly though a man before he believe Gods love to him in Christ may have a great measure of legall humiliation compunction sorrow and griefe and be brought down as it were to the very gate of hell and feele the very flashings of hell fire in his conscience for his sins yet is it not because hee hath thereby offended God but rather because he hath thereby offended himself that is because hee hath thereby brought himselfe into the danger of eternal death and condemnation but when once he believes the love of God to him in Christ in pardoning his iniquity and passing by his transgression then he sorrows grieves for the offence of God by the sin reasoning thus with himselfe and is it so indeed hath the Lord given his own Sonne to death for me who hath been such a vile sinfull wretch and hath Christ borne all my sins and was hee wounded for my transgressions ô then the working of his bowels the stirring of his affections the melting and relenting of his repenting heart then he remembers his own evill ways and his doings that were not good and loaths himselfe in his own eyes for all his abominations and looking upon Christ whom he hath pierced he mournes bitterly for him as one mourneth for his onely sonne thus when faith hath bathed a mans heart in the bloud of Christ it is so mollified that it quickly dissolues into the teares of godly sorrow so that if Christ doe but turn and look upon him ô then with Peter hee goes out and weeps bitterly and this is true gospel mourning and this is right evangelicall repenting Thirdly Though before a man doe truly believe in Christ he may so reforme his life and amend his ways that as touching the righteousnesse which is of the Law he may be with the Apostle blamelesse yet being under the covenant of works all the obedience that he yields to the Law all his leaving of sin and performance of duties all his avoyding of what the law forbids and all his doing of what the law commands is begotten by the law of works of Hagar the bond-woman by the force of self-love
and so indeed they are the fruit and works of a bond-servant that is moved and constrained to doe all that heâ— doth for fear of punishment and hope of reward For saith Luther The Law given on mount Sinai which the Arabians call Agar begeteth none but servants and so indeed all that such a man doth is but hypocrisie for he pretends the serving of God whereas indeed hee intends the serving of himselfe and how can hee doe otherwise for whilst he wants faith he wants all things He is an empty vine and therefore must needs bring forth fruit unto himselfe till a man bee served himselfe he will not serve the Lord Christ nay whilst he wants faith he wants the love of Christ and therefore he lives not to Christ but to himselfe because he loved himselfe And hence surely we may conceive it is that Doctor Preston saith all that a man doth and not out of love is out of hypocrisie wheresoever love is not there is nothing but hypocrisie in such a mans heart But when a man through the hearing of faith receives the Spirit of Christ that spirit according to the measure of faith writes the lively law of love in his heart as Tindall sweetly sayth whereby hee is inabled to work freely and of his own accord without the coaction or compulsion of the Law for that love wherewith Christ or God in Christ hath loved him and which by faith is apprehended of him will constrain him to doe so according to that of the Apostle the love of Christ constraineth us that is it will make him to doe so whether he will or no hee cannot choose but doe it I tell you truly answerably as the love of Christ is shed abroad in the heart of any man it is such a strong impulsion that it carries him on to serve and please the Lord in all things according to the saying of an evangelicall man The will and affection of a believer according to the measure of faith and the spirit received sweetly quickens and bends to choose affect and delight in what ever was good and acceptable to God or man the Spirit freely and cheerfully moving and inclining him to keepe the law without feare of hell or hope of heaven for a christian man saith sweet Tindall worketh onely because it is the will of his Father for after that he is overcome with love and kindnesse he seeks to doe the will of God which indeed is a christian mans nature and what he doth hee doth it freely after the example of Christ as a naturall sonne aske him why he doth such a thing why sayth he It is the will of my Father and I doe it that I may please him for indeed love desireth no wages it is wages enough to it selfe it hath sweetnesse enough in it selfe it desires no addition it pays his own vvages and therefore it is the true childe like obedience being begoten by faith of Saraah the free-woman by the force of Gods love and so it is indeed the onely true and syncere obedience for sayth Doctor Preston to doe a thing in love is to doe it in syncerity and indeed there is no other defâ—inition of syncerity that is the best way to know it by Evan. But stay Sir I pray you would you not have believers to eschew evill and doe good for feare of hell or hope of heaven Evan. No indeed I would not have any believer to doe either the one or the other for so far forth as they doe so their obedience is but slavish and therefore though when they were first awaked convinced of their misery and set foot forward to goe on in the way of life they with the prodigall would be hired servants yet when by the eye of faith they see the mercie and indulgence of their heavenly Father in Christ running to meete them and embrace them I would have them with him to talke no more of being hired servants I would have them so to wrastle against doubting and so to exercise their faith as to believe that they are by Christ delivered from the hands of all their â—nemies both the Law sin wrath death â—he devill and hell that they may serve the Lord without feare in holinesse and righteâ—usnesse all the dayes of their lives I would â—ave them so to believe Gods love to them â— Christ as that thereby they may be conâ—trained to obedience Nom. But Sir you know that our Saâ—iour sayth Feare him that is able to destroy â—oth soule and body in hell And the Apostle â—yth We shall receive of the Lord the reward 〈◊〉 the inheritance is it not sayd that Moses â—ad respect unto the recompence of reward Evan. Surely the intent of our blessed â—aviour in that first Scripture is to teach all â—elievers that when God commands one 〈◊〉 and man another they should obey â—od and not man rather then to exhort â—â—em to eschew evill for feare of Hell And as for those other Scriptures by you alâ—â—aged if you mean reward and the means 〈◊〉 obtayn that reward in the Scripture sense 〈◊〉 it is another matter but I had thought 〈◊〉 had meant in our common sense and not 〈◊〉 the Scripture sense Nom. Why Sir I pray you what diffeâ—â—nce is there betwixt reward and the means to obteyn the reward in our common sense and in the Scripture sence Evan. Why reward in our common sence is that which is conceived to come from God or to be given by God which is a fancying of Heaven under carnall notions beholding it as a place where there is freedome from all misery and fulnesse of all pleasures and happinesse and to be obteyned by our own works and doings But reward in the Scripture sence is not so much that which comes from God or is given by God as that which lyes in God even the full fruition of God himselfe in Christ. I am sayth God to Abraham thy shield and thy exceeding great reward And whom have I in heaven but thee sayth David And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee and I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse And the means to obteyne this reward is not by doing but by believing even by drawing neere with a true heart in the full assurance of faith and so indeed it is given freely And therefore you are not to conceive of that reward which the Scripture speaks of as if it were the wages of a servant but as it is the inheritance of sons and when the Scripture seemeth to induce believers to obedience by promising this reward you are to conceive that the Lord speaketh to believers as a father doth to his young son doe this or that and then I will love thee whereas we know that the father loveth the sonne first and so doth God and therefore this is the voice of believers Wee love him because
he first loved us the Lord doth pay them or at least giveth them a sure earnest of their wages before hee bid them work and therefore the contest of a believer according to the measure of his faith is not what will God give mee but what shall I give God What shall I render unto the Lord for all his goodnesse for thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Nom. Then Sir it seems that holinesse of life and good workes are not the cause of eternall happines but onely the way thether Evan. Doe you not remember that our Lord Jesus himself sayth I am the way the truth and the life And doth not the Apostle say to the believing Colossians As ye have received Jesus Christ the Lord so walk in him that is As you have received him by faith so goe on in your faith and by his power walk in his Commandements so that good works as I conceive may rather be called a believers walking in the way to eternal happinesse then the way it self but however this wee may assuredly conclude that the summe and substance both of the way and walking in the way consist in the receiving of Jesus Christ by faith and in yielding obedience to his law according to the measure of that receiving Neo. Sir I am perswaded that through my neighbour Nomistas asking you these questions you have been interrupted in your discourse in shewing how faith doth enable a man to exercise his christian graces and performe his christian duties aright And therefore I pray you go on Evan. What should I say more for the time would fail me to tell how that according to the measure of any mans faith is his true peace of conscience for sayth the Apostle being justified by faith wee have peace with God yea sayth the Prophet Isaiah Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee here there is a sure and true grounded peace therfore it is of faith sayth the Apostle that it might be by grace and that the promise might be sure to all the seed and answerably to a mans believing that hee is justified fully by Gods grace through that redemption that is in Jesus Christ is his true humility of spirit so that although he be endued with excellent gifts and graces and though he performe never so many duties he denyes himselfe in all hee doth not make them as ladders for him to ascend up into Heaven by But desires to be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ he doth not think himselfe to be one step neerer to Heaven for all his works and performances and if hee heare any man prayse him for his gifts and graces hee will not conceit that he hath obteined the same by his own industry and pains taking as some men have proudly thought neyther will hee speak it out as some have done saying these gifts and graces have cost mee something I have taken much pains to obtain them but he sayth Not I but by the grace of God I am that I am and not I but the grace of God that was with me And if he behold an ignorant man or a wicked liver he will not call him carnall wretch or prophane fellow nor say stand by thy selfe come not neere to mee for I am holier then thou as some have said but he pitieth such a man and prays for him and in his heart he sayth concerning himself who maketh thee to differ And what hast thou that thou hast not received And thus I might goe on and shew you how according to any mans faith is his true joy in God and his true thankfulnesse to God and his patience in all troubles and afflictions and his contentednesse in any condition and his willingnesse to suffer and his cheerfulnesse in suffering and his contentednesse to part with any earthly thing yea according to any mans faith is his ability to pray aright to heare or read the Word of God aright to receive the Sacrament with profit and comfort and to do any duty either to God or man after a right manner and to a right end yea according to the measure of any mans faith is his love to Christ and so to man for Christs sake and so consequently his readinesse and willingnesse to forgive an injury yea to forgive an enemy and to doe good to them that hate him and the more faith any man hath the lesse love he hath to the world or the things that are in the world to conclude the greater any mans faith is the more fitter he is to die and the more willing he is to die Neo. Well Sir now I doe perceive that faith is a most excellent grace and happie is that man that hath a great measure of it Evan. The truth is faith is the chief grace that Christians are to be exhorted to get and exercise and therefore when the people asked our Lord Christ what they should doe to worke the worke of God he answered and said this is the work of God That ye believe on him whom he hath sent speaking as if there were no other duty at all required but onely believing for indeed to say as the thing is believing includeth all other duties in it and they spring all from it and therefore sayth one Preach Faith and preach all Whilst I bid man believe sayth learned Rollock I bid him doe all good things for sayth Doctor Preston truth of belief will bring forth truth of holinesse if a man believe works of sanctification will follow for faith draws after it inherent righteousnesse and sanctification wherefore sayth he if a man will goe about this great worke to change his life to get victory over any sin that it may not have dominion over him to have his conscience purged from dead works and to bee made partaker of the divine nature let him not goe about it as a morall man that is let him not consider what Commandements there are what the rectitude is which the Law requires and how to bring his heart to it but let him goe about it as a Christian that is let him believe the promise of pardon in the bloud of Christ and the very believing the promise will be able to cleanse his heart from dead works Neo. But I pray you Sir whence hath faith its power and vertue to doe all this Evan. Even from our Lord Jesus Christ for faith doth ingraft a man who is by nature a wild olive branch into Christ as into the naturall olive and fetcheth sap from the root Christ and thereby makes the tree bring forth fruit in its kind yea faith fetcheth a supernaturall efficacie from the death and life of Christ by vertue whereof it metamorphoseth the heart of a
be perswaded to it before this day nor indeed should not have been perswaded to it now had not you so plainly and fully handled this threefold law and truly Sir I doe now unfainedly desire to renounce my self and all that ever I have done and by faith to adhere onely to Jesus Christ for now I see that hee is all in all ô that the Lord would enable me so to do and I beseech you Sir pray for me Ant. And truly Sir I must needs confesse that I have erred as much on the other hand for I have been so far from seeking to be justified by the works of the law that I have neyther regarded law nor works but now I see mine errour I purpose God willing to reform it Evan. The Lord grant that you may but how do you neighbour Neophytus for me thinks you look very heavily Neo. Truly Sir I was thinking of that place of Scripture where the Apostle exhorts us to examine our selves whether we be in the faith or no whereby it seems to mee that a man may think he is in the faith when he is not therefore Sir I would gladly heare how I may be sure that I am in the faith Evan I would not have you to make any question of it since you have grounded your faith upon such a firme foundation as will never fail you for the promise of God in Christ is of a tried truth and never yet failed any man nor never will therefore I would have you to close with Christ in the promise without making any question whether you are in the faith or no for there is an assurance which ariseth from the exercise of faith by a direct act and that is when a man by faith directly layes hold upon Christ and concludes assurance from thence Neo. Sir I know that the foundation whereon I am to ground my faith remayneth sure and I think I have already built thereon but yet because I conceive a man may thinke hee hath done so when hee hath not therefore would I fain know how I may be assured that I have done so Eva. Wel now I understand you what you mean it seems you do not want a ground for your believing but for your believing that you have believed Neo. Yea indeed that is the thing I want Evan. Why the next way to finde out and know this is to looke backe and reflect upon your own heart consider what actions have passed through there for indeed this is the benefit that a reasonable soul hath that it is able to returne upon it selfe to see what it hath done which the soul of a beast cannot do Consider then I pray you whether the free and full promise of God in Christ hath not beene so cleered unto you that you had nothing to object why it did not belong particularly to you and whether you have not seen a readinesse and willingnesse in Christ to receive and embrace you as his beloved Spouse And whether you have not thereupon consented and resolved to take Christ and to give up yourselfe to him and whether you have not since that found in your heart a love to Christ and his law and a readinesse and willingnes to doe your duty to God as a childe to his father freely without feare of hell or hope of Heaven now tell me I pray you truly whether you have not found these things in you Neo. Yea indeed I hope I have in some measure Evan. Why then I may say with the Apostle John You are of the truth and may assure or perswade your heart before God Wherefore sayth Christ to you I say unto thee that thy many sins are forgiven thee for thou lovest much Ant. But Sir shall he not in so doing turne back from the Covenant of grace to the covenant of works and from Christ to himselfe Evan. Indeed if he should looke upon these things in himselfe and thereupon conclude that because he hath done thus God hath accepted of him and justified him and will save him and so make them the ground of his believing this were to turn back from the Covenant of grace to the Covenant of works and from Christ to himselfe But if he look upon these things in himselfe and thereupon conclude that because these things are in his heart Christ dwels there by faith and therefore he is accepted of God and justified and shall certainly be saved and so make them an evidence of his believing or the ground of his believing that he hath believed this is neither to turn back from the Covenant of grace to the Covenant of works nor from Christ to himselfe so that these things in his heart being the daughters of faith and the of-spring of Christ though they cannot at first produce or bring forth their mother yet may they in time of need nourish her Nom. But I pray you Sir are there not other things besides these that he sayth hee finds in himselfe that a man may looke upon as evidences of his believing or as you call them as grounds of his believing that hee hath believed Evan. Yea indeed besides these inward qualifications that are in the heart there are outward qualifications in the life as having respect unto all Christs Commandements which a man may look upon as an evidence provided that hee be sure it flow from those within Nom. But Sir how should a man know that Evan. The sure and best way to know this is for a man to examine himselfe whether he did first believe in Christ and then reforme his life and so made his faith the cause of the change of his life or whether he did first reforme his life and then believe and so made his reformation of life the cause of his faith if he be sure he did the former then may he be sure that his outward qualifications proceeded from his inward and so are right and true but if hee did the latter then may he be sure that they are wrong and false evidences Nom. Then truly Sir I have not as yet any right and true evidences of faith Evan. If you have not then as I tell you it is time to believe that so you may have them that are right and true Neo. But Sir I pray you let me ask you one question more touching this point and that is suppose that hereafter I should see no outward evidences and question whether I had ever any true inward evidences and so whether I did ever truly believe or no What must I do then Evan. Indeed it is possible you may come to such a condition and therefore you doe well to provide aforehand for it Now then if ever it shall please the Lord to give you over to such a condition first let mee warn you to take heed of forcing and constraining your selfe to yield obedience to Gods Commandements to the end you may so get an evidence of faith again or a ground to lay
wils and desires it in whom thou hast sayd thou art well pleased yea here is the person that hath paid the debt and discharged the bond for all my sins and therefore ô Lord now it standeth with thy justice to forgive me and thus if you doe why then you may bee assured that Christ executes his Priestly office in you Neo. I pray you Sir in the third place shew me how a man may know that Christ executes his kingly office in him Evan. Why so far forth as any man hears and knows That all prwer is given unto Christ both in heaven and in earth both to vanquish and overcome all the lusts and corruptions of believers and to write his law in their hearts hereupon takes occasion to goe unto Christ for the doing of both in him I say so far forth as he doth this why Christ executes his kingly office in him Neo. Why then Sir it seems that the place where Christ executes his kingly office is in the hearts of believers Evan. It is true indeed for Christs Kingdome is not temporall or secular over the naturall lives or civill negotiations of men but his Kingdome is spirituall and heavenly over the souls of men to awe and over-rule the hearts to captivate the affections to bring into obedience the thoughts and to subdue and pul down strong holds for when our father Adam transgressed he and we all of us forsooke God and chose the devill for ou◠lord king so that every mothers child of 〈◊〉 are by nature under the government of Satan and he rules over us till Christ come into our hearts and disposseseth him according to the saying of Christ himself Luk. 11.21 22. When a strong man armed keeps the Palace his goods are in peace that is sayth Calvin Satan holdeth them that are in subjection to him in such bonds and quiet possession that he rules over them without resistance But when Christ comes to dwell in any mans heart by faith according to the measure nf faith hee dispossesseth him seats himself in the heart and roots out and puls down all that withstands his government there and as a valiant Captain he stands upon his guard enables the soule to gather together all its forces and powers to resist and withstand all its and his enemies and to set it selfe in good earnest against them when they at any time offer to return again and he doth especially enable the soule to resist and set it selfe against the principall enemie even that which doth most oppose Christ in his government so that whatsoever lust or corruption is in a believers heart or soule as most predominant CHRIST doth inable him to take that into his minde and to have most revengefull thoughts against it and to make complaints to him against it and to desire power and strength from him against it and all because it most withstands the government of Christ and is the rankest traitor to Christ so that hee useth all the means he can to bring it before the judgement seat of Christ and there hee calls for justice against it saying O Lord Jesus Christ here is a rebell and a traitor that doth withstand thy government in me wherfore I pray thee come and execute thy Kingly office in me and subdue it yea vanquish and overcome it whereupon Christ gives the same answer that he did to the Centurion goe thy way and as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee And as Christ doth thus suppresse all other governours but himselfe in the heart of a believer so doth he race out and deface all other laws and writes his own there according to his promise Jer. 31.33 and makes them plyable and willing to doe and suffer his will and that because it is his will so that the minde and will of Christ laid down in his Word and manifested in his Works is not onely the rule of a believers obedience but also the reason of it As I once heard a godly Minister say in the Pulpit So that he doth not onely doe that which is Christs will but he doth it because it is his will O that man which hath the law of Christ written in his heart according to the measure of it he reads he hears he prayes and receives the Sacrament and doth all the duties required in the first table of the Law and that because he knows it is the minde and will of Christ he should doe so yea he doth not onely doe the duty of the first table but of the second also by vertue of Christs command ô that husband parent master or Magistrate that hath the Law of Christ written in his heart hee doth his duty to his wife childe servant and subject and that because Christ commands it and so that wife childe servant or subject that hath the law of Christ written in their hearts doe their duties to their husband parent master or governour and that because Christ requires it And now when you finde these things in your heart why answerably you may conclude that Christ executes his kingly office in you Neo. Well Sir now I doe plainly see that it is no marvail though my heart hath been hitherto restlesse sith I have sought rest for it where it is not to be found Evan. My occasions doe now begin to call me away from you neverthelesse you having begun to speake of the hearts rest I shall by the Lords assistance now at our parting as a conclusion of this our discourse speake somwhat of the soules rest if you will be pleased to heare me Neo. Withall my heart Sir but first I would intreat you to tell me why you call the hearts rest the soules rest Evan. Because heart and soule are put oftentimes the one for the other for indeed the heart is the soules chare of state wherein it keeps it residencie But to come to the point I would intreat you to consider with me that when God at first gave man an elementish body he did also infuse into him an immortall soule of a spirituall substance and though he gave his soule a locall being in his body yet he gave it a spirituall wel-being in himselfe so that the soule was in the body by location and at rest in God by union and communication and this being of the soule in God at first was mans true being and his true happinesse now man falling from God God in his justice left man so that the actuall union and communion that the soule of man had with God at first is broken off God and mans soule are parted and it is in a restlesse condition howbeit the Lord having seated in mans soule a certain character of himselfe the soule is thereby made to re-aspire towards that summum bonum that chief good even God himselfe and can finde no rest no where till it come to him Nom. But stay Sir I pray you how can it be sayd that
mans soule doth re-aspire towards God the Creator when as it is evident that every mans soule naturally is bent towards the creature to seeke a rest there Evan. For answer hereunto I pray you consider that naturally mans understanding is dark and blinde and therefore is ignorant what his own soul doth desire and strongly aspire unto it knoweth indeed that there is a want in the soule but till it be enlightned it knoweth not what it is which the soule wanteth for indeed the case standeth with the soule as with a child new born which child by naturall instinct doth gape and cry for nutriment yea for such nutriment as may agree with it tender condition and if the nurse through negligence or ignorance eyther give it no meat at all or else such as it is not capable of receiving the childe refuseth it and still cryeth in strength of desire after the dug yet doth not the child in this estate know by any intellectuall power and understanding what it self desireth even so mans poore soule doth cry to God as for its proper nourishment but his understanding like a blind ignorant nurse not knowing what it cryeth for doth offer to the heart a creature instead of a Creatour thus by reason of the understanding together with the corruption of the will and disorder of the affections mans soule is kept by violence from its proper centre even God himselfe ô how many souls are there in the world that are hindred if not quite kept from rest in God by reason that their blinde understanding doth present unto their sensual appetites varieties of sensuall objects Is there not many a luxurious persons soule hindred if not quite kept from true rest in God by that beauty which nature hath placed in feminine faces especially when Satan doth secretly suggest into such feminine harts a desire of an artificiall dressing from the head to the foot yea and sometimes painting the face like their mother Jezabel And is there not many a voluptuous Epicures soule hindred if not quite kept from rest in God by beholding the colour and tasting the sweetnesse of dainty delicate dishes his wine red in the cup and his beer of amber colour in the glasse in the Scripture we read of a certain man that fared deliciously very day as if there had been no more but one so ill disposed but in our times there are certain hundreds both of men and women that do not only fare deliciously but voluptuously twice every day if no more And is there not many a proud persons soul hindered if not quite kept from rest in God by the harmonious sound of popular prayse which like a load-stone draweth the vain-glorious heart to hunt so much the more eagerly to augment the eccho of such vain windy reputation And is there not many a covetous persons soule hindred if not quite kept from rest in God by the cry of great abundance the words of wealth and the glory of gain And is there not many a musicall minde hindered if not quite kept from sweet comfort in God by the harmony of artificiall concord upon musicall instruments And how many perfumed fools are there in the world who by smelling their sweet apparell and their sweet nose-gayes are kept from souls sweetnesse in Christ. And thus doth Satan like a cunning fisher beat his hooke with a sensuall object to catch men with and having gotten it into their jaws he draweth them up and down in their sensuall contentments till hee hath so drowned them therein that the peace and rest of their souls in God be almost forgotten and hence it is that the greatest part of mans life and in many their whole life is spent in seeking satisfaction to the sensuall appetite Nom. Indeed Sir this which you have sayd we may see truly verified in many men who spend their days about these vanities and will afford no time for religious exercises no not upon the Lords day by their good will Neo. You say the truth and yet let mee tell you withall that a man by the power of naturall conscience may bee forced to confesse that his hopes of happinesse are in God alone and not in these things yea and to forsake profits and pleasures and all sensuall objects as unable to give his soule any true contentment and fall to the performance of religious exercises and yet rest there and never come to God for rest and if we consider it either in the rude multitude of sensuall livers or in the more seemingly religious we shall perceive that the religious exercises of men doe strongly deceive and strangely delude many men of their hearts happinesse in God For the first sort though they be such as make their belly their best God and doe no Sacrifice but to Bacchus Apollo or Venus though their conscience doe accuse them that these things are nought yet in that they have the name of Christians put upon them in their baptisme and for as much as they doe often repeat the Lords Prayer the Apostles Creed and the ten Commandements and in that it may be they have lately accustomed themselves to goe to Church to heare divine service and a preaching now and then and in that they have divers times received the Sacrament they will not be perswaded but that God is well pleased with them and a man may as well perswade them that they are not men and women as that they are not in a good condition And for the second sort that ordinarily have more humane wisdome and humane learning then the former sort and seeme to bee more holy and devout then the former sort of sensuall ignorant people yet how many are there of this sort that never passe farther then the outward court of bodily performances feeding and feasting themselves as men in a dreame supposing themselves to have all things and yet indeed have nothing but onely a bladder full or rather a brainfull of winde and worldly conceptions Are there not some who give themselves to a more speciall searching and seeking out for knowledge in Scripture learnednesse and Clerklike skill in this Art and that Language till they come to bee able to repeate all the historicall places in the Bible yea◠and all those texts of Scripture that they conceive doe make for some private opinion of theirs concerning Ceremonies Church-government or other such circumstantiall points of Religion touching which points they are very able to reason and dispute and to put forth such curious questions as are not easily answered Are not some of these men called Sect-makers and begetters or devisers of new opinions in Religion especially in the matter of worshiping God as they use to call it wherein they finde a beginning but hardly any end for this religious knowledge is so variable through the multiplicity of curious wits and contentious Spirits that the life of man way seeme too short to take a full view of this variety for though all Sects say