he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Mark here I know in whom I have believed there is the act of faith I have believed in him he expounds himself there he means I have commited my self to him all I have all I am this was the act of justification and intitling him unto him but now saith he I know this this is an act of assurance whereby he reflects upon himself that God was his God and intended to save him but this was not the thing that justified him No I believe on him and committed my self unto him and I know this this act is but the knowledge of a mans justifying faith and not the thing it self For the use of the point here First we see that it is no absurdity to say that true justifying faith is in the heart as well as in the minde many good Divines as Master Perkins say that faith is only in the minde and this is the opinion of the Papists also the reason why good Divines say so is because they do make faith to be the full perswasion of a man that God hath intended Christ to him particularly but this is not an act of a justifying faith but comes after it it is a consequent of it The reason why the Papists say so is this because they hold that a justifying faith is nothing else but a firme assent of the minde to the general promises of the Gospel and in particular the promise of the forgivenesse of sinnes in and through the Lord Jesus Christ generally taken they say this is a true faith now when we say this may be a dead faith 't is true say they therefore a man is quickened and enlivened by charity and good works so that this faith and good works will justifie a man but this is Antichristian leaven but I say that true justifying faith is not in the mind only but in the heart also Object But you will say is it not absur'd that one grace should be in two powers of the soul that it should stand stradling like a colosse with one foot in the minde and another in the heart Answ 1. I answer it is but a conceit for ought we know we can have no Answ 1 firme ground for it that the understanding and will are two several powers of the soul really and distinct many good Divines both Protestants and Papists deny it as Scaliger and others But they are two several offices of one and the self-same soul the self-same soul able to understand is called the understanding and the self-same soul able to will is called the will the self-same soul is able to understand and will 2. But suppose that the understanding and the will were really different one from another yet I say it is not properly to be said that faith is either in the understanding or in the will but it is properly in the soul of a man the reason is because faith is an act of the new nature a believer is born of God 1 Joh. 5.1 and regeneration or the new nature is not in the understanding or will only but the whole soul is regenerate the very soul hath a new nature I do not remember that Aquinas speaks of regeneration but only in this place and he saith that regeneration is in the soul and the soul is regenerated not as though the substance of the soul were altered but this new nature is as deeply rooted in the soul as the understanding and will it self as it is with the old nature in a man unconverted this old nature moves the understanding to think of worldly things and savour them and moves the will and affections to love worldly things and go after them the old nature moves both minde and will to go this way the old nature is the inclination of a man to the world to the creature to the things of this life now when the new nature comes in and a man is renewed this new nature inclines the minde to minde Jesus Christ and inclines the will to affect Jesus Christ and moves all the soul to go that way so that the very soul is renewed and faith is as deeply rooted in the soul as any thing else Nay as low as the very faculties themselves in some sence for it reacheth so far forth as to move them after Christ and this faith puts forth the mind to assent to the truths of the Gospel and puts forth the will to relie upon Christ Thirdly the Scripture plainly seates faith in the heart as well as in the minde Rom. 10.10 With the heart a man believeth unto righteousnesse neither may a man say that the heart is put for the whole soul of a man it is not put for the will the text plainly shewes he meanes the will because the Apostle puts the believing with the heart to distinguish this faith from all other to exclude hypocrisie and all counterfeit faith for an hypocrite may confesse with his tongue he may have braine faith and notional faith so much as to work upon the outward man but with the heart a man believeth unto righteousnesse if it be a sincere cordial faith as he notionally believes these truths so his heart runnes after them and is set upon them and this is unto righteousnesse so when the Ennuch had asked Philip for baptisme I am a believer and what lets but I may be baptized saith he if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest As who should say thou saiest thou art a believer but take heed do not deceive thy soul may be thou hast an intellectual faith but is it an heart faith Nay thou maiest have some kinde of cordial faith a temporary faith but doest thou believe with all thine heart Doest thou place all thine heart upon Christ Doest thou place all thy ends and aimes upon Christ Doest thou so reach thy self forth to Christ that in all things Christ have the preheminence Doest thou wholly resigne thy self up unto Christ minde and heart and all that is in thee If thou believest with all thine heart I dare be bold to baptize thee and seale thee up unto eternal life so that the Scripture makes faith to be not only an assent of the mind but an affiance of the heart in Christ Fourthly it is no absurdity to say that faith is in the heart and in severall powers of the soul because faith is such a thing as must purifie the whole man and all the powers of the soul it justifies and sanctifies the whole man it is faith that reneweth the whole man therefore no wonder it is such a thing that the whole man must put forth it self in it is like leaven Matth. 13.33 That leaveneth the whole lump so faith is such a thing that he which hath it purifieth himself himself is the agent all himself is the patient all himself is set to strive against sin and to please God and to draw the whole
Dir. 1 Look to the power of God 2 To the freeness indifferency universality of the promises 3 Send often unto God by prayer John 6.45 Doct. When God calls the soul he makes it hear a particular voice p. 60 Reas 1 Else no man could come to Christ p. 61 2 That we may have a ground for our faith Qu. Why is this act attributed to the Father Ans 1 Not as though Christ did not speak p 62. 2 Not as though we should set up a conceited distinction of works in the Trinity p. 63 Qu. What is this voice of the Father Ans Neg. Not distinct from the word preached Aff. 1 It consists in the opening a mans senses 2 In taking away a mans lameness 64 Called a voice 1 Because joyned to the Word 2 Because it hath a similitude of a voice Qu How may we know whether the soul hath heard this voice p. 63 Ans 1 There is a power goes along with this word 2 This voice makes a man hear more then any creature can speak 3 It is the irrefragable propounding of the promise 66 The second act of faith which is the believing that in Jesus Christ he shall have eternal life 67 To distinguish 1 A natural man may believe the power of God 67 2 An unrooted confidence of the will ibid. 3 Presumptious confidence p. 68 2 Confidence of the godly ibid. 1 In special perswasion of Gods love ibid. 2 A constant expectation ibid. Confidence in Christ for life and salvation is justifying faith p. 68 Arg. 1 From the several expressions of faith in Scripture 1 Trusting 2 Relying 3 Staying on God 4 Rolling ones self on God 5 Adhering 6 Believing on God p. 70 Arg. 2 From the offer of Christ Arg. 3 Because faith is a coming to Christ p. 71 Arg. 4 Because the Doctrine of justifying faith is no proposition but Christ himself p. 72 Arg. 5 Because true faith is faith of union p. 73 Use 1 No absurdity to say faith is in the heart as well as in the mind 75 Use 2 A believer may not be sure in regard of sense True faith may be without sense and feeling Arg. 1 The event is not the object of justifying faith p. 77 Arg. 2 The event is conditional till a man believes p. 78 Arg. 3. 4. p. 79 Arg. 5. Not the truth but the strength of faith apprehends the event p. 80 Doct. It is faith that makes a man obey the call of God p. 83 Reas 1 Because faith seeth Gods purity and mercy to be inseperable attributes p. 83 Reas 2 Because faith looks on Christ not only as a Saviour but as a Lord p. 84. Reas 3 Because faith cleaveth the heart to the commandements as well as to the promises p. 85 Reas 4 Because faith looks for a fitness for heaven as well as a title to heaven p. 86 Reas 5 Is eminently all that a man is to do p. 87 Qu. How doth faith make a man obey p. 88 Ans 1 By setting before a man his corruptions 2 By carrying a man to God p. 89 3 By making a man improve all his abilities p. 89 4 By making a man relie on Christ p. 90 Qu. How doth faith fetch power from Christ p. 90 Ans 1 As an instrument 2 In a moral way Use 1 See what little faith is in the world p. 93 Use 2 Of examination of our obedience 1 It is willing p. 94 2 Works resignation to God 3 It puts forth all a mans strength in God p. 95 Use 1. To condemn security 42 2 to reprove the neglect of it in the godly 3 to direct how to walk Dir. 1. Count watchfulness your life 43 2 Watch universally 3 Proportion it to the duty in hand 4 Take heed of hindrances 1 Vain company 2 spiritual drunkenness 5 Set God before your eyes 44 Use 4. To exhort to watchfulness Mot. 1. Otherwise it will be ill with us at last 2 Our soules are sickly 3 We are already awakned 45 4 The badnesse of the times places families we live in The New birth John 3.6 Doct. The Spirit of God regenerates all the Saints 47 Qu. 1. What is regeneration 48 Ans 1. A renewing of a man 2 A renewing of the whole man 49 3 It is done by degrees 4 It is according to Gods Image 50 5 It is Gods Image in Christ Jesus Qu. 2 Why called Regeneration 51 Ans 1. To shew the great corruption of nature 2 Because great resemblance with generation 1 In both there is a father 2 In both there is a mother 3 A shaping in the Womb before life 4 Pain in bringing forth 5 A new being attained 6 New kindred gotten 52 Qu. 3 Wherein doth it consist 53 An. 1 There is a passive receiving of Christ 2 An active power to become Sons of God Qu. 4. Why doth the Spirit work regeneration 54 Ans 1 It is the good pleasure of God 2 No other agent can doe it 3 Man of himself is totally against it 55 Qu. 5 How doth the Spirit work regeneration Ans 1 By the Word of life 56 2 By a secret supernatual power Use 1 To confute Papists Pelagians c. 2 To inform of our need of the spirit 57 3 To exhort 1 Not to grieve the spirit 2 To doe any thing for God 3 To pray for the spirit Use 4 For examination whether we be regenerated 58 Signe 1 When doing good is natural 2 When heart is a good soyl for graee 59 3 When a man cannot live in sin 4 When it is pleasant to do Gods will 60 5 When grace gets the upper hand 6 When a man loves the children of God 7 When a man loves to profit others spiritually Christians ingrafting into Christ Qu. 1 What is Christs body into which men are ingrafted 62 Ans 1 It is the Church of God 2 It is gathered out of all Nations 3 Predestinated unto life 63 4 Begotten again by the Word 5 Knit and combin'd to Christ Q 2 What is it to be put into this body 64 Ans 1 It is part of the ingrafting into Christ 2 It is done by faith 3 It makes us have a common life with all the rest of Christs members 65 4 It makes a man be of one consent with all the people of God everywhere 5 Is for mutual help care and sympathy 66 Qu. 3 Why doth the spirit of God doe this 67 Ans 1 None else is able to doe it 2 None else fit Qu. 4 How doth the spirit doe this Ans 1 By being one and the same spirit in all the members of Christ 2 By tying a knot between these members Use 1 Informs that the want of the spirit is the reason of the difference of men in the World 68 2 Let none put asunder whom the spirit joyns 3 Try our acquaintance hereby 4 Stir up Sympathy 69 Qu. 5 How shall we sympathize with Christs members Ans 1 By informing our selves concerning one another 2 By visiting
be little enough to assure the soul of Gods favour and that he can and will pardon such transgressors therefore I say look upon this doctrine it is for those that are dejected with their dead hearts that they may yet receive some comfort to their souls The last day I shewed you how far forth a child of God might be dead but some may say I cannot believe a child of God may come to this and thou art confident thou shall not come to this therefore I will speak a little further of it And first Let me tell you there is not the fowlest haynousest abominablest the most notorious scandalous sin in the world but the most devout godly mortified man upon the face of the earth may fall into it if he take not heed except the sin against the holy Ghost I will instance in some particulars First For Idolatry gross Idolatry will you think that ever a child of God that believes in his name and is acquainted with his word and his goodness and mercy and his jealousie against this sin and iniquity should fall into it should fall down and worship a stock a stone a creature you will never believe it yet you shall see the wisest man that ever was and one that was beloved of God did fall into this sin in a great degree 1 Kings 11.4 Solomons wives drew his heart away from God they drew away his heart from God in an high degree and they did not nakedly draw away his heart from God but they drew his heart after other gods If a man should say I hope I shall never fall into this sin I say let us hope so still and go on in using the means if we be so confident let us take heed that none of us come to bowe to the creature let our own hating and abominating of it be a watch-word to us to take heed Secondly What say you to apostacy nay almost totall apostacy that a child of God should grow to be an apostate which of you would think it that he should come to curse and bann himself if ever he knew Jesus Christ or loved him or ever did countenance him yet you may see a child of God and a notable one too fell in this fashion Peter he did curse and ban himse lf that he never knew the man Mark 14.71 this is very far Thirdly What say you to persecution to persecute a man that is godly dost think that a man that hath the image of God in him that hath the knowledge of the Scripture that hath the fear of God before his eyes and a sympathy with all the Saints of God in the world that this man should ever persecute one that is godly and for his godliness too would you think this yet directly thus it is Asa a godly man for a fit as long as the time lasted when the Prophet reproved him for his sins and dealt roundly with him what was this but gracious dealing yet the man did not only not submit to the Prophets reproof but his very heart rose up against him and he cast him into prison he was a persecutor of him 2 Chro. 16.10 in one word what enormous flagitious sin in the world is there but a child of God if he look not to himself may actually fall into but the sin unto death Noah a Preacher of righteousness the holiest man upon the earth the world had not his fellow yet he fell to be once drunk David a man after Gods own heart a man of admirable experience a man that traded as far in mortification in holiness and righteousness and walking with God and acquaintance with him and his Laws and promises as ever any Saint in the Old Testament yet he fell into the sin of murther and adultery yea to make a man drunk and that otherwise a good man too one of the worthiest of all the Kingdom you see this is clear there is no sin so desperate the sin against the holy Ghost excepted but a child of God may fall into it therefore he had not need to be carnally confident Secondly When a child of God hath fallen thus into some fowl sin he may be much hardened wofully deaded and benummed and grow blockish and untoward to call upon God and go on in any of his waies become marvelously unfitted and indisposed to the use of Gods ordinances nay he may be grown to that pass that he should never rise up more but that for the infinite goodness of God that doth bring him again home and lift him up again by renewing his faith and his repentance you may see when Jehoshaphat had struck with Ahab and helped the ungodly and loved him that hated the Lord though he were smitten in the field and were like to have lost his life and saw what danger he was in for joyning with Ahab yet all this did not humble him the Lord sent after him by hue and cry rousing up his conscience by his Prophets if he had not done thus God knows how long he might have lain thus so David he found a deadness in all goodness when he had committed those foul sins he found no working of Gods blessed spirit his own spirit grew dull his own heart grew dead he was as if he had never known what grace meant create in me O Lord a new heart Psal 51.10 his sin was like to a sweeping rain that leaves nothing like to a consumption that wastes all it was even like a Thief that breaks into a mans ware-house in the night and a man knows not what he hath lost till he casts up his accounts and then he seeth he hath lost almost all his estate so it is with the best of Gods servants if they give way to sin contrary to evangelical obedience God knows what a Thief they let into their soul they know not what they have lost till God give them an heart to cast up their accounts and then they may see that they have lost almost all that they have who knows what God may do it is a fearful thing you see a child of God may not only fall into foul and fearful sins but he may lie in them Then Thirdly To go further when a child of God is come hither then you will say certainly this man must rise up again quickly grace will not let him lie dead 't is true God will not for ever let him lie dead but for how long he shall lie dead no man nor Angel can tell as the Church speaks concerning her misery there is never a Prophet never an ordinance of God all is gone to wrack and there is none among us can tell us how long Psal 74.9 so when a man hath fallen into sin and hath pulled distempers into his soul there is none among us can tell us how long 't is true Peter got up again within a few hours but David got not up again till after ten months and may
accounting this your principal and total and main good and accordingly affecting this these are the works of faith and if you have these works you may be quickned believe in the Lord Jesus Christ set your hearts upon him and seek after him and you shall have all manner of good even life it self The second meanes is a careful learning of the Word of God preached When the Corinthians were marvellously blocked up in their minds and hearts and were straightned in good things 2 Cor. 6 12. mark what the Apostle saith v. 11. Our mouth is open to you c. as who should say In our Ministery there is abundance of grace abundance of life and largenesse of heart abundance of gracious things all manner of good things we bring with us in our Ministery peace and comfort and hope and all the promises of God and all the rich treasures of Jesus Christ we come with our armes full you are not straightned here but you are straightned in your own bowels as who should say you may be enlarged sweetly by our Ministery we deliver unto you abundance of grace and mercy and abundance of supply all those deadnesses and lockings up of heart in you would be healed by the Ministery of the Word so may I say if your hearts are locked up certainly it is for not taking what the Word offers if you would come hungerly and greedily to the Word of God with an heart desirous to be edified and instructed and to apply what the Word speaks to your soules certainly you shall here meet with abundance of grace and life for the Word is the Word of life and the Ministery of the Word is the Ministery of the Spirit of God and life so that the deadness of all people is meerly from their own bowels you are not straightned in us saith the Apostle no in the Ministery of the Word is abundance of life The third meanes is A careful shunning of all those causes of deadness which we named formerly we must take heed of sin for if we give way to sinne it will dead the heart it will make a make a man shy of God and put a man to woful tasks and breed lothness to goe about duties it will make a man to have a guilty conscience and dead a man that way it will grieve the spirit of God and quench all the operations and sweet influences and gracious motions of the Spirit that the sweet livelinesse of his workings will be gone away if a man give way to sinne if he give way to the world or slackning in a godly course if a man give way to pride or vanity or any sin this will dead the heart a mans heart will presently be deaded if he give way to the Devil and to his temptations In particular you must take heed of niggardlinesse in Religion they that love quickning must labour for a frank and free spirit that will rather overdoe in Gods service then underdoe as long as a man hath a free heart he shall have a quickened heart therefore labour to preserve it doe as Philemon I know thou wilt doe more then I say Paul knew he had a free spirit that if he commanded him a little he would doe more he would rather overdoe then underdoe our Saviour Christ calls for this free spirit If a man take thy coat give him thy cloak also rather overdoe then underdoe in any good thing have a free heart if God bid thee pray pray three times five times a day rather then not often enough there be many duties that God doth not set down how often and how frequent and how long now labour for a free spirit rather do twice as much then underdo Again Take heed of lownesse of Religion of taking up a low and base and mean kinde of Religion that will not reach the Kingdome of God there is a low kinde of Christianity that wil not be able to attain to salvation a low faith that doth not make a man to have his conversation in heaven a low repentance that reacheth not to mortification a low profession of Religion that comes not to the power of Godliness Prov. 15.24 The way of life is above it is an high thing therefore take heed of low Religion for people think that any kinde of righteousness will serve turn if they have but a little Reformation and Religion they presently think this is godliness but let us take heed of this low Religion that will never do the deed Again We must take heed of want of Watchfulnesse we must set up a gracious and Christian watch in our hearts from day to day when the Lord had found fault with the Church of Sardis for being dead in the next words he bids them be watchful as who should say the want of this watchfulness and looking to your selves and having a care over your thoughts and affections lest you should be drawn aside the neglect of this is the cause of all deadness Again We must take heed of vanity as David saith Psal 119.37 Turn away â—â—ne eyes from beholding vanity and quicken me O Lord. Again We must take heed of covetousness for we shall never have any gracious work upon us if we give way of it Again We should take heed of slacking and abating private duties we should carefully call upon God every day in secret when there is no body by but God and our own souls if we finde backwardness to this duty know it comes from the Devil that would drown us in perdition if he could therefore we must resist him and goe about it for certainly otherwise we cannot be quickned Again We should take heed of slighting inward duties the holy ordinances of God in our bosoms holy meditations gracious strivings against corruptions when they arise setting the Lord before us seeking Gods presence in all places we must have a care we have gracious purposes and endeavours and strivings inwardly in our bosomes Lastly Let us take heed of contenting our selves with any pitch we have attained but still labour to grow in grace lest we fall short and never enter into Gods rest The next meanes is to be earnest with God to quicken our hearts to pray to God for his grace that God would be pleased to put life into us we should make Elijahs prayer that prayed to heaven for fire to come downe upon the sacrifice so pray earnestly to God to send down his celestial fire into thy heart to warm thee and heat thee and stir thee up to that which is good as the Church doth Psal 80.18 Quicken us and we will call c. Of all Petitions under heaven we should pray most of all for life next unto the glory of God and the salvation of our souls nay indeed as the very means for both we should pray that God would quicken us into all our prayers let us put in this Petition that God would quicken us evermore to have it as
thee any lively fear of his name any hatred of evil any love to goodness any longing and thirsting after righteousness any endeavour after eternal life any faith thou shouldst labour to strengthen these things that they may abound in thee and that they may be confirmed and established in thee that thou mayst be made unblameable against the coming of the Lord Jesus but this is not the meaning neither Secondly therefore There is a weakness of declining when a man hath been stronger and now hath abated of his strength and is grown weaker a strong man may grow into a consumption which may spend him away till he comes to be an Anatomy and so is grown weak so many Christians that have been stronger they are now grown weak they are grown into a consumption of graces they are grown to be an Anatomy to be nothing but even skin and bone they were wont to have more faith to apprehend a promise but now they have more doubting they could pray strongly but now they are faint and weak they were powerfull in every good duty but now they are down the wind they are like a Jack that wants wanding up they had need be wound up again they are grown more cholerick and peevish and pettish and have less strength over their corruptions and are made more ready to be drawn away Now such persons are exhorted to strengthen these things and the rather because they are but remainders you have had more grace and have let it die and decay therefore strengthen that which remains and is ready to die so that there are two parts of this Doctrine First That every man should be earnest and use all manner of holy meanes to strengthen himselfe 'T is true First it is every Ministers duty to labour to get strength into his people to strengthen their understanding and knowledge and judgement to strengthen them in the promises to hold forth Jesus Christ nakedly unto them to expound the free grace of God that they may be strong in faith So if a Minister sees they are weak to bear afflictions he should labour to support and bear them up and poure some spirit into them and enable them to bear So if he finde they are unable to bear temptations he should use all arguments to piece them up that they may stand against the wiles of the Devill a Minister hath his own strength given him of purpose to strengthen his brethren Isa 35.3 the Lord saith Strengthen the weak hands c. He would have Ministers call upon people to get strength and to use all means by preaching and teaching and exhortations to get some strength into his people it is a Ministers duty not only to gather Saints but to perfect the Saints whither should the people come but to the Minister to get strength in grace Secondly It is every neighbours duty to strengthen his neighbour Christians should strengthen one another in all manner of good duties as coals of fire doe warm and heat one another when they are together but if they are severed they will be dead so Christians when they meet together should labour to warm and heat and quicken one another Saint Paul writes to the Thessalonians to mark all the weak and feeble people among them and to strengthen the feeble-minded 1 Thes 5.14 But then thirdly Every man should doe this duty to himself to strengthen the good things that are in him we see all the world labours to be strong in outward things some to be strong in riches and wealth some to be strong at the Court and others to strengthen themselves in their friends and alliance as Abner laboured to be strong for the house of Saul for he knew he should be no body if that went down if a man have a case to defend he will make himselfe as strong as he can to defend himselfe if a man be to fight a battel he will make himselfe as strong as he can nay people will strengthen themselves in their wickedness Now if it be so then how much more should we labour to be strong in the grace of God If we have any good things given us of God we should strengthen them as Paul saith to the Corinthians when he saw they were babes still and were weak and never came to strength he calls upon them at last to strengthen themselves 1 Cor. 16.13 Reas 1 Because we can have no comfortable argument to our souls that we are true Christians except we get strength every true Christian is a very able man as Paul saith Phil. 4.13 I can doe all things through Christ that strengthneth me He was a strong man and able to doe great things what man of a thousand can be rich and not be proud and vain and let his heart follow after pleasures and the things of the world yet a true Christian can be rich and yet not be thus so what man almost can be poor and not be discontented and repine against God and take unlawfull courses yet a true Christian is able to be poor and yet not deny God nor distrust God nor fall a carking and caring so likewise a true Christian can have a peevish nature and yet not be peevish he can have as crabbed a disposition as any body else and yet not be crabbed he can have as vile a cursed nature as any man under heaven and yet have a good disposition he is able to doe all things as Job saith Job 9.19 If you talk of strength God is strong So it is with a childe of God that hath the image of God in him if you talk of strength he is strong a man cannot have any true argument to his soul that he is a true Christian unless he be strengthened to doe the things of God unless he be lifted up of God to doe supernaturall things a true Christian is no weakling a man saith I cannot doe thus and thus it is my weakness then thou canst not say thou art a true Christian for a true Christian is an able man a mighty man nay all the graces of Gods spirit are strong that if a man hath any degree of them he may doe wonders with them 1 John 5.4 This is our victory that over cometh the world even our faith He doth not say great faith but our faith a little faith though but as a grain of mustard seed is able to overcome the world a true Christian can overcome sin and the world and the Devil and whatsoever is contray to him a natural man may believe in some sense but he can nothing with his faith it is not of the right stamp but a true Christian he can doe wonders with his faith he can draw neer to God and cry Abba Father he is able to purifie his own heart all things are possible to him that believeth it is a powerful thing Jacob had power with God saith the Text he is able to set himself against every lust and goe
that though they be in the captivity of sinne and Satan yet they are prisoners of hope and the Lord gives some hope that the prison doores shall be opened and this we have here in the text for though the Apostle means here by hope the things hoped for yet we call it hope because as soone as ever they dawn in the soul they breed hope if they be the servants of God so that this Gospel breeds hope in a mans bosom Now here be five things I would shew unto you First what this hope is Secondly how it agreeth with that hope that follows justifying faith Thirdly how it disagrees with it Fourthly the Reasons of the point And fifthly the Uses For the first what this hope is and it is an hope that ariseth out of the faith of possibility when the Lord lets in a possibility of faith and makes the soul believe that his sinnes may be forgiven and he may attaine everlasting life and he may come to be a Saint and one of Gods dear and faithful children he lets in such a possibility into the heart and this hope flows out of this faith of possibility and this faith of possibility is another-gesse thing then people take it for every drunkard will say he beleeves that it is possible to be saved and to finde mercy with God but you will finde it is a greater matter then so it is spoken as a great commendation of Abraham that he did beleeve that God was able to raise up his sonne Isaac Heb. 11.19 so our Saviour Christ speaking to the blinde man asks him this question do you believe that I am able to do this for you Mat. 9.23 it was a great matter for him to believe that he was able to do this for him Sarah though an excellent woman for faith otherwise yet she stuck mightily here and thought it was impossible for her to have a childe nay Moses as faithful a man as he was he could not believe that all the people could be fed in the wildernesse it is a greater matter then you think for for every sinful wretch thinks it is an easie matter to believe that Christ died for sinners and that they may be saved it is an easie matter for the faith of presumption but if a mans eyes be opened and his conscience awakened and he comes to have a sight of his sins now Cain will say his sinnes are greater then can be forgiven and Judas is not able to flie unto Christ to believe a possibility of pardon but goes and hangs himself and despairs totally of the businesse this faith of possibility it comes within the compasse of a definition of faith it is the evidence of things not seen it is far above our nature and flesh blood cannot reveal it that there is salvation in Christ and that there is such a thing as a pardon to be had at Gods hands let a man have his understanding enlightned to see what a wretch he is and how fearfully he hath provoked Gods wrath against him and it is not in his power to beleeve that there is a possibility for him to finde mercy or any hope of pardon it cannot be attained to without the work of God a weak shelfe is able to hold when a man lays but a book upon it but if a man lay a great weight upon a weak shelf it will break under it so it is with the faith of men when there is no weight laid upon it the burthen of the Lord is not laid upon them then they may think it is an easie matter to have salvation and their sinnes pardoned but if this weight should be laid upon them their faith would burst unlesse the Lord should be pleased to put in a better faith then this it is not in a mans power to look beyond the power of justice for a man to beleeve that there is mercy in God contrary to the sentence of his own Law and contrary to the sense and feeling of a mans own soul and therefore when the Lord is pleased effectually to call a man though he lay a bleeding bleeding before in the sight and sense of his misery he opens a door of hope to the soul he lets in a light of possibility that he may yet come to be quickened and be a new creature and obtaine mercy at the hands of the Lord as the Lord dealt with his people Hos 2.14 there saith the text I will give them the valley of Achor for the door of hope so when the Lord doth cast a man into the valley of Achor of stoning and astonishment then he opens a door of hope that he may look in and see at a crevis some hope for him to speed though yet I have an hard heart yet such a thing may be if I come to Christ I see God may afford mercy to whom he will and hath propounded it to every man that will have it therefore I may have mercy the Lord begins to stir and move the heart and now the soul begins to have a door of hope you see then what this hope is it is such a thing as flowes from the faith of possibility I do not say that it is a justifying faith but it is the forerunner of it to make way for it The second thing is how this hope agrees with that which proceeds from a justifying faith I answer it agrees in five things First both are of God all the hope a creature hath if it be a true hope it is of God therefore the Apostle saith the God of all hope c. Rom. 15.13 God is the God of all hope I do not say that all hope absolutely is of God for the vaine hope of wicked men is of the Devil and is not of God but I speak of a true hope and courage that the soul gets to seek God in his wayes and fear him Secondly they are both wrought by the Gospel Rom. 15.4 All things were written for our learning saith the Apostle that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Thus it is with a believer though he hath nothing in present possession though he be persecuted and afflicted and forsaken in the world though he hath never so many miseries here below yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what promises God hath made he comes to have some hope it is thus with a man that is not yet a believer but is in the way to be a believer the Lord works with him this way though he see himself a miserable and wretched sinner and undone man cast off and there is no hope in himself yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what a gracious tender of mercy there is to any man that will have mercy it is not the wretchednesse of a mans heart that casts him off but the not coming to Christ and receiving of him that damnes him for the fountaine of mercy is
great and convincing manner it speaks in a prevailing manner it speaks over and above all it speaks in a ravishing manner it makes the soule see a cornucopia of all good an abundant treasury of all mercy in the ways of God and in the promises of the Gospel it makes a man see that whatsoever the heart can wish and desire that is good it is there to be had and no where else to be attained it speaks in an uncontroulable manner to the soul that the soul can stand out no longer but must come off JOHN 6.35 He that cometh unto me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst WE have finished the first part of Effectual Calling and now we come to the second Namely the answer to this Call for this is the difference between effectual calling and that which is not effectual the one makes a man come and the other doth not now this coming is by faith and this we have here in the text He that cometh unto me c. Now before I come to handle this point I must premise something concerning faith Namely that it is not only a bare assent of the minde that all good things are in Christ but it is a confidence for the having of all the good things that are in him it is not only the first act of faith Namely an assent to the truths of the Gospel that God hath put all treasures of eternal life in his Son this I will not speak of because all both Papists and Protestants agree in this that faith is an assent of the minde this is a controversie on neither side therefore I will omit it But it is the second part or act of faith which is the believing that in the Lord Jesus Christ he shall have eternal life which is an act of the heart and this is that which I will stand upon it is a confidence in God and Christ for all good things when a man doth not only believe that all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ but when a man doth fiducially and confidencially bear himself and rest upon Christ for all these things he comes to Christ for all good he looks for this I will prove to be an act of a justifying faith and that I may not be mistaken I will distinguish There is a confidence in the power of God a natural man may believe the power of God and yet not have a justifying faith all that had miraculous faith did believe the power of God but the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13.2 If I had all faith that is all miraculous faith even to the removing of mountaines without charity it were nothing Secondly there is an unrooted confidence of the will which may be in a natural man as a natural man may believe that Christ is the only hope of Glory the only way the Truth and the Life the only one for whose sake he shall be accepted as he may assent to this so he may have a kinde of unrooted confidence in these things which may procure a great deal of peace to his conscience this is that which Divines call a temporary faith Mat. 13. for a time they do believe c. A natural man may not only believe Christ but believe in Christ in some sense truly he cannot but in an unrooted manner there may be such an act put forth though it be not rooted in the heart this you may see John 2.23 24. Many believed on Christ saith the text yet he would not commit himself unto them he would not trust them with mercy and grace and favour he would not trust them in regard of his own body and safety they were not right for all that and yet they did not only believe Christ but in some sense and in an unrooted manner they believed on Christ therefore there is not only a firme assent to the truth which may be in a natural man but also some kind of confidence Thirdly there is a presumptuous confidence in God and Christ for salvation which the workers of iniquity may have they may not only believe the general truths of the Gospel but have some kind of confidence in Christ though not so good as the former for that reformes a man and makes him follow Christ till persecution come and may be in persecution too till he be weary but this is not so good you shall have a drunkard a prophane person he hath confidence in Christ that God heares his prayers accepts his duties and will provide for him our Saviour Christ speaks of such Matth. 7.22 He tells us of many that shall be confident in him how they have done wonderful works in his Name and eate and drank in his presence and have heard him preach in their streets and yet are but workers of iniquity I do not mean this neither these are but false confidences Now there are two godly confidences gracious ones such as are only in Gods Elect and not in all Gods Elect neither but only in such as are effectually called and yet come not within this definition of faith The first is that full special perswasion of the heart a man may have true justifying faith though he never attaine to this for justifying faith is a confidence in Christ for justification now this special and full perswasion of the heart is not only an affiance in Christ for justification it doth not only apprehend Christ for justification but it apprehends justification it self now this must needs be after justifying a man must needs be justified before he can confidently apprehend justification he must first be justified before he can say he is justified the object must be before the act Thus it goeth justifying faith must needs be before justification and justification must be before the sense and feeling of justification before a man can feel and apprehend he is justified the cause goeth before the effect in order of nature for a man is justified by faith Now if a man know he is justified then the thing must be true before he knows it is so now here they differ that faith is a confident apprehending of Christ for justification and this full special perswasion of the heart is not only a confident apprehending of Christ for justification but an apprehending of justification it self Now true justifying faith may be without this Job 13.15 Though he kill me yet I will trust in him That is suppose that I were at an utter losse that I knew not whether God will slay me yet slay me or not slay me perish or not perish I will trust in him Imagine God deliver me up and will none of me yet though he kill me I will trust in him I do not say I am at this losse that he will kill me blessed be God I am not in this case but if I were at this losse that he would kill me for ought I knew yet I would trust in
a mans will and seeme to have no good in them What because he assents to the promises that they are true No but because he is confident that the promises shall be performed So Deut. 4.4 there saith Moses to the Israelites You that did cleave to the Lord your God you are all alive at this day as who should say though your brethren went away from God some to satisfie their lusts as in the matter of quailes and flesh-pots and others to humour their fancies as in the matter of the calf and others to fulfill their filthy delights as in the matter of Baal-Peor your brethren went away from God as if they might have comfort and delight and good elsewhere they went from God but you cleave to God and are all alive to this day that is as you did look for good in God you had it your brethren looked for good elsewhere and they are disappointed where are their profits and pleasures They went away from God and are dead but you followed God and are alive to this day So 2 King 18.6 it is said of Hezekiah that he clave to God c. that is he did not only conceive that the chief good was in God but he did stick to God in all his wayes he did cleave to God and would not go away Lastly a true justifying faith is expressed in Scripture by believing on God or believing in God a phrase that is not used in any Greek Authour but only in the Scripture and those that have been acquainted with the Scripture now why doth God pick out a new phrase but to imply a new work What is it only to assent to the truth Then the old phrase would have served the turne but when a man believes on God or in God this is the expression of a justifying faith as you may see 1 Pet. 2.5 So John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever believeth on him should not perish c. So Rom. 4.5 and Rom. 3.26 What do all these phrases import onely a naked consent and belief that all the things in the Gospel are true No but when a man can believe on these things when a man can submit to all the Ordinances of God and embrace Christ in all his wayes and believe that all the good things spoken of in the Gospel are to be had in him I confesse sometimes simple believing Christ without on or in is put for a justifying faith as Ro. 4.3 it is said that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousnes he doth not say he believed in God but that is the meaning of it and if you look into Gen. 15. you shall find through the story that he beleived in God he did not only believe that God was good but he committed himself to God in all his wayes and did relie upon him that God was Almighty and that made him walk before God in uprightnesse and that made him live a different life from all the rest of the Countrey this shews that it was a confidence and affiance in God that was accounted to him for righteousness The second Argument is taken from the offer of Christ which is the giving of Christ to be a propitiation for sin and to be a Mediatour between God and man to be the only means of eternal life this is the offer of Jesus Christ in the Gospel Christ is given to be a redeemer to them that do believe now what can answer this giving Can only an act of the mind answer this gift 'T is true indeed he is the only Mediatour the only Messias the only way the truth and the life and he is freely offered and given in the Gospel I believe this and assent unto it is this taking No this is only believing he may take him therefore true faith must be a taking of Christ that only answers to the giving of Christ giving is a relative which answers to taking a gift is no gift except it be taken the nature of the gift returns back again to the giver if it be not taken so it is here God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life He gave his only begotten Sonne that hath a relation to taking of him he gave him that whosoever believeth on him might not perish that is God gave him that whosoever takes him might not perish but have eternal life though a man offer himself to a woman yet if the woman do not take him he is not her husband the match is made up by taking so though Christ be given to the world in the Gospel yet Christ is not ours but by taking of him when you take Christ then you are in the number of those that shall not perish but have everlasting life when you take Christ that is when you take him to be your chiefe good when you take his promises to be your stay and propp to be the the life and comfort of your hearts when you take his Commandements to do them when you take his ordinances to walk in them when you take his people to have society with them when you take Christ and all Christ now you shall have everlasting life this is to take Christ though the woman assent firmly that the man is a proper man and a goodly man and a godly man and a rich man this makes not up the match but when she takes him to be her husband then she hath interest in his person and all that he hath so when a man takes Christ then he hath title to Christ and all the good things that are in him It is said of the faithfull that they did not only see the Promises afar off but they did embrace them Heb. 11.13 the word signifieth they hugged them they kist them many see the Promises afar off but embrace them not they embrace the things of this present world they hugg them but never take the promises of God home to there soules true faith therefore is such a faith as takes Christ and then it followes that it cannot be an act of the mind but an act of the heart in relying and taking the thing to himself to hang upon it and live by it The third argument is this Faith is an act of coming unto Christ Christ you know is the righteousnesse of God now when a man is come to it he hath it now what motion of coming is this is it only a motion of the mind a Contemplation of the mind when a man seeth Christ afar off I may see a goodly man a goodly thing afarr of my eye sight may go to it but if my whole man do not come to it I am not come to it this cannot be only the Contemplation of the mind when the eye of a mans understanding discovers Christ for this makes him the more foole and the
of union it is such a faith as unites a man to God and Christ and in him to God the Apostle saith 1 John 5.20 We know that we are in him that is true his meaning is we are in him by faith that is we have such a kinde of faith whereby we do not only assent to him that he is the Sonne of God and all things are true that are spoken of him but we are in him we are in him that is true that is we are united to him and 2 Cor. 17.5 Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature and Paul saith of Andronicus and Junia they were in Christ before him Rom. 16 7. So Christ is said to be in them Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you except you be reprobates it is the faith of union He that hath the Sonne hath life 1 John 5.12 That is he that believes in the Sonne of God that is so believes that he hath him and is united to him that man hath life and none else so that it is a faith of union that justifies a man not as though faith of it self doth this for its own worthinesse as though it were able to unite a man to Christ it is only by vertue of Gods Ordinance that faith unites a man to Christ God of his infinite mercy and goodnesse hath appointed faith to be such a thing that upon putting forth of that act he shall presently have relation to Christ and Communion with him by grace are we saved through faith saith the Apostle we are saved through faith but not for any worthinesse of faith but by grace this is the thing the Lord hath appointed such a kinde of faith shall justifie as shall unite a man to Jesus Christ Nay if faith did not do this faith could not justifie and sanctifie and purifie and intitle a man to Heaven for it doth all these by vertue of union first it unites a man to Christ and makes Christ one with him and him one with Christ and so he comes to have right and title to all the merits and all the good things that come by Christ so then if thou hast not this faith of union though thou hast all faiths besides historical faith temporary faith and if it were possible miraculous faith Nay if thou hadst ten thousand thousand faiths more if it were possible yet if thou hast not such a faith as to be united to Christ thou art in thy sins and art under the law and under the curse of the law and under Gods justice if thou shouldest pray never so much and give thy body to be burned yet if thou do not dwell in Christ and Christ in thee if thou be not one with Christ and Christ one with thee thou art nothing but as sounding Brasse and as a tinkling Cymball though thou hast been a professor these twenty yeares together and hast been taken for a godly man through Town and Countrey yet if thou art not in Christ thou artâ— still in thy sins faith doth unite a man to Christ through the Ordinance of God by the Grace of God it doth unite a man to Christ 1 John 4.15 whaâ— confession doth the Apostle meane there Only a confession of historica faith when a man believes that God is so and so and confesseth him No the Apostle expounds himself 1 John 3.24 as who should say it is such a faith as wholly resignes a man unto God to be ruled and guided by him as well as saved by him it is such a faith as makes a man with minde and heart and will and all that is in a man to cast himself upon Christ so that all obedience and all conformity to the Sonne of God will follow he that hath this faith to keep his Commandements dwelleth in God and God in him Now what kinde of faith can this be can it be only the act of the minde whereby a man believes all the truths concerning Christ doth this unite a man to Christ It were blasphemy to say so for by this Argument the union between Christ and a true believer were no better then the union between a true believer and the Devil because a true believer believes all the truths and assents unto them that God hath spoken concerning the Devil as well as concerning Christ this doth not unite a man there is a kinde of union indeed in the minde but that union is only notional and intentional and rational as for example when I think of an horse or a tree there is an union of the tree with my minde for the tree is in my minde in the notion of it but this is a bare intentional and simple union the maine union of all is in the heart when the heart is united to a thing an heavenly minded man he may have an union of his understanding with the things of this world he may understand carnal men understand their courses and wayes and there is a notional intentional union with these things in his understanding but he is not truly united to those courses except his heart be set upon those courses then he takes them up so untill the heart is set upon Christ a man is never heavenly never godly never a true Christian till he is thus united into Christ Nay I will tell you more and I will prove it and it is a thing to be considered that were it possible Suppose God should reveal he might if he would to any man that he is elected before he is converted Suppose this I do not say God doth thus to any of his Elect but suppose an Elect man that is yet unconverted and yet out of Christ he is a natural man and yet an elected man Suppose I say God should reveal to this man thou art elected to eternal life I have intended from all eternity to give my Son to thee all his merits and death and passion I have intended them to thee and I have intended thou shalt have fellowship with him God reveales this and the man firmly assents to the authority of the speaker that he is elected to eternal life doth this faith justifie a man A man is in his sins yet for all this though he knoweth and God hath revealed such a thing to him that he hath intended Christ to him as long as he hath not revealed that he is in Christ this doth not put him into Christ this sheweth him that he shall be in Christ but this act of believing doth not put him into Christ therefore the children of God that are converted and are believers and can believe that God hath elected them and eternally intended Christ to them this act of their faith doth not justifie them this only is an act to know that they are justified already and converted already I will shew you an excellent place for this 2 Tim. 1.12 For which cause saith the Apostle I also suffer these things for I know in whom I have believed and that
in all his wayes and be with him in sicknesse and in health in misery and prosperity and in all estates and that he will do him good while he lives and when he dyes he seeth none of these things No saith the Apostle Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen though many think there is no substance in these things yet faith doth deliver the substance of them unto him and it is an evidence that he shall certainly have them and it is as it were a Sacrament therefore the Fathers call it the Sacrament of faith and the Sacrament of hopes and the Sacrament of repentance because they are certaine and sure tokens and pledges of those things that a Christian looks for Secondly the Apostle commends faith by a long Catalogue of believers of Holy Fathers and Patriarchs and Prophets and Judges and Worthies from the beginning of the world and he shewes there was no worth in them but it did proceed from faith and this he doth First generally in the second verse By it the Elders obtained a good report he speaks of them all ingeneral he calls them Elders a reverend grave company and he amplifies this by giving a general ground and reason why faith can build upon nothing as it were to see to and yet is able to gather great matters though it see little or nothing verse 3. You may see this saith he by Historical faith For through faith we understand that the worlds were made by the Word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appeare though nothing was before a mans eyes yet through this faith he might see an whole world out of nothing so though the world and flesh and blood see nothing yet he that believes in God he is able to raise a world out of nothing he may look for these things at the hands of God though for the present he sees nothing Secondly he doth divide these believers into foure several rankes The first is the Holy Fathers before the Flood and he instanceth onely in three for all the rest as Abel Enâ—ch Noah Verse 4.5 6 7. Secondly the Holy Patriarchs from the Flood to the time of Moses and he instanceth in five not as though there were no more but he contents himself with these Abraham Sarah Isaac Jacob Joseph from ver 8. to the 22. And then in the third place he takes all those Worthies from Moses to the time of the entrance into the Land of Canaan and he doth instance in Moses's Parents and then in Moses then in the children of Israel then in Rahab from Ver. 23. to 31. In the fourth place he reckons up all those Heroes from that time to the time of the Maccabees and Names Gideon and Barach and Sampson and Jephtah and David and Samuel and then he reckons them up only in generall the Prophets and Martyrs and Confessors under the persecutions of cursed Antiochus Now in all this Catalogue he shewes the admirable effects of true justifying faith what faith is able to do when a man is a true believer in God what great matters he is able to archieve it gives a man the testimony of a good conscience and makes him able to do the things acceptable to God it makes a man believe things incredible to sense and reason it makes a man forsake all and follow God it makes a man do or suffer any thing for Christ it makes a man so precious that the world is not worthy that he should dwell among them that there should be any such person in such a base place as the world is it is an excellent thing and it is set out most admirably what glorious things faith doth enable a man in the strength of God to do and his scope in all this is to exhort them to abound in faith and they that have it not to use all meanes for the obtaining of it and come by it and lye at God and to be trading in the meanes of Grace and never be at quiet till they have it and when they have it to endeare it and labour to abound in it and persevere in it to their dying day now among all this grave and venerable and reverend society of believers that he here reckons and summes up he calls out Abraham in this text to speak of him and that he speaks of him in this place is this that when God called him to leave his Countrey and Kindred and Fathers house to leave his inheritance and all his friends and acquaintance by faith he was able to obey this call By faith saith he Abraham being called out to go into a place which he should afterwards receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went Doct. So that the Doctrine which I observe from hence is this that it is faith that makes a man obey the call of God the command of God whether it be the first call and command for the coming out of sinne or all after commands whatsoever it is faith that makes a man obey them if a man have faith though he had never so stubborne and perverse an heart before though he were never so set upon his lusts and sinfull courses before faith is that which will make a man lay it downe and disavow it and oppose himself against it and he shall no longer live in it as soone as ever faith comes into the soul it makes a man obey God it brings a man home to God to do his will and to walk according to his directions and to be at his dispose and to commit and commend and resigne himself wholly to God in all his wayes this is the onely thing that heales a mans backslidings this is the onely thing that drawes a man home to God this is the onely instrument whereby a man is tyed to God himself whereby a man doth fetch downe all the graces from above so long as a man is stubborne and perverse and walks after the flesh and goeth on in any evil way he hath no faith as the Psalmist speaks Psal 78.32 For all this they sinned yet still and believed not his wondrous works that is they were disobedient therefore certainly they had no faith for if faith once looked into their hearts it would have made them to discard their sinnes and it would have made them obedient to God it would have pared them from the flesh and weaned them from their owne desires and would have made them to give up themselves to God therefore seeing they went on in their sinnes it is certaine they did not believe for faith only makes a man obey God and wheresoever it is a man obeyeth God Reas 1. Because faith seeth an indissolvable couple of attributes in God that cannot be separated and severed as it seeth his grace and mercy to draw him forward so it seeth his purity and justice and holinesse and righteousnesse
purifies a mans heart pares off a mans flesh weanes a man from the world and knocks off a mans cursed corruptions more and more and pulls downe a man before God makes a man stoop to Gods Covenant and to be holy and righteous as he is it knows unlesse he be made fit for Gods Kingdome he can never come there we should look to this and it should make us feare and tremble and look to our selves for unlesse we be fit for the Kingdome of Heaven we shall never have abode there John 3.3 Except a man be borne againe c. That is except a man be made meet for the Kingdome of God he cannot come into it Except he have Heavens frame and disposition and Heavens conversation except his conversation be in Heaven here he can never come there and this is the reason we are so often called upon to be godly in Christ Jesus to walk in purenesse and holinesse of living because no uncleane thing shall enter into the heavenly Jerusalem without are Dogges the Lord counts them Doggs that shall never enjoy his presence this is another reason why Faith workes obedience because if he will have Title to the Kingdome of Heaven he must look to be fitted for the same Fifthly because Faith is eminently all that a man is to do it is the whole work of a Christian John 6.29 This is the work of God c. That is this is eminently all the workes of God But is there no work but this Yes there are many other works but this is the work of God that ye believe because this is eminently all that God looks for as the Apostle speaks 1 John 3.22 This is his Commandement that ye believe c. Is there no other Commandement but this is this all we must do and no more No but this is eminently the Commandement there are other Commandements but all are included in this of beleeving so faith is eminently all graces all other graces are but the daughters and brood of faith they grow out of faith as out of the spring and root so that do this and do all do but beleeve in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and what wilt thou not do it will make thee give over thy sinnes and be humbled and mortified it will make thee give over vaine company and delight in all goodnesse make thee zealous and fervent and teach thee how to pray and be thankfull to God it will fill thy mouth with laughter and thy tongue with joy it will make thee do any thing if thou believe Acts 16.31 As who should say believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and this will make thee do all there will be nothing left as Christ saith If thou believe all things are possible So I may say if thou believe all things will be done and thou wilt stick at nothing be backward in nothing but wilt be brought to obey God in every thing it is like the turning of the Cock if the Cock be turned the water will flow forth so if a mans heart be opened by faith all the heart runnes to God a Wind-mill if the Sailes go the stones and all go so if faith be once working and operating all the soul is turning it self towards God though never so Heavy and Carnal and Vaine and Earthly before yet now all is going in the wayes of God As the Mother of Christ said to the servants of the marriage Whatsoever he bids you do do it So faith saith thus to all the soul look whatsoever Christ commands look you do it minde those things he bids you minde affect that he affects retaine that he bids you remember it is like Abner that brought all Israel to be the servants of David so faith when it comes into the soul it brings all the faculties of the soul of the whole man to be subject to the Lord Jesus Christ thus you see that faith works obedience in a man The first Use is this to answer a demand that will arise out of the hearts of people when they heare that Faith makes a man to obey Quest. How doth it make a man obey Answ I answer by setting before a man the corruptions of his owne heart and what woeful stubbornenesse is in the same it makes a man see those innumerable corruptions in the soul and how deeply they have eaten into the soul it makes a man see what a loathsome creature he is and what a deal of rebellion there is in his will and minde and thoughts and affections and what oppositions there are against the doing of Gods Holy Will he seeth that if he will obey God what little help he shall have from himself from his own will his own reason his own parts his own nature though he had never so good a nature Nay how he shall be hindered and hampered and opposed by himself faith lets him see this and so pulls him down before God to abhor himself in dust and ashes it was thus in Paul Rom. 7.24 O miserable man c. It made him finde this that he could not do the good he would thus faith empties a man of himself and makes him to renounce himself and makes him not to stand upon his own feeet never to stand alone never to go about any thing but with the help of Christ it makes a man see what a damned will he hath what a damned reason he hath what a damned heart and disposition he hath O! saith he here is Wisdome indeed here is a disposition indeed I will never be ruled by this disposition and he looks upon himself as an undone creature if he followes his own desires here be desires indeed and thoughts indeed and here is an horrible frame and this makes him renounce himself and thus faith works obedience in a man by driving of him out of himself and dividing a mans self from himself that he will not be led by his own thoughts nor carried by his owne imaginations it seeth Hell in all these and that he can do nothing without Christ live in his heart by faith without faith you can do nothing saith Christ and faith tells a man this it makes him know what a wretched creature he is and what a damned nature he carries about with him and that he must not follow and please and give satisfaction to that at any time Now a natural man may see his insufficiency of himself and the vilenesse of his nature but conscience only shewes him this but because he hath not faith it doth not humble him and put him down but he will follow his own thoughts and go after his own reason for all this he hath not true and saving faith to reveal these things in power to him but when faith comes into the soul it doth it to the purpose it makes a man not to be a little affected with his sinnes but soundly affected and makes him see that he is undone for ever if he go on
thinks he hath life and is dead Rev. 3.1 I know thy works thou hast a name thou livest but thou art dead Here the Church of Sardis did imagine she was alive and others conceived so she seemed to be alive and yet notwithstanding was dead she had no true life in her she seemed to be alive not only in the sight of others but in her own apprehension she seemed to be alive and yet was dead now this is the meaning of the words without the Law I was alive once that is I thought my self to be alive I apprehended my self to be no dead man no damned man I thought not my self to be under the wrath of God and one that should perish evermore if I continued in that estate wherein I was I hoped better things of my self I saw these signs of Grace and Life in me and I thought I was alive indeed till the Commandment came till the Law of God was pressed upon my Conscience and shewed me the contrary I thought my self to be a very live man and one that had some hope of eternal happiness and one that might enter into glory I took my self to be alive Thus we see the meaning of the words Now the Point I intend at this time to insist upon is the livelinesse of a carnal mans heart before the Law comes home to him and is pressed to him and shews him his damnable estate and that he is dead in his sins and trespasses he hath some colour of Righteousness that he is moral and civil and orderly and he hath somthing that is like Grace and Life he hath some hope towards God and hath some kind of obedience he seems to be obedient to the commandment of God before he is humbled by the Law of God he is a live creature Here St. Paul shews it by his own example Without the Law I was once alive noting out unto us how it is with every unhumbled man with every unmortified man that is not yet converted to God he hath many things to say for himself but he doth not understand the purenesse of the Law the Law hath not yet killed him it hath not yet pulled him flat down before Almighty God A man that is unhumbled by the Law of God is a live man he will not be perswaded that he is a dead damned creature he doth apprehend and hope he hath life it is so with men before their Conversion they will not believe that they are damned creatures and they think it uncharitablenesse in any to say they are damned creatures and dead creatures they will not believe it so long as the Law is not charged upon their Consciences so long as they see not how it is with them they do verily apprehend that they have life in them their hearts are not killed their spirits are not dead within them they are not pulled down in the apprehension of their own cursed estates before Almighty God this is the thing I intend to insist upon 2. For the Proof of the Point we may see 1 Tim. 5.5 there the Apostle speaking of VVidows that lived in pleasure saith She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive that is dead in pleasure dead in sin dead in the vanity of her own heart and yet such a VVidow liveth she liveth not only a natural life but she is alive in her own conceit in regard of a spiritual life for if she conceived she were a dead creature a damned creature such thoughts would kill the heart of any creature under heaven it would break the neck of all her pleasure but in that she took her pleasure it was a plain token that she was not killed Now for the Opening of the Point I will do these Three things First I will shew what this liveliness is and wherein it consists Secondly I will shew what the Effects of it are Thirdly The Uses First I will shew what this livelinesse is and it consists in these Three things I could branch them into Four but I will reduce them into Three Heads 1. First It consists in the non-appearance of a mans dead and damned estate So long as a mans dead and damned estate doth not appear unto him so long a man thinks he is alive and that he is not a dead man he is not a man that hath the sentence of condemnation lying upon him so long as the Law hath not come and shewed a man his wretched estate and made his damnable estate appear in its ovvn colours unto him vvhy he is alive man he conceives himself to be alive because the Lavv of God hath not convinced him of the contrary if the Law of God doth seise upon a mans heart and in its own colours appear to a mans eyes and hold it self as a glasse to a mans understanding and shew him his wretchednesse and what a cursed estate he is in before God this will kill his very heart and break the livelinesse that is in him and make him burst out into out-cries Oh! I am a dead man I am a damned man so that the livelinesse that is here spoken of consists in the non-appearance of a mans dead and damnable estate As for example an Adulterer his damdable estate doth not appear to him he knows not that he is a dead man as Prov. 9.18 He knows not that the dead are there and that her guests are in the depth of hell When he goes to lie with his Whore and commit his wickednesse he doth not think that they are dead and damned men that are there nor that they are in the pit of Hell Though his Conscience may tell him that he is wicked and sinful and wretched and that he is half dead yet he is not a dead man he is not absolutely a dead man he doth not know this It may be he will confesse it Lord I am a dead man Lord I am a damned man it may be he will confesse this in his Prayer because he hath some light but yet his heart is not taken down the livelinesse of his heart is not killed I will prove it to you for let another man a Minister of God or a child of God say he is a dead man a damned man one that lies under the wrath of God he will deny it and say he is uncharitable and judgeth hardly and why may he not be a live man and a good Christian he hopes he is he doth not know that he is a dead man as the wise-man speaks Prov. 14.12 There is a way that seemetht right to a man but the issues thereof are death that is there is a way that seems to be a way of life and a man seems to be alive that walks in that way but the truth is it is a way of death and a man that goeth in that way is a dead man and a damned man but yet in the mean time while he walks in that way it seems to be a way of life
he doth give him a common life one minde and heart he doth give them all natural help and natural care one of another for they have need one of another In the Third place we must shew That the Spirit doth this And why he doth it First That it is the Spirit that unites and tyeth all these Members together This makes them hang together therefore it is called the unity of the Spirit Eph. 4.3 He exhorts the Ephesians that were the Members of Christ to keep the unity of the Spirit because as the Members of Christ are united to Christ so they are united mutually by the Spirit Therefore take heed saith the Apostle to keep the unity of the Spirit that you may be of one mind and one heart Therefore the Apostle speaking of the Body of Christ he compares it to a building A building consists of divers bricks and stones and timber which being joyned together make up an house So the Members of Christ being joyned together make up an house for God to dwell in But who makes this The text saith the Spirit of God Eph. 2.22 The Spirit of God makes up this blessed building all the elect of God all the faithful all the heirs of Grace in the world are as an house or body though there be never so many parts in it yet they make all but one body or house so it is here Now the Spirit unites these and layes them artificially together so that they may prop one another Ezek. 11.19 The Lord there speaking of his Elect I will give them saith he one heart and make them of one mind How will he do it I will put a new Spirit within them And so he makes them to be of one and the self same mind Now the Reason Why the Spirit of God doth do this is First Because none else besides the Spirit is able to do it For by nature we are wofully and fearfully different from the Body of Christ we are of another nature of another kind of another life nay we are contrary to it all the Members of Christ they are as young sucking children but wicked men and all men by nature are Lions and Leopards and Bears and Tigers as the Prophet speaks Isa 11.6 7. Now the Prophet there speaking how Christ means to effect it is to unite these together to make the Lion and the Lamb to have communion together to make the Bear and the Kid to lye down together Mark how he sheweth how Christ will do it in the second verse of the same Chapter the text saith The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him he speaks of Christ that is whereas this requires a great deal of power to do this to make a man to be clean contrary to his nature whenas a mans nature is carnal and wicked and earthly to make him of the Body of Christ therefore saith the text The Spirit of Might shall be upon him c. There is a great deal of Might required to turn their dispositions it is a mighty thing to change a man that is a drunkard a proud person a wicked wretch to turn this man topsie-turvy to make him mind other things to make him clean another man this requires infinite wisdom Therefore the Spirit of Wisdom shall rest upon him to do it and the Spirit of Knowledge and the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord that is the Lord Jesus shall put in the Spirit of Fear into mens hearts and this will turn them this will alter mens minds and conversations Secondly There is none so fit as the Spirit of God to do it For this Body of Christ it is a company of Sons and Daughters that God hath up and down in the world that are able to cry Abba Father now who is so fit to do this as the Spirit of the Son As the Apostle saith That he might redeem them that were under the Law that they might receive the Adoption of Sons Gal. 4.5 Fourthly How the Spirit of God doth this and that is Two wayes as the Scripture reveals to us The One is By being one and the same Spirit in all the Members of Christ He comes into them and dwells in them as one and the self-same Spirit and so makes up this union The same Spirit that was in Paul was in Peter and so all the rest of the Members of Christ one and the self-same Spirit is in them 1 Cor. 3.16 Know ye not that yeare the Temple of God and that the Spirit dwelleth in you Therefore look what Spirit of Faith one man hath another comes to have the same Spirit of Faith as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 4.13 We having the same Spirit of Faith with them as it is written I believe and therefore I speak so we believe and therefore we speak Secondly The Spirit doth this by uniting and tying a knot between these Members He doth unite them and make them hang together in one he makes them to be of one heart and of one soul by knitting and combining of their hearts all together Therefore this fellowship is called the fellowship of the Spirit Phil. 2.1 Though Paul were far off from Philippi yet he could adjure the Philippians by the fellowship of the Spirit But you will say How can this be Can the people of God have communion and fellowship one with another when they are so far asunder one from another and may be never saw one another may be never heard one of another How can this be I say Very well for the Spirit of God hath a long arm and is able to make the people of God shake hands though they be a thousand miles asunder it is the Spirit that tyeth this knot and unites them together As Paul speaks Col. 2.5 Though I be absent in the Flesh yet I am present with you in the Spirit and methinks I am in your company and meetings when you meet together I see you in my mind methinks and I joy in your order The Spirit makes the communion between the people of God and hence it is that they can love one another because all the Members are tyed together by one knot and they come to help one another and do any thing one for another even by the very love of the Spirit which they have one towards another Rom. 15 30. The Apostle had some need of the good Romans to help him Now see how he doth intreat help from them he desires them by the love of the Spirit to pray heartily for him he knew that the love of the Spirit would be a great motive to them you know you and I are joyned together by the same Spirit for the love of the Spirit pray for me Thus we see First What this Body of Christ is Secondly What the putting a man into this Body is Thirdly The Reasons why Fourthly How the Spirit doth it Now I come to the Vses And First Is
2. Not as though we should set up a conceited distinction of works in the Trinity 2. What is this voice Not distinct from the word preached Consists 1. In the opening a a mans senses 2. In taking away a mans lameness Called a voice 1. Because it is joyned to the word 2. Because it hath a similitude of a voice Quest How may we know whether that soul hath heard this voice Answ 1. There is a power goes along with this Word 2. This voice makes one hear more then any creature can speak 3. It is the irrefragable propounding of the promise 2. Confidence in natural man 1. In the power of God 2. Unrooted in the will 3. Presumptuous 2. Confidence in the godly 1. Special perswasion of Gods love 2. A constant expectation Confidence in Christ for life and salvation is true justifying faith Arg. 1. From the several expressions of faith in Scripture 1. Trusting 2. Relying on God 3. Staying upon God 4. Rolling ones self on God 5. Adhering unto God 6. Beleeving on God Arg. 2. From the offer of Christ Arg. 2. From the offer of Christ Arg. 3. Because faith is a coming to Christ Arg. 4. Because the object of justifying faith is no proposition but Christ himself Arg. 5. Because true faith is a faith of union Use 1. Then no absurdity to say faith is in the heart as well as in the minde Object Use 2. A believer may not be sure in regard of sense Arg. 1. The event is not the object of justifying faith 2. The event is conditional till a man believes Argument 3. Arg. 4. The event is known another way Arg. 5 Not the truth but strength of faith aprehends the event Doct. It is faith that makes a man obey the call of God Reas 1 Because faith seeth Gods purity and mercy to be inseparable attributes 2. Because faith looks on Christ not only as a Saviour but as a Lord. 3. Because faith gleweth the heart to the Commandements as well as to the promises 4. Because faith looks to a fitnesse for heaven as well as a title to heaven 5. Because faith is eminently all that a man is to do John 2. 2. By carrying a man to God 3. By making a man improve all his abilities 4. By making a man relie on Christ Quest How doth faith fetch power from Christ Answ 1. As an instrument 2. In a moral way Use 2. See what little faith is in the world Use 3. For examination Evidences of true obedience 1. Willing and hearty 2. Works resignation to God 3. It puts forth all a mans strength to God The Division of the Text. Obser The latter part of the Text Opened Obser Luke 16. Quest Answ Vse 1 King 21. Acts 5. What it is to watch Literally Ordinary Extraordinary For a civil end For a Spiritual end Spiritually It implies proneness to be drowzy Endeavour to stir up our selves It is an intentive Consideration in all Cases What we must watch Our Selves Our thoughts Heart Words Senses Eyes Ears Whole selves Duties of Religion Before Duty In Duty Time Present time Time of Gods wrath Time of Grace Death Judgment Reasons Our proneness to be drowzy Christians life is a Warfare The world an Eenemy The Divel The certain advantage of Watchfulness We cannot else expect help or â—â—râ—on Object Answ Gods appointment None can Watch for us Object Answ Vse Condemning the general neglect of Watchfulnesse Reproving the godly's too great neglect Directing how to watch Account watchfulness our life Watching in all things Proportioning it to what we are about Avoiding hinderances Vain company Spiritual drunkennesse Setting God before our eyes Vse Exhorting to watchfulnesse Motives Because otherwise it will be ill with us at last Because our souls are sickly We are already awakened Badness of the times and carelessness of the most Regeneration attributed to the spirit Because Christ doth it by the spirit Spirit is the bond of union between us and Christ Because the spirit quickens the word whereby we are born again That the spirit of God doth regenerate all the Saints What Regeneration is A Renewing A Renewing of the whole man By degrees perfected According to Gods Image In Jesus Christ Why called Regeneration To shew the great Corruption of Nature The work well expressed by the Name Father both in Natural and Spiritual Generation A Mother in both First Conception and then Birth Pain accompanies both Births Both come to a Being they had not New Kindred follows both Wherein Regeneration consisteth Passive receiving Christ An active power to become a child of God Reasons why the Spirit worketh Regeneration It is the good pleasure of God No other agent can do it Man is totally against it of himself How the Spirit worketh Regeneration By the Word of Life By a secret and supernatural power Vse 1. Of Confutation of Pelagians c. Information Of our continual need of the Spirit Exhortation 1. Not to grieve the Spirit 2. To do any thing for God 3. To the Unregenerate to pray for the Spirit Of Examination whether regenerated or no. First Signe When doing good is natural The heart 's a good soil for Grace He cannot live in Sin It is pleasant to do the will of God Grace gets the upper hand He loves the people of God He loves Spiritually to profit others VVhat this Body is The invisible Church of God Gathered out of all Nations Predestinated unto life Begotten again by the VVord VVhat putting into this Body is A part of our ingrafting into Christ VVrought by Faith Making us have â—ommon life with other Members It makes of one consent with all the people of God For mutual care and help That this is the Spirits work Reasons why the Spirit of God doth thus unite to the Body of Christ None but the Spirit is able None but the Spirit is fit to do it How the Spirit doth Unite to Christ's Body By being one and the same spirit in all Members By tying a knot between all the Members Vses The want of the Spirit is the cause of difference Let none put asunder what the Spirit joyns To try our acquaintance hereby To stir up a sâ—mpathy amongst the Saints How to work maintain and express this sympathy By informing our selves concerning one another By visiting our fellow-Members By laying to heart their afflictions Proposit 1. A set time for worship Propos 2. Some set time for worship every day Propos 3. Every day in some sort a Sabbath Luk. 1.74 75. Propos 4. A particular special day for Gods worship Propos 5. One day of Seven to be set apart for Gods worship Propos 6. That day of the seven to be kept holy on which God rested Propos 7. All that is in the Fourth Commandment is not essential to it Quest Answ Propos 8. The 4 th Commandment continual alwayes to abide in the Church Gal. 5.2 Exod. 35.3 Propos 9. The first day of the week was the Lords day and so to continue to the end of the world ver 22 23
he helps them only ordinarily leaving them to fight with their own corruptions why because it is an extraordinary case when a child is young his parents will extraordinarily help him to go and will not let the weight of his body liâ— upon any one step but help him in every step afterwards they help the child but more ordinarily they look the child should go alone and may be now he gets more knocks then he did before and falls oftner will you say the child is now grown weaker no he is stronger then he was but there is a differeâ—â—e he had extraordinary assistance before now he is left to himself and to his own legs so it is with God towards his children at first when they are new beginners when they are newly born again he takes compassion upon them extraordinarily helps them in prayer and against their corrupt lusts and if the Lord should not do thus it is impossible they should stand as the Lord saith of Ephraim when he was a child I loved him and taught him to go Hos 11.1 3. he carried him in his arms as a child when he was young afterwards he looks he should go alone not as if any of Gods children could go alone they have need of his help every day but they must go alone in respect of extraordinary help for God hath given them access to the throne of grace and hath given them understanding and some strength and he looks they should use these things not as though they could use them without his assistance but without extraordinary assistance now when God leaves his child to walk by himself he will fall oftner then before you shall have many grown Christians fall oftner then young beginners why because they are weaker and less quickned no but because they have no such extraordinary assistance they can go alone I speak not as though it were without the assistance of God but without extraordinary assistance and though for want of care and watchfulness they get a fall yet they are not weaker few new beginners ever fell as David and Peter fell afterwards no the Lord bears them in his arms but afterwards he lets them go alone now when the Saints of God feel duties to come on so heavily extraordinary assistance being gone they think they are grown dead and lumpish why the load lies heavier upon their own backs then ever it did before yet it doth not follow they are more dead a child whom his father bears in his arms may be carried along from one end of the house to the other sooner then another child that goes alone can go it in thrice as much time will you say this child is weaker then the other no this child goes alone and the other is extraordinarily helped so the people of God when they are first converted they must know they are extraordinarily assisted and they must take heed lest they be proud and conceited oh they may think they have gotten such a deal of grace and life already no no alas you shall see what you have when you go alone Seventhly Freedom from temptations may make a man seem to be more quickned then he is as a heavy dull tempered man may go faster a great deal having no clog then the nimblest man in the Country with a clog at his heels a man at his first conversion God will not let him be tempted he is but in his nonage in his entrance into the Kingdom of God and if God should let temptations presently fly upon him before he hath more grace and judgement and more experience of the vileness of his own heart and the goodness of God he would break his neck now God will never suffer a man to be tempted above what he is able therefore when his people are first converted he frees them from temptations a while and then they go roundly on afterwards when they have been ten or twenty or thirty years in grace may be they are fouly overtaken and go heavily on shall they therefore complain they are deader then they were as an horse when he carries single may go roundly afterwards the same horse being put to carry double he goes more heavily will a man say the mettal of the horse is grown worse no but he carries double so it is with the Saints of God may be formerly they carried single now they carry double the Lord lets more temptations fall upon them then he did before will you say that Joseph was grown cold because he had gotten that vile custome of swearing in Pharaohs Court he never sware at home alas he had no temptations at home if he had had those temptations at home and had had no more grace then he had then it would have been the bane oâ—â—is soul no wonder he goeth on more heavily because he hath more temptations you may see how heavily David drew on 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul formerly he could believe admirably and trust in Gods promises wonderfully he fought against the Lyon and the Bear and was mightily affected with God but now he goeth heavily on what hath he lost his faith no but he is more tempted then he was before may be the man had more grace of life in him then before but he was more tempted and carried double We come now to the next thing to shew you how far forth a child of God may be dead and lose his quickning not only seem deader but be deader indeed then he was and this point we will shew you in these particulars 1. That every man by nature is dead to all goodness 2ly That the liveliest of Gods servants have some of this deadness still remaining in them 3ly The meanest of Gods servants that have least grace have some life and cannot be quite dead 4ly We will shew you this is a very ticklish point and very dangerous a world of mischief may come of it by reason of the corruption of mens hearts Yet 5ly It is a very necessary point 6ly Those particulars wherein he may be dead 7ly The uses of the point First We are all by nature dead we have no heart to seek reconciliation with God no heart to get his image in our hearts and to have communion with him and approve our selves unto him we see naturally how the world slights these things they seek how they may live and do as others do but to look after righteousness and holiness and pleasing of God they have no heart to these things and though God afford them good motions and checks of conscience and all helps yet people have no life at all to these things Eph. 4.18 they are as Paul speaks there alienated from the life of God and as the father speaks of his prodigal son this my son was dead quite dead by nature we have not the son of God and therefore have no life as Christ saith the dead shall hear the voice of
a great man at Court again 1 Sam. 19.6 7 8. But for want of watchfulnesse within a little while the evil spirit came into him and he would have murthered him again so Jonah when he had run from God and God had humbled him now he would never follow lying vanities any more now he would goe to Niniveh and preach let what danger would come but by and by not looking to himselfe he is as much out of tune again as ever he was as if he had never had these shinings he was overgrown with passions I doe well to be angry even to the death I cannot tell which was the fouler distemper A third Cause of our general deadness is the lowness of Religion which men generally content themselves withal a low kinde of Religion that will never reach half way to Heaven that will never attain to any quickning Religion it is a very high thing Prov. 15.24 it is a thing alone a man must raise himself aloft when he means to come into the way of eternal life it is an high calling Phil. 3.14 It is said of Jehosaphat that his heart was lifted up in the wayes of God Jerusalem that is above all godly souls that have true Religion indeed are men above Now people generally content themselves with a low kinde of serving of God that doth not come out of the suburbs of Hell and condemnation the suburbs of hell reach a great way a man may goe even to heaven-gates and yet be in the suburbs of hell but to get into heaven and escape hell beneath is an high pitch but men seek out a low way by the valleys they think to come to heaven this way it would choak most people to say that their conversation is in heaven as the Apostles was that they are strangers upon earth as the Patriarchs were that they hate every sinne as all godly men doe that they go mourning all the day long under their corruptions and failings and that it is the greatest grief of their hearts that they walk not according to Gods goodness and that they use all means to get rid of their sins that they delight in every ordinance that they delight in Gods Sabbaths and hunger and thirst after righteousness it is the greatest desire of their souls and hearts to do thus it would choak them to say thus no they never attain it this is the way of life that is above but it is too high for fooles therefore no wonder that men never come to quickning for they are not in the way of life for the way of life is above and they grope after the things below and have not their conversation above now how can we look for quickning when we do not go in the way of life which is above Fourthly Another reason is the vanity of mens minds this is the cause of horrible deadness Psal 119.37 vanity when a man gives way to it it doth horribly dead the heart vain thoughts vain speeches vain expences of time vain meetings together without benefit these are deaders they lock up mens hearts and exhausts all the good and all the sap of any goodness in them 't is true the children of God may talk how things go in a far country in the Church of God and other places and they may talk of their business in the world and this may be like bottle-beer when it is first poured out into the cup it seems to be all froth but by and by it turns to good liquor again so though these discourses about worldly affairs and how things go are froth if they go no further yet if they turn to good substance and are sanctified and brought home to the heart to edifie and awaken and bring a man nearer to God now they are good where there is a good use made of them but otherwise they are horrible instruments of death and soul-murther among men Fifthly Mutual example we do even dead one another for people are apt to look upon one another Ministers upon people and people upon Ministers and Ministers one upon another and if we be not much cast behind one another we hope all is well with us this is that which deads peoples hearts whereas people should follow Gods light Gods dealing with them and not look upon others and if we look upon others we should look upon those that are quickned Luke 7.44 seest thou this woman c. there was a woman was quickned indeed her bowels melted her eyes were fountains of tears her very soul was affected she was quickned indeed seest thou this woman so if we will look upon others upon the Saints of God seest thou this woman look upon those that are most quickned but when we look upon others and say such a one doth so and so and why may not I I may do as well as he when we do thus this is apt to dead our hearts The sixth cause of deadness is covetousness and worldliness Christians that have been weaned from the world so long as they keep their minds off from the world and set them upon better things they are full of life and quickning and are able to pray and confer sweetly but when as once they come to let in the world again this doth mightily dead and damp their hearts this doth wonderfully lay bolts and fetters upon their soul that it cannot go on as formerly as the Apostle shews 1 Tim. 6.10 as soon as ever a man gives way to look after the world presently if he had any faith he erres from it if he had any quickning before he is now deaded this deaded Demas his heart for a time he was so full of life that he was able to hold company with St. Paul but when this came once to take possession of him Demas hath forsaken me he was gone he was able to hold company with Paul no longer worldliness will quickly take off all the affections and all the quickning that was in the soul it will presently fail and die and decay therefore you shall see when the Lord would set down how dull Ezekiels hearers were and how heartless he sets down this as a reason of it their heart is gone after their covetousness Ezek. 33. no marvel then they went not after Ezekiels Sermons for their hearts could not go after both at once so long as their hearts were after the world and profits they must needs be dead and untoward to the word of God therefore the Apostle saith Eph. 5.3 let not covetousness be named among you as becometh Saints as who should say it will utterly dead and kill all your Saint-qualities and dispositions that are in you if you suffer your hearts to grow earthly the damps of the earth as one saith doth not more quench a candle and put it out then the love of the world doth damp grace and put it out presently and this is the cause of that deadness that is grown among
as if a man should go about a thing that he hath no heart to so people go about prayer and the hearing of the word as if they had no heart to it they have no heart to prayer they have no heart to think soundly of God and of their latter end they come to duties but their hearts are a thousand miles off Thirdly There is senselesness of conscience it is not tender of little sins it feels them not at all and as for great sins it feels them but a little may be peoples consciences find fault with them from day to day for doing what they do and tells them they ought not to do it but yet they will not leave their sins it tells them thus and thus they ought to do but it hath no power to make them do it may be it accuseth them but they are never the better peoples consciences are dull and blunt and have no force at all Fourthly For coldness and lukewarmness of affections the affections of a man are not set upon God they pray without affections and hear without affections the doctrine of eternal life doth not affect their hearts hatred of evil is cold and love of God and goodness is cold as Christ saith the love of many shall waxe cold and so their desires are cold and languish and come to nothing we can find tears for other matters but not for our sins we can have our affections soon stirred when our selves and our own wills are crossed but God may be dishonoured a thousand wayes and we never grieved or moved at it so when we hear a fine story and carnal news this delights but when we hear the word of God the truth of God that concerns our eternal well doing we are not moved or affected at all with that Fifthly Another ingredient of this sin is the weakness and faintness of endeavours if people have any endeavours any kinde of putting themselves forth to that which is good it is with faintness as if they cared not whither they went about it yea or no as Solomon saith Prov. 13.4 people desire mercy and pardon and would have hope and salvation and the Kingdom of God but will not be at the cost and charges they ought to be at for these things this is nothing but the deadnesse of our hearts Lastly That same dulness and drowsiness of the whole man though men be careful enough of outward things yet how careless are they of their souls were our hearts broken and contrite under these things we should be soon quickned as the Lord saith Isa 57.15 I revive the spirit of the contrite one so God would revive us if we were sensible of these distempers of ours if we would humble our selves before God and plead to him for help he would help us but when we do not lay these distempers to heart and seek out to God for redress no marvel though we are dead and dull still well then is it so that there are so many horrible ingredients in this sin of deadness then how should we labour to fling it away and use all means to be quickned the Apostle being to disswade from following the will of the Gentiles he useth this very argument the abundance of the vile ingredients that is in the will of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 4.3 so you may see how the wise man disswades Prov. 26.25 when he speaketh fair believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart so let us think there is seven abominations yea seventy times seven abominations in this sin of deadness therefore let us look out that God may help us and quicken us and revive us in all our wayes The second motive is to consider that as long as we are dead we cannot Motive 2 pray Psal 80.18 Lord quicken us and we will call upon thy name as who should say Lord we are not sit to pray and call upon thy name except thou quicken us therefore quicken us that we may call upon thee So Ministers cannot preach unless they be quickned as Dr. Ames tells a story of a godly man of France there was such cold preaching that he was fain to go out of the Town to sit under a powerful Ministry therefore we cannot preach if we be dead the Scribes and Pharisees preached without Authority and life they were dead and therefore had no authority in their preaching but Christ preached with Authority if we were quickned we should be the better able to preach So again you are not able to hear unless you be quickned a dead heart may hear a thousand Sermons but what doth it work upon them even as good as nothing if Paul or Apollos or an Angel from heaven should preach to us unless God quicken us all is nothing nay Christ tells us that his own Ministry and Johns Ministry there were not two such in all the world again yet how dead and fruitless were they whereunto shall I liken this generation c. Mat. 11.16 c. the meaning is this John the Baptist he came mourning and in a doleful manner fasting and afflicting himself and crying out Repent he mourned but none would relent Christ he came piping he came in another manner he came eating and drinking and he preached gracious things the Kingdom of God and the acceptable year of our Lord now saith he you have not daunced all these things have not affected your hearts a jot you are as blockish as if you had no Ministry at all as Christ saith Mat. 8.22 let the dead bury their dead what doth he mean by that he means those that are dead in their souls those that are dead in their spirits and souls they are fit for dead imployments and nothing else the coherence was this there was a man came to Christ and was willing it seems to be the Disciple of Christ but oh saith he first I pray thee let me go and bury my father bury thy father saith he any man may serve for that let the dead bury their dead those that are fit for nothing else may do that but if thy heart be alive thou art fit for me thou art fit for spiritual employments but when a man hath a dead heart he is fit for nothing as Christ he gave the bag to Judas he was the fittest man for that so let a man be in office if he be dead he hath no heart to punish sin no not so much as to use his faithful endeavour to root it out nay he will pull down the guilt of the sins of the parish upon his own soul rather then he will stickle a little for God Judg. 4.8 how backward was Barak to go against the enemies of the Lord if you will go I will go saith he to Deborah otherwise he had no heart to go so Esther how dull was she to stand for the Church of God she would let the Church be ruinated rather then she would go and speak to the King in
children for ever is the habits of grace they shall ever have these though the acts of grace may be asleep and cease working yet the habits of grace shall ever remain as a man though through violent sickness he may run mad and frantick and lose the act of reason and be like a mad man yet the habit of reason is in him still because he hath a reasonable soule and let the distemper be gone and he will put forth the acts of reason So a childe of God though for the present he be horribly distempered and all the acts of grace are asleep yet he hath the spirit of God in him and therefore hath the habits of grace although no grace were shining in Davids heart in the act of them when he fell into the sins of murder and adultery yet he had all graces in the habit of them in the root of them as a tree though it seem to be quite dead yet life is in the root so a childe of God will have the habit and life of grace ever remaining in him and this appeares by two things First A childe of God in the midst of all his carelesness and negligence there is a miraculous preserving of that man that though that man hath been very careless and wonderful unwatchful and exposing himself to the temptations of Satan yet he shall be strangely kept that he shall not fall in a wonderful manner though it be no thank to himselfe 1 Sam. 2.9 This is an evident sign of Gods spirit in him that though he let him get abundance of knocks yet he will not let him get that fatal knock but he carrieth him along from day to day Secondly It appeares by this that this man shall never be to be converted again but he shall for ever be a new creature though the spirit of God hide himselfe and withhold his former operations yet he will not goe quite away because a childe of God shall never need to be converted again 'T is true the rising up of a childe of God out of sin into which he is fallen is called conversion sometimes as our Saviour Christ saith to Peter When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Nay a childe of God may think he hath need of new conversion and that he must begin all anew again as David said Create in me O Lord a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51.10 as though he were to begin anew again But a childe of God is never to begin anew no regeneration is an incorruptible thing 1 Pet. 2.23 Psalm 11â— 5 His righteousness remaineth for ever he shall never have quite lost it so as that he shall be to seek again as if he had never had it for if regeneration were to be renewed a man should be reprobated again but there is but one Faith one Baptism one Lord Eph. 4. Therefore if there be but one Baptism there is but one Regeneration The faith is but once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. God delivers his vertues and graces but once to the soul and is never to deliver them again indeed they may be smothered and choaked sometimes and lie under the ashes as coals under the embers but they shall never be quite extinguished there needs nothing but a stirring up and provoking of the gift of God that is in them and this is a signe that they never fell totally away for if they fell totally away they must have new repentance as if they had never had it and they must be converted again and regenerated againe with a second regeneration which was never heard of The first Use may serve for the confutation of those that hold that a childe of God may fall totally away here you see he cannot though he may fall never so grievously into foul sins and grievous distempers yet he shall never fall totally but some good things shall remain in him Psal 37.28 The Lord preserveth his Saints And Jude 1. they are called a people sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ And as the Apostle speaks 1 Pet. 2.10 He that doth these things shall never fall A childe of God shall never fall totally it is everlasting life that he hath that faith which he hath is an eternal grace he that believeth hath everlasting life so the fear of God is an everlasting grace The fear of God endureth for ever Psal 19.9 And therefore those that totally fall away shew plainly that they were never the children of God as the Apostle saith If after they have been enlightned c. they fall away it is impossible they should be renewed by repentance Heb. 6. Because they were never right there was never any true grace in that mans heart but saith he I hope better things of you and things that accompany salvation Heb. 6.19 As who should say they that have things accompanying salvation can never fall totally away The second Use is for comfort to Gods children Hast thou true faith or any good things wrought in thy soule thou shalt never lose it though thou mayst suffer a great deal of sickness and fall into many decayes of grace and goodness yet thou shalt never lose all there shall be some good things remaining in thee the Lord will not suffer thy righteousnesse to fall for ever he will have thee in everlasting remembrance therefore what a comfort ought this to be to every true beleeving soule Again This is a great comfort against all fears Art thou afraid thou hast no grace I beseech thee believe the Word of God rather then thine own sense and feeling thou hast heard the Word of God say a childe of God can never be without grace he can never fall totally away therefore though sense and feeling tell thee thou hast none yet believe the Word that saith thou hast 2 Cor. 5.10 We walk by faith and not by feeling saith the Apostle The best of Gods children sometimes are put to this to live by faith and not by sense at all though God help thee not in prayer nor quicken thee in good duties and though thy sense and feeling tell thee thou hast no grace believe it not but believe the Word of God that tells thee a childe of God shall never be without grace to the worlds end but something shall remain in him for evermore therefore be of good comfort though thou see nothing and thy neighbours see nothing yet believe neither thy selfe nor thy neighbours but rather believe the Word of God then a thousand witnesses for it is certain a childe of God shall never fall totally away Again It may be a comfort against all manner of temptations God knows how thou mayst be tempted assaulted the Devil may be let loose upon thee but still remember and think with thy selfe I was told a child of God can never fall totally away one whose heart God hath once inclined one whose soul God hath once sanctified one whom God hath
according to the flesh Rom. 9. yet notwithstanding that Church was cut off When the holy City proved a Harlot when these people grew to be weary of God and his Ordinances and grew to be loose and would not be ruled by God and his Word the Lord gave them a Bill of Divorcement and sent them away therefore let us be warned by them it is a fearfull thing when God for Idolatry shall cast off Churches and yet we not tremble but live under security and hardness of heart and take not warning by it Jer. 3.8 God saith Yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not but played the harlot When God cast off the ten Tribes Judah saw this and heard of this and could not chuse but understand this and yet she did not fear for all this So when this Parish or any other Parish shall hear of any Parish that is unchurched and unministred and God hath taken away his presence from among them and there shall be no signe of his gracious presence any more the Gospel is gone from such a place and we hear of it and yet doe not fear but are as secure as ever as unfruitful under the means as ever and doe not stir up our selves to be more obedient to God and his Ordinances but goe on to play the harlot and goe a whoring from God from day to day nay we are even ready to promise our selves peace for all this this is a fearful thing Mark what the Lord saith Jer. 7.11 12 13 14 15. He speaks there of Jerusalem So when God hath poured out his plagues and punishments upon other Parishes and other places and hath taken away his Ark and the glory is departed from them and they are left in the shadow of death and we see it and yet tremble not at it God calls upon us from day to day to amend our lives that we might finde mercy with him God tells us as he hath done to other Parishes in the Kingdome so he will doe to us the Lord will lay us desolate and waste as other parts of the land are and certainly the Lords wrath and vengeance is hard at our heels if we doe not speedily repent who knows how soon God may deprive us of his Word and Ordinances For I have not found thy works perfect before God If we take these words in sunder they containe these five Propositions First That the covenant of grace requires works Secondly That these works should be perfect Thirdly That they should not onely be perect in the sight of men for that is nothing but perfect in the sight of God before God Fourthly That the Lord Jesus searcheth whither they be so or no. Fifthly Upon due search he finds it out many times not onely in particular persons but in particular Churches as we see here in the Church of Sardis that their works are not so For the first of these That the second Covenant requires works we see here that the Lord Jesus looks for works in the Church of Sardis that were in covenant with him 't is true there is this difference between the two Covenants the first covenant requires works as the condition of it He that doth them shall live in them Gal. 3.12 The doers of the Law shall be blessed Rom. 2.13 Therefore it is called the covenant of works and that in two senses First In that works are the condition of it Secondly In that it is left unto man God gives onely a power not to sin if so be that man will but he doth not give the will Now the second covenant is not a covenant of works the condition of it is not works but the condition of it is faith The just shall live by faith Rom. 1.17 Therefore it is called a covenant of grace and that in two respects opposite to the former not onely in regard that these works are done by another and so nothing is required of the party justified but onely faith for his justification but also because though the covenant of grace require works yet God doth not expect a man should doe any thing of himself but it is by grace we are saved by grace through faith and not of our selves it is the gift of God I say the second covenant is a covenant of grace and yet it requires works And works are here necessary First by necessity of presence for though faith be the condition yet it is such a faith as hath necessarily good works together present with it as the Apostle speaks Faith if it have not works is dead Jam. 2.17 Good works they are inseparably joyned together with true faith for as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also not as though works were the essential forme of true faith but the nature of faith if it be true is such as doth necessarily cause good works to accompany with it They are necessary by necessity of inseparable effects good works are not onely present together with faith but they are so present as that they doe flow from faith God hath required such a faith in the covenant of grace as doth produce good works they are not onely inseparable from faith but thus inseparable that true faith must needs produce them He that hath this hope purifies himselfe as he is pure 1 John 3.3 That is He that hath this faith he sets down faith by the effect hope and sets it down by another effect it must needs purifie it makes that man purifie himself as Christ is pure So Christ having exhorted them to believe having raised up their minds to believe the things that are above Lay up your treasure in Heaven Mat. 6.20 in the next verse he shews this will have the effect of all manner of good works For where your treasure is there will your hearts be also it will draw up your hearts and make you heavenly-minded and make you seek the things that are above where your treasure is there will your hearts be also So likewise we may see Heb. 11. thorow the whole chapter what abundance of effects are set down of true saving faith By faith Abel offered sacrifice to God By faith Noah being warned of God obeyed God and did the things that God commanded verse 7. And so by faith Abraham when he was called yielded to God So by faith believers wrought righteousness and did wonderfull things subdued Kingdomes c. They were able to work wonderful effects so that when a man hath not works when he doth not obey God through the power of faith he hath not faith it self Thirdly Good works are necessary by necessity of signs they are not only to be in a Believer as effects but as proofs of his faith for a man must justifie his faith by his works they are signes and proofs whereby he may know whether his faith be true and of the right stamp or no for if a mans faith be a lively faith a faith that doth
must be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Fifthly To proportion our Reward for though we are saved only by grace yet God doth proportion our reward according to the multitude and zeal and fervency of our good works for Gods Covenant is a remunerating Covenant for mercy doth not consist only in the pardoning of a man but also in the sanctifying of a man and the inclining of a mans heart to new obedience that there may be remuneration for though God doth not reward people for their works yet according to their works he doth 2 Cor. 9.6 He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly c. Though a man be a Believer and a godly man if he be sparing in his godliness he shall fare accordingly and if he be abundant in the work of the Lord he shall reap abundantly for as there are differences and degrees of torments to the wicked so there be degrees in the Kingdom of God and in glory and the Lord doth reward his people according to their works Lastly Good works are necessary by necessity of thankfulness it is necessary that we having received the forgiveness of our sins and God being pleased to be our God and to deliver us from the wrath to come and the power of Satan that we should be thankful for these mercies as David saith Psal 118.19 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts and be thankeful Col. 1.15 When David had considered what the Lord had done for his soul saith he what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits as soon as ever God hath been good to a man to open his eyes to let him see his damned estate and condition and to let him have hope and comfort and encouragement in him concerning deliverance from it and bestowing upon him his heavenly Kingdom and glory it cannot be but the soul must be thankful what shall I do unto the Lord for all his benefits you know there is nothing that we can do back again for these benefits except we will praise and glorifie him by living unto him and not unto our selves therefore when the Psalmist had reckoned up the benefits of God to Israel Psal 105.46 he concludes that they may keep his statutes and observe his Laws First Here we see how horribly the Papists wrong us when they say we Vse 1 do not teach people good works and therefore nickname us and call us Solifidians whereas we maintain a necessity of them and as great a necessity of them as they only we beat down the merit of them that no man may think to be saved by works as a reverend Divine Mr. Carter said we teach people holiness and righteousness and good works as if there were no way to be saved but by good works and again we teach that there must be as much hanging upon the grace of God as if we could shew no more to be saved then the vilest drunkard or adulterer all our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth and it is Gods mercy that any of us have an heart to do good you see how the world runs after their hearts lusts and every man is of this disposition and it is Gods grace and mercy to incline any mans heart to walk in that way that tends to his heavenly Kingdom and if God should not be infinitely gracious to pardon us for our best doings they would rise up in judgement against us God might condemn us for all our prayert and performances Secondly This teacheth Ministers how to preach to people to call upon Vse 2 them that they have an operative faith not only to believe but to have a faith that may be fruitful and make their lives not to barren in obedience and to be abundant in the works of the Lord and to serve him and fear him and glorifie him in the world as the Apostle having shewed how Christ gave himself for us to purchase to himself a people zealous of good works saith he these things speak Tit. 2.14 15. We must speak these things and rebuke our hearers with all authority rebuke evil workers and tell them they turn the grace of Christ into wantonness they trample the blood of the Covenant under their feet and kick at the spirit of grace and misconstrue the meaning of the Covenant of God in Christ and rend themselves off that they cannot enter into life for no man without holiness shall see God Ministers should tell people plainly and affirm constantly that unless they bring forth good fruit they shall be cast into the fire and that without holiness they cannot have license and dispensation to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for God is an holy God and our faith is an holy faith and the promises are made to none but those that lead an holy and a godly life we must preach these things and reprove with all Authority and let people know that are loose Christians and Hell-hounds that if they do not depart from iniquity they shall see God as a Judge to condemn them for evermore Vse 3 Thirdly This confutes all the graceless conceits of men that think to be saved by Christ and yet walk not after Christ they cast not away from them the works of darkness nor renounce their wicked wayes and yet hope to be saved by Christ this is a cursed and blasphemous hope whereby a man blasphemes God 1 Joh. 3.6 whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither known him if a man live in his sins still that is the meaning of it and walks not after the spirit but after the flesh that man hath not seen him neither ever known him he doth not know Jesus Christ otherwise then the Divels know him otherwise then Hell-hounds and reprobates may know him for the second Covenant is as holy as the first and rather more holy and before God hath done it shall bring a man to a nearer communion with God and a nearer likeness it will raise the powers and faculties of the soul so as I believe Adam in innocency never attained unto so much participation of God as God by degrees will bring a man unto by the Covenant of grace therefore no man can look to be saved by Christ except he mean to be ruled by Christ and to have him for his Lord and Master and to obey him in all things if a man should lie sick in his bed of a burning feaver and should say he were well would you believe him so if we see a man that is burning in lust wallowing in sinful courses that hath a carnal and a worldly heart unmortified and unsubdued to God if he should say that he were in Christ and hoped to be saved by him believe him not all the world cannot save this man for the Lord Jesus Christ hath this very name Jesus not only because he shall save his people from hell but also from their sins and make them fruitful in all the works of God Vse
he should so abuse Bathsheba that good woman and bring her to sin If David himself may thus complain how much more may we complain and loath our selves for the deal of rottenness that is in our hearts O what windings and fetches are there Austin himself saith I can hardly tell when to believe my own heart so I say what a company of windings and turnings and tricks and starting-holes are there in the hearts of Gods people sometimes we are ready to think we have the good we have not and what evasions have we to put off any good duty if we have not a minde to doe it what put offs what tricks to slip our neck out of the collar if we doe not like it what a company of deceits are in the heart So what a company of slights to doe evil such a company of blindings and besottings and carnal reasons and foolish arguments as if we did well in doing it whereas it is but the falseness of our hearts As Mr. Hearn saith It is better for a man to be delivered up to the Devil then to his own heart We read of a man delivered up to Satan as Paul saith and yet we read that that man was brought home again but we never read of any man brought home that was delivered up to the corruptions of his own heart therefore if God hath made us see the falsenesse of our own hearts and made us humble our selves before him for it and made us to endeavour more and more after sincerity what a mercy of God is this but the people of God have cause to complain of the falseness of their hearts Thirdly Is it so that we must be upright then let this serve to exhort us that we would be upright more and more for this is that which the Lord doth look for and especially look for What though we should do things never so good for the matter yet if we do them not with an upright heart all is nothing though the children of Judah fasted and that for 70 years together four times in a year they sought the Lord extraordinarily yet because they did not seek him thoroughly he did not count it sincerely done Zach. 7.4 5. As who should say You did not fast unto me Doubtless they themselves thought they were very religious what not only to doe the duties of religion but to doe extraordinary duties no question they thought this was very much yet every one were cast off because their hearts were not upright before him Amâ—ziah the Text saith did those things that were good in the eyes of the Lord yet the Text makes this exception against him that it was not with an upright heart 2 Chron. 25.2 Consider first That God delights only in an upright heart Prov. 11.20 They that are of a froward heart are an abomination to the Lord but those that are upright in their wayes are his delight Upright Prayer and upright hearing of the Word and upright Preaching of it upright walking in a mans Family and upright carriage in a mans conversation when a man carries himself uprightly in all his wayes this man is a delight to God as he saith Isa 66.2 I can look over heaven and earth but at him will I look that trembleth at my Word The prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15.8 When a man can make faithful pleas to the throne of grace for mercy faithful pleas that God would pardon him faithful pleas that God would enable him and accept him and he doth not make these pleas falsly but his own heart can say there is no sin but he sets himselfe against it and there is no commandement but he sets himself to obey it but the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him he cannot abide it let them pray a thousand prayers God abhors their prayers if they have not upright hearts So 1 Chron. 29.17 see what David saith as who should say Lord thou hast pleasure in uprightness and then certainly thou hast some pleasure in me for with an upright heart and in the sincerity of my soule have I sought thee Now on the contrary if a man be not upright before God if a man have a loose conversation and he be not sincere the Lord abhors that man Secondly Consider that this is the totall summe of all that God requires in the Covenant of grace that they should be upright and faithful in his Covenant as when he made his Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17.1 he saith Walk before me and be upright This is that God requires and he would be an Almighty God unto him and bless him and do him good to all generations 1 Sam. 12.24 It is the saying of Samuel to the people Only fear the Lord and walk before him with an upright heart As who should say this is the onely thing and God requires no more if God had required more he might lawfully have done it if he had required the fulfilling of the Law to the utmost rigour he might have done it but this is the onely thing that God doth stand upon that we should be upright before him he doth not look that we should be Angels upon earth but that we should be sincere and not goe a whoring from him wittingly and willingly Thirdly Consider The least faith the least grace and goodness if it be with uprightness is better then all the goodly performances of the whole world God liked more of the poor womans two mites then of all the abundance that the Scribes and Pharisees cast into the Treasury And he that gives a cup of cold water to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall not lose his reward Therefore you shall see many poore beggarly things over those things that other men have done have been accepted whereas the building of Hospitals and Colledges have been rejected though a man have but a little knowledge as many of the Martyrs hardly knew how many Sacraments there were yet having uprightness died at stake so if a man have but a little faith with sincerity it shall pass when a thousand presumptuous fools shall goe to hell Fourthly Consider God will wink at manifold and grievous faults so there be sincerity and uprightness Asa his faults were horrible faults 1 Kings 15.14 yet his heart was perfect What a company of faults had he what an horrible failing was this that he should cast the very Prophet of God into prison that reproved him Now God answers he had his failings and horrible ones yet he was a good man for his heart was upright before me Asa was not himselfe in that businesse Asa was not Asa then his heart was upright with the Lord. So good Jehosaphat a man that was grievously besmeared with corruptions and infirmities and those no small ones how fearfully did he marry his daughters into a most devillish Family as if he had no fear of God before his eyes he married them to the house of Ahab and
man resists temptations when a man doth watch and pray and is careful that he may not enter into temptations when a man is careful of all the objects and beginnings and occasions of sin when a man fights against the temptations of the flesh and warres against the suggestions of Satan and puts on all the armour of God to withstand the fiery darts of the Devil though he be tempted to be proud and wrathful and impatient yet he will not 't is true now and then he may be overcome against his principles and care and labour but that is as a dagger to his heart This is his course and practise to fight against temptatiâ—ns nay take him in the desperatest cases yet a godly man is sincere take him when he is most afraid that he is not sincere when he cries out how dastardly am I for God how dead in good duties how full of unbelief what a vile heart have I how filthy and untoward take him in these desperate lists he is not without sincerity and in this case he doth one of these two things either he walks according to the measure of grace given unto him or else according to the condition wherein he is 't is true the conditions Gods people are in are sometimes better and sometimes worse sometimes horrible distempers are up and sometimes they are down but when they are never so up he doth as a man in that case may doe as a man when he is bound hand and foot what can he doe if he rowle himselfe upon the ground that is all he can doe and this he will doe as you may see what David saith Psalm 119.40 It seems he felt himself marvellously dead and dull and wonderfully inobedient and he could not get hold of Gods commandements to doe them as he ought yet he rowls himselfe and thrusts himselfe forward to doe them he longed for Gods commandements he longed for the spirit of grace to assist him and quicken his heart Now a naughty heart is not good in all cases nay there are but a few cases wherein he is good at all Again Take an upright man in the lowest ebb he doth question his sincerity and he cannot quiet himselfe because he thinks he hath it not but this is certain a man that hath most sincerity doth most suspect the want of it that man is most eager and most questions himselfe as David was not he an upright man yet no man did suspect himselfe more Psalm 119.80 as who should say Lord I am afraid I shall be ashamed in the end I am afraid my heart is not sound towards thee and directly sometimes I am horribly afraid I shall be confounded in the end Now good Lord let me be found in thy statutes that I may not be confounded So it was with Christs Disciples when he said one of them should betray him though eleven of his Disciples were privy to themselves that they had not the least thought to betray him yet eleven of the Disciples did suspect themselves I may be the man that he means though they were privy to themselves for the present they had no such thought nay it was against the love and principles they had in them they did love him and fear him and believe in him to be the Saviour of the world and they durst not doe it yet they suspected themselves Master is it â— As who should say I have a baâ—e corrupt heart and it may be I for all the goodnesse that is in me and the love I bear to thee they were all more unquiet then Judas that was the man indeed when all questioned it he would question it also for company Seventhly an upright man is universal in regard of relations Consider him with good people and the Saints of God O how he loves them he honours them that fear the Lord Psal 15.4 Though they be never so poor and vile yet he honours them that fear the Lord as Elisha saith he would not have spoken but onely for Jehosaphat so an upright man he honours the Saints of God All my delight is in the Saints saith David Psal 16. Psal 119.63 Nay an upright man is faithful with the Saints as it is said of good Judah she was faithful with the Saints Hos 11.12 So an upright man is faithful with the Saints his heart closeth with them they are his bosome friends and the beloved of his soule But one that is not sound though he take himself to be a Christian and one of Gods servants yet he cares not for the people of God may be he cares for those that seem to be religious but if a man be religious indeed he cares not for him he is too nice and precise for him and he is false to the Saints and will shew them some slippery trick in the end Now again Consider an upright man with the wicked he carries himselfe upâ—ightly towards them he will not be acquainted with them nor all one with them lest he should countenance their wicked wayes as the Psalmist speaks He despiseth them that are wicked Psal 15.4 Let a vile man be never so brave and excellent and noble and high in preferment yet if he be a wicked man in the eyes of a godly man he is despised I doe not mean for his person he gives him the honour due to his place as he ought to doe a childe to his Father a servant to his Master c. as Paul Acts 22.1 Though they persecuted him he gave them their due but he abhors their courses and practises as Solomon saith A wicked man is an abomination to the just Now an unsound heart though he joyn himselfe to the people of God yet he cannot close with the Saints of God but abhors them and counts them vile Again Consider an upright man with his friends he is true to them especially to their souls Consider him with his enemies he doth not yield them railing for railing he dares not hate them that hate him but blesseth them that curse him and prayes for them that despitefully use him Consider him in his Family he sets himselfe to walk uprightly in the midst of his house if he be a Master he labours to be a servant to Christ and if he be a servant he labours to be the Lords Freeman and to be a profitable servant to his Master if he hath Superiours he gives them the reverence due unto them and if he deal with inferiours he makes himselfe equall with those of low degree Thus an upright man is good in all relations Lastly An upright man is good in all the manners and circumstances of his actions he is careful to doe not onely for matter what God commands him but for the manner as God commands him though he doth what God commands yet if he doth not find the love of God setting him a work he is not contented he must doe it in a right manner constantly duely faithfully and to a right end
not faith in Christ Jesus that man is no true Christian howsoever he may hope to be saved by Christ yet if he be not upright before God in all his wayes and commandements in some measure in studying and endeavouring to keep himself unspotted of the world in all things he hath not faith he doth not believe in Jesus Christ Psal 116.9 10. as David saith I will walke before the Lorâ— in the land of the living how comes David to speak that O I believed therefore I have spoken if a man believe in God it will make him walke well not only before men but before God who is privy to all his thoughts and affections privy to what he doth both at home and abroad privy to what he doth alone and in company in his shop and in the market unless he be upright before him that knows all things he is not a believer though Simâ—n Magus were baptized and did partake of Christian Religion and had some kinde of faith and joyned himselfe to Philip and the Church as a member of the Church and gave over his witchcraft and wicked courses yet when Peter saw his heart was not right before God marke what he saith Acts 8.21 God hath sworne an oath that whomsoever he delivers from sin from Satan from Hell from the wrath to come they shall be holy and righteous before him Luke 1.73 God will not be forsworne if thou dost hope to be saved by Jesus Christ and prayest and howlest and criest in thy afflictions from the bottom of thy heart with all thy eagerness to be saved by Jesus Christ God hath sworne an oath thou shalt not be saved by him unless thou wilt walk in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of thy life and be conformable to his will in all things so that you see the Gospel requires it that we should be thus Again This is the end of the redemption of the world by Christ that they should not only be upright but upright before God as Paul tells the Collossians chap. 1. To present you holy and unblameable in his sight not only to present you holy and unblameable before men for if a man in his outward carriage be civil and honest and faire this is to be holy and unblamable before men but if a man be holy and unblamable before God he must have a pure conscience and his ends must be right this is the end why Christ redeemed his people to purchase to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And as it is in the end of redemption so it is the end of election whomsoever God doth elect to eternal life he doth elect to this end not only to be holy before men but before God As the Apostle saith Eph. 1.4 he hath chosen us to be holy before him not only to be holy before men though those that are not holy before men cannot be holy before God but it is not enough for us to be holy before men but before the piercing eye of the all-seeing God that he may see who knoweth our hearts that we do unfeignedly desire to serve his name and walk before him in the shunning of all sin and in the practicing of all good things so that we have not an argument of our election unlesse we be upright before him Fourthly Because the Lord will search us out certainly though we be upright before men if we be not upright before God he will search us out it is not our profession shall bear us out if we have an unbelieving heart to depart from the living God if we have a minde to live in any one sin and to allow ourselves in any one wicked way God will finde us out Neh. 9.8 he speaks there of Abraham what a comfort was it to Abrahams heart that God found his heart upright before him God will search us and put us upon the trial and bring something or other that if we be not upright though we be affected and pray and be Protestants and seem to be godly and seem to hold our godliness and uprightness yet if we be not sound at the core God will have something or other that shall discover us and it shall appear what we are nay God doth of purpose bring in heresies that those that are approved may be manifest 1 Cor. 11.19 Lastly It is God only that doth esteem of the worth of things holinesse is nothing but that which is holiness in Gods esteem and Religion is nothing but that which is Religion in Gods esteem Religion is a divine thing and no man hath the judgement of it but God it is God only that hath invented Religion and framed it to us and it is he only that can tell the worth of it and approve of it and unless we fear his name and hate all sin and be upright before him all is nothing As the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 3.4 concerning meekness in women in the esteem of God it is of high price may be a beautiful woman of rare parts and great gifts this woman is of high esteem with some men but a woman of an humble and meek spirit she is a mockery in the eyes of the world but in Gods sight it is of great price so for a man to be outwardly Religious this man is very devout and religious in the fight of men but it is the broken heart and the contrite spirit one that is holy inwardly as well as outwardly that is upright as Paul saith 2 Cor. 5.9 all our care and labour is that we may be accepted of him it is no matter what the world say of a religious man and a devout man all our care is to be accepted of him that he may account us upright for we must appear before him This condemns the ceremonious devotion that many content themselves with especially the Church of Rome they are so religious and whatsoever they do they think it is with such devotion therefore they have ceremonies for every thing they have ceremonies to shew that we must be strangers and Pilgrims upon earth therefore they have Pilgrimages to such and such places other ceremonies they have to shew that we must take up the Crosse of Christ and follow him they will have a ceremony to shew that they believe that Christ was offered for a sacrifice and a ceremony to shew that they believe he was God and man and so mixe Wine and water together the one shall signifie that they believe he was God and the other that he was man again they will have other ceremonies to shew that they believe the departure of the Saints therefore they bring in a catalogue of the Virgin Mary and of the Saints again they have another ceremony to shew that they honour the Lords prayer another ceremony they have to shew that they believe the resurrection of the dead another ceremony to shew that they should not be ashamed of the Christian faith and they are
therefore it is possible to do it for the law commands things not possible to be done by reason of the weakness of the flesh but this is an evangelical precept now when a man is effectually called of God and is commanded to make his calling sure he may do it the thing is possible and it may be performed and it is a mans own fault if he do it not if a man that is effectually called of God do not know it it is his own fault and negligence and carelesness when God bids his people that are called make their calling sure it implyeth they may do it the Lord laies no impossibility upon his own servants that he hath called to his Kingdome and glory but together with his precepts he sheweth them where grace is and the throne of grace is open for them and they have an interest in God that quickens the dead and have an open highway to the throne of grace to have any thing that they are required to do Thirdly Because the knowledge of our effectual calling is the ground of thanksgiving for it God requires that they that are effectually called to have such mercies should be thankful to God for it now how can a man be thankful for that which he is ignorant of whether he have it or no that is but a mockery as carnal people in their thanks will put in things they know not we returne unto thee O Lord all possible praise and thanks for election vocation justification c. Carnal people put these things into their graces blessing God for these things now if a man come to them do you know that you are elected and called and justified and have a true ground and hope of glory nay that we cannot tell say they this is a foolish thanksgiving this is to make a mock of God and to lie before him the Lord will have no such thanks but sing praises with understanding as the Scripture speaks he will have real and reasonable service now unlesse a man know this he cannot be thankful to God aright The Apostle willing the Corinths to be thankful for their calling the poore Corinths that were despised and ignoble and mean and of the lower rank of all the Town he wisheth them to glory in Gods goodness and in nothing of their own how doth he urge it you know your calling not many wise men after the flesh not many noble c. but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise c.. 1 Cor. 1.26 you see it many there are that God hath called among you and you see what manner of persons they are it is palpable and you cannot deny it therefore I would not have you glory in your selves but in God so Col. 1.12 13. giving thanks unto God the Father saith he that hath made us meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son the Lord expects thanks for this effectual calling when God hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdome of his dear Son that is when he hath effectually called us we should give thanks to God for it now how can we give thanks to God for it when we are uncertain and ignorant of it surely the Spirit of Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ loveth the glory of God and that God should have praise from his people for every mercy therefore without doubt they may come to know it because otherwise God should require that of them which they are not able to performe Fourthly Because this is the very end of the word of God it is one of the ends why the word of God is written to us indeed there are other ends besids this it is to convert to strengthen to direct to comfort to counsel it is to build up and to pull down the end of the word is to pull and hew some down to be cast into the fire but one end is to acquaint the people of God with the mercies of God and with graces and mercies and kindnesses he hath laid up for them in Jesus Christ and how they are called to these things this is one end of the word that they may know these things that God hath vouchsafed 1 Joh. 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life c. I have written to you that do believe to you that are effectually called that you may know that you have eternal life you have it but I would faine have you know that you have it Now the Word is a sure Word that will not faile us Fiftly Because the soul of a man it hath the power of reflection in it and it is able to reflect upon it self and know what it self doth and what it self hath the soul of a man is a reflective being and reflects upon its own bosom whereby it is privy to what it thinks and what it saith and what passages there be therein 1 Cor. 2.11 What man saith he knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man the spirit of a man that is in him knows the things that be in a man it is privy to its own affaires as it is with wickedness so it is with good actions and thoughts now for wicked courses we see that the conscience is privy to what sins and corruptions are in a man as Solomon told Shimei thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to that thou didst to David my Father thou knowest it thy heart is privy to it thou canst reflect upon thine own bosome and canst tell what wretched speeches thou didst speak thou art able to utter them in order as thou art privy to it as Solomon saith Eccl. 7 22. oftentimes thine own heart knoweth that thou thy self likewise hast cursed others he speaks of one that hath cursed thy own heart knows that thou hast done it saith he so it is in good actions and things that are in a man a mans heart is privy to it if a man obey the call of God how can a man do it but he must know that he is effectually called If a man do mourn for his sins and grieve for his iniquities the heart knows its own bitterness it is able to reflect upon what it self doth so if a man do desire grace and hunger and thirst after righteousness and pant after the living God he is able to say I do this Psal 42.1 As the hart pants after the rivers of water so doth my soul pant after thee O God his own heart shall be able to reflect upon it if thou humble thy soul and set thy self to prayer and approve thy self to God from day to day look into thy bosom and there thou mayst see it But it may be
objected then how is it that those that are effectually called are very doubtful and have many questions and are uncertaine whether they are called or no if it be so how come these doubts and troubles and perplexities that are in the minds of good people that are effectually called of God and we find by experience that they were effectually called I answer first we must know that though the knowledge of a mans calling may be had yet it is had by degrees it is a gradual knowledge a man cannot know it all at first dash God doth not manifest his favour and love all at once to his people and when he gives it he doth not presently tell a man what he gives him though there be wayes for him to know it and find it out yet the Lord doth not open himself to his people all at the first nay he doth not so to his own Son Christ Jesus in respect of his humanity as he grew in stature and wisdom so he grew in favour with God Luk. 2.52 The divine nature manifested it self more and more to his humane so God doth manifest his favour and love and openeth himself to his people more and more according as they grow in goodness they grow in this knowledge as they are more and more pure in heart the more do they see God and Gods goodness to them and what God hath done for them this knowledge though it be to be had yet it is to be had by degrees and the people of God have it not all in one degree some have it in a higher degree and some in a lower but every man hath some of this knowledge that he is called of God it is impossible that a man should be effectually called and be wholly and totally ignorant of it Secondly As this knowledge is gradual so it is experimental a man knows that he is called by experience chiefly and mainly as when a man knows by experience that he comes to God and draws near to God and that he doth abstract himself from the world and worldly wayes and practises and layes aside more and more the carnal wayes of men and doth approach nearer and nearer unto the things of God in Christ if a man hath experience of these things he comes now to say God hath effectually called me and hath been pleased to do me good when he finds this by experience that these things are wrought in him then he can conclude this at the first he was like a man in a vision he could hardly believe that God had effectually called him as it was with Peter when the Angel delivered him out of prison he was as one that had seen a vision he had not thought it had been a real thing he could not tell what to make of it Act. 12.11 but when he came to himself now saith he I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his Angel and delivered me out of prison At first he could not tell what to make of it but afterwards when he saw he was in the streets and that the iron gate opened to him of its own accord now saith he I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his Angel and delivered me So it is with the people of God at first when they hear something from the Father they know not what to make of this call at the first but afterwards when they come to see this lust and that lust fall off and these and these heavenly works in their souls they now know of a surety that God hath sent his Spirit into their souls and delivered them from sins and Satan and hell and damnation c. At first they were like dreamers they were not able to say whether they were called or no as the children of Israel when they were delivered out of captivity they could hardly believe it at first Psal 126.1 When the Lord turned away the captivity of Zion we were as those that dreamed we could hardly perswade our selves that God had delivered us out of captivity with such a mercy so great a favour so unlikely so improbable it could never enter into their hearts almost we were like those that dreamed but when they saw they were in Jerusalem and were helped and assisted and heard the Gentiles talke of it and all the people runne up and down when they saw it was so and had experience of it then they saw God had done it indeed and did believe it so when a man is first effectually called to come out of his sins the Lord knocks off his bolts and plucks him out of the jaile of hell and sets him as it were in Jerusalem he is at first as a man that dreams he can hardly believe it is so as it was with David when God called him to be King he could hardly believe it it could hardly enter into his heart that he should be King over Israel especially being dayly persecuteed by Saul and calamities heaping up themselves against him he could not conclude it but when the Lord had set him in his Kingdome and given him victory over his enemies now saith he I know that the Lord saveth his anointed now he could speak it and found it by experience that the Lord had made him his anointed and saved and delivered him from all his enemies before he was ready to deny it and say Samuel was a lyar he had anointed him to be King but I said in my hast all men are lyars but when he had experience of it now saith he I know that the Lord hath saved his anointed Thirdly As the knowledge of effectual calling is gradual and experimental so likewise it is very spiritual it is a marvellous spiritual work and therefore no marvel though it be something insensible indeed there be things in it which are very sencible and conspicuous as may be a reprobate may be galled at a Sermon he may have his eyes broad open to see his sins and iniquities and may be wonderfully wrought upon and may have the sencible work of vocation by the very Spirit of God but the very specificalness of it whereby this effectual calling doth differ from all other callings this is a marvelous Spiritual thing and therefore no wonder that it is insencible sometimes and many of the people of God feare they have it not these things may be done in the soul of a man and a man not know it and yet it may seem strange that the eyes of the blind should be opened and the feet of the lame should walk and the dead should be raised and the devils should be cast out it is strange I say that these things should be done in a mans soul and yet the man in whose soul they are done should be ignorant of them it is a strange thing but the works of the Spirit are wonderful secret the actions of the Spirit are very invisible when a man humbles himself and prayes
him crying and roaring and made him glad to go to their houses whom before he had persecuted and scorned and afterwards he told him that he was a chosen vessel so the Lord dealt with the jaylor he rent and tore him and burst him in peices as if all the devils in hell were about him and afterwards he saith Believe in the Lâ—rd Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Act. 16.26 But you will say there are some in Scripture are related not to have any such work Lidia she heard Paul preach and the Lord opened her heart at first and was a convert presently Act. 6.14 So it was with Cornelius and his company Peter opened his mouth and preached to them and while he yet spake the holy Ghâ—sâ— fell on them all Act. 10.24 Therefore it seems all mens conversions and callings home are not ushered by this legal work I answer This is a poore Argument that because the Scripture doth not say this work of the Law did not go before therefore it did not go before a man cannot make such an inference because the Scripture doth not repeate it it is sufficient that the Scripture hath related it in other places how the Lord brings his people home and what method he useth in doing them good first he useth the work of the Law and then of the Gospel the Lord sets it down in other places and therefore though he omits it here it doth not follow there was no such thing in Lidia and Cornelius and I will prove there was in both places that there was a preparatory work in Lida is plaine by two Arguments for the Scripture sheweth that before this evangelical work came she was a worshipper of God before noting there was something went before this opening of her heart there was a work of the Law before for this was the first work of the Gospel when God opened her heart another Argument is in the 13 ver where it is said that Lidia before she heard this Sermon resorted to Paul to the Rivers side to pray therefore it is a plaine sign that she was wrought upon by a preparatory work before Paul converted her and wrought upon her by the Gospel And then for Cornelius and his friends for Cornelius himself it is a plaine case that he was wrought upon before the Holy Ghost fell upon him for in the beginning of the Chapter it is said he was a devout man one that called upon God and set times apart extraordinarily to seek God before the Holy Ghost fell upon him and no question it was so with his kinsfolks for whom did he call to meet with Peter at this Sermon but those that he had been conversant with therefore it is likely they were wrought upon before as well as Cornelius otherwise he would have had little hope to get them thither well then the first thing we have proved that God doth thus prepare his people legally before he doth effectually call them Now we come to the second thing why God thus and the first Reason is because God will declare and shew forth his justice for as God did shew forth his justice in the Redemption of his people so he will also in the application of this Redemption shew some part of his justice in the Redemption of the World he poured forth the full viols of it he required full satisfaction of the Lord Jesus now he will not let justice be utterly swallowed up of mercy when he comes to apply this but justice shall shew his face and they shall come to see what Christ hath done for them and miseries he hath waded through for a man he shall see that God is a just and righteous God that hates sinne and abhors iniquity what a consuming fire he is against them that disobey him the Lord makes his justice appeare in the application of Redemption you see how he takes up his people upon Mount Ebal and delivers the curses of the Law and makes his own people to say Amen and subscribe to them Deut. 27.26 Here he delivers the curses and makes proclamation of his justice and saith he I will have all the people say Amen he will have all lye a bleeding under this curse and marke what Moses saith in the first verse of the next Chapter it shall come to passe if thou wilt hearken to the voyce of the Lord he will set thee up above all nations here comes in a fine Sunshiny day afterwards the Lord will have his people see his justice and what it is to be delivered from sinne the Lord will make them see that he is a just and righteous God and that there is no sinning against him there is no living in his sight no entring into his Kingdom without righteousness I must be a new creature else I shall be consumed he chargeth these things upon the soul and that soundly too because now he will lay down the foundation of a godly life the soul shall have need of this point as long as he lives to remember that God is a righteous God he hath found him to be a just God against sinne though he be a gracious and merciful God to them that truly repent and set themselves to obey his Name yet the soul seeth there is no living in sinne no following after a mans own lusts and the soul never loseth this for though the soul many times through temptations may be carried away yet he shall never be under that former blindness he was in never so ignorant of God never think so meanly and ignominiously of God as he did in his unregeneracy he still knows that God is a severe God and there is no expecting of mercy at his hands without holinesse and righteousnes if God should smother up the work all at first justice would not be seen as we see it is among men suppose a base fellow hath wronged a noble man may be the noble man means to pardon him but yet he will have him smart for it and feele and know what it is to displease and wrong and impeach such a great man as he So if the Lord should smother up the business presently as soon as ever he sends the word to a man presently convert a man and pardon him and give him true and saving faith justice would not be seen and therefore the Lord first tramples upon a mans neck and shews him his filthiness and casts him out of the Camp as the Lord said concerning Mirian she is unclean carry her out of the Camp so the Lord flings a person forth like a cursed damned creature as if he would take him by the heeles and fling him down to hell and never look upon him and then he takes him in thus the Lord tells his people Isa 45.21 There is none but me a just God and a Saviour first he makes them see that he is a just God and then he makes them see that he is their Saviour and Redeemer
were his enemy and would slay him and now he was willing to do it so the Lord deals with a stubborne soul if it belongs to him he will overcome his heart and make him let fall his sinnes he will make as though he would slay him he will make him a weary of keeping his lusts before he hath done with him The Lord deales in this case as he dealt with the Philistins they would not send home the Arke what course did he take to make them send it home and send it home in pomp and great respect God did fling down Dagon which was their chief Idoll and the Lord smote them with Emerods And now they think with themselves let us send home the Arke of the Lord and how shall we send it home Let us provide golden Mice and Emerods they sent it home with cost and offerings So the Lord deals with those that belong to him he tires them in their own ways and makes them willing to come out at last Lastly the Lord doth it to knock his people quite and cleane off from all every man naturally hangs upon something and above all hangs upon his good works and good prayers and performances and this keeps his heart from seeing what a miserable creature he is this keeps him from mourning and zeal and fervency and all this while that he hangs upon these his heart is hard'ned he will never stoop and yield to God now when the Lord means to do a man good he knocks him quite off and plucks out of his hands all his works and makes him let all go not that he ceaseth to work but as the Apostle speaks Rom 4.14 He makes him as a man that worketh not not as though he worketh not for there is no carnal man works more then this poor soul in this estate he keeps a great deal of stir to find out mercy and obtaine grace from God there is none that mournes and laments more and goes to Sermons more but yet he is no worker now he is faine to go to his father to him that justifies the ungodly all his wayes are loathsome and abominable he seeth nothing to trust upon but is driven to him that justifies the ungodly he sees he is a vile wretched creature he sees no worth no reason why God should look upon him he is now pennilesse and worthlesse and miserable in himself the Lord makes him a very bankrout he thought he was a rich Merchant but now he makes him a very bankrout and makes him appeare to be naked First here all Dawbers are to be reproved that preach nothing but mercy and the promises of the Gospel many love alife to be upon such theames O say they the promises are best to humble a man and bring him out of his sins whom shall we believe God or man This not the way Ezek. 13.22 the text saith Ye have strengthened the hands of the wicked that he should not turne from his wicked wayes by promising him life When a man preacheth the promise of God before wicked and ungodly men this hardens their hearts and strengthens them that they will not returne from their wicked wayes because the promises are propounded to them and the Minister makes no distinction between the precious and the vile this strengthens them in their sinnes and makes them think they are not so vile but they hope they are in a good case for all this therefore Saint Austine calls such men desolatores not consolatores such work desolation in their hearers and no sound consolation such Ministers as make their Sermons to be pillowes under peoples elbowes they make themselves guilty of the peoples blood and their souls shall be required at their hands they are the cause of peoples miscarriage when a Minister thinks to do people good by crying peace peace when the Prophet saith there is no peace to the wicked this rather drives people further off from God may be it may make them seeme outward professors but it will never make them sound in the faith rebuke them sharply saith the Apostle that they may be sound in the faith Tit. 1.13 sharp rebuking the powerful delivering of the Law and Gospel is the meanes to mahe men sound in the faith the more humble a man is made to be the more faith he comes to have our Saviour saith of the Centurion he had not found the like faith in Israel how came this the text shewes plainly that we shall hardly heare of a man so humble in an age as he was he did even grudge to think that Christ should come into his house he thought he was unworthy that Christ should come under his roofe though he were in the dayes of his humiliation in the forme of a servant his heart was employed and brought low he had no hope in himself all the worth he saw was in Christ this helps a man to the more faith the more a man is emplyed the more may be poured in Wherefore serve all those texts in Scripture The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousnesse tribulation and anguish shall be upon the soul of every one that doth evill flesh and blood can never enter into the Kingdome of God that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and such a one can never please God while the world stands Wherefore serve all these texts of Scripture when Gods flings balls of fire upon men that live in their wicked wayes Why do we not open them and presse them upon mens consciences Why do we not apply them to those to whom they belong are they not in the Bible were the Prophets fooles were the Holy Pen-men of the Scripture mistaken in putting such texts into the Bible If they be there they ought to be utâ—â—red and applied and if they be to be applied to whom but to those to whom they belong Then such persons had need to look to themselves and we that are Ministers woe unto us if we do not preach terrour to whom terrour belongs as well as mercy to whom mercy belongs but you will say are not we Ministers of the Gospel 't is true and so was Christ yet mark what he saith repent and then believe first he discovers their miserable conditions and breaks their hearts and then bids them lay hold upon the Gospel of peace this is the Method that we that are the Ministers of God should take first wound and then heale first lance and then bind up first detect mens sinnes and shew them their miseries and then shew them a remedy first let them see what they are and then see how they may be better Then you must be content to let us go up upon Mount Eball and pronounce the curses of God upon those that go on in their sinnes you must be content to have your estates and conditions ripped up be not ready to be snappish and murmuring against the revelation of the Law and the
person rather then to any body else and now the soul begins to think seriously this proposition is to me this tender is to me I hunger and thirst and long and therefore this belongs to me and the effectualnesse of this call is to make the soul come to Christ and cast himselfe upon him by faith these are the parts of propounding of Christ and both these are twofold the first is the external part of it by the Word the other the internal part of it by the Spirit Now we are to speak of the first of these how the Word works this general call and for this I have chosen this text Whereunto he hath called you by our Gospel c. For the coherence of these words in the former verses the Apostle had told the Thessalonians of a woful falling away that should he among all visible Churches in the whole world almost that there should be a general defection unlesse of Gods Elect and they should have fearful declinings and he sheweth that the power of the Devil and his instruments should be the cause of this falling away he should come with strong delusions and then the just cause why God doth suffer the Devil and his imps to bring this about that all they might be damned that had pleasure in unrighteousnesse the Lord would have them damned and this made the Lord suffer the Devil to work Apostacy and declining to them Now this is a fearful thing and therefore in the next place he comes to comfort the Thâ—ssalonians for they for their part the godly amongst them need not to be dismayed for fear of falling away as if they should not hold out but he would have them encouraged that they shall stand out for ever and he comforts them by two Arguments First by Gods predestination of them to life from all eternity God hath chosen you to Salvation from the beginning and then he laies down the meanes God had appointed for the attaining this salvation and that was through Sanctification in the Spirit as who should say 't is true there shall be such a falling away but you that are godly need not be dejected for God hath chosen you from all eternity and therefore will sanctifie you and keep you through his mighty power unto salvation that you shall not fall away The second Argument is their Effectual Calling that is in the text Whereunto he hath called you by our Gospel c. as who should say the Lord hath given you a pledge that you shall never fall away finally for it is plaine that God hath chosen you and he hath given a pledge of his Election for he hath called you therefore be of good cheare Well then in the words of the text you may consider these four things First Effectual Calling he called you Secondly the meanes whereby he hath wrought this in you namely the Gospel Thirdly the tearme whereunto he called them noted in this word hereunto which if you look into the former verse was unto Salvation Fourthly what this salvation is it is a most admirable incomparable thing no tongue is able to speak it Oh saith he It is to the attaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ the very same glory that the Lord Jesus Christ was advanced to you have part and communion therein Now three of these points I lay aside the point that serves our turn is the second he called you by our Gospell That the thing that calls Gods people home it is the General tender of grace indifferently to any man without exception whosoever will have it that is the Gospel When Christ should call Nicodemus after he had convinced him of his blindnesse and cursed estate and made him see he was a fool in all the things of God now he gives him a call and how doth he call him it was even this general tender John 3.14 15. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernesse so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life As who should say I bring an indifferent doctrine I propound it to all creatures and thou maist have a part in it as well as any other Whosoever believes shall not perish if thou hast a heart to believe and come unto me thou shalt not perish but have salvation So when our Saviour sent his Disciples to call his Elect throughout the world mark what directions he gave them he calls people with a general call Whosoever will let him take of the water life whosoever hath a mind to be saved to know God and have Communion with him and be united to him whosoever hath a minde to these things tell him I am for him he proclaimes it over the whole world tell every creature in the whole world He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved here is no exception put in but preach the Gospel to every creature tell every creature what I have done for the sins of the world and how I have opened the Kingdome to whomsoever will enter thus God calls his people his Ministers go up and down and tell them they may have pardon and grace and righteousnesse for nothing come and buy without money though you cannot give a farthing token for it but be poor and miserable and cursed creatures Come here it is wine and milk and bread and all without money you shall have it for taking and carrying away so Rev. 22.7 Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely it is a quicunquae vult there is none exempted if any man will he may be saved if he have a will a minde a heart to it he may have salvation Now here be three things I would shew unto you first what this general tender is whereby God effectually calls his people Secondly why it is by a general tender Thirdly the uses First what is this general tender of Christ and grace to every creature that hath a minde to it and it is this that Christ is the only alsufficient meanes to make a man happy that whereas he is out with his Maker he alone can set him in again though he be under a thousand miseries in this life and under a thousand eternal miseries in the life to come there is in Christ an alsufficiency to make a man happy God is the fountaine of all goodnesse and till his goodnesse is opened in Chrst Jesus this is that same general thing as Paul saith 1 Cor 1.23 24. We preach Christ crucified unto those that are called the power and wisdome of God as who should say this is the thing we go up and down every where preaching that Christ was crucified for the sinnes of the world and hath power to save any man that comes to him it was the wisdome of God he found out this meanes it was an impossibility in the wisdome of men and Angels how man should be saved the Wisdome of God hath
found out the Lord Jesus Christ to be the meanes and he is the power of God to save any man that believes and wheresoever we come we preach this Doctrine So again you may see Heb. 7.24 25. This man hath an unchangable Priesthood for he is able to save to the utmost all those that come unto him c. As who should say he is a publick Saviour he is not onely able to save these and these but all that come unto him he is able to save them to the utmost whosoever you are though you be never so wretched and reprobate to every good work though never so foule and all the nitre in the world cannot cleanse you never so stubborne and all the meanes and Ordinances you have enjoyed have not tamed you why yet here is a Saviour for you he is able to save you to the utmost though you be never so out with God and though God be never so much displeased with your sinful courses and all the Angels and all the world cannot take away Gods wrath from you yet he is able to save you to the utmost if you will come unto him This is the tender of the Gospel delivered to every man Now in the next place I will shew you the reasons why God calls people home by a general tender in this fashion First because this is the surest ground of faith suppose a soul that is effectually called shall afterwards feare and question and by what warrant do I hope to be saved by Christ and by what warrant do I look to be heard for Christs sake and how is it that I lay hold upon such promises and cast my self upon such things in the Gospel upon what acquaintance do I presume that the Lord Jesus will see you assisted in all my wayes and helped in all estates and conditions and save my soul when I die Why saith he I have a good warrant for I see in Scripture that Christ is tendered to all and whâ—soâ—ver believes shall not perish but have everlasting life and whosoever will have him may I could not tell indeed I was elected before I heard the Sermon but I heard that any man might have Christ that would and I am sure I would have him and I finde in Scripture that he came to save that which is lost and I am sure I am a lost creature and if he came to save that which is lost I have warrant to believe This is that which grounded Saint Paul this generall offer This saith he is a faithful saying worthy to be received of all men that Christ died for sinners whereof I am chief 1 Tim. 1.15 As who should say here is the thing this is that which comforts me and staies my soul I see that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and I see it is a faithful saying and worthy of all men to be received all men whosoever have a heart may receive it and I am sure then he came to save me and this is my hold I have no other hold but this But now if a man were called by any other call but this a man could have no ground for his calling if the Scripture should say they only are called that are elected he would have no ground for his call Secondly because this is the best answer to Satan many times a man will be put to heavy straits and will have much ado to answer Satan sometimes a man will be under uncertainty sometimes under want of feeling and sense sometimes under horror of conscience and a mans sins may come to a mans view and feares may step up in the soul then Satan comes how look you to be saved you are a wretch you have a stiffe faith indeed What believe and no sense and feeling such a horrible wretch and such a guilty conscience and you believe What have you to shew Is any one promise in the Bible to such a one as you that are so foul and filthy and cannot pray nor do any thing you see God casts you off where is any promise for you to hang upon Yes I can believe for all this because the Gospel is not tendered to sense and feeling and such and such things but to every one that would have Christ and I would have Christ and so much the more eager is my heart to have him the more I am troubled and cast down the more I would have Christ and grace here is my hold this is the thing the sure Word of Faith it is called the Word of Faith Rom. 10.8 Now you know the Word of God is true whether a man believe or no and now when faith comes in it layes hold upon that general Word the thing is true so that if any man comes and believes though I never found it before I believed it yet now I may hang upon it and there is nothing in the world will put off Satan more then this he will say you have Christ how can you have him you are proud aye but I would be humbled you are dead 't is true but that is my grief and mourning I would be quickened and therefore would have Christ that I may be so and so here he hangs upon the general tender of Christ Thirdly because this is that same simple Scripture that is simply true in it self before all acts in man a man cannot be effectually called by any truth but that which is true in it self before all acts in man now what truth can effectually call a man before any act of grace in man but only the general tenders of the Gospel these are the truths that are simply true in themselves Before any thing is done upon man it may be true that God hath elected me but it is not a Scripture truth before something be done in me the Scripture doth not say simply in it self that I am elected before some grace be put forth in me if I have grace put forth already in me then I may say that God did specially intend it to me and did elect me in Christ before all worlds but now these truths cannot call a man because before effectual calling nothing is done in a man therefore those truths that suppose any thing in a man cannot be calling truths the first truths that a man is effectually called unto a man hath no more to shew for it then any man else in the world therefore it must be meerly the truths of the Gospel in themselves what Christ did and so forth As for example these be the calling truths Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Joh. 1.29 God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3.16 and Mat. 18.11 The Sonne of man came to save that which is lost but these truths concerning this mans election that God doth love him and hear him and accept of him these are not Scripture
truths in themselves but when a man is called then they come in now a man may see that he is elected and accepted of God but these truths can never effectually call a man because effectual calling is the first thing that is done in a man and this work finds nothing in a man more then in any other and therefore it must needs be a general tender Fourthly because this is only that which every man is bound to believe it is that only which a man is called unto God when he doth effectually call his people doth call them to do nothing but that which is every mans duty to do he calls them to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ which is one mans duy as well as another as Christ when he went to preach every where up and down saith he Repent and believe the Gospel as who should say it is every one of your duties to repent and believe the Gospel it is the very same truth that believed saveth Gods people and not believed damneth the reprobates as Mark 16.16 He that beleeves shall be saved and he that beleeves not shall be damned as who should say both is the same truth that is propounded to this man that is saved and that man that is damned therefore they must be the general truths of the Gospel particular truths do not bind every man to believe it is not every mans duty to believe that he is elected that he hath intended his Son Christ for him rather then any other God binds not every man to beleeve this but he binds every man to believe that God is the eternal good of a man and this is to be had by coming unto Christ when a man can believe this and cast himself upon it this is true and saving faith when this draws a man to God and pulls him out of his sins and this is the reason that the Apostle saith 1 John 3.23 This is the Commandment of God that ye beleeve in his Son Jesus Christ so that you see this is clear that it is the general tender of the Gospel that cals Gods people home to God whatsoever a man be an old sinner a young sinner a grosse sinner be he what he will if his heart stoop that he would have Christ and all Christ he shall not perish but have everlasting life Obj. But you may say faith is onely of Gods Elect how then can Ministers tender such a proffer as this whereas Christ is only given to the Elect I answer it is true that the Elect when all comes to all they only get it yet it is seriously tendred to all we had never heard of Election and reprobation but only because of this because that when the Gospel is preached we see that some receive it and some receive it not now thus you come to see election and reprobation for when a man comes to receive the call we see that that man is elected because no man takes Christ but by grace every man would stand out and refuse Christ but when we see a man takes Christ then we see he is elected and when we see another man doth not take Christ we see then that man is left to himself and hath a wretched heart and reprobate minde and God lets him have it still as he will have his sins so God lets him have them still yet notwithstanding this is very true that Christ is propounded to all and this the reason why our Saviour Christ saith Mat. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen the meaning is many are called but few there are that do answer this call there are few that have grace to do it the most part of the world will rather have their lusts then Christ and therefore there are but few because God hath chosen but few Now the reason why the tender of the Gospel must be delivered without any restraint to election is First because if there were not such a proffer without exception to any that will have Christ then the Elect should have no ground for their faith a man cannot see he is elected till after he hath faith no man hath faith and repentance at his first effectual call now how shall a man have any ground for his faith when the Gospel is propounded onely to the Elect every man will be at a stand I know not whether I be elected or no I am as fair for hell as any for ought I know I have sins to damn me but no election as far as I know you preach Sermons all your life time I can beleeve none because you preach only to the Elect so the children of God can have no ground for their faith because there is no particular place of Scripture that bindes a man to beleeve his election therefore it must be a general proffer of the Gospel propounded to every man John 6.35 there saith Christ He that will come unto me I will in no wise cast off there you see it is general any man that will come to Christ whether Elect of God no matter Ministers should not stand demurring and questioning I know not whether these be Elect or no do you deliver the Gospel and afterwards it will appear who are elected and who not by their receiving or not receiving the Gospel leave you that to me preach you how men may be happy and what a miserable estate they are in but if they will come out of their sinnes they may receive the pardon of them tell them that whosoever comes to me shall in no wise be cast out be they what the will Secondly because though election be first in Gods order he doth first Elect a man before he calls him yet with the Elect with Gods own people it is clean contrary first they must be effectually called before they can have any inkling of their election in the point of knowing of it therefore 2 Pet. 1.10 the Apostle saith give all diligence to make your calling and election sure first make your calling sure else you can have no inkling of your election now when this is sure you may be sure of your election before the point of effectual calling there must be no talking of election either in the Minister that preacheth or people that hear this election is a thing in Gods own bosom which comes after the receiving or rejecting the Gospel the one will reveal election the other reprobation Thirdly because there is a difference between men and devils there is no possibility for devils though they would never so faine to be saved for Christ took not upon him the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 he did not meddle with them therefore now we cannot say to them if ye beleeve you shall be saved because there is possibility for them though they would never so faine but there is a possibility for all men to be saved if they would believe there is sufficiency of merits in Christ and it was intended
to the sonnes of men to as many as would have it though indeed all men would have none of him if they were left to themselves yet notwithstanding the Gospel is offered to all every man might have him but that he will not have him But there be two Objections against this doctrine 1. Because this seems to be the contrary to the doctrine of many godly and religious Divines heretofore who seem to say that the Gospel is only for the Elects sake it is the doctrine of many Divines if I knew who were elected and who were not I would not deliver it to them this is a dangerous doctrine yet the ground of the doctrine is true that the Gospel is properly bestowed upon the Elect To us a child is born to us a child is given that is to the Elect but yet this is not contradictory to that which I now deliver I deny not that Christ is given intentionally to Gods Elect upon beleeving yet he is tendred to others to and intended too upon that condition God cannot mock people and make as though they might have eternal life and cannot have it though never so faine it is not so but God deales seriously with people for every man shall have Christ that hath a true and sincere heart now it is true this heart is only given of God because otherwise a man is stubborn and stiff-necked and will not give over his sins and deny himself but will rather have his own courses then Christ though he may have eternal life by him yet the proposition of the Gospel is general to every man that will believe and will have Christ and this is necessary and this is the very self-same doctrine that all Divines have preached heretofore only it is delivered otherwise and the reason why there is a necessity of delivering it thus is because this is the form of preaching set down in the Scripture and this is the way to fish out Gods Elect and the best way to settle their mindes and establish their consciences and this is the best way to feel and groap in Congregations who are of God Wilt thou have Christ and eternal life and be delivered from thy sinnes thou mayest then have the pardon of thy sinnes and the favour of God now if a man be of God he will hear us if he be not he will not hear us this is the way Scripture sets down as you may see John 1.11 He came to his own and his own received him not Christ came and offered himself to his own he calls all his own people the very reprobates are his own in respect of the offer but in respect of receiving it so the Elect onely are his own ver 12. To as many as received him he gave power to be the Sonnes of God So Acts 8.37 The Eunuch would faine have Christ by baptisme what hinders me but I may be baptized let me enter into Covenant with Christ what should let me Mark what Philip saith if thou beleevest thou mayest could he tell whether he were Elect or no no but he feels him with the general tender of the Gospel what lets me he saith nothing lets thee if thou canst beleeve he could not tell whether he were elected or no but saith he if thou canst beleeve with all thy heart thou mayest have Christ and all the benefits of the Covenant of grace if thou hast a heart and minde unto it thou mayest have it and after he professed he had he baptized him So Paul dealt with the Jaylor Acts 16.30 31. when Paul saw the Jaylor ready to stab himself how could he tell whether he were elected or no yea when he cried out What shall I do to be saved he might speak out of horror and conscience how did Paul know that he was elected but he feels him with the general tender beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ saith he and thou mayest be saved whatsoever thou art he doth not stand upon his election but beleeve in Christ and his Gospel and believe eternal life is in him and rest upon him for it let this be a means to pull thee out of thy sins and to seek after righteousnesse and communion with him if thou hast faith thou shalt be saved Obj. The second Objection is this that this doctrine seems to favour our adversaries our adversaries say that Christ died for one as well as for another and the Gospel is to be propounded to one as well as to another and it is as much for one as for another now if we say so too we shake hands with them Answ 1. I answer First there is a great deal of difference between that which the Pelagians speak concerning this thing they say that Christ intended his death no more to one then to another no more to Abraham then Pharaoh no more to Peter then Judas look what minde God bare to one à parte ante he bare as good a minde towards the other now this we peremptorily deny and it is an horrible blaspheming of the grace of God towards his people for he will have one rather then another Acts 13.48 as many as was ordained to eternal life beleeved as who should say as many as God had chosen they took Christ and none else God did intend Christ to them especially more then to the rest he gave them a heart and let the rest go on in the stubbornnesse of their hearts Secondly they say that Christ came to bring nothing but a possibility of salvation into the world now that any man is saved is through the ability of a mans will that one man will be saved another will not this man will beleeve in Christ another will not This we peremptorily deny too for this is to blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ to say so for 't is true Christ hath wrought a possibility for others they might have been saved but would not the rebellion of their hearts damned them their unbelief sent them to hell but yet he first brought an actuality of Salvation for some for he had his name for this Mat. 1.21 Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sinnes nay the Father and he did indent one with another that he dying upon the crosse should see his seed Esay 53.10 Thirdly they say that Christ might have died and none have been saved which is an horrible impiety for a man once to speak whereas certainly Christs death could never have been frustrated if Christ did die for his people he will save them the gates of hell shall not prevaile against them he will gather up all that do belong to his election Lastly the adversaries say that as there is a generality in the offer so there is an universality in the grace now this we deny too that there is an universal grace God gives more mercy to his own people then to others to you it is given saith Christ c. Mat. 13.10 11. so
open for every one that will receive Christ thus the Scripture gives hope Thirdly both set a man on work as suppose a man hath an hope that proceeds from justifying faith as he believes in Christ so this sets him a work 1 John 3.3 He that hath this hope purifies himself as Christ is pure it makes him labour to be humble and meek and to be made partaker of the Spirit of Grace it makes him labour after the things that are above and to be fitted and disposed to every good work and to purge himself and cleanse his conscience more and more and so a man that hath not this justifying faith but hath only this branch of effectual calling begun in him he that hath this hope I now speak of it sets him a work to seek after Christ and to labour hard for the enjoying of him and to seek him in all his Ordinances in his manner though he cannot pray and performe duties as others do yet he will do it in that manner he is able Fourthly both are the anchor of the soul as it is with a believer though he be a godly believer and hath interest in Christ yet what with temptations from hell and his own heart he will be tossed to and fro were it not for this hope which is as an anchor to the soul so it is with a man that is not come thus far but is only under the same first branch though his tossings be fierce and his temptations be violent and his case be doubtful and full of hazard yet notwithhanding when this hope comes into the soul it doth marvelously stay the heart though it see nothing but hell and damnation and misery and his conscience is not purged and his life renewed and his soul sanctified and wrought upon in Jesus Christ though he sees there is no way but hell and damnation yet when this hope comes into the soul though he can see neither star-light nor Moon-light nor nothing it doth stay him much and prop him up much and doth encourage him to go on without dismay Neither of these two hopes shall make a man ashamed if a man hath this true hope he shall never be ashamed Rom. 5.4 Hope maketh not ashamed so it is with a man that is truly wrought upon the Lord never deceives him there is a working of grace for grace before grace it self comes into the soul which carries a man beyond a reprobate and this hope the soul hath will never let him be in this case that he shall need to be ashamed The third thing is this how this hope differs from that hope which proceeds from justifying faith and they differ in two things The first is that this hope I now speak of it ariseth out of the seeds of grace the other out of grace it self there are the seeds of grace which are something of grace in the soul before grace it self comes and though we have not any place of Scripture to shew this yet there are abundance of places that aime at and include this As it may be referred to the woeings of Christ Hos 2.14 when the excellency and necessity of Christ woes the soul and the possibility of having Christ these things allure a man here is this work when the soul begins to be a neuter before the soul believes yet there is a kinde of bending of faith as the man in the Gospel when Christ asked him if he believed in the Son of God he saith Lord what is he that I may believe as who should say I am ready to believe if I could I am ready to resigne my self to believe do but shew me how I may believe Secondly this may be referred to the forming of Christ in the heart Gal. 4.19 before the babe is organized there is seed so there is a seed of God in the soul and he that hath this seed cannot sin because he is borne of God as there is a seed of generation so of regeneration as the prodigal before he came home to his Father he saith with himself I will go home to my Father and say Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee c. Luke 15.16 What made him do this they are nothing else but the effects of the seeds of grace So the Jaylor Acts 16.13 that cried out Sirs what shall I do to be saved what were these but the expressions of the seeds of grace that were in him the next newes we heare he did believe now the Lord sowes seeds of grace in the soul and these break forth into hope and desires and waitings for grace these are the seeds of grace and from thence comes this hope but the other hope comes from grace it self it is true that these seeds of grace are grace in themselves they are the work of grace for grace but they are not gracefully and compleatly wrought in the soul They come from several apprehensions the hope we now speak of apprehends nothing but a possibility of pardon that he may be pardoned and have power over his sins he may attaine to be a new creature and to be one of the redeemed of the Lord and this is that which sends him after God and makes him trace him up and down till the Lord doth it for him but the other apprehends that he hath it already or else rests upon God for it and hopes undoubtedly for the accomplishment of it this hope I now speak of was in the King of Niniveh Who knows but the Lord may repent and turne from his fierce anger that we perish not I cannot tell but there is hope it may be and who knows but God will do it And this hope made him humble himself and seek to God and there was a publike kinde of reformation outwardly So it is here the Lord lets in some hope who knows but the Lord will yet shew mercy and it is not only an imaginary hope such a hope as vanisheth and leaves a man in the lurch but this hope doth stir up a mans soul and provoke a man to look out to God for that mercy whereof he sees a possibility of attaining I come now to the reasons of the point why the Lord doth work this hope in the soul and the first is this Lest a man should lie all along in despaire when the Lord shews a man his sins and his misery in regard thereof if the Lord should not put in this hope a man would altogether despaire it is impossible a man should be able to stand as Solomon saith A wounded spirit who can beare So when the Lord chargeth a mans sins and iniquities upon his conscience and aggravates all his sinfulnesse a man would sink under this burthen and never be able to hold up his head were it not for this hope as we use to say were it not for hope the heart would break so this is the reason why God puts in this hope
what is this particular word which the Lord speaks to the soul is there any such particular word to be found in all the Scripture Thomas or Richard do you come to me I answer there is a general word in the Scripture and this particular word is in the general so that though there be not a particular word expressively yet there is equivalently and this I will make appear in three or four particulars First what particular place of Scripture saith that Thomas or James or such a one is a childe of wrath by nature is here any Scripture saith so of him I answer yes this particular is in the general we are all the children of wrath by nature Eph. 2.3 and cursed is every one that continues not in all the things written in the Law to do them Gal. 3.10 now though a mans name be not named William such a one is accursed by nature yet notwithstanding he findes his particular in the general that he is a cursed creature Again what place of Scripture saith that Robert or John must love God and is bound to love God is there any such place of Scripture no why will you say then that you are bound to love God and obey him if there be no such place of Scripture yes for this particular is in the general Thou shalt love the Lard thy God c. That Commandment is delivered to all men in the whole world So Thou shalt do no murther thou shalt not commit adultery c. this Commandment lies upon the whole world therefore if thou beest a man though thou canst not finde thy name set down that the Lord speaks to thee yet thy particular is in those generals so though it cannot be shewn in all the Scripture that such a particular man shall rise againe yet when the Scripture saith that all men shall rise againe as John 5.28 Marvel not for the houre shall come that all flesh that is in the grave shall come forth if all that are dead shall rise again then every man shall rise again though his name be not named in Scripture so it is hear we read in Scripture that Christ saith John 7.37 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink now the Lord includes a particular in it and brings it to the soul thou thirstest thou wouldest faine have Christ here are the promises here is all mercy in my Sonne believe in him come and receive him take him and thou shalt have them so if Christ saith whosoever beleeves shall be saved then Saint Paul might safely conclude a particular word to the Jaylor beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Acts 16.31 so that you see here is a particular word though not particular directly yet equivalent to a particular namely a particular in the general and the Spirit of God doth speak this to the soul and makes the soul hear it Every man therefore that hath heard it c. When God calls the soul home he makes the soul hear his voice here a particular voice and word to him believe in the Lord come unto me for salvation relie upon me for eternal life the sinnes that trouble thy soule cast thy self upon me for the forgiving of them the diseases miseries distempers thou art subject unto lay hold upon me and rest upon me for the delivering thee from them the Lord when he calls a man effectually he speaks it not onely the Minister and the Word speaks it but the Lord speaks it and so the soul hearing of the Father comes to Christ thus you may see the Lord holds the free promises of the Gospel before the soul and bids a man relie upon them as Peter dealt with his contrite hearers the Spirit of the Lord going along with his word Acts 2.39 believe saith he for the promise belongs to you and to your children c. as who should say when God calls a man effectually he holds forth his promises and propounds them to the soul beleeve this promise and rest upon me for it thus the Lord doth call a man home he sends his promise before him he sets up hope before him he sends the gracious invitation of the Gospel before him and bids him relie upon it thus God dealt with his Elect Corinths 1 Cor. 1.9 God is faithful saith the Apostle by whom ye are called to the fellowship of his Sonne Jesus Christ as who should say when God called you he spake to every one of you in particular come and be fellow heirs with my Son come and have every good thing with my Sonne come and be a sonne with him come and be an heir of grace with him and have title to eternal life and salvation God calls you saith he to beleeve that he is faithful So I might instance in many more though there be never so many in the Congregation yet the Lord doth not speak to them all they do not all hear his voice they all hear the Minister but that makes them not to come that doth not the deed but when the Lord calls a man he comes he joyns with the Word and speaks to this or that man and takes him alone and whispers him in the ear and tells him where mercy is and bids him rely upon him and though sense and feeling be against him though all fears and objections be against him he bids him believe and be of good cheere he shall have all these mercies if he will believe in him as he saith Esay 51.20 Look unto Abraham your father for I called him alone and blessed him mark it the Lord took him alone and spake to his heart between him and himself so when the Lord speaks to a soul and calls him by his grace he calls him alone and takes him alone though all the Congregation hears the same Sermon yet he takes him alone and speaks to his heart and bids him beleeve in him for I will never faile thee it is a sure foundation he may build upon it for ever and ever Because no man could come unto Christ else for we see daily though Ministers call all the Congregation and assembly yet people do not stir they are dead in their sins they cannot hear the Minister no it must be a louder voice and one that is more powerful and effectual unlesse the Lord come and bid a man beleeve he can never do it therefore John 5.26 See what Christ saith Verily I say unto you that the hour shall come when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God here comes an Almighty voice that speaks to the raising of a man out of the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse and faith and he shews that there is a voice of Christ that speaks to the soul that though the soul be dead yet it shall heare and live so Ephesians 5.14 and were it not for this call no man could beleeve That so they may have a ground
for their faith the soul cannot first beleeve and then come to the promise but the Lord brings the promise first and then makes the soul to beleeve he lets in the promise first and then causeth the soul to lay hold upon it the soul doth not first come and then look to the promise but the soul first looks upon the promise and then beleeves as you may see Psal 119.49 it is the speech of the Prophet David Remember thy Word O Lord wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust the Lord lets in a word of promise into Davids heart then caused him to hope in it and made him look upon it as a thing tendred and propounded to him and so made him relie upon it if it were not for this call of God who were able to beleeve for without this call the soul when it seeth its dulnesse and deadnesse and untowardnesse and unworthinesse it would go away it would say I cannot look to the promise I cannot do this and that and I have no faith and what have I to do with the promise therefore the Lord when he effectually calls a man he lets in the sight of his promises he holds forth his free and gracious promises so that now the soul can say the Lord calls me by his grace and though I be never so wretched and my heart be stark naught though I be as reprobate to every good word and work as the vilest in the world yet here is a free offer and I will relie upon it it is tendred unto me otherwise why should God propound it so freely why should he hold it forth so indifferently why should he confirm it with the blood of his own Son why should there be the Sacraments and so many Seals to establish the truth of it and why doth he propound it so freely to me when he looks upon the promise the promise makes him believe the freenesse of it the universality of it the indifferency of it to as many as will have it the Lord puts power into the promise to affect the heart fire the heart there is so much truth and goodness in the promise as is able to make the soul beleeve when God speaks it to the heart it is such a good promise and such a free promise and so Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus to all that do but rest upon it the Lord holds the promise before a mans eyes and saith here is a promise for thee beleeve here is mercy here is favour here is pardon here is peace here is Christ here is strength here is wisdome thou art a fool here is wisdome for thee to direct thee thou art weak here is strength for thee to enable thee do but rely upon me and thou shalt have it the soul doth not first believe the promise and then take it but the Lord first propounds the promise to the soul and makes the soul look up to God in his promise I am a vile sinner but with the Lord there is mercy and I have a cursed spirit within me but with the Lord there is power to subdue it the truth of the promise and the power of God going with it makes the soul beleeve it and this is the reason when God would renew the faith of his people he gives them as it were a new call and holds the promise afresh before them as Gen. 17.1 I am God alsufficient walk before me and be upright as who should say Abraham go not away from me go not any where else thou mayest have any thing in me I am God Almighty beleeve in me keep by me go not from me but walk before me all the dayes of thy life and I will be a God unto thee and in blessing I will blesse thee therefore Rom. 9.8 the people of God are called the children of promise because the promise breeds them and converts them and is the ground of all unto them they are the very children of the promise now here be three things I would shew unto you First why this act is attributed to the Father the Father speaks to the soul the soul hears it and so comes Secondly what speech this is which the soul hears and so comes to God by faith Thirdly how a man may know whither he hath heard this voice or no. First why this act is attributed to the Father Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father c. the Father speaks and the soul hears from the Father I answer First not as though Christ did not speak but he came to send them to to the Father go to him and hear him that is not the meaning of it no Christ cuts off all such thoughts in the next verse Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father c. not that any man hath seen the Father c. as who should say I do not mean that you should runne to the Father as though I were not able to teach you no man can go to the Father he dwells in light that is unaproachable no man can come to the Father but by me Mat. 11.27 All things are delivered to me of my Father c. you see here that is not the meaning of it Christ is a sufficient Doctor he is the great Prophet of his Church and is able to instruct his people therefore that is not the meaning of it Secondly not as though we should set up a conceited distinction of works in the Trinity as though a man should say now a man is under the work of the Father and then under the work of the Sonne and then under the work of the holy Ghost as some imagine sometimes the soul is under the work of the Father as when the soul doth not beleeve the Father draws it and pulls it and when it beleeves then it is under the work of the Sonne and he works upon the conscience and justifies and sanctifies it and afterwards it is under the work of the holy Ghost when it is sealed with the Spirit of promise these things are true yet this is not the meaning neither doth our Saviour Christ intend any such construction neither have we any warrant for any such distinction of works for as this act of drawing is here given to the Father so John 11. it is given to the Sonne When I am lifted up I will draw all men unto me and as we say the soul hears the Father so it heares the Son also John 5.25 so that these are but conceits and as the seal is given to the Spirit so it is given to the Father and the Son sometimes therefore to say that the soul is now under the work of the Father and now under the work of the Sonne and now under the work of the holy Ghost these things are not warrantable in Scripture but the meaning is this our Saviour meeting with the stubbornnesse of the Jews that would not believe but murmured and
repined at his doctrine he puts in this no man cometh unto me except the Father draweth him he means their utter inability of coming to him by nature unlesse it be given them from above if he had spoken of it againe may be would have said no man cometh unto me except the Spirit draweth him you must know that all the acts of the blessed Trinity are indevidable 't is true the Father as he is first in order of subsistance so he is first in order of operation and working but look what one works all work one act flows from them all as it is said you are washed in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit had a hand in the same work they all do the same work for any further meaning of this I know not any warrant The second thing is what this voice is that the Father doth speak to the soul and so the soul is made to come to Christ I answer you must not conceive that here is any voice distinct from the Word it is but imaginary and notional when men dream of any other Relations besides the Word it is not a proper but a metaphorical speech and it consists in two things First in opening a mans senses Secondly in removing a mans lamenesse and inability First in opening a mans senses in opening a mans understanding a mans understanding is quite blinded and cannot see the things of God and though a man literally know all the Scripture yet notwithstanding there is a veile upon his eyes and he doth not see the excellency and glory of it now when the Spirit of God comes and anoints a mans eyes and takes away the scales that they fall off from his eyes the man now begins with open face to see the glory of God and the glorious Gospel of God the natural man saw the Gospel to be a glorious thing yet the God of this world blinded his eyes that he could not see it in this glorious manner now when the Spirit of the Father comes to call a man effectually he doth anoint a mans eyes Esay 35.5 The eyes of the blinde shall see he makes a man to see the wonders of Gods Law to see his gracious promises in Jesus Christ the freenesse of them the indifferency of them that they are propounded to every man that hath an heart to them and hungers and thirsts after them so that the Lord doth as it were say to the soul here are the promises here you see them beleeve in me this is the speech of the Father these are the promises this is the happinesse if you will embrace it you may be happy for ever now the world and profits and pleasures are not such a thing you may be damned for all them therefore come unto me and you shall have eternal happinesse thus the Spirit of the Father sheweth the soul the glory of the wayes of Jesus Christ and the glory of the promises here they are beleeve that is the first Secondly he opens the sense of hearing for as the minde of a man is stark blinde and cannot see the things of God so the heart of a man is stark dead and cannot hearken to God a man hath no ears by nature to hear God speak to him till the Lord comes and opens his ears as the Prophet speaks Esay 35.5 The ears of the deaf shall hear when the Lord comes to open the ears of the deaf now the soul begins to hear before it was like the deafe adder that could not hear the voice of the charmer charme he never so wisely though he heard never so many Sermons he yet heard none his hearing was to no purpose in hearing he heard but perceived not but when the Lord comes and takes away the uncircumcision of the eare the soul now begins to heare and hearken to him now the stone begins to vanish out of the heart and flesh and feeling comes in the place thereof the soul is ready to say as Samuel Speak Lord thy servant heareth now the soul begins to hear a Sermon to hear a counsel to hear a threatning when the Lord begins to open the ear this is another thing whereby the soul is able to hear what the Lord saith Again this voice consists in taking away a mans lamnesse for as a man was perverted and this was taken away by opening the ear yet now a man is lame and cannot come to Christ therefore the Lord takes away his lamenesse Esay 35.5 The feet of the lame shall walk First he makes the soul walk and afterwards run and at last to flie as an Eagle First it walks you shall walk in my statutes and afterwards runnes and flies as an Eagle thus you see what this voice is Now there be two reasons why it is called a voice First because it is a thing joyned with the Word because it is all one together with the Word as Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing he doth not mean their onely outward hearing for faith will not come by outward hearing but he means the hearing of the outward ear and this hearing of the Father speaking to the heart and so faith comes Secondly because it hath a similitude of a voice the soul doth as it were hear a voice speaking to it not as though the acts you heard of even now can distinctly be known he doth them not vocally he doth not open the eyes and open the ear vocally but as the blind man said One thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see but how he came to see that he could not tell so when the Spirit comes and speaks to his heart a man can tell no more the way of the Spirit then he can tell how the wind blows or the fashioning of the bones in the womb what man can expresse the manner of Gods secret working could the Apostles see the breath of Christ breathed upon them when he said receive ye the holy Ghost no they could not the acts of the Spirit upon the soul cannot be discerned but as the blind man said once I was blinde but now I see so a man may say whereas I was deaf now I can hear the voice of God and happy is the man that can say this but the things cannot be discerned but at the same time when the Lord works these acts the soul doth as it were hear a speech mentally and spiritualy in the soul Esay 30 22. Thou shalt hear a voice behind thee saying this is the way walk in it so the Lord speaks to the soul this is the way and this is the promise and this is the Gospel of peace and this is the mercy that I offer unto thee beleeve it the Lord makes the soule as it were heare a voice the Lord speakes and the soul hears it is done after such a manner so effectually as if the Lord did speak to the heart I will allure her into the
Wildernesse the Lord doth as it were entice a man thus and thus it shall be with thee if thou wilt follow me it is done after such a manner therefore it is called a voice The third thing is how we may know whether the soul hath heard this voice or no I answer first there is a power goeth along with the Word when this voice of the Father goeth with it there is a power put into the promises not only the Minister speaks them or the bare letter of the word utters them but when the Spirit speaks with them there is a power goeth along with them as John 6.44 there is a power to draw the heart when the Lord calls a man when he speaks to a man he puts a power into the promise that it draws the heart of a man the truth the goodness the excellency freenesse attainableness of it the Lord puts a power into these things to draw the heart so that that man is drawn to look after heaven and come to God from day to day the excellency and incomparable worth of these things having the power of God in them woeth the heart and enticeth it and draws it and hales it to come to God and weaneth it from the world and he lets them go more and more not seeing such worth in them to draw his minde away more and more hence the Gospel is call'd the power of God to salvation Rom. 16.6 when God calls a man by the Gospel he puts a power into all the promises to draw a man home to pull a man effectually and powerfully unto him he is enamoured of them and must have them and will have them and casts himself upon God for the having of them when any soul obeyeth the call of God what is the reason that it obeyeth it it feels a power in the Word in the promises of God when he hears it preached as 1 Thes 1.5 Our Gospel came not unto you in Word onely but in power the Lord calling of these good Thes By his grace there was a power went along with the Word and made them receive the Word and that drew their hearts to take it though by nature they were averse from it though by nature they were stubborn and rebellious and would not submit to the Gospel yet when the Lord puts this power into the promise to overwoe the soul more then lusts and sinnes and things of the world could do more then the inclinations of the soul could do it came with a stronger power then all these to the soul and this made the soul hear this voice Secondly he that hears this voice hears more then a man or any creature say unto him beleeve saying unto him come unto Christ cast thy selfe upon God here is mercy here is a promise here is peace that thou needest when he doth not onely hear the Minister say it all the Congregation hears him speak it and no man stirs but when a man hears more then a Minister say so he feels such a coming of the Word to him that all the created powers in heaven and earth could never move him in that manner then he heares the voice of the Spirit of God for when God calls a man effectually he makes the Gospel a glasse for a man to see the glory of God thorow as you may see 2 Cor. 3.18 he means by the glasse there the Gospel the Lord when he calls a man he makes the Gospel a glasse to him that he may behold the glory of God the infinite graciousnesse and lovelinesse of God the infinite goodness happinesse and blessednesse of God and what an infinite fountaine of all goodnesse he is in his own Son Jesus Christ he lets him see not only the Gospel every man seeth the Gospel but every man hath not this glasse it is not this glasse to him to let him see the glory of God when God turns a man he comes with this glorious light thorow the Gospel to his soul there is a great light shines from heaven about a man as there did about Saint Paul the Gospel it self a light and every man seeth this light but there is darkness upon the minde still for all that but when God calls a man there is a great light comes into the soul you are a chosen generation c. 1 Pet. 2.9 mark there is a marvellous deal of light the Lord lets into the soul that the soul can now see how the devil and sin and the world deluded him and how the world and all profits and pleasures are a meer painted thing and are meerly vexations of Spirit now he sees how to distinguish between things and things there is a glorious and a marvellous light come in he sees the wiles of his own heart and how he was beguiled before and betwitched by the devil before he seeth all the folly and the Popery of his own heart such a deal of light comes in that it discovers all so far forth as is necessary to bring him to God now he sees that his moaping and blundering upon his sins and condemning of himself it had a form of humility but it was nothing but pride and stubbornnesse of heart and he would rather have him be without mercy then have it upon Gods termes he beholding the glory of God seeth the wyles and deceits of his own soul this light sheweth him the glory of God and propounds to him these things and makes him beleeve them Thirdly this same voice of the Father when the Father speaks to a man it is the irrefragable propounding of the promise to him when the promises of the Gospel are delivered in an irrefragable mannner contrary to all the objections of the heart of man all the pleas that can be brought against it it comes in an irrefragable manner and holds itself before him that he may believe not that he may not be tempted to the contrary but he sees that they are but temptations O saith the soul I see I am unwilling to do good duties what of that if thou wouldest be willing the promise is free may be saith the soul I am full of stubbornnesse and rebellion and unprofitableness what of that that is nothing saith the promise if thou come to me I can heal thee of this stubbornnesse beleeve in me this is the way to be rid of thy stubbornnesse and to have a better heart and more abilities as long as it is a burthen to thee beleeve in me it comes in an irrefragable manner so that the soul can say I refused comfort all this while as David saith Ps 77. comfort was propounded to me but I would not have it I was sullen and peevish and put it off and withstood my own comforts now the soul seeth its putting off of Gods mercie and the forsaking its own mercies and the gracious proffers tendred to it I say when the Spirit speaks this voice to the soul it speaks in a marvellous
more inexcusable if he comes not to him no this motion of coming unto Christ it is a spirituall motion of all the whole man a mans minde goeth to Christ and a mans heart and a mans affections and all the strength of a mans soule goeth to Christ this is coming to Christ Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden that is beleive in me he puts it into that phrase this true faith makes the soul come to Christ so 1 Pet. 2.4 to whome coming as to a chiefe corner stone There are two tearmes in this coming to Christ the one from whence a man comes from all his owne wayes from all his owne desires from all his owne ends and aimes and the other tearme is to what a man comes and that is to Christ to his promises to his Commandements to live and dy with him this is coming unto Christ as you may see Acts 26.18 there both these tearmes are set downe to open their eyes saith the Text and to turne them from darknesse to light that they might receive forgivenesse of sinnes It is this coming that receives forgivenesse not only an act of the mind when that goeth to Chirst but an act of the heart when that goeth to Christ when a man comes from darknesse to light from pride to humility from the world to God when a man passeth from the one tearme to the other tearme and so cometh to this righteousnesse of God in Jesus Christ now he is come to Christ and now he shall receive forgivenesse of sinnes so that you see faith is not only an assent of the mind but an affiance of the heart both these together make up this coming of the soule to Christ Fourthly true justifying faith the proper object of it is no sentence â—o proposition in the Word I mean the act of a justifying faith in that act whereby it justifieth the proper object of it is no sentence or proposition in the Word no complext truth in the Word but it is Christ himself t is true a man must beleive that the Word of God is true and the promises true and Yea and Amen but that act doth not justifie it may be in a reprobate or in a Devill therefore it cannot be an assent of the mind for that supposeth that the object must be a proposition neither can it be a sure and certain perswasion that God hath elected me and intended Christ to me this may be the act of an after faith but not the act that justifies but Christ himself is the object of a justifying faith I am the way the truth and the life I my self it is God or God by Christ when a man beleives in Christ or by Christ beleives in God this is the object of a justifying faith it is no proposition or text of Scripture that is the object of a justifying faith that is the thing that is a justifying faith as it justifyes doth assent unto but the object of a true justifying faith as it justifies is Christ himself the cause of forgivenesse of sinnes the cause of eternall life the cause of the derivation of all these blessings to us it lookes for all in Christs own person 't is true the propositions of the Scripture about Christ are the ground of a justifying faith as he that believes in Christ shall be saved that is the ground of a justifying faith but these propositions though they must be acknowledged at the time by faith yet these propositions do not justifie a man for a wretch may do this but when a man believes in Christ that is propounded and tendered in the Word when a man hath affiance in him and commits himself to him faith seekes for all good in Christs own person first it layes hold on the person of Christ and taking him it takes all good things with him indeed it takes the propositions of the Word for its ground because the Word saith thus and thus that eternall life is in him and he openeth the Kingdom of heaven to all believers and he is a sufficient Saviour this is the ground of faith but the object of a justifying faith is Christs owne person to that believing cannot be an act of the mind but when a man believes in Christ and is rooted and built upon him it is the person of Christ I will make this appeare to you you know God doth count it Idolatry for a man to believe in any creature when a man believes in the Son of man God forbids this as an Idolatrous thing for a man to believe and put his confidence and affiance in any creature now what is the meaning of this what is this Idolatry to assent to such a creature to believe that such a man is his friend and tenders him and is faithfull unto him this is a truth about a friend is this Idolatry No but when a man makes a friend his staffe a creature his staffe when a man makes riches his Idol is this onely to assent that riches can do much in the world can buy meate and cloathes and lands and inheritances is it the knowing these things are so No but when a man makes riches his prop and stay and believes in them and that is the stay that he hath It is not the beleiving these things about riches for so a man that believes only in God may know these things about riches and a friend Jer. 17.5 Cursed is he that maketh flesh his arme he doth not say cursed is he that apprehends that a man is his friend and willing to releive him but cursed is he that maketh flesh his arme that leans upon this man that trusts unto him that is the thing so what is the meaning that we must not trust in Chariots and in horses doth the Scripture mean that we may not assent and affirme these truths about them that they are many and strong and potent that they are admirable horses is this it No but woe be to them that go down to Egypt for help and put their trust in Chariots and Horses Isa 31.1 When a man rides a journey and makes his Horse his stay when a man goeth about a businesse and makes his purse his prop when a man walks from day to day and the creature is the thing he hangs upon he doth not see God and draw near to God he doth not set his heart upon God he doth not relie upon him to have God with him in his journey and what he goeth about No he hath an Horse with him and means and maintenance with him and God shall have a prayer may be now and then but he makes not God his arme and this is idolatry so our believing it is not the believing the propositions about a thing but when a man believes in the thing it self and makes the thing his stay his buckler his aide his help and comfort Lastly the maine Argument is this true justifying faith is a faith
man to God his whole self is both the agent and the patient faith comes in to justifie the whole man and sanctifie the whole man and renew the whole man therefore no wonder it is such an act as the whole man doth put forth not only the mind by assenting but the heart by relying and the affections by placing themselves upon God Fifthly there be abundance of graces besides faith that are in all the powers of the soul as livelihood is in the whole and unblameablenesse 1 Thess 5.23 and perseverance is in the whole man so that the mind must not only persevere in saving knowledge but the heart also in saving confidence perseverance runs through all the soul and why not faith many graces have a complext and compounded nature in one regard they may be said to be in the minde in another in the heart in another in the memory in another in the affections in another in the body so it is with faith in one regard in regard of assent it is in the mind in regard of confidence and affiance it is in the will Here we see that though faith be sure of salvation and justification in regard of the event yet it is not alwayes sure of it in regard of sense and feeling for true faith is not the apprehending of salvation it self but the apprehending of Christ for salvation when a man placeth all his affiance in Christ and all the good he looks for spiritual good temporal good help comfort meanes and maintenance and particularly the pardon of his sinnes this is justifying faith though for sense and feeling there is much uncertainty faith is certaine for the event the man that believes is justified and shall be sanctified and saved but in regard of sense and feeling it is not alwayes certaine Joh. 3.15 He doth not say whosoever believes he shall have eternal life hath it but whosoever believes in me he shall have it though he be afraid he shall not have it yet if he believes in me he shall have it certainly if with heart and minde and soul and all he resigne up himself to me to be guided and ruled by me in all his wayes if he commits himself to me he shall have eternal life may be he is afraid he shall not have it a man hath that affiance in Christ that is confident in Christ for salvation and commits himself to Christ for all his comfort and hope and stay and is fully resolved by the Grace of God never to leave him he is inwardly purposed never to forsake him he will ever set himself to please him he will ever follow his Commandements and ever strive against his corruptions and whereas he may be tempted to be carried from him he hath an inward principle in his soul for a rule which he goeth by that he must please God and not man there is an inward rule rooted in his soul that thus it is and this man commits himself to Christ for audience in his prayers for acceptance in his duties for the resisting of his corruptions and for the salvation of his soul when he dieth and for the comfortable resurrection of his body at the last day yet notwithstanding this man would give a world to be assured of Gods favour though he casts himself upon God for it and commits himself and betrusts himself with Jesus Christ he doth so believe in him that he dares follow him in all his wayes and he dares cast himself upon him whatsoever it will cost me I will follow Christ may be it may cost me the ill will of my friends may be of my husband may be it may cost me the ill will of all the Countrey yet that way I will walk though it cost me fire and faggot may be I shall be persecuted and imprisoned it is no matter here is eternal life and no where else here I come for it and here I trust that Christ will give it to me it is he only that can help me he only that can give me audience in prayer he only can bring me to acceptance in heaven here I come to him for it and cast my self upon him in all my wayes yet may be this man would give a world for this favour that he hath committed himself to Christ for he would give all the world to the shirt upon his back that he had the sense and feeling of it many times between hope and despaire he even staggers and knows not what to think yet he will cast himself upon Christ and trust to him yet he hath much ado to believe certainly there is a great deal of feares and doubtings in his faith the reason is when a man hath trusted in Christ and lookes upon his faith he shall finde may be such strength of worldly allurements such yieldings to the assents of the flesh and himself sometimes foiled with a paultry and petty lust he shall finde such a deal of deadnesse and so much untowardnesse and such a company of corruptions marching before him that he is afraid 't is true I have cast my self upon Christ but I doubt my faith is not of the right stamp not as though a man can believe in hugger mugger and a man knows not what he doth for a man sees it and knows it for the spirit of a man knows what is in him ask the man Sir do you not do thus and thus Yes have you not these and these workings in you he cannot deny it do you not hate your self for every sinne you know and do you not know your own sinnes and do you not grieve to see what a vile creature you are do you not labour after more sincerity in your wayes and more quickning in good duties He cannot deny but he hungers after these things and do you not still follow Christ and cleave still to Christ and do you not still labour to deny your selfe He cannot but confesse it why then you have faith 't is true saith he I go out of my self but it is I know not how I am at this passe if I perish I perish here I stick and here I wil adhere but yet I fear I am not right the Scripture saith true faith doth thus and thus and thus but here I see such a corruption so strong and such a lust so mighty I say true faith may be without sense and feeling of it there may be much feare and trembling in regard of assurance of salvation though a man do truly and confidently cast himself upon Christ and I will prove this unto you by five Arguments First the event is not the object of a justifying faith that a man shall be justified sanctified and saved this is the event of a justifying faith that he lookes for Now the object of a justifying faith is not the event that it shall fall out thus with him he commits this to God he believes in the general that all that believe shall be saved and
unto him there is a non-appearance of the deadnesse and damnednesse of a mans estate and condition that walks in that way and therefore it seems to him to be a right way and a way of life and there is great hope in him that he shall live for evermore and many men do walk in that way and therefore it seems to him to be a right way and a way of life it seems right to a man but the end thereof is death And this is the First thing wherein this liveliness consists The non-appearance of a mans dead and damned estate 2. Secondly It consists in Performance he is able as he conceives to do the duties that God commands he hath wisdom and ability at home to go about his Affairs he hath understanding and supply at home he hath life and sufficiency to go about these and these duties and performances let the Law tell him he must be sober he hath life to avoid the Ale-house and if he commit a Drunken Act he would have you think he hath grace to be sorry for it and let a man tell him he is a dead man he hath no grace in him no life in him he will tell you he doth thus and thus he hears Gods Word and he Prayes to God and he Trusts in God and he Believes in God your telling of him this doth not kill his heart he thinks he is alive for all this nay let the Law of God come and tell him He is a dead man for all his doing this will not kill him neither so long as the Lord himself doth not open his eyes and clear his eye-sight and discover his sins and convince his Conscience though the Law say he is a dead man and a damned man this doth not kill him he can wait upon God and perform these and these duties Then let the Law of God say He is a dead man for all this he must deny himself why so he will I confesse Lord I am an unrighteous man a wretched man a sinful creature and all my righteousnesse is as menstruous raggs and now he thinks all is well but the Law of God hath not yet come home unto him and shewed him his heavie estate but he is alive in regard of the performance of the duty and thinks verily he hath life at home in him whereas if the Law of God did come home and charge his estate upon him and shew him what obedience the Law requires what severity and truth in the inward parts it would break a mans heart and kill him notwithstanding all performances but in the mean time that a mans heart is not killed and the Law hath not given him his deaths VVound he thinks he is alive Cry aloud saith God lift up thy voice like a Trumpet shew my people their Transgressions and the house of Israel their sins Isai 58.1 there the Lord looks upon the people as dead wretched sinners and abominable people but yet notwithstanding they thought they were alive in performances as we may see vers 2. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my wayes even as a Nation that did righteously and had not forsaken the Statutes of their God they ask of me the Ordinances of Justice they draw near to me saying We have fasted and thou regardest it not We see here they take delight in approaching unto God they take delight in Gods Ordinances and seek God early they can do thus and thus and are alive in all performances but that man whole spirit the Law hath pulled down and the Lord hath convinced him of his infinite inability to perform the Law he cannot see any liveliness in him unto any performance Let any duty come it kills his heart I should now hear the VVord of God but my heart is unprepared and my ear uncircumcised and I cannot hear aright Let an opportunity be offered to Pray it kills his heart I should now call upon the Name of the Lord but I have such a cursed heart I cannot Pray I cannot speak one right word before God Let an occasion be offered of holy Conference it kills his heart Alas saith he I want pure language my tongue was never touched with a coal from the Altar my lips have not ability to drop forth savoury speeches I am not able to speak one syllable aright to Gods glory it kills his heart he sees no life at all in him unlesse he can have life from without and ability from without he is dead all is nothing to him the law hath taken away the livelinesse that was in him But he that is not humbled by the Law he is alive he hath life in himself it is nothing with him to Pray and go to Church and hear Gods Word it is nothing but thrusting to do the duty he hath life in him to do duties and wait upon God in his Ordinances but when the Law comes home to him it plainly lets him see that he hath no life in himself to do any good he must seek for life and abibility from without else he is a dead man he can do nothing in this case David in this case cannot look up Mine iniquities are gone over my head I cannot look up Psal 40. Moses he is a man of uncircumcised lips and cannot speak unto Pharaoh Paul cannot do any thing that is good In me dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7. And so for the rest of Gods people when the Law hath killed them and laid them dead in regard of any performance they must have life from without there is no life at home no grace at home no understanding at home they must go out for all but a carnal man he is alive unto all performances Many a man is like unsavoury Salt good for nothing but to throw upon the dunghil He never received the Holy Ghost and yet he will be inducted into a Living and take a Pastoral Charge upon him as if he were able to perform the Duty of a Minister and take the Charge of Souls upon him So Ananias will be a Husband and Sapphira a VVife Athalia vvill be a Queen and Nimrod a King and Abimilech a Judge they are alive to discharge all these Duties thus men are alive the Law of God hath not killed their hearts and pulled down their spirits it hath not made it appear unto them what wretched cursed Creatures they are This is the Second thing wherein this Liveliness consists Thirdly This Livelinesse consists in a presumptuous hope he conceives that he is justified before God and that God will not damn him but forgive him his sins There is nothing can make a mans heart more full of life than to think that he is righteous before God and that God will not impute his sins unto him there is nothing can make a man more alive then this If they think they are justified before God they have then a lively hope 1 Pet. 1.3 Blessed be God saith the Apostle even the
marvellous ready to be carried away therefore we must watch our selves First And in particular we must watch our own thoughts naturally all our thoughts are idle and unprofitable our minds are apt to spend themselves upon that which will do us no good we had need therefore to watch over our thoughts Deut. 15.9 Beware saith the text that there be not an evil thought in thy heart Take heed that vain thoughts come not into thy mind idle thoughts or wordly thoughts will dead us and dull us to the service of God and poyson the heart and no good thing can dwell in us if we do not look unto our thoughts the eyes of the Lord are upon our thoughts therefore watch over thy thoughts Secondly We should watch over the Heart it self The heart is the very spring there be the very issues of Life and Death the actions flow from thence therefore Prov. 4.23 the wise man saith Keep thy heart with all keeping as who should say Thy heart is deceitful and desperate it will make thee believe thou art going to heaven when it leads thee to hell if thou be never so well affected for a time this heart will fly off it is naturally so naught and reprobate to what is good Therefore keep thy heart with all diligence Thirdly Watch over thy Words Psal 141.3 Set a watch O Lord before the door of my lips We must watch our lips and have a care that our words be agreeable to Gods Word and seasoned with salt and that we shun all manner of communication that doth not minister grace to the hearers we must take heed lest idle words proceed out of our mouths for which we must give an account at the day of Judgement how many times do such words proceed out of our mouths that we would give a world to recal again onely because we do not watch over your words that they may be such as may tend to edifying and expresse the grace that is within Fourthly Again we should watch over our Senses we should make a covenant with our eyes as Job speaks chap. 31.1 not to look upon a maid when our eyes are looking up and down though they be not caught with adultery or such gross sins yet there is danger to be caught one vvay or other for when a man looks upon the Objects of the world as good and the like how ready is his mind to be carryed after it Men are led by their eyes they carry the mind and heart with them therefore we should have a care that whatsoever comes to our eyes we make a good use of Fiftly Again we should set a watch before our Ears we should take heed what we hear when we come in company lest we be infected by what is spoken we should have an hedge about our ears to stop them from unsavoury things Doth not the ear taste words saith Job VVe should have tasting ears that should be able to taste and relish the good words that are spoken and hate the contrary and distaste them Lastly We should watch our selves over the whole man Only take heed to thy selfe Deut. 4.9 As who should say This is the only thing have a care of watch over thy self lest thy self undoe thy self there is no enemie so dangerous unto us as our selves the Divel in hell cannot do us so much mischief How many corruptions are there in us to draw us from God and incite us unto sin There are abundance of corruptions lying in the heart of man to make a man unfit for any thing that is good that is idlenesse in the understanding it cannot abide to take pains and exercise it self in Divine matters There is in the will and affections covetousness and abundance of corrupt inclinations that if a man look not to it will break forth So that this is the thing we must watch over our selves Secondly We are to watch over the duties of Religion as for example we are to watch unto prayer as the Apostle speaks 1 Pet. 4.7 we are to watch to meditating and reading and hearing of the Word of God Otherwise though we do them for the matter of them yet we cannot for the right form and manner of them though our hearts be in a pretty good tune for the present yet we cannot hold this frame if we watch not thereunto Rev. 3.3 is an excellent place If you will not watch saith the Text and hold fast I will come against thee as a thief in the night As who should say Stir up thy self and watch that thou maist hold fast if thou hast got any hatred of sin in thy heart hold it fast if strength against corruption hold it fast How shall I do that why watch saith he or else Christ will come against thee as a thief If a book be in a mans hand when he is drowzy it will fall out he cannot hold it fast So when a mans heart is drowzy and secure it will let go comfort and any thing that God hath bestowed for the good of the soul therefore we ought to watch if we have any sweet disposition of heart to go on in the Service of God and in the duties of Religion we may go on if we be watchful And now to branch this into particulars First We must watch before the Duty Secondly We must watch in the Duty Thirdly We must watch after the Duty First We must watch before the Duty Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Exod. 20.8 So I may say remember Prayer to keep it holy remember Meditation to keep it holy remember all the duties of Religion to keep them holy and perform them in an holy manner think of them before you go about the performance of them we cannot pray unless we watch unto prayer unless we be careful and have our eyes in our heads before we go about the duty In the morning as soon as we awake we should think of prayer and when tempted to sin we should think of prayer If I sin how can I pray unto God I have ever and anon need to poure out my prayers before God now if I commit these and these sins how can I look up to heaven when my conscience doth reproach me for sin So when we hear the word of God look to thy foot when thou comest into the house of God Eccles 5.1 that is Before thou goest into the House of God to hear the Word of Salvation see into thine own heart think whose word it is thou hearest and that thou goest to hear the Word that shall judge thee at the last day When thou comest into the presence of God take heed lest thou hearest as fools hear and take heed lest thou prayest as fools pray and comest to the Sacrament as fools use to come we should watch before the duty that all things may be in a readinesse before we come to the performance of it that we may prevent
similitude and makes them like to himself Fifthly This is the Image of God in Jesus Christ who is the express image of his Father he is the pattern after which this frame is made nay God did order it should be so from eternity Rom. 8.29 Whom he did fore know he did predestinate that they should be conformed to the image of his Son 'T is true this similitude is not presently made out it is but by halves as it were it is but a poor first draught and never perfect in this life but it shall be made perfect 1 Joh. 3.2 3. We know when he appears we shall be like him and shall see him as he is then we shall be perfectly like him and see him as he is and know him as he is as Paul saith Col. 3.2 3. You are dead and your life is hid in Christ c. Here the work is hardly come to its glory there is a great deal of basenesse and old rubbish still but it shall be glorious before God hath done it shall come to be perfect then in the mean time it is but by degrees but the work of regeneration puts a man to go to Christ and believe in Christ You that follow me in Regeneration c. saith our Saviour Matth. 19.28 When a man is regenerate regeneration puts a frame into a mans heart to be like unto Christ and to follow his steps and his example that as he hath done so he may do more and more this is the work of regeneration That the Spirit of God works in Gods people conforming them to the Image of Christ Yea Regeneration doth more than repair a man more than reduce a man to that estate wherein he was in Adam's loins before the Fall it is the ingrafting of a man into Christ and the estating a man into the Merits and Priviledges of the Lord Jesus Christ it is a greater matter then the bare restoring of a man to that which he lost it is the restoring of a man to a better estate this differences it from Sanctification Thus we see what Regeneration is Now the Second Thing is Why it is so called Why this same blessed work of the renewing of the whole man after the Image of God in Christ Jesus is called Regeneration There be Two Reasons of it First To shew us how marvellously we are corrupt by Nature Until the Spirit of God take us in hand a man is quite rotten there is no soundnesse left there is nothing in him will serve it is not a little melting will serve the turn it is not a little plaistering or patching or piecing will do the deed though there be a thousand changes in a man yet if a man be not another man if he be not a new creature it is to no effect it will never bring a man into the kingdom of God what saith Christ Joh. 3.3 Verily verily I say unto thee Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God As who should say Verily verily I say unto thee a man is all to shatters all to pieces all rotten and unlesse he be born again and made a new creature it is impossible he should enter into the kingdom of God though a man be never so much altered he is not in the estate of Grace till he be a new man till the Lord hath given him a new frame and a new inclination except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God he cannot see the kingdom of Grace that is the first dowry of the kingdom of Grace to give a man a new Being that he never had before a natural man is just like an old rotten house that hath not one piece that will serve the turn but a man that will make it an habitable house must take it all down to the ground and build it up from the ground so it is here there is not one piece will serve the turn though ye see admirable things in men though they seem excellent in the eyes of men yet they will not serve the turn they are rotten and stark naught there is an absence of all Good Rom. 7.18 Nay besides there is an universal indisposition in a man like to a thing that is all rotten and marred and can never be made up again except it be made spick and span new and so it is with a man he is altogether corrupt as the Prophet speaks Isa 1. from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head nothing but bruises and putrified soars take a man that is never so civil and of fair carriage so long as he is not a new creature this is nothing for the entring into the kingdom of God and being amiable in his sight Nay Gen. 6.5 the Text saith The thoughts of the heart of man are only evil continually there is nothing sound in a man though he daily think of Grace and think of God his thoughts cannot be said to be good for the mind whereby he thinks of these things is rotten and unsavory though he speaks of never so good things the same things the Saints of God speak of though he doth the same actions the people of God do though he hears the same VVord and receives the same Sacraments he cannot do them aright they are abomination in Gods sight therefore when God regenerates a man he must make him another man then he was before This speaks natures corruption Secondly Because the things of Regeneration are admirably set out by way of this similitude Natural Generation is generally sweetly answered in this VVork of Regeneration First As a man cannot come into the World without Parents but he must have a Father to beget him so it is in this new Birth as in the other there was an earthly Father so here is an heavenly Father as the Author to the Hebrews speaks Heb. 12.9 How much rather shall we be subjected to the Father of Spirits There are two Fathers an earthly Father the Father of the natural and corrupt man and God the Father of our Spirits that is the Father of our spiritual Nature as many excellent Divines do expound it though it may be expounded the Father of our Souls yet this is more likely because here is an opposition between the Father of the Flesh and the Father of the Spirits God himself is the Father of this new work Secondly Here is a Mother too That Jerusalem which is from above is the Mother of them all they are all Zions Children here is the Womb that these new creatures lye in Christs Spouse the Lambs wife is their Mother though the world hate them and her too yet they love her nay though the woman be thrown out into the wilderness yet their hearts run after her the Regenerate only are the true born this is their Mother Thirdly As it is in the Natural Birth There is a shaping in the Womb before
the living God the celestial Jerusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first born which are written in heaven You are come he speaks of a spiritual coming by Faith So that this putting into the Body of Christ is by Faith Then in the Third place It makes a man have a common life with all the rest of the Members of Jesus Christ As you may see Col. 3.4 When Christ which is our life shall appear ye also shall appear with him in glory Christ who is our life We that are the people of God Christ is our life we have one and the self-same life all one and the self-same minde in the wayes of God As it is said Act. 4.32 The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul all the people of God in the whole world would quickly be acquainted if they were brought together for they are all of one and the self-same disposition and mind As our Saviour speaks to his Father Joh. 17.21 That they all may be one as thou art in me and I in thee so that all they may be one in us As the Three Persons in the blessed Trinity are three distinct Persons and yet are all one so in some sense the Members of the Body of Christ though they be of several callings and conditions in the world yet they are all one that they may be all one as we are one vers 21. They all live by the same rule and walk by the same rule they are all guided by the same Word and swayed by the same Commandment they all walk in one Way they all Pray by one and the self-same Spirit they have a life that is common look as one lives so lives another look as one repents so another repents look as one believes so another believes and look as one apprehends of God and comes before him with affection and fear and trembling so doth another though they never saw one another yet they all meet in the same life for they have the same root of life the same cause of life In the Fourth place It makes a man to be of one consent with all the people of God every where As you may see Zeph. 3.9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent The Lord helps them all to Pray after one pure language and gives them all one pure consent in the Service of God though it is in different degrees indeed one ariseth to an higher pitch than another therefore the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1.10 Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that ye speak all the same things that there be no divisions among you As who should say All the Members of Christ are so I beseech you endeavour to have this sign of being Members of Christ be all joyned together in the same mind it is true that this union and consent and agreement and oneness of heart and mind as I may call it is very imperfect but in some it is more imperfect then it is in other some have attained to a further degree there is a great deal of unlikeness of affections a great deal of unlikeness in Prayer a great deal of unlikeness in Obedience there is a great deal of jarrings now and then through weakness but as the Apostle saith As far as we have attained let us be thus minded Phil. 3.15 16. Let us walk by the same rule and mind the same things the Children of God throughout the whole world they are of one mind as far as they have attained though in Faith in Repentance in new Obedience they differ gradually in their attainments yet they all agree in this consent of judgment That sin must be hated that a man must live in no sin that a man must yield Obedience to all Gods commandments that a man must deny himself in all things that in all things God must be glorified they all agree that we are Members one of another and that we must love one another and forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us they all agree in this They are all of one mind and as one is mortified so is the other and as one is meek and gentle so is the other It is true indeed one hath attained further then another but whereunto they have attained they are all alike minded Now whereunto we have not attained God will reveal it in his good time unto us saith the Apostle May be one seeth such a thing is a duty which another doth not yet all see that it is their duty to fear God and obey him in all their wayes and they all set themselves to hate and oppose all manner of known sins As far as they have attained they are all of one minde Fifthly All this is for mutual profit and help and care and sympathy as you may see delivered by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. That it must be for mutual profit see the seventh vers The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal that is when the Spirit of God doth manifest himself in one man one way and in another man another way he gives one man may be the gift of Teaching to another man the gift of Knowledge some have excellent gifts in one kind some in another but all have the gifts of new Obedience Now look whatsoever gifts they are whensoever the Spirit doth manifest it self to any Member of the Body of Christ it is to be helpful and useful to others so that the Members of Christ need one another that you may see vers 21.22 The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head to the foot I have no need of thee c. We cannot be without the poorest and vilest and contemptiblest Member in the Body nay the very life of the Body may depend upon the vilest Members So again That they are to care for one another That you may see in the 25. verse Lest there should be any division in the Body but that the Members should have the same care one for another You see how it is in the Body of a man the head hath care of the feet it guides the feet and the foot hath care of the head to hold it up and carry it up and down and the hand is useful for the relieving of any part they have all the same care one of another so it is in the Body of Christ And for a Sympathy see it in the 26. verse Wherefore if one Member suffer all suffer with it and if one Member rejoyce all rejoyce with it all have a fellow-feeling of one anothers necessities and comforts Therefore when the Spirit of God doth implant a man into the Body of Christ it is all one with the implanting a man into Christ
who should say it were a sign that God were not amongst us if we did not this he takes it as a principle written in the conscience though he were a natural man yet he doth reason thus that where there is not every day some time for Gods Worship God is not amongst them Another Reason is Because every morning God reneweth his Mercies Reas 2 and every evening they are continued to us as the Church saith in the Lamentations ch 3.23 Every morning his mercies are renewed to us and in the evening his compassions fail not therefore every morning we are to set our selves before God to ask of him the forgivenesse of our sins every morning and evening we are to do this Psal 92.1 2. David saith It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord to sing praises to thy Name O thou most High To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night And then again God is the Alpha and Omega he is the beginning and Reas 3 the ending of all things and of all actions we do God should therefore have the beginning and ending of every day that the Worship of God may have the start of all other actions it is necessary it should be so when a man first awakes in the morning God should be the first thought that should come into his mind As David saith Psal 5.3 My voice will I lift up unto thee in the morning as soon as ever he awakes in the morning his heart is lifted up to God so it is good for a man to make the first part of the day holy that the rest of the day may be thereafter and so as we are to begin the day with the solemn Worship of God so we are to end it in the evening that we may reckon up all our accounts and make even with God as the Apostle saith Ephes 4.26 Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath so let not the Sun go down upon a dead heart upon a carnal heart upon a worldly heart but as the Sun goeth down upon our bodies so let the Sun of Righteousness set upon our hearts that we may lye down in peace having all our reckoning made even and all scores cancelled The Third Proposition is this As there must be some time for Gods immediate Service and there must be every day some set time at least morning and evening so likewise every whole day all the dayes of our lives should be in some manner a Sabbath day to the Lord we should be holy every day The Apostle finds fault Gal. 4.10 That they observed times and seasons and dayes and months and years we must not be earthly-minded one day and heavenly-minded another but we must be every day holy to the Lord. The First Reason is The Covenant which God hath made with us doth Reas 1 require it that is the end why God saves a man from his sins and brings him into the kingdom of Christ he takes a solemn Oath from him That being delivered from the hands of his enemies he shall serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of his life Every day must be a Sabbath day whensoever a man gives himself up to God there is an Oath hangs upon him and he breaks this Oath if he set not upon it with all his might that every day may be a Sabbath day he is to be careful to live godly and religiously in all places and at all times and in every action he puts his hand unto a man is not only to make conscience on the seventh day but every day of his life Reas 2 The Second Reason is Because not to make every day an holy day is the brand of an Hypocrite it is hypocrisie Job 27.10 Will be alwayes call upon God To be holy sometimes and not at another time is the trick of an hypocrite will he alwayes call upon God will that man alwayes obey God and worship him will he alwayes set himself to keep close with God No an hypocrite will not do so You may know an hypocrite he hath his fits and his pangs and his moods but a godly man a sincere hearted man is one that doth compose himself to keep a constant course in Gods worship as Act. 24.16 There saith Paul Herein do I exercise my self to keep a good conscience alwayes both towards God and towards man And as it was the practise of Paul so of all the Elect people of God of all sincere Christians in the world Act. 26.27 all the Elect of God all the beloved of God they did instantly serve God day and night Thirdly Because blessednesse doth consist in this In keeping every day Reas 3 in some kind as a Sabbath day as the Holy Ghost doth pronounce him blessed that feareth the Lord alwayes Prov. 28.14 and that doth righteousness at all times Psa 106.3 It is true the Servants of God are sometimes out of the way they have their swervings and failings but their resolution is to keep a constant course in Gods Worship and they do strive to humble themselves under the hand of God for their failings and to be the more wary because of them Reas 4 Lastly This is the Sum and Scope of all the Law of Righteousness it is the very drift and end of all the Ten Commandements the Lord hath set down in the Decalogue his whole Will and Pleasure what we are to do all the dayes of our lives this day and that day as long as we live and there is no set time but that we should alwayes obey it and this is the practise of the godly alwayes to keep his Commandments as David Psal 16.8 He set the Lord alwayes before him that is every day he did make it an holy day that he might walk as in Gods presence and live as in Gods Courts that he might do all his worldly businesse as in the presence of God The Fourth Proposition is this As there must be a set time every day and we are to keep every day as a Sabbath day in some sense so there must be a particular special day set apart for Gods immediate Worship and Service This is the next Proposition I will prove unto you for though every day is to be a Sabbath day yet we have particular callings and we have businesse in the world to employ our selves about so that we cannot be every day hearing of the Word and employing our selves in Prayer and spiritual exercises though every day we are to keep it holy yet we cannot be vacant wholly and totally every day Now therefore I say That there is a set day that the Lord hath called for to be devoted unto him The very School-men themselves do acknowledge this and the very Heathen have found it out They have set a day apart for the Service of their Gods which they call their holy day wherein they lay aside all other businesse and
about every duty and please God in all his wayes in some measure a little faith is strong so love is a strong grace it is as strong as death Cant. 8. If a man hath but a little true love to God it will enable him to doe strange things it will make him suffer any thing doe any thing leave any thing for God Now natural people they say they love God but it is a weak love it cannot make them leave a lust for God it cannot make them doe any thing for God it cannot carry a man beyond nature but all the graces of Gods spirit are marvellous strong things therefore as ever we desire to have a sign and token that we are true Christians and have the grace of God in truth in any measure in us we should labour to strengthen all the good things that are in us for if we doe not strengthen them they are not of the right stamp Reas 2 Secondly We can never doe any act of new obedience unless we be strengthened as the Lord saith to Joshua Josh 17. Onely be thou strong and doe my commandements c. He would have him strong that he might observe all the Law of God as who should say Joshua thou canst never be able to observe my Law there be mighty performances things that flesh and blood can never reach unto therefore unless thou hast strength and divine strength thou canst never be able to doe this therefore be strong strengthen thy self labour to have all the courage and might that may be God bids us do nothing but he requires all the strength of the whole man Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy strength it must be thus if the water man be to rowe with the tyde and the wind he puts forth no strength the stream will carry the vessel but if he be to rowe against wind and tyde now he must put forth all his strength else the boat cannot go nay it will go the contrary way so if we would please God and work the workâ— of God and attain to his heavenly Kingdom we must rowe against wind and tyde and without tugging and hailing and putting forth a great deal of strength we shall never do it as suppose a man be wronged and offered an inâ—ury he cannot be quiet an hour together but he is abused and misused and mocked and opposed now he cannot be patient unless he be strong and have great strength to deny himself as Col. 1.11 Be strengthned with all might according to his glorious power to all patience and long suffering with joyfulness As who should say if you would have patience you must be strengthned with all might specially if you would be patient with joy may be a man may be patient but then he is surly and lumpish and all amortâ— may be he bears but he is like a block or stock he cannot joy in tribulation he had need have a great deal of strength to do this so if a man would pray can he pray without a great deal of strength it is not a little heave will lift up a mans heart to God I lift my heart to thee he gave a great lift to his heart and Heb. 5.7 it is said that Christ prayed with strong cries we cannot pray aright unlesse we come with strong cries and strong desires so if a man hear the word if it awaken him and quicken him he will lose all again and be as blockish as he was before unless he be strong we can do no good duty without strength and therefore we had need to labour for strength Thirdly We can never overcome temptations nor make our part good Reas 3 against temptations without strength nay we cannot resist them or combate with them or stand in the field against them but we shall be beaten out and be overwhelmed if we have not strength if we would go to heaven we shall be sure to meet with abundance of temptations and if temptations will put us out of the way we shall have enough of them if they can sway us and make us do this and that we shall not want temptations if a bowl hath bias the strength of the arm will take away that though the bias be never so strong as long as the strength of the arm lasts the bias goeth according to the strength of the arm when the strength of the arm is gone then the bias begins to sway it So if a man have strength it will swallow up the bias of temptations but when a man hath no strength then the bias of temptations carries him away then the world bows him then pleasure and his natural inclination sways him this way and that way whereas if a man had strength he might resist temptations 1 Cor. 15.58 be stedfast and unmoveable abounding in the work of the Lord that is if you were strong you would be unmoveable and abound in the work of the Lord all the world could not withdraw you from the work of the Lord for all temptations you would abound in good things what infinite need have we to resist temptations none of us can arrive at heaven unless we be able to go through thick and thin and a world of temptations blessed is the man that endures temptations he shall have enough of them and happy is the man that can endure them and overcome them if we be not strong if we have not this spiritual might what shall become of us if we have not strong love to the truth we shall be hooked away from it if we have not strong love to obedience we shall be disobedient if we have not strong love to the wayes of God we shall be pulled away from them by force of temptations Reas 4 Fourthly Without strength if we should chance to fall we cannot get up again what man is there that falls not in many things we offend all how often doth the godly man fall into sin through weakness and infirmity and ignorance and sometimes in a worse manner now if he have spiritual strength in him then he may rise up again if he hath a strong relation to God in Jesus Christ that cannot be broken then he may get up again as the body if it hath abundance of sores and blains and divers diseases and distempers upon it yet as long as the strength of nature lasts it may work them out again if you give this man Physick as long as the strength of nature lasts Physick may do him good but if the strength of nature be gone the disease will overcome him it will be his death so it is with a Christian as long as there is any spiritual strength in him it will work out corruption if a man have strong relation to God strong interest in Christ strong apprehension of the evil of sin and of the goodness of Gods wayes strong fear of God and a strong judgement these will work out