Now in opening of it he amplifies it first by the original cause in the latter end of verse 9. which is the Lords good pleasure purely in himself Then he opens the ends of the Lords effecting this in this manner that is of the Lords revealing the mystery of his will to their souls in these words That in the dispensation of the fulness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him Thus you see the occasion of the words They contain the intended effect or end the Lord aimed at in the revelation of the Gospel of Christ to their souls In this intended effect there are several things observable 1. The act it self in the producing the effect that is union of Souls with Christ That he might gather together in one Indeed the union is twofold First of all with Christ Secondly one with another they are made both one with Christ and one body within themselves 2. Observe here the object upon which this effect is to be wrought in these words All things The object is laid down in general All things that is all persons predestinated according to the counsel of the Lords own will to be his own in Jesus Christ that he might gather them together in one Secondly it is laid down more particularly and that by a double distribution of the persons into the several places where they remain in those words both which are in heaven and which are on earth that is to say that the Lord might unite to Jesus Christ all those that are already fully joyned and compleatly united to him in heavenly glory and all those that are upon the earth whom the Lord doth intend to bring into that glorious union 3. Observe here the subject with whom this union is to be perfected and that is Christ himself He is the very punctum as it were he is that one point in which all these are to be gathered together in one 4. Here is the time of the accomplishment of this effect And that is in the first words In the dispensation of the fulness of times Those words In the dispensation of the fulness of times seem to have some difficulty in them They are a Metonymy of the Adjunct as we use to speak where the dispensation of the fulness of times is put for the various successive times in their own orders variously dispenced by the wisdom of God The meaning is this In the various seasons purposed by God himself successively according to the Lords wise dispensation of those times in their orders the Lord might thus gather together all to be one in Christ Thus you see the words a little opened and the meaning of them to be briefly this That the Lord did reveal the mystery of his own will that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ to their souls for this end that in the successive times that he hath purposed according to the counsel of his own will as he is dispensing them in his own wisdom he might gather together all the souls of his own to be one in Jesus Christ There are divers things worthy our observation out of these words First we may consider them as they have dependance upon the former Verse and therein we must consider the act it self named in the effect and consider it as the end of the Lords revealing the mysteries of his will it is to gather our souls to be one in Christ From thence take notice of this conclusion Doct. That the purpose and intent of God in discovering the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the Souls of men is that he might gather together their Souls into union with Jesus Christ that by vertue of that union they might be one with the Father as he and Christ are one By transgression in the loyns of Adam we are all estranged from God and there was an high wall of separation built up between him and our souls Hence in Col. 1.21 We are said to be alienated from God and from the life of God Eph. 4.18 But though we have dealt thus unworthily with God in our breach of union and despising communion the Lords love doth condescend so low and the bowels of his compassion have been so unconceiveably tender towards poor worthless sinners that he hath again provided a new and living way for such souls as are so departed from him to have access to himself He hath provided his Son a Mediator between himself and such wretched souls and in and through that one Mediator through that one Days-man he offers to make himself one again with the soul And least Souls should be ignorant of this incomprehensible kindness of his he hath written a glorious Gospel by the great Secretary of heaven discovering the pretious workings of his own love and sends messengers on purpose to proclaim it to every soul And the intent of God in all is only this that he might gather souls into union with the Lord Christ that so by that union himself and those souls may again be one For the opening of this proposition there are divers questions that souls would willingly have answered Quest 1. What is this union with Jesus Christ What is it to be one with Jesus Christ First I must answer you negatively what it is not Secondly affirmatively shew you what the union is Answ First negatively what it is not 1. It is not a personal union with Jesus Christ that men are called to by the Gospel That we call the hypostatical union which is the union of the humane nature with the divine Now it is the nature of man in general that Christ took upon him and not the person of man for then there should have been a fourth person taken into the Trinity 2. It is not an union of dependance The Lord being the primary being the first being of beings in the world every thing that hath a being proceeds from God the first being and is preserved in that being by influences from God Now should the union of dependance upon God be broken then the creatures should be broken and fall into nothing Now in that respect all the creatures may be said to have union with God so the poorest herb and weed hath an union of dependence 3. It is not the union of presence that is of the Essential presence of God The Lord being an infinite being fills heaven and earth and is not circumscribed in both that is he is not contained in both but is infinitely in heaven and earth And the Lord according to his own being is as present in Hell as in Heaven in this place as in that place Now the Lord is in the creatures and so it is called an union of presence Every creature sensible and unsensible hath such an union there is the presence of God in them God hath his way in the poorest weed that hath a being and it is impossible this
behold some workings in its spirit also some holy act in and upon Jesus Christ At the same time the soul beholds its union with Jesus Christ it beholds its receiving Jesus Christ which is an act of Faith 3. The meaning of the conclusion is this That no works either inward or outward performed by the soul have sufficient light in themselves to manifest themselves unto the soul nor from themselves and their own nature to manifest the union of the soul with Christ Though there is an inward act of soul that is an inseparable evidence of the souls union which is the act of Faith yet that act of Faith in it self considered as is is the meer act and work of the soul hath not sufficient light in it self to discover it self to the soul that it is the inseparable act of the souls union Likewise is every work of the soul inward or outward of the same nature The works of the soul may be works of light and yet the beams of light shine so dimly forth as they cannot discover their own nature to the soul they cannot discover themselves to be those works that the Scripture holds forth to be the infallible consequence of the souls union with Christ And that the works of the soul have not sufficient light in themselves to discover union will appear in divers respects 1. Because all the works of the soul united to Christ may be present in the soul when the union of the soul with Christ is obscure and dark The act of Faith that is the most eminent effect of the souls union with Christ may be very strong in the soul when the soul may be yet dark A clear instance will be given in Mat. 27.46 by the Captain of our Salvation who believed when he hung upon the Cross and exercised Faith in God as appears in those words My God yet the union between Jesus Christ and God the Father as Mediator was dark that made him cry out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me The hypostatical union was firm and as firm as now it is in heaven but the manifestation of that union was obscure when the Lord Christ did bear the greatest burden of the consequence of sin that was possible in bearing the sense of the absence of God from him for a season 2. It appears in regard the union between Christ and the soul is only passive The union is compleat between Jesus Christ and the soul before any one act goes forth from the soul unto Christ It is impossible there should be the least motion of the soul towards the perfecting or compleating of the union between Christ and the soul unless we could conceive there may be motions in dead persons that there may be action where there is no life Now the union being passive there may be a manifestation of the union between Jesus Christ and the soul at the same time at the same moment that the union between Christ and the soul is compleated I do not say it is ordinary but I say there may be a sight of the Lord Christ coming down into the heart in that instant and moment wherein Jesus Christ does take actual possession of the heart and unite it unto himself Now in case the union of the soul should be so evidenced with Christ then should all works either inward or outward in the soul be excluded from having any interest in the manifestation of that union 3. In regard the same kind of works that do arise properly from the union of the soul with Christ though not peculiarly may arise from other principles where there is no union There are three false originals of such outward works 1. God himself may be the Original of such works in some souls though not by vertue of union nor in relation unto union That is though the Lord convey not any influences that are the proper influences peculiar unto union nor though the Lord does not convey those influences into the soul from whence those outward works proceed to bring the soul into union with Jesus Christ Prayer and revealing the truths of God and reading of them and all outward works of a soul may be produced by God in the soul only in relation to other souls that are already united to himself The Lord may convey large streams of gifts and inward affections unto some souls and excite them to the imploying of all those gifts in all outward works of his own worship only in respect to the good of his own peoples souls when the Lord intends not any benefit to the soul that partakes of those gifts Thus the Lord dealt with Cyrus Isa 45.1 and Chap. 44.28 Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus he is my shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure even saying to Jerusalem thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy foundation shall he laid The Lord did convey strength to Cyrus to carry him on in a glorious work of reforming his worship and to build the Temple when the Lord intended no good to Cyrus I mean so as to bring his soul into union with Christ Thus God furnished John with Zeal against Idolatry for the good of his peoples souls and it redounded little to the good of his soul For ought we know Judas was furnished with as good gifts as the rest of the Apostles and seemed to pray with as much earnestness and publish the truths of Christ with as much Zeal as any of the Apostles whereas none of those gifts that Judas had were conveyed by vertue of the union of his soul with Christ nor were given with an intent to bring his soul into union 2. A second false original of such works is the souls own principle of self Self ends self lusts self intendments may be like the spring that may set all the wheels of the affections on work and produce all those outward expressions in the work of God Certainly it was one of the chief intendments in the Pharisees in all their works of holiness and strictness in their conversation that they might advance themselves outwardly and to eternity and thought to tie God to give them heaven for it 3. The third false original of works that properly flow from union is from the Devil himself The workings of prayer of hearing of meditating or forsaking sin in the conversation may come from the Devil himself he taking his opportunity to sail with the wind and row with the tide He seeing the Affections work towards duties of holiness he presses with all his might to the performance of them that he might weary out the soul with them or else cause the confidence of the soul to be placed in them and the soul to promise it self happiness by them Certainly the Zeal of Paul that he had for God and the law of God was acted by the Devil himself And Saul that was so Zealous to offer sacrifice before he went to battle it was from the Devil Those souls
be rendred thus forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and in purifying he will not purifie or in absolving will not absolve not mentioning either wicked ones or guilty ones or any person whatever For indeed it seems to be a kind of contradiction should the words run thus The Lord forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and will by no means clear the guilty therefore I shall hold to the words as they may be most nearly rendred that is forgiving sin and cleansing from sin he will not cleanse visiting the Iniquitie of the Fathers upon the Children And then if you observe this title of the Lords Honour is only thus much That he is the Lord forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and upon whom he will visiting the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children including thus much that the Lord doth and will exercise his Mercy his Grace his long-suffering and his abundant goodness unto Souls only upon the motions of his own will upon no other ground but because he will and to no other persons upon no other respect but only to those whom himself freely will And then that includes the last Beam of the Gospel-light after all the other formerly discovered which indeed is the very Mystery of the Gospel it self and that is that all those Gospel-dispensations are only to those persons whom the Lord will and upon no other ground but the Lords Will though they be so tendered to every loveless Soul in general that will embrace him So that thus now you see the first thing cleared That all Gospel-discoveries are at least virtually included in the Lords own Name Secondly It must be cleared That the Soul may behold by believing the Credit and Honour of this blessed Name of God engaged for his security and for the fuller assurance of the Soul of all that the Gospel discovers to it This may be opened two wayes 1. In general 2. More particularly discovering the particular security the Soul may have against all fears and scruples that is possible for the Soul to apprehend in its security First In general it appears That the Soul may behold the Credit of the Lords Name engaged for his security and assurance in regard there is nothing that the Gospel discovers unto Souls but the same is included in the blessed Name of God Two things follow from hence 1. The Soul may be assured that there is an impossibility of the Lords changing that his ever blessed Name The Word is gone out of the mouth of God that that 's his Name for ever and that is his Memorial to all Generations Thence the Soul may assure it self that though Heaven and Earth pass away and melt like wax yet not one Title of what the Gospel discovers can possibly fall to the ground seeing it is impossible that the highest Majesty of Heaven and Earth can change 2. From thence the Soul may conclude That thete is a Necessity for the blessed God to deny himself and to trample under his feet his dearest Glory if the least Title of whatever the Gospel reveals should fail seeing all is included in his Name for ever Secondly The Soul may behold through believing the Credit of the Lords Name to be engaged for his security of what the Gospel discovers in particular against all fears and scruples 1. The Credit and Honour of the Lords Name is engaged That there can be no depth of misery so deep as relief and succour should not be in Christ for the poor perishing sinking Soul That 's the very first Title of the Lords Honour that concurs to make up his Name He is merciful that is he hath bowels of mercy for Souls in the depth of the greatest misery Thence the Soul may conclude that the honour of that blessed Title of the Lords Name must fail that Link in the Golden Chain must be cut asunder should the most unspeakable depth of misery that ever Soul was plunged in be a case hopeless or helpless 2. The Credit and Honour of the Lords ever blessed Mame is engaged that there may be a free receiving of the most loveless Soul into love and favour that hath nothing but what is abominable to the blessed pure eyes of God within him You see the second Title of his Honour is The Lord Gracious that is receiving into favour freely undeserving wretches undesired wretches without respect to any thing in them So that when the poor scrupulous Soul shall begin to fear that there is not ground enough in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for him to roll himself into that blessed open bosom of the Lords love in Christ with a confidence of the willingness of the Lord to accept his loveless Soul into favour then he may behold the Credit and Honour of his Name to be engaged for the Souls security to assure it that the most forlorn Soul that is nothing else but Sin that can do nothing else but sin may be freely admitted into that bosom of his love to be an object of all favour and all kindness whatsoever 3. The Credit and Honour of the Lords blessed Name is engaged for the bearing with the most crooked Soul in his crookedness for a season and his waiting to receive the most crooked Soul into favour and love The Name of the Lord you see is Long-suffering that is he that bears long before he executes any wrath Hence the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure Souls of what the Gospel reveals in three particulars 1. To secure the Sinner of acceptance into favour that hath most desperately and rebelliously for a long time neglected Grace and Mercy 2. Hence the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged for the continuance of his Favour towards the most crooked perverse heart notwithstanding his crookedness So that the Gospel reveals an impossibility for Sin or all the Powers of Hell to force the Soul from the blessed bosom of the Lords love in Christ where it hath once taken up its rest 4. The Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure the empty Soul of all fulness of Grace and Mercy that is sutable to his necessity to be contained in the bosom of God in Christ for the Soul embracing him The Gospel saith Eph. 3.8 there is unsearchable riches in Christ and the Lord calls his Name Abundant in goodness what is the difference between these two Riches is nothing but goodness or good things considered as they are in abundance and you see the Lords Name is called Abundant in goodness So that here the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure the Soul against all that can possibly be objected in regard of his own emptiness poverty and nothingness So that 1. In case the Soul fears it hath no strength to yield obedience to what the Lord commands and thereupon begins to fear that all the Gospel discovers to him shall be made of no effect presently through believing the Soul may behold not only that the Gospel hath
the most inward working of the mind and understanding he can find out the very secret workings of the understanding in a very probable way 1. The Devil can discern much of the thoughts and different workings of the minds and understandings of men by their outward actions Actions are but the birth of thoughts as all actions are the births of habits they are the original of all outward actions that are deliberate and rational And thence the Devil can discern very narrowly into the thoughts by the outward actions he can guess both by the gesture of persons and by the very motions of the body what the inward thoughts of the mind are especially when he discerns such and such to be the constant way and manner of the conversation of a person then he understands well what the Principle must needs be that leads such a person to order his conversation in that manner 2. The Devil can immediately discern what the Images and Species of things are in the fancies of Men. Images of things in the fancy of Man are but like a shadow to the Body whatever the workings and inward motions of the mind and understanding are the images of the same things are in the fancy As the shadow accompanies the Body so do these fancies accompany the understanding Now the Divel being also immediately to understand these from thence he can collect and gather what the notions of the understandings are 3. The Devil can discern all the motions of the affections and passions The passions always working in the blood by the motion of the animal spirits to the heart and from the heart thence the Devil can immediately behold the first rise of any passion and affection passions of fear or passions of love or joy and grief and hatred and displeasure Now these passions and affections always attending the will of the soul and the will of the soul always attending and following the understanding or the practical Judgment thence also the Devil can collect by the practice and affections what the inward notions or thoughts and workings of the mind and understanding are 4. The Devil can observe diligently what the issue and event of his own suggestions are upon the fancies of Men. He observes whatever false reasons that he himself propounds do produce â—n the person and from thence also he hath a near discerning from the â—ffâ—â—t that he discerns what the workings of the understanding and mind are 5. He hath a large and long time of experience of all the several and various acts that various principles and various thoughts have produced For though he be not able to discern the thoughts while they are locked up in the mind and understanding yet afterward when they are either revealed by a passion or when they are brought apparently into action he then understands them Now he for Five thousand years and above treasuring up all observations he hath observed when one hath confessed these and these were his thoughts what the effect of those thoughts were when another hath confessed these and these were his thoughts he hath observed what the effect of those thoughts were Now by his long and constant experience he can declare the actions of one Man with the actions of another Man what such and such thoughts have produced and thence can probably conclude what the workings of the thoughts and mind and understanding of any person is Now in all these ways he exercises his utmost skill his most exquisite act to discern into the understandings and minds of persons whom he intends to delude by any false reasonings concerning the certainty of their union with Christ so that the false reasonings that he shall suggest to them may be suitable that they may take at the very first suggesting of them There are three things in the understanding that he endeavours to understand by all his skill and art 1. He endeavours to discern the depth or shallowness of the mind and understanding of the person whom he intends to delude by some false Argument or other from whence he would fallaciously perswade the soul of his union with Christ Now according to what he discerns in the understandings of persons so he suites his reasons and arguments may be he discerns a shallowness in some understandings thence he suites his reasonings proportionable to their understandings many poor shallow souls he can perswade that their good meaning is enough to carry them to Heaven Another shallow soul he can perswade his good Prayers his deeds of Charity his paying every Man his own and dealing justly is enough Likewise when he discerns a greater depth of understanding in any person he lays out more of his curious skill and art he covers over his false reasons more speciously he lays his fallacy more indiscernably and deeply There is no low Argument that will satisfie a deep understanding though a natural one that he shall be saved yea no lower fallacy will be sufficient to delude such an understanding but a false apprehension and notion about the nature of faith some mystical fallacy about the mystery of believing in Jesus Christ 2. The Devil searches into the notions and principles that are most settled and fixed in the understandings of persons There are various notions that every understanding is filled with which according to the imaginations of the several persons are truth some understandings are filled only with gross and carnal and sensual notions they conceive of God only in a carnal and sensual manner and of the mystery of the Gospel carnally Others understandings are filled with notions that have a kind of spirituallity in them Now the Devil makes an exact search to find out these that thereupon he may propound lying arguments of the union of Souls with Christ suitable to those notions So that when he perceives an understanding only to be filled with carnal notions of God he can propound his carnal outside appearances of worshipping of God as a ground to that soul of his peace and union and reconciliation with God he need seek for no higher depth to delude such a Soul But when he perceives an understanding to be filled with higher notions of God and of the mystery of the Gospel he then propounds not only bare material outward acts of divine worship as the lying ground to delude such a soul concerning his union with Jesus Christ but he propounds inward actings of transcient slightly affections yea may be to such understandings he propounds the death of Christ a speculative faith and an historical faith in the death of Jesus Christ and from this historical and speculative faith he insinuates into them their peace and reconciliation with God and certain salvation by the Lord Jesus 3. The Devil makes a scrutiny into the mind and understanding to discern its occasional notions and apprehensions upon the providence of God that the person meet with He pries into the understanding to discern what Judgment it passeth upon the
then doleful weakness yea abhorred wickedness in any soul to cast off all confidence of the Lords admission of his soul into union with Jesus Christ Though the oratory light of the blessed spirit or the superadded light to the word that causes the word to give so clear and satisfying a testimony unto faith of its union with Jesus Christ be withdrawn and suspended yet there is a Heavenly shining burning Lamp of the written word of God that stands constantly shining to discover to the faith of the believing soul the open bosome of the love of the Lord Jesus and his outstretched Arms ready to grasp the soul into the nearest union Therefore it must needs be dreadful horrid wickedness for any soul to neglect slight undervalue or disregard the light of that pretious written word because those Heavenly beams of superadded light that the spirit sometimes gives are by the wisdom of the Lord or through the occasion of the souls own iniquity sometimes suspended The Command of believing stands as an everlasting command founded and built upon the meer written word making a pretious discovery of the Lords will to admit every lost perishing soul that will to be reconciled 1 John 3.23 Now thence it is most wretched disobedience in any soul when he hath lost that glorious light of manifestation from the spirit to disobey that precious Heavenly command also Prop. 2. Secondly Whenever any soul subjects himself to the Principle of darkness and unbelief that still dwells in him upon the Lords withdrawing the brightness and glory of that satisfying light of the spirit that did evidence unto the soul his union with Christ and cast off his confidence of the Lords admission of his soul into union with Christ then the soul is uncapable while he so remains of making any pretious holy use of those former evidences that his Soul enjoyed of his union with Jesus Christ 1. In regard while the soul so remains there can be no holy conception of the evidences that his Soul did formerly enjoy First take holiness for all kind of strictness and righteousness and conformity to the Lords blessed will and in that sense there can be no righteous conception of his former evidences The soul cannot understand them what they are nor discern them as they were Secondly Take holiness effectively for these conceptions that do excite and quicken a believing soul unto holy actings and in that sense there can be no holy conception of his former evidences while the soul so remains All such conceptions or apprehensions of the way of God towards us are as holy effectively that is that produce or quicken a soul to holiness are such as do apprehend some beam of excellency shining forth from those ways of God in relation to that particular souls good now while a soul casts off all his confidence of the Lords will to admit him into union with the Lord Jesus he cannot conceive of his former evidence in such a manner as to conceive any beam of excellency shining forth from God in relation to his particular soul 2. While any Heart so remains he is uncapable of making a holy use of his former evidences in regard the activity of all holy affections whatever depend upon the activity of that believing disposition they live and die together The moving Principles that move holy affections objectively are the believing conceptions and apprehensions of God that is to say the apprehensions of the Lords will to receive the poor loveless soul to be reconciled to him through his union with Jesus Christ And therefore while a soul casts off all his confidence that the Lords will is to admit his soul to be one with Jesus Christ there is a defect of moving Principles to move the affections to their exercise and so consequently there can be no activity of any pretious holy affections 3. In regard all the Ordinances that should excite and quicken the heart to the holy use of his former evidences are made useless While the soul enslaves himself to carnal reason through unbelief not believing Gods will to make him one with Jesus Christ though the Gospel should be preached by the mouth of Angels and they should be sent from Heaven to be mouths to those souls in Prayer yet those Ordinances could have no operation upon those souls saith the Apostle Heb. 4.2 The word that was preached profited not because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it if there be not some degree of confidence in that great and grand Gospel-truth to the particular soul there can be no mixing faith with any other Gospel-truth that should be Preached so as to make it have a pretious efficacy upon the Heart 4. When any Heart yields up himself captive to unbelieving reason and so casts off all that his pretious confidence it cannot make a believing use of his former evidence of union with Christ in regard there is a continual decrease in all holiness and encrease in all the working of corruption while the soul so remains The Heart is so naturally active that it will be spending its strength in some kind of activity or other and therefore when the holy actings of the forenamed precious confidence is sealed the Heart will spend all its strength in corrupt workings when the Heavenly plant of faith doth not grow and flourish in the soul the weeds that come from the Devils Garden will be all flourishing hardness indisposition for God hard thoughts of God will all be augmenting daily Prop. 3. Thirdly No Soul ought to entertain such a superlative conceit of the use of those evidences of his union with Christ that he formerly received that he should make those his evidences the sole or the primary or the principal Prop or Pillar whereupon he builds his confidence that the Lord will admit his soul into union with Jesus Christ The utmost use intended by God that believing souls should make of former evidences received can be but strengthnings and encouragements to renew the strength of their confidence in his truth and faithfulness to fulfil his blessed word unto their souls It is utterly strange from the mind of God that souls should make any one act of God towards or in the soul the principal Pillar Rock and foundation whereupon to build its hope of his union with Jesus Christ All those actings of the spirit of God whether by way of light and manifestation or by way of infusion of holiness they are meerly arbitrary excepting only the spirits constant influence for the preservation of the life of a believing soul and consequently changeable and various according as the infinite wisdom of Heaven doth see suitable for the estate of various souls but now the Lord out of that transcendent riches of his love in Christ hath prepared unchangeable Rocks where the prime Anchor of believing souls hope should be fastned unmoving Pillars that never shake whereupon the foundation of their confidence must be laid according