on this side the grave yet at the great Judgment it will not be so No nothing but upbraiding of Devils for neglecting Gospel-Grace and refusing the terms of pardon and for gross security this will be the portion of every unpardoned sinner that neglects the day of his salvation therefore the pardon of sins requires the deepest thoughts of heart and can never be made too sure to a poor sinful Creature Vse 1. Is the pardon of sin be of so great and infinite weight how doth this meet with the wretched deplorable carelesnefs of a world of souls in this day that think of nothing less than whether their sins are pardoned that will hear of nothing that may call this great matter into question or may awaken them to it Oh how many poor souls I fear too many of you though so often and earnestly prest to it that were never before the Lord mourning after the pardon of your sins What a light matter would it be to be pardoned if there should be no more in it nor care about it than most sinners that call themselves Christians make about it Ah sinners why do you make no more adoe no more matter of it why so sensless of that which is alone worthy all the thoughts of thy heart if thou shouldst live a million of years to dispatch this one thing to get thy sins all pardoned You that are Elderly people have a large reckoning especially upon your account of sinning against Gospel-light and grace make haste what you do do quickly lay hold on eternal life the sun is ready to set upon you and wo with you as ever you were men and women if you fail of a good and sure dispatch of this one concernable thing that your sins are pardoned And you that are younger take heed least the day of grace set upon you and you be given up to your own hearts lusts and no word that is spoken from God or Man shall ever reach you Oh tremble at trifling with convictions and light but begin to honour the Lord Jesus and bow unto him and wait for the promised effusion of his spirit and the joy of the Lord shall be the joy of your youth and the Love of the Lord will be very sweet and precious to you 2d Exhort Oh then let every soul of us be deeply affected with this weighty matter let your souls say within you Oh the dreadfulness of an unpardoned condition what tongue can express it to have all my store little or much house corn cattle trade all under a curse and enjoy it as a curse and only to further my eternal damnation to be hated of the great God and not loved to be under all the condemnation of the Law wherever I read of wrath and wo it belongs to me to have not one of my prayers nor any thing else accepted of the Lord to be in a condition of expecting nothing from Jesus Christ at his coming but go go ye cursed when I shall see so many blessed souls that took pains for Heaven enter into the Kingdom and my self shut out Wo is me if I speak peace to my soul in such an estate one moment more Awake my soul Awake Away in to the blessed God for mercy pardon grace Christ his blood spirit holiness eternal life I will go the Lord helping me and cry in the bitterness of my soul for them all and if 't were possibe to weary the Lord with the cryes of my poor soul I will do it till he have mercy upon me and bid me go in peace the Gracious God shall as hardly deny me as ever he did any poor sinner that lay bleeding at his feet for mercy and grace from Heaven to heal a poor condemned soul Oh what have I been doing in the world all this while get a little something and my sins unpardoned in daily danger of dying in them and so be lost without all remedy for ever Oh! such will be the great thoughts of heart about the pardon of sins when the Lord shall speak to a poor sinner and the Conscience shall be throughly awake about it Oh! let me yet in the name of the Lord argue out this matter with thee Be serious for once and ponder it in thy heart what is health or wealth what is it to have something about thee in the world and lay up yearly and thou go deeper in debt with the just God every day What if all the world be at Peace with thee and God thy enemy and hate thee as thou hast been shewed What if all the world say of thee Blessed if God and his holy Word of truth pronounce thee Cursed because thy sins lye upon thy soul and the Spirit of grace is not upon thee Ah! poor Creature do not do not let thy sins lye upon thy precious soul any longer do not be contented to be a child of Gods wrath any longer Oh! do not thou poor careless soul if there be a spark of pity in thee Do not as the Devil flatters rest in this and say I hope better and I hope 't is better with me and I hope I am or shall be pardoned and so fall asleep till thou drop into Hell You that think it an easie common matter to be pardoned know not what it is you have yet no part in this blessedness Saith a poor convicted soul 1. 'T is a great matter that any sinner in the world is pardoned much more such a one as I if ever I attain to it 2. Souls that get pardon do make it their greatest care to be assured of it they do not leave the matter at sixes and sevens and put it off with bidding the heart hope well but they labour after a Gospel assurance of it 3. Such Souls will labour to see that nothing be wanting that must accompany pardon of sin and a state of salvation Heb. 6.9 4. They try all their pretenees to pardon and grace over and over and will take nothing upon trust from their hearts or the Devils flatteries or the flatteries of carnal Ministers but search and prove and lay their hearts under the Word and Spirit till it be sealed by the Holy Ghost and that they are wrought of God for this self same thing and that he hath given them the Earnest of the Spirit 2 Cor. 5.5 Well therefore say in thy heart in good earnest Oh! it hath not been so with me I have been careless I thought well of my self I ne're questioned this weighty matter to purpose Oh! the Lord give me grace to take pains in the use of means to be violent for Heaven Oh! I will not rest Oh! let me not till I am assured indeed that my my sins are done away and Christ is mine Go and say and do it and the God of all grace and might be with thee in it But yet further to press the weight of this matter upon thy Conscience that thou mayest go off thoroughly convinced and
evil of it the exceeding Sinfulness and Pollution of it by the conviction of the Spirit so as to see it most in the fountain in thy nature and there loath and bewail it because it makes thee unclean and unholy and unlike God and unfit for God or holy communion with him Which is the way and most certain evidence of the Spirits saving conviction of Sin as distinguishing from that which a hypocrite may have and carries a soul to the fountain opened Zach. 13.1 that its iniquity may be throughly cleansed Vse 6. If Sinners that come to God for mercy and pardon see their Sin as great then it will follow that great Sinners may be pardoned and saved You that are great Sinners old Sinners Oh hearken to this you that are yet within the reach of Grace and Mercy and Pardon if you will come to Jesus Christ for it the greatness of your Sin is no bar to you but if you fail of pardon 't is because you will not come to Christ for it and accept it upon Gospel-terms you will not have pardon with a new heart and new life or you make a slight matter of pardon or you think 't will come of course or you are afraid to enter into a serious review and debate with your selves because your Sins are so great they will terrifie you or take you off your pleasure and peace of your minds and joy in the world Away away with any of these pleas though thou hast sinned much greatly long with all thy might come to Jesus Christ and those great Sins are no more before his blood to wash them away than the least Sin if any be little that ever was committed and pardoned Isa 1.18 Do not hence say securely Oh 't is well that great Sinners may be pardoned I ever thought so what need so much ado Do not thus harden thy self and make such a cursed use of so Blessed a Truth but therefore come in lay down thy weapons with which thou hast been fighting against God wilt thou hold up rebellion and yet cry pardon Is it equitable thou shouldst expect it No fall down at the feet of that God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned in the posture hath been shewed thee and then though sin hath abounded yet grace doth much more abound Rom. 5. last Great Sinners have become great Saints 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you Who were they Idolaters Adulterers Revilers Sodomites c. and such like You that have been such like God may have as much Glory in your pardon as he hath had dishonour by your Sin Only be not such a Devil to thy self as to turn thy back upon it and when thou hast thus long rebelled to tell God he must stay thy leisure for thy acceptance of his pardon thy Sins are too sweet to leave as yet I tell thee Soul and I have shew'd it that Gods pardons cost him dear and are precious and if thou deal thus they may be lockt up in Heaven from thy wretched Soul to all Eternity Who but a desperate wretch but would take mercy and grace from Heaven that may make him blessed for ever when God offers it by his dear Son let thy Sins be never so great why wretched Man or Woman Hast thou not done God wrong enough already but must thou stay yet longer in thy cursed Sin and wrong him yet more Hast not done enough already to damn a thousand Souls but wouldst do more and make as sure of Hell as thou canst I beseech thee Sinner great Sinner young or old do not put me off nay do not put the Lord off with a pardon in his hand a promise of Grace ready to be sealed by the Holy Ghost if thou wilt now from thy Soul readily say why then be it so Lord Jesus I come to thee if the terms be leaving all this deceitful Sin and to be made like unto thee be it so I accept of it tear my lusts from my heart I have served them long enough too long Oh now if there be any mercy in Heaven let me have it save me not in but from my Sins Oh Lord for they are great great indeed I will saith the Lord and he speaks it in Ezek. 36.29 I will save you from all your uncleannesses 't is as much as if the Lord should have now spoken it from Heaven Mark every tittle in such a promise Now thou cryest Oh will will the Lord save I will saith the Lord Oh but will he save me from such uncleannesses yea from uncleannesses what from All yea from All thy uncleannesses fall down and Adore and cry out Oh grace free rich infinite glorious grace admire Angels Saints Sinners Behold one of Gods wonders A great sinner saved Vse 7. And so seventhly it may serve to exhort blessed souls brought into a state of peace and pardon still to keep an eye upon the greatness of mercy If mercy were not great how could any Sin be forgiven Thus this blessed man David is breathing forth Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven Oh bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities Oh how great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell So should pardoned called redeemed souls see themselves call'd and taken out of Hell it self Out of a Hell of abominations pollutions wrath under which they were fast held by the power of darkness Say did ever such a soul get to Heaven shall I not be the wonder of Heaven and Hell how I got to Heaven and escaped that wrath into which thousands that were better than I are now plunged there 's no other reason but because mercy is great greater than the greatnesses of Sin with which I shall conclude the second Point namely When Sinners come on to find pardon they see their Sins great Obs 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the plea that a poor convinced sinner hath with God is that he will pardon for his own Names sake For thy Names sake Oh Lord pardon c. That is not for any worth that is in a poor creature not for my sake but for thy own glories sake thy mercy sake grace and mercy will be hereby glorified God gets himself a Name by the pardoning of a poor Sinner that Name which he proclaims to Moses Exod. 34.6 The Lord merciful and gracious c. Now God hath given forth the ground of this plea in the New Covenant where his Name is thus made most glorious And when he had given forth a brief and blessed draught of the tenor of the New Covenant Ezek. 36.21 The Lord gives out this as the great reason often mentioned why he would take such a way of making another Covenant wherein he wills all undertakes all does all works all as resolved it should be a Covenant and a way of grace that surely should hold He gives out this I say as the ground of all I had
acknowledge utter Condemnation nothing but sin upon him and so stoop to free mercy 5. The sinner stands off from Free-grace because he will make his own terms He will condition for his carnal case his self-interest his bosom lust the love of the World and hopes God will allow him his terms which he proposeth to himself and herein he is ruined Now God hath drawn up the tenour of his free-grace in the way of a Covenant and though there are no conditions left to the creature to make good on his part by his own power for that will easily imply a self-sufficiency in him and is absolutely derogatory from the grace of God in the Gospel-Covenant yet God hath drawn up as I may so speak what other good things he will bestow on the subjects of his free-grace Namely The Law to be new written in their hearts the gift of the Spirit Newness of heart with the making good of all those promises in a degree that hold forth Holiness and new Obedience which must accompany the free pardon of sins and make indeed the free grace of God more glorious Inasmuch as when he pardons them he will save them from the service of sin work his Image upon them bring them to a blessed conformity to himself which consider'd aright sweetens and heightens the free-grace of God and makes the terms of it more blessed In a word Mercy and Holiness must go together a Saviour and Sanctifier which a sinner from the cursed love of ease and satisfaction to his lust sticks at and so comes not up to Gods terms which are blessed and holy and so misseth of grace and mercy for ever because he chooseth Sin rather than Holiness 6. Yea a sinner and I speak all this while of such as pretend to an interest in free mercy misseth of this grace because he takes up the terms of God in his Covenant-grace in his own strength will repent and come up to new obedience before he comes to the promise to the free grace of God for it which is also a dangerous snare A Sinners first work being convinced as we have opened is to throw himself upon the free grace of God for all to give all to work all and to follow God by vertue of Promises of such good and Grace as the tenour of the Covenant holds forth 'T is an usual thing for poor Souls first to think to convert themselves make themselves holy and then come to God and Jesus Christ this is an indirect course Oh! a poor Soul must begin at the Foundation of Gods free Grace for Christ for Pardon for the Spirit for Conversion for Holiness for all as held out in Promises and then the work will be sure and prosper and nought shall hinder it 7. Sinners fail of this free Grace of God from a neglect and a sleighting of it Heb. 2.3 How shall you escape if you neglect so great salvation Sinners do hear that though they are sinners and condemned in a damnable estate yet Jesus Christ will save them if they will come unto him sit them for Heaven and do it himself for them and in them yet through a desperate folly security and careless temper the heart being in a dead sleep they wretchedly neglect it 8. From the power of Unbelief which they are under and see it not Thus have I shewed those special hindrances that cause poor Souls that hear of Gospel-grace to withstand it and for ever to miss of it Oh that this word of the Lord might find you out and might be as a glass to shew you your own hearts you who by a wilful obstinacy have withstood the Gospel-calls hitherto Oh now fall down before the Lord and cry I yield I yield thou blessed God thy Patience thy freest Grace hath overcome me Lord take away a rebellious obstinate heart from me Ah Lord Thou hast waited to be gracious and Christ and Mercy and Heaven have been offered to so vile a Wretch freely Now Lord I throw my self at thy feet a thousand Hells are too good for me But if grace infinite grace be free there 's yet hope for me If there be not grace enough in Heaven for me let me go to the depth of Hell But Lord I take hold of thee I desire to do it Oh do thou take hold of me and I shall not perish You who have stood upon your terms and hoped you had righteousness enough to cover you and God would look upon that and not upon your sin you are the most abominable in God's sight You who secretly in your hearts think your sorrowing and reforming makes God amends You who have wrapt your selves in these Cobwebs and through pride of heart will not lay them down Oh if thou wilt have mercy thou must have all in a way of mercy and grace all freely or nothing at all see all thy righteousness made void by one sin against the Law and therefore cursed and condemned by it therefore thou hast no Plea but free mercy and grace Oh lay down all thy other Pleas they will never be heard in Heaven and now cry out Oh 't is of grace Proud selfish Wretch that I have been 't is all of free grace if ever I am saved If God cannot pardon freely bestow Jesus Christ freely I am undone for ever Oh the wicked castings of my heart this way and that way Oh there 's nothing nothing but infinite misery to move mercy All my goodness is an accursed thing as from my self There 's an infinite Fountain of sin and self-righteousness in men Oh could I come to an infinite Fountain of grace Thus thou wilt come to God when he shall smite thy heart which now look up unto him to do You who have been making your own terms of ease and lusts and world Oh render up your hearts to the gracious blessed holy terms that God proposeth Why shouldst thou not be willing to be made holy Why should not the Lord rather rule thee than sin and the Devil What more beautiful and glorious than the Image of God Oh accept of Holiness with Mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ Come unto him for both be willing to be set apart for God a Vessel purged and sanctified for his use and thou shalt behold the face of God shining upon thee and whatever is laid up in Christ in Promises in Heaven and Glory shall be thine You who have thought to make your selves holy and then come to Christ to be justified be convinced of your great Error and now come as sinners to Jesus Christ to be justified and sanctified in him and see all grace laid up in Jesus Christ for such as come unto him Say Oh blessed Lord Jesus I cannot fit my self for thee If thou canst not accept me as a poor undone helpless sinner coming unto thee I never expect a blessing from thee And you who have sleighted this free rich and glorious grace see what you have done and be abased
them 5. The Soul is raised and engaged in a new Love The Heart is taken with Jesus Christ above all things and loves him most and loves God because he is Holy loves his Word and loves those that love him most Every New-Creature can say as David I love the Lord Psalm 18.1 and 116.1 Yea the soul is brought to love Jesus Christ for himself He is the beloved of the Soul and not only the grace and peace and blessing and Heaven that he gives And to Love Jesus Christ and to express it to the utmost is the frame of soul that a Convert presseth most after and he would get the heart more purged mortified spirituallized that it might go forth in Love to Christ more strongly and sweetly and enjoy the precious perfumes of his Love more constantly 6. The Soul is raised to a New hope a new hope of Heaven and Glory which before was feigned and deceitful Now the Soul is after a well-bottom'd real lively hope of Heaven Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope c. Oh! the new and blessed hopes that a soul doth more and more reach to when distempers and darkness is not upon it of seeing Jesus Christ as he is living with him for ever of being perfectly sinless and holy of Joys that shall be endless of being swallowed up with divine Glory when the Spirit of the Father doth breath most sweetly and mostly raises the heart to glimpses of Heaven Vse As we go along we would put things to tryal therefore say in good earnest Soul Hast thou had new fears upon thy Soul as to an eternal condition and is the fear of sin and of the living God upon thy heart and doth this fear keep thy Heart awful and watchful say hast thou had new sorrows for sin and 't is thy Trouble they are no more abundant Can'st thou joy in going to God and in the Word of his grace and are spiritual things thy delight Doest thou find a heart-closing Love to Jesus Christ above all and canst thou love God because he is Holy and thou wouldst be like unto him and hast thou new experienc'd hopes of Heaven Say soul Do all thy affections run in a new Channel and the stream of them in the main turned from world and vanity to the Ocean of God in Christ his fulness goodness love grace and glory and that when thy affections or any one of them are diverted and turned aside thou canst and doest go to God to have them fetcht in again and thou wouldst have all the affections of thy Soul run freely clearly spiritually fully strongly upon Jesus Christ and thou art humbled that they are carnal and worldly in any measure If this be not thy case but the affections of thy heart are wholly fleshly and worldly thy fears thy sorrows are about worldly things thy joys thy delights about carnal pleasures and worldly increase thy love goeth after the world in an uninterrupted unmortified course thy hopes going forth about great things for thy self and thy hopes for Heaven lye at all uncertainty and thou dost suffer it to be so verily thou art unchanged and hast no part as yet in New-Creature-blessedness Only let me add this Caution that in this matter of the New creature you take the whole frame together and therefore do not rest only in this that you have had your affections something stirred in hearing the Gospel some fears and sometimes the heart a little melted and some joy for a time in the Word which affections may sometime stir in a soul whose heart is not subdued and changed and so it wears off again but carry your selves back to what I have said that you mainly look to the Rebellion Pollution Hypocrisie Unbelief of the heart that these be in good earnest still a subduing you 3. And so also for real Converts though you should labour to preserve your affections lively savoury yet look mostly to the sincerity and spirituality of them or else when they wax faint again as that may be you be at a great loss of your Consolation neither do you always measure your selves by the stirring and overflowing of affections but rather by the abasement of your spirits hearts purity and sincerity and the holiness of your affections and your acting faith in all your duties which will procure a more lasting way of peace and comfort though when thus rectified the going out of strong and tender affections is exceeding sweet and precious and most desirable by all Saints 7. The next discovery of the New-Creature is this which I may consider with some distinction from the former The Gospel New-Creature hath new thoughts By the Thoughts I understand the pondering musing part of the Mind that I may speak plainly to all the imaginations fancies purposes meditatings musings of the Mind of man which are very much altered where there is a new and divine work and power in the Soul To this the Prophet speaks as to saving conversion Isa 55.7 Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord c. So that a Soul returning to the Lord forsakes his vile thoughts and doth not give way to them and feed them as before So Jer. 4.14 How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee And Psalm 119.113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love To shew a little why the thoughts of the heart shall be changed and then more particularly how In a natural heart All the imaginations of it are evil continually Gen. 5.6 They became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Rom. 1.21 Where the thoughts as issues of the lusts do rove to and fro at full liberty without any effectual controul 1. As first Atheistical thoughts secretly denying God his Justice Holiness Word or that God will not judge sinners according to the rigour of his Word Thou thoughtest saith God I was altogether such a one as thy self and Psalm 50.21 The Fool hath said in his heart there is no God Psalm 14.1 For when he sins against him presumptuously he doth strike at his very Being Justice and Holiness and either saith in his heart There is no God to judge him or secretly wisheth there were none 2. Prophane thoughts according to the most predominant lustings of the heart do act a natural heart as vain unclean proud worldly thoughts which are in contrivance to make provision for the lusts of it the heart even continually exercis'd with unclean proud wrathful revengful or covetous practices therefore saith the Wisdom of God Prov. 15.26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts Adulteries Murders Thefts c. Matth. 15.19 The evil thoughts get up and act over wickedness and then they purpose and contrive for the acting of it and
pitty for my own holy Name ver 21. Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes but for mine holy Names sake ver 22. I will sanctifie my great Name ver 23. And when the Lord had shewed what he would do for the poor Jews in special and so for all Sinners taken into Covenant with him that he would sprinkle clean water upon them cleanse them from their Sins give them a new heart put his Spirit upon them write his Laws in their hearts and so take them to be his people he again concludes with the same ground as before that all this was still for his own Name ver 32. Not for your sakes I do this be it known unto you c. And yet that he would as certainly and fully do it as if all the engagements from man in the world had been upon him as undoubtedly make good every part and article of the Covenant he adds ver 36. I the Lord have spoken it and I will do it you may safely abide by it Neither should his grace and power come hardly from him as poor doubting souls surmise as if 't were as much as ever the Lord could do to give out mercy and grace to poor Sinners but saith the blessed God in another place upon the same account having given out the promises of Grace in the New Covenant Jer. 32.37 and so on He subjoyns I will do it with my whole heart and my whole soul mark it poor souls with my whole soul will I pardon you love you never turn away from you to do you good and never suffer you to turn away from me If poor souls for whose sake I put it should here ask what is this Covenant what do you mean by it only a word here God at first when he made man agreed with man to be his God to give him life for ever upon these terms that man would keep the Law that God gave him and 't was a Law that would have given all glory to the Creator preserved the creature in a holy and blessed order and been a blessing to the whole Creation but man transgressing here the blessed God from his own good pleasure for his names sake gives out another Covenant provides in it terms of reconciliation for the first breach of the first Covenant sends his eternal blessed Son Jesus Christ to be a mediator of this new Covenant gives him commission to offer it to all and that freely and to let the World know that if any Sinner in the World never so great come and put up his plea make his claim enter his claim accept of this Covenant and new agreement with God accept of the terms of it give up himself mutually to God back again then will God be his God and that upon better terms than before with Adam pardon own love bless unite to himself never suffer him to fall mercy built upon an unmoveable foundation The foundation of God standeth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 This briefly is the meaning of the New Covenant upon which all our mercy is built now from first to last from the first to the top-stone of it from Election to Glory all is done and made good for the Lords own glorious Names sake Souls elected the Covenant transacted between God and Christ Jesus Christ sent the Sinner called forgiven justified sanctified adopted kept glorified All for his Names sake See the promises running thus in most places Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions Why for my own sake Purge away our sins for thy Names sake Psal 79.9 This is the bottom of all This name he hath revealed in Jesus Christ Exod. 23.21 Now because the further clearing of this blessed truth is my design through Grace in the next discourse I shall speak but a word more by the way of use only Vse 1. If it be thus that whatever God gives out to poor souls is for his own Names sake that this is the plea a poor Sinner hath let it then be for your information and instruction that you have no other plea to be heard in Heaven but this the plea of Jesus Christ being upon the same bottom Don't make a sorry pile of carnal duties and works and say for the sake of these Lord do me good and pardon where I have failed the Lord may send fire from Heaven to consume thee and them because of their pollution and that 't is a cursed offering but never hear thee and bless thee upon such a plea No no say in thy soul and that from full conviction If ever I have any thing from God on this side Hell it must be for his own Names sake I expect I plead I wait upon no other ground Vse 2. If the Lord's Names sake be the only plea for grace then let poor Sinners drawing near to God by Jesus Christ be perswaded that 't is a good plea and most acceptable before the Lord. Now this is the way of the heart of poor creatures from rooted self-love and pride we think if God could give out good unto us for our sakes it were something if there were any thing to be beheld in us that were commendable to the Lord I could go with some confidence but seeing 't is thus that I am nothing else but vile before him how can I go to him with what face or how can he give out unto me Sinner be as low as thou wilt or canst but reason not so with thy self If God can as freely as fully do thee good all good for his own Names sake and hath thereby the more glory by it why shouldest thou so stand upon thy terms with God and not be as willing as contented to accept of Mercy all mercy for Gods own Names sake as well as for thy sake 'T is thy pride be it known unto thee Sinner as thou thinkest thou art and not thy lowliness know for thy comfort God can more readily easily do thy soul good upon the terms he now is for his own sake and so the thing be done thy soul pardoned blessed saved and all shall end in everlasting love upon thee let the Lord have all the Glory though thou hast nothing to boast of for thy own sake And yet also know that when the Lord saith he doth it for his own sake he doth not exclude that he hath no respect and love unto thee but that the great and highest motive with God was and is his own Name his own glorious grace why he ever had a thought of good to an undone creature that there was no motive in the creature unless misery which is no glory but all is done given estated upon souls undone poor Sinners freely for his own sake 3. Let it exhort souls to make use of this plea therefore and that with great though humble confidence It never failed poor Souls since the world was that made use of it when they were low and helpless and eyed
hide from man not considering the judgment of God that hangs over thee But if not so yet a heart full of uncleanness envy wrath malice which our Lord Jesus Christ in his opening the Law in its spirituality Mat. 5.21 22 27 28. convinceth to be murder and adultery which it may be thou hast never considered of so thou hast not been an actual adulterer or murderer In a word There 's not a vain thought in thy heart the first rising of it but brings thee under the guilt of condemation of the Law and as thou art under the Law as if a transgressor in thought word and deed of the whole Law This may seem strange to thee but see it proved Jam. 2.10 For whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point is guilty of all But it hath been proved that thou art guilty of the breach of every Commandment of God from thy youth up But see further sinner that some word of God or other may hit thee this Law could not condemn thee wouldst thou have been convinc'd of guilt and made in to grace by Jesus Christ but thou art under the guilt of Gospel-contempt Come sinner saith Jesus Christ see what I can and will do for thee I 'll save thee from this condemning Law I 'll take away the curse I 'll remove all thy guilt blot out all the charge that is against thee I 'll put a righteousness upon thee I 'll bestow my spirit upon thee I 'll give thee a heart to love God and his Law and in the inward man to delight to walk in it and then take thee to Heaven and fill thee with glory for ever All this Heaven of mercy and free grace thou hast sleighted and sinned against and brought thy self under greater condemnation than by the law And yet by the way Jesus Christ will do as much for thee still as I have spoken of and more Though thou hast thus sinned against Law and Gospel if thou wilt come a poor undone guilty soul unto him which is that I aim at in thus pressing upon thee and were the sense of guilt indeed upon thy soul thou wouldst seriously hearken to me Therefore yet further bear with me Take home this guilt to thy Conscience and say Oh guilty guilty of all that hath been this day charged from the righteous God upon me Oh may the Lord find thee out this day and lay in the fresh sense of the guilt of sins even of such thou hast long since committed do not justifie nor excuse thy self any longer for that 's the natural way of thy heart as thou hast been shewed Never did guilty prisoner at the bar find more shifts more subtle pleas than the proud and shameless heart of a sinner will do till God himself pronounce guilt in the conscience and then the guilt of one sin laid in brings in the guilt of all other and they sometimes come in like waves and billows upon thy soul Oh let the sense of thy lying swearing prophaning the Sabbath slighting the word refusing Jesus Christ out of thy secret hatred of holiness reproaching the people of God because in their practice they condemn thee Oh let this any all seize upon thee go and lye low before the great God judging charging condemning thy self and say God and his Word hath found me out this day and I go home with at arrow of God in my conscience I am the Man or Woman that am found the guiltiest soul in the Congregation how to be delivered and saved from it that 's my business now Blessed be the advice and counsel now which formerly I despised of any good man that speaks in the Name of the Lord unto me and will show me there is yet hope for so wretched a creature as I am Particularly these are the effects of the sense of the guilt of sin wrought by the Holy Ghost upon the conscience of a poor soul in order to his salvation 1. Fear of wrath to come more or less possesseth the heart can a man be guilty and not fear if truly sensible of it This was upon Adam after he had sinned and heard Gods voice which struck him with sense of guilt Gen. 3.10 I heard thy voice and was afraid so when guilt came upon Belshazzar his thoughts troubled him Dan. 5.6 Felix trembled Acts 24.25 The Jaylor came trembling Acts 16.29 The fear of wrath the fear of a miscarrying soul the fear of eternity seizeth upon the spirit of a poor creature and then 't is an infinite weighty matter with a poor soul to be saved 2. Shame is another effect of guilt brought in upon the conscience So Adam likewese was ashamed and hid himself because he was naked Gen. 3. What fruit had you in those things whereof you are now ashamed Rom. 6.21 So Ezek. 16. last That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord See also Ezek. 43.10 11. Oh how is a sensible guilty soul ashamed before God Angels and men of such ways and carriages in which he impudently before delighted himself and lies down in his shame and confusion of face even covering his face before God and ashamed to look up unto him 3. The soul walks up and down with a burthened spirit those creature-comforts delights contentments which before would still the spirit now will not sense of guilt eats out the hearts of them the soul must now have something else than wind and vanity for so are creatures become to such a poor soul It may be the deceitful heart carries a poor creature to this thing and that but finds no satisfaction there the burden still remains the arrow that God hath shot sticks fast till Jesus Christ pluck it forth and heals all with his Blood and Spirit 4. Guilty souls make out for deliverence sue to Heaven are enquiring how the law may be satisfied how guilt may be removed how attonement may be had how bondage taken off in a word how he may come to see the face of a blessed God reconciled in Jesus Christ and so love him and bless him to eternity Why now careless sinner Is' t not better be thus than be hardening for Hell and have the guilt of sin as nothing to thee till the books shall be opened all thy sins written in Letters of Blood against thee Conscience accused charged and witnessing against thee and so away screeking to Hell without all remedy and canst not be heard a word for thy self nor any one Saint or Angel for thee Now thou mayst be heard if thou wilt speedily acknowledge thy guilt not cover thy transgression nor hide thy iniquity in thy bosom Job 31.33 but come with fear and shame burthen'd with thy guilt to him whose arms are yet open to receive thee and is ready to take away iniquity off thee and take off thy
for it see how you cast back mercy upon the face of God who would freely be reconciled with you pass by all the grievous injuries you have done him enter into a Covenant with you bestow his Christ upon you fit you for communion with himself here and for ever And all this you have sleighted and yet must unavoidably be for ever damned without it Sinner who can plead for thee when thou shalt go on to despise neglect slight such grace To Hell without pity of God Angels or Men when freest mercy and grace shall be slighted I do therefore stand this day in the Name of Jesus Christ to acquaint you that he will save you freely if you will come unto him be your sins what they will so you come not as righteous but as sinners to him so you take his Righteousness to cover you and his Spirit of grace to unite you to him and make you holy and will give up your selves unto him All which he will help if you will come and cry to him yea if you cannot come he will draw you if you are unwilling he will make you willing if you have no heart he will give you heart What more Wretched man or woman that shall stand off one moment longer Is not Hell too good for thee if thou shalâ— now turn thy back upon such grace Let me have your Answers this day Let me know that sinner that will go home resolved to be as careless as he formerly hath been as well-opinioned of himself as much resolved against Holiness as thoughtless of being damned if he withstand the Lord in his Free-grace one day more Oh! Will not your hearts stir dead stupid Souls Shall God's Free-grace his Christ go a begging this day and will not a sinner come up to his terms Old sinners that are going into the grave and Hell too will not you accept of Free-grace of Christ the Spirit this day that are upon the brink of the grave and everlasting burnings and have many a thousand sins yet unpardoned Is all this nothing to you but rest in a blind hope of mercy without coming to Jesus Christ without care of being made holy and fit for Heaven Oh you have been fast asleep in sin deceived by your own hearts abused by the Devil forty fifty sixty years Is' t not time for you to bethink your selves to go and cry to the Blessed God Oh Grace Pardon Christ Heaven upon any Terms My righteousness I have trusted in are poor Cobwebs my Confidences vain Oh for a drop of Free-mercy and grace from that Ocean that is in God and 't were better than all I have done for Heaven yet Oh Lord Now now I come to thee Is there free-mercy and grace for one that hath slighted it Yea though thou hast gone on frowardly in thy own heart yet he can heal thee Isa 57.17 18. And you that are younger 't is a desperate thing now in times of Gospel-Light when it glares upon your faces to shut your eyes to go on in the way of your own hearts to slight Gospel-Grace to harden your selves and cry hereafter hereafter Alas thou knowest not what shall be on the morrow the Thread of thy life is quickly cut with a stroak from God Beside to go on long from year to year against the loud and frequent Call of Jesus Christ against Convictions that thou shouldst do otherwise is the way to be given up to utter hardness and the Lord to move upon thy heart no more There 's a day of grace to every Soul which if he suffer to set and go down upon him he is irrecoverably lost for ever Look to it you younger men and maidens that have yet no work upon you that are the same you were under the means you have lived that have not the Spirit of grace and mourning upon you when others are praying and wrestling with the Lord and taking the Kingdom of Heaven by violence Oh up and be stirring the day of grace hath shined long upon you Hold out no longer Come Come Come you careless Sons and Daughters and the way is open to you The door of Free-grace is open Christs Arms are open you may be saved and blessed for ever if you come in now you are invited I can take no excuse Come or say I am resolved for Hell and to venture the utmost in the condition I am in Oh bold and fearless Atheism What shall I say to thee if that be thy Resolution But I cannot be so answered Say you Sinners as if I should name you are you for Heaven or Hell for Free-grace or your own patch'd-up righteousness for carnal ease or any Pains for Heaven for your Lusts or for Holiness for Jesus Christ or the Devil let thy heart answer in good earnest this day Now shall I at least have this Answer Hold I am resolved for the Free-grace of God for the Lord Jesus Christ If all the sinners in the Congregation yea in the World should turn their backs upon him The Word of the Lord hath overcome Oh Lord Jesus may I come such a Wretch as I come Yea saith the Lord Jesus Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him come Grace is as free as ever it was Say then Oh Lord I come draw me and I will come Into the Arms of Free-grace I throw my self my Righteousness is an abominable thing Ah! a Christ upon any terms Oh let let me creep unto thy Blessed Feet let me have the lowest Room in thy Heart Take what way thou wilt to purge me so I may but get well unto thee Now Lord as much Holiness as thou wilt let thy precious blood wash me all over Well go thus and acquaint the Lord Jesus with it from day to day wait he will speak to thee love to hear more from him and of him in his Gospel and thou biddest fair for Heaven yea there will presently be joy in Heaven for thee In a word I protest against you in the Name and Authority of God and the Lord Jesus Christ who hath sent me if you shall withstand the grace of God in Jesus Christ freely most freely offered you I shall be a Witness against you And if any sinners in the World shall be certainly damned you are they who neglect this great Salvation 'T is come to this I would saith Jesus Christ and ye will not What ado to have a sinner that 's sinking to Hell to come to the Lord Jesus Christ to be freely saved What should a guilty sinner do but come to a free Saviour to be saved and accept of his terms which are so blessed with a thousand hearts if he had them Now say how am I straightned till I get to him I would go and weep my heart out to him had I a heart to do it Now I leave what hath been spoken to the good pleasure of God and the work of his Power who is able to send away every Soul trembling and resigning
everlasting Bond and Covenant hath given it self to Christ as Jesus Christ bestows himself and all he hath upon the soul so doth the soul bestow it self and all it hath upon Jesus Christ and having so done resolves to be contented with him in every condition whom have I in Heaven but thee and none on earth in comparison of thee saith every gracious Believer 7. Every justified Believer lives by his Faith Gal. 2.20 lives upon Jesus Christ for all and fetcheth all from him sees him as a Treasury of all Grace hath recourse unto him this being the most proper act of Faith to make the soul live out of it self upon another Namely Jesus Christ for all 8. Faith that entitles the Soul to Jesus Christ works by love to all Saints Gal. 5.6 When the Soul closeth with Jesus Christ it will also close with his Disciples as distinguished from carnal unsavoury dead Professors What makes the living among the dead a living Soul alive in Christ highly priseth fellowship with such as are alive I might name many more particulars but these may suffice as the most distinguishing 1. Let what hath been spoken serve to discover to you Whether you have Faith that doth entitle you to the blood of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of your sins Can you say Your Souls are carried out after more purging and 't is your daily cry to Heaven Can you say that you are often crucifiing with Jesus Christ And Oh that I were that I were but crucifi'd with Jesus Christ that I might reckon of my self as dead to sin and oh that I might live to God and might walk in Gospel-obedience That I might throughly deny my self for Jesus Christ and choose to suffer with him and for him Oh I would more clearly see the Marriage-union between Christ and my poor Soul I would I do bestow my self upon him and all that 's mine I do give my self to him I will be content with him here and for ever Whom have I whom have I but him Oh have you found in some good degree such Workings of heart towards Jesus Christ And do you live by your Faith upon Christ upon Promises and do you maintain your Souls this way And do you love and delight in the Fellowship of living Souls savoury Souls or do you at least long that you may have some opportunity to do so If you cannot in some measure experience these things your Faith is a dead empty Speculation such a Faith that is so far from uniting you to Christ that indeed it keeps you on this side Jesus Christ And therefore say of it 't is a Faith that is in vain that keeps me dead in my sins Oh therefore say in thy heart I will now wait on the Word the Ministration of it that is ordained of God to beget Faith I will go and pray the Father to draw me to Jesus Christ and that my Soul may be united to him that I may have Fellowship in his Death and Resurrection that I may be made alive unto God that I may feel the pacifying purging vertue of the blood of the Lord Jesus upon my poor Soul By what hath been said Believers may try their Faith and if they find their Souls to have experienced these things they may take comfort that they are justified by Faith in the blood of Jesus and therefore shall be saved by his Life To wind up all in a word of Exhortation 1. God hath set forth Jesus Christ to be a Propitiation that through Faith in his blood a sinner may become justified from his sin then what encouragement is there for sinners to come to him and believe on his Name to venture the Issue of Eternal Salvation upon him since God himself hath set him forth for that end and purpose that sinners might come unto him and be washed justified saved from their sins 'T is not then to be doubted but that God as he hath therein taken care for the Salvation of the sinner so for the glory of his own righteousness So that the sinner hath no reason to doubt that comes to Jesus in the way proposed but that God can take pleasure to accept of him through the blood of Jesus 'T was the most deliberate Act that ever the Wisdom of God was taken up about the setting forth of Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of Sinners through his Blood 'T was the first Foundation that God laid from all Eternity and after he had promised Jesus Christ it was some thousands of years before he set him forth to the world And therefore God cannot repent nor change his mind and purpose as to accepting pardoning justifying sanctifying poor sinners that cast their Souls upon it by the Blood of his Son Jesus Christ Upon which it is that blessed Souls are brought in in the Scriptures magnifying the grace of God for their cleansing by the blood of Jesus 1 John 1.7 The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin So are the Saints brought forth triumphing Revel 5.9 Thou wast slain and hath redeemed us to God by thy blood And Chap. 7.14 These are they who have washed their Robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore I say with what boldness may poor sinners come unto it and how certainly are they in God's way to Salvation in which way blessed Souls have been ever found and none did ever miss of this end the Salvation of their Souls I have now dispatcht what I shall speak at this time as to the Doctrine of Justification by the Free-grace of God through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and of saving Faith therein and shall commit it to the Lord to work it upon the Conscience I shall a little insist upon the last verse in the removal of that Objection which the heart puts up against this blessed Truth ROM 3. last Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law THE former Verses intermitted might have afforded us much choice matter in the opening the Doctrine of Grace and the Righteousness of Jesus Christ Namely that God is just in the remission of a Believer upon Faith in the Blood of Jesus from verse 26. And that the Doctrine of Grace excludes all boasting from the Creature from ver 27. That Jew and Gentile all that are saved must come to God and be justified in this way and no other from ver 29 30. But I must contract my self I come now to the Objection that the Heart so far as it is carnal doth naturally make against this Doctrine Namely If a Soul be only justified by Grace through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ doth not this then make void the Law and all Obedience to it What need then of our Obedience God forbid saith Paul we establish it that is the Doctrine of Justification by Faith doth rather establish it The Law doth stand establisht in a threefold sense First Jesus Christ hath establisht
thou hast Christ and Grace than with them But say canst thou canst thou well be without the pardon of thy sins Canst thou well live and dye hated by the great and righteous God Canst thou well be where the fire it never quenched and the worm never dyes Say canst thou well miss the presence of the ever blessed God to all eternity Are damned screeking Spirits good company for ever and ever Away away sinner to the blessed God betake thy self put it not off an hour longer to crying repenting mourning to God for free pardon for Christ for the Spirit and look up to the Lord to give thee a heart to do it wait humbly and carefully on the Gospel of Grace preached and yet though thou hast hitherto been idle thou mayest attain unto this blessedness as well as the blessedst Saint in the world if thou wilt be serious diligent earnest as so weighty a matter requires about it The good Lord give thee a heart to do it 2. Do not rest in false Evidences false hopes of pardon Many sinners might seem to have got pardon and gone well to Heaven if they had not vainly and foolishly hoped so Oh rest in nothing and never rest without it as I have pressed thee in love till thou canst say from a well grounded Gospel-evidence wrought forth with fear and trembling Now I have the blessedness that accompanies pardoned souls Now oh now rejoyce with me blessed souls I am I am a Child of God I have access to the blessed God and my soul pleads with him every day Ah now God my God doth love me Now I am justified in a state of Justification from which my God will never let me fall Ah my sins though great shall be remembred no more no more I shall be kept safely kept in all my ways if I fall the Lord will take me up and I shall not utterly fall however it is or may be with me as to the world and the things of it I am rich though poor worthless nothing in my self with all the riches unsearchable riches of my Christ I am an Heir of God I need nothing Oh the sweetness peace joy contentment Heaven of such a blest and for ever blest condition Now tell me sinner and let it stick with thee till thou art got well to Heaven is not is not the pardon of thy sins the work of the greatest weight before thee on this side the grave which is that I first promised thee to prove to thy Conscience from the first Observation 3. I might hence insist to stir up poor souls who have been awake for Heaven and have been and are crying and waiting for the pardon of your sins to be in this matter with all your might because you see 't is wonderfully weighty and concernable to you beyond all imaginations get your doubts and fears and misgivings of heart well removed see from whence your doubts do arise and follow them home to your hearts and then be with the Lord much and in his Word and Ordinances till the Lord make it clear day in thy Soul and thou walk in a sweet spirit of Adoption before him 4. Let pardoned ones whom it doth cost much as to means to get it made good to you make much of your comfort and do not Trisse it nor sin it away and keep the sense of a pardoned condition warm and lively upon your spirits and then you will love the Lord much Luke 7.47 Lord thou hast forgiven much as much as to any Oh let me let me love love much very much Conviction of sin and self-emptiness THe second Consideration we observed from the words and proposed to be opened was this Obs 2. Such who come to God to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins Pardon mine iniquity for it is great c. The Original word as well signifies Many as Great my sins are great and many many great sins lye upon me pardon Oh pardon them Oh Lord c. Thus you have this blessed man David in several Psalms aggravating his sin Psal 38.4 Mine iniquities are gone over my head and are a burden too heavy for me to bear against thee only have I sinned Psal 51. So blessed Paul Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners whereof I am the chief that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful Rom. 7.13 So Peter at the first Glimpse of Christ and a word from him falls upon his knees crys out Depart from me for I am a sinful man c. Luke 5.8 So the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner agreat vile sinner nothing else but a sinner So the Prodigal Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight c. Luke 18.13 15.21 In the opening of this Point first I would shew Why such as come in a right way for pardon do look upon their sins as great sins 1. How they come to see them so 2. When a sinner may be said to have seen his sins so great as a pardoned soul should do 1. Sinners that come to God for pardon and find it do look upon their sins as great sins because against a great God great in power great in justice great in holiness I am a worm and yet sin and that boldly against a God so great for a worm to lift up himself against a great and infinite God Oh this makes every little sin great and calls for great vengeance from so great a God 2. Because they have sinned against great patience despising the goodness forbearance and long-suffering of God which is call'd treasuring up of wrath Rom. 2.4 5. Oh saith a poor abased sinner at Gods feet How have I wearied the patience of God! I have not wearied thee saith God but thou hast been weary of me and hast made me to serve with thy sins and wearied me with thine iniquities Isa 43.23 24. Oh this is an humbling and heart-breaking word to a poor soul before the Lord this makes his sin appear great indeed I have wearied the blessed God with my sin and yet he calls upon me that he may pardon me ver 25. of the same Chapter This greatens sin to purpose to a poor soul that hath abused much patience 3. Sins do appear great because against great mercies Oh against how many mercies and kindnesses do sinners sin against and turn all the mercies of God into sin Oh saith a poor soul drawing near to God I turned all the mercies of the Lord against him took his mercies and fought against him with them and served the Devil and my lusts with them if God will come and account with me for them how shall I answer him 4. That which greatens sin in the eyes of poor sinners that cry for pardon is that they have sinned against great light light in the Conscience this heightens sin exceedingly especially to such as are under Gospel-means and is indeed the sin of all in this Nation
to phrase it and are subject to whatsoever the Law pronounceth against the transgressors of it 3. All the partial keeping of the Law will not deliver a Soul from that penalty that belongs to the breach of the whole Keep me all or none as to your deliverance from the curse saith the law But this I am further to prove when I speak to the next verse The impossibility of a sinners being accepted by his best keeping of the law Vse 1. Are all Men and Women in the World young and old naturally under the law bound over to the most exact and rigorous fulfilling it under a curse and are indeed under all the curses and threatnings it pronounceth and bound to make God satisfaction in your persons while you are under it Oh! let every poor Sinner be convinced of it what a state is this for any poor soul to rest it self satisfied in who is the man or woman that is not a transgressor of it and therefore see to it and that before the execution of judgment come upon thee without remedy Sinner if thou wast condemned by the Law and under a sense of death how wouldst beg for a reprieve and beg of all thy friends to interpose for thee what an amazing word would it be to thee Thou art condemned to dye Ah sinner 't is the case of thy precious soul Thou art condemn'd to eternal death by the law of God the sentence is pronounc'd from the righteous Judge of Heaven Away Sinner with all speed to a Mercy seat Acknowledge thy condemation just by the Law go to the great and potent Advocate of Heaven Jesus Christ the righteous put thy case into his hand tell him thou bast none else to make to and that thou hast heard he hath helped many a condemned Sinner in the same case as thou art and that thou hast heard he hath laid down a price for such as thou art to redeem them from the curse of the Law Follow him and if he speak but a word to the just and great God for thee the sentence of the law is remitted a pardon of grace comes forth and at last the Holy Ghost shall be sent from the Father and the Son to witness it and seal it in thy own Conscience and that blessed word shall be thine Therefore there is now no condemnation c. who shall condemn me since Jesus Christ hath cleared me and hath made the Court of Heaven for me Go and ponder in thy soul every day and say Is' t nothing to be under a Curse condemned by a Law to be damned for ever shall I let my poor soul lie in such a case one hour longer especially when a way I hear is open'd to me to get from under it Say what satisfaction can I wretched creature make to the righteous God None but by suffering what infinite justice will lay upon me which is no less than infinite punishment Oh! get in upon thy conscience what it is to be condemned by the great God to lye under guilt to have no plea or excuse by the Law left thee which I will labour to prove to thy conscience and then further urge thee which is the import of the next point Obser 2. A transgressor of the law as he hath nothing to boast in so he hath nothing to excuse himself for his sin or from the righteous judgment of God due unto him which is drawn from these words That every mouth may be stopped c. This the Apostle intimates Rom. 2.1 Therefore thou art inexcusable O man c. speaking to the Jew who went about to free himself And the judgment of God is according to truth against them which do such things verse 2. Reason 1. A poor sinner hath nothing to excuse himself for sinning against the law of God because the law is good and righteous Rom. 7.12 Therefore the law is holy and the Commandment holy just and good saith Paul when he was under such a Conviction of sinning against it as we are pressing So 1 Tim. 1.8 But we know that the law is good c. 'T is a Law that gives glory to the Creator and all good and blessedness as in it self to the Creature A Law that 's full of all wisdom and blessedness takes care for the good blessing peace order of the whole Creation that man might not sin against his Maker nor in the least harm nor think to do so his fellow creature so that its proper end is goodness preservation to all Now what excuse for a creature most concern'd in the good of it for sinning against such a Law what hath a creature to say for himself how inexcusable is he before God Angels and Men 2. God writ this holy and blessed Law in the heart of Adam as he was a publick person whereby he and in him all mankind had power to keep it therefore the sinner hath no excuse before God He gave man a power though he did not lay a necessity upon his will but left them to the liberty of it but man corrupted himself Gen. 6.12 Whereby he disabled himself from keeping the Law Now if a man disable himself it can be no rational excuse for neglecting the duty so that his Mouth is stopped as to any plea or excuse before the Lord. 3. Though man had blurred and defaced the fair and original Copy of this holy and good law written in his heart yet God gave it forth again by Moses in Legible Characters one end whereof was to leave all Mankind without excuse therefore this strikes off all plea for the sinner especially to such to whom it is revealed 4. There is a remnant of this Law yet in the heart of Adam which though not sufficient to enable him to an exact performance of it yet enough to leave him without excuse so Paul Rom. 2.15 to prove this point we are now upon speaking of the Gentiles Which shew the works of the Law written in their hearts their Conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another There is enough of the law remaining in every mans heart to accuse him when he doth evil and excuse him so far as he doth right though man by habitual sinning doth much stifle it so that this also helps to aggravate his sin and to leave him without all plea or excuse 5. There is that to be known of God in the creatures that may and doth leave a sinner without all excuse for sinning against him this the Apostle argues as to this very purpose Rom. 1.20 For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and god head so that they are without excuse c. The creatures could not say we will make our selves thus and thus and subsist in such an order and harmony therefore there was one first Infinite Being who made all things
upon the sinner himself Another place to this purpose is Gal. 2. last I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousness come by the law then Christ is dead in vain If there were a possibility of a Creatures attaining to such a degree of keeping the law as well as he can that might render him accepted with God and procure pardon wherein he failed then the dying of Jesus Christ was in vain to no purpose at all Take heed you that are outwardly righteous that you do not frustrate the grace of God and the death of Jesus Christ for ever to your own souls by thinking you endeavour to keep Gods law as well as you can and make some conscience of it and there fix your hope wholly or in part and so be undone for ever Another place in the same Epistle Gal. 4.4 5. speaks out the same truth But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons What need Jesus Christ to have dyed to redeem the elect from under the law if they had been able to reach forth to such a keeping of it that God might be well pleased with and with them in it Now Jesus Christ's being made under the Law implies these things which I now but hint forth 1. His being under the punishment of the Law which was due to such as were under it what ever the Law pronounced to the Transgressors of it Jesus Christ in effect did undergo it See Gal. 3. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the law being made a curse for us If good prayers making a conscience in dealing outward sobriety harming no body giving of Alms to poor people could have taken away the curse did the wise and blessed God do well in giving out his Son to be made a curse were prayers righteousness good deeds made a Curse They will be indeed in another sense if thou thinkest to be accepted by them 2. Jesus Christ being made under the Law was to satisfie Gods offended justice for the breach of the Law for such as shall be saved to make attonement for God Rom. 5.11 If now all that thou hast done or shalt ever do could make the least satisfaction or attonement to God in thy good keeping the Commandments as well as thou canst as hath been shew'd God might have kept his Son in Heaven and not sent him to make attonement for any sinners 3. To reconcile sinners unto God Rom. 5.10 When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son c. If reconciliation to God can be had no other way but by the death of Jesus Christ will thy good endeavours for the time to come to keep the Law of God as well as thou canst and take up from a loose course will those I say reconcile thee to God See poor creature how little need thou thinkest thou hast of Jesus Christ and what a meer notion a Saviour is to thee when it comes to the Tryal 4. Jesus Christ died to work out Righteousness for all that shall be saved Now if thou could'st come up to such a degree of being righteous by thy fair and good carriage as thou thinkest to God and Man this righteousness of Jesus Christ was to little purpose Rom. 10.4 Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth Now see mistaken Soul how they hope to please God well enough and make him amends for thy sin by thy good endeavours to serve him in his Law as well as thou may'st makes void the whole design of God in the glorious gift of his eternal Son as much as in thee lyeth and robs him of the Glory of his Grace and makes thy Salvation if it might be had in such a way not of Grace but of Debt Rom. 4.4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of debt but of grace and thus thou in effect becomest thy own Saviour Yet bear with me a little further because a sinner can never be too thoroughly convinced of this matter let me shew you some examples in the Scriptures of such that thought as you do and as all men naturally do that they by their honest and conscionable endeavour to worship God and harm no body they should be saved and yet were found light in the ballance The first is that Pharisee Luke 18.11 He thanks God he was not as other men are Extortioners Vnjust Adulterers c. Here was hope for his acceptance with God He was not so bad as others as many riotous prophane persons were not unjust in his dealings no Adulterer and should any one question his Salvation and going to Heaven Enough for great sinners to miss of Heaven and not such as he was reputed a good and honest man in his Country and amongst his Neighbours well thought of by most And yet for all this confidence and security a great sinner was accepted before him and he not justified in the sight of the God though he was in his own sight and the sight of others See another Mat. 19.20 which place hath been at large opened to you There came a young man a man of parts with the same confidence to reason with Jesus Christ about his condition the man conceived he wanted nothing that a man should have or do for Heaven All these things said he I have kept from my youth up meaning especially the second Table of the Law which Christ gave out not as thereby to put him upon the Law but to find him out and discover him under the Law When Jesus Christ searched the mans heart and finds him under the power of the love of the world as a reigning Soul damning Sin for all his outward blamelesness and so to discover his heart to himself puts him upon tryal of Self-denial away the man packs as mute as a fish and would hear no more as worldlings now of such Doctrine unless he could be a Disciple and part with nothing lose or venture nothing he would rest as he was and hope his being an honest sober man and well thought of would bring him to Heaven and so for ought appears cheated his Soul to Hell The case of Paul hath been often shew'd you he was as many of you think your selves blameless Phil. 3.6 lived in no known sin outwardly against the Law frequented the publick Worship made Conscience of his dealings was zealous of the traditions and customs of his Fathers and yet do you not hear him crying out of it all as loss ver 7. and 8. He thought it was his gain before that it would have gained him Heaven but now t is all loss his keeping the Church his outward blamelesness stands him not in the least stead but cryes out 't is All all loss for Jesus Christ the same Paul that before boasted and thought
very well of himself and was in much peace and persecuted all beyond his formal Profession now cryes out away with this figleaf-righteousness of mine own 't is as dung I tread it under my feet for Jesus Christ he that thought himself so blameless before now cryes out I am the Chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And I am carnal sold under sin Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death A marvellous Change indeed and such that is made upon every Soul that is really brought off from the righteousness of the Law to that which is of Jesus Christ Now to bring what hath been spoken to this point to a more particular Application Vse 1. If it be so that the best endeavour of any mortal creature to keep the Law of God as well as they can will not give them acceptance with God then you that have so imagined and thereby spoken peace to your selves namely that you hope if you keep the Church as you use to speak and harm no body and do any body any good you can live not in gross sins be well thought of by your neighbours you shall do well enough for Heaven and you must hope well Ah poor creature thou errest not knowing the way of the Lord nor of thy own heart how art thou befooling thy self and deceiving thy own soul No sinner in so ready a way to Hell as thou if thou continue thus and let not go thy hold and get a new bottom for thy naked Soul which I am to shew thee Consider man or woman young or old whoever thou art thou hast been proved guilty of the breach of the whole Law of God thou hast been shewed of the exactness of the Justice of God and the spirituality of the Law how it reacheth the inmost motions of the heart thou hast been shewed the Tenour of it as it was given forth as a Covenant that the Law will not admit of the least breach though but in thought but it condemns as if the whole Law were transgressed even every soul that is under it here is the rigor of it and thou hast been shewed that the Law admits not of endeavours nor of the Will for the Deed if thou wert once in Christ indeed it would be so but not as now thou art thou hast been shew'd that there 's sin enough in every one of thy best performances to damn thee for ever that thy Righteousness reacheth but the outward Man within didst thou see it thou art full of iniquity that whatever thou hast done cannot make God the least satisfaction as thou flatterest thy self for the least sin All thy obedience and duties cannot give life to thy soul but still leave thee as a dead tree dead in thy sin that by this vain confidence thou dost utterly make void the death of Jesus Christ as to any vertue or effect to thy own Soul here is thy very case plainly set forth a thousand thousand sins to damn thee and that righteousness obedience good thou hopest thou hast done towards God and Man not in the least able to rescue thee cover thee deliver thee from the guilt of one of the least of these sins nor save thee from wrath to come but leave thy soul as sinful guilty naked wretched condemned as if thou hadst been nothing else but sinning all thy days Oh wretched condition that the Devil and thy own heart have flattered thee in Oh let this serve to convince unbottom legal Professors who have spoken peace to themselves in being as good as they can and obeying the Law as well as they can and so hope God pardons where they fail Oh you are ignorant of the righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 Either what righteousness God requires in the Law as to be justified by it or what is the Righteousness of the Gospel which is of Jesus Christ by Faith Oh you who like that young man have been righteous from your youth up brought up religiously look to this whether you make not this your confidence but though under some kind of sorrowings for sin and walking exactly yet never emptied of your selves and renouncing your selves and all that was of you and come poor and nothing to Jesus Christ to be found in him who have not trembled as much at being found in your own righteousness which is of the Law as at living in the greatest sin whatsoever You who have taken up from grosser sins of your life your youth and now think you are safe and bottom your hope upon your new outward obedience but have not the experience of your closing with Jesus Christ for righteousness in which alone you could stand before God nor rooted into Jesus Christ in the carrying on of your new obedience which I am also further to open Alas poor soul thou art yet to seek for a bottom for thy peace and for Heaven as much as the greatest sinner in the world and if you go no further you will certainly perish for ever I beseech you Souls Admit of this Conviction into your Consciences saith the first Covenant of the law A whole law kept or nothing saith the Gospel-Covenant which you are now to look after A whole Christ closed with or nothing Mind it most seriously you that stand upon your terms and will not endure any thing that may shake you and disturb your peace there 's more danger of your righteousness than your sin your sin it may be you would leave because it may damn you if continued in but your righteousness your confidence in it you would not leave because you hope that shall save you and pacifie God for you and this will be your ruine if you stick here But first to strike of some Objections that the heart of such a legal professor doth put forth Object 1. But you will object Why do I speak thus would I beat people off a good coversation Is not a blameless conversation and honest walking a good sign and ground for ones hope for Heaven Answ I answer not such a Conversation as you mean the formal Jews which Christ preacht to were outwardly righteous and yet 't was not a safe ground of Hope unto them as you have been shew'd a good conversation that witnesseth a hope for Heaven must be first of a soul that doth utterly renounce it as to commend him to God that when he looks up to God for his acceptance his justification he looks upon himself as nothing else but a sinner in that respect which poor soul thou doest not 2. A good conversation that witnesseth a hope of Heaven is also a holy conversation 1 Pet. 1.15 To be inwardly holy as well as outwardly righteous Now thy care lyeth mostly about thy outward blamelesness and not thy inward holiness therefore thy conversation which thou callest good is not a ground of hope to thee 3. Or if thou dost pretend to a little outward holiness and thinkest thou hast a good heart
yet thou doest not walk in Christ because thou hast not as a poor self-emptied sinner received him Col. 2.6 Now thou must first be rooted in Christ verse 7. before thou canst walk in Christ that is fetch all thy life and power for any spiritual duty or thy walking before God from Jesus Christ by vertue of union with him John 15.5 the experience of which thou art ignorant of 4. 'T is to walk in the spirit Gal. 5.16 And thou hast not the spirit of God dwelling in thee quickening renewing mortifying c. which every gracious pardoned soul hath In a word a good conversation is a Gospel-conversation grounded upon Gospel-principles and for Gospel-ends now thou goest no further but lookest upon the law as to be obeyed as well as thou canst and in thy own endeavours and thy own strength from some conviction of the law thou set'st about it and so hopest God and Christ will save thee Is it not so with thee Object 2. But would you then have me do nothing leave off to do well If you say my good keeping of the law as well as I can doth neither justifie me before God nor is so much as an evidence of God's accepting me to what purpose then is it how ought I then do it or may I not leave it off Answ I answer Truly soul I must needs deal plainly with thee 't is to no purpose as yet if this be thy condition that thou hast done any thing as to the saving of thy own soul and yet thou must not leave off as if thou mightest live as thou list No Thou must begin anew as thou wilt be further more at large directed first see all thy former doings either towards God or Man to be loss because thou hast done them by meer natural or legal principles and wrong ends and so it stands for nothing and then fall down before Jesus Christ Oh 't is thy righteousness now Lord I come for 't is thy spirit I must have to quicken and strengthen me in the way of my obedience and so pray and hear upon other grounds to be taught of God to receive the Spirit to have communion with God but not thereby in the least to be accepted But this I shall open further when I shew why and how a Soul must obey God though he be not thereby justified So this Objection is removed Object 3. But you will say I hope I do not rest upon my own doings no more than others I think no body doth so will you shew me whether the heart is apt to do so Answ I will and shall discover to you that the heart of man is most naturally apt to rest upon an outward keeping of the law and to build a hope and confidence for Heaven upon it this I must a little insist on as much conducing to help on the conviction I am pressing if the Lord by his power strike in with it If it were not natural nothing more for a soul to bottom upon its keeping the Law though fallen and unable to it the Apostle would never have spent time in the Conviction of it which he so industriously doth in this and the former Chap. It hath been the great evil upon the hearts of the Sons of Men in all ages of the Church One of the first Sons of Adam was under it Cain when he rested upon the bare sacrifice 'T is that the Prophets of God are reproving convincing the Church of the Jews of more than of any one thing whatsoever See Isa 1. throughout Isa 66. Jer. 7. Ezek. 33.31 The Prophecy of Hosea in the main bent of it is to convince the formality of the Jews and their false confidence in resting in their heartless doings and performances In this case Jesus Christ finds the Jewish Church in at his first coming in resting in some heartless performances in God's worship and outward righteousness towards men which he sharply rebuketh and convinceth them of the vanity of it Mat. 5.6 7 9 13 15 18 21 23 25. Chapters of Matthew with which you may compare the other Evangelists and see how much ado the Lord Jesus had to beat them off from this confidence and how few of them were beaten off it And Paul witnesseth that upon this very ground they were rejected of Jesus Christ Rom. 9.32 Not upon the account of gross outward sin but for their being conceited of their good condition for Heaven because of their frequenting publick worship and being blameless in the sight of men yea from this natural principle joyned with the delusion of the Tempter did the Church of God degenerate into the Synagogue of Satan as Antichrist rose in the world first trusting in the performance of their worship and works which brought in penances and such kind of Sacriledge against Jesus Christ and all other Trumperies to build fallen men upon his own bottom and to devise a way of satisfaction to God wherein they failed to which the hearts of Men are most naturally carried which made that Doctrine so easily and generally over-run the world Against which accursed Doctrine that famous Witness of Jesus Christ Luther began his main battery and though the Doctrine of Justification by Jesus Christ be known to the Protestant World yet practically to be brought over to it by an Union with Jesus Christ is but we may fear thinly known or understood yea not only by the common spirits of England that rest in a Notion of being Protestants but even amongst many who have profest something beyond it as I before have hinted yea the Lord Jesus Christ professeth to expect to find multitudes of Professors at his coming under this soul-damning snare of being found in themselves and in their own righteousness and not in Jesus Christ Mat. 7. 25 c. By all which it may amply appear how easie how natural a thing it is for the hearts of the Children of Men to bottom their confidence in what they do towards God and Man in their obedience of the Law as to place their acceptance in it Add to this the reasons of it why the hearts of all the sons and daughters of Adam are naturally apt to rest upon the law and their own doings and to hope for peace by it 1. Every natural man hath something of the remains of the Law which God at first wrote in the heart of our common Father Adam Rom. 2.14 15. which being a little drawn forth by the Letter of the Law it makes a poor creature set himself to endeavour to keep the law and hopes to attain to such a degree as to be accepted with God for it Now there is no such thing in the heart to come to Christ or to have righteousness in another therefore a soul sets himself to the Law and endeavours more or less the keeping of it naturally 2. Man would fain make up the breach he hath made with God upon his own account As a Man had naturally
more to live out of my self for my Justification and to be kept a poor empty nothing for ever before the Lord if this I say be thy experience then thou shalt have peace and joy in the Holy Ghost thou may'st rejoyce in a justified estate Christ his Righteousness Grace Spirit Heaven are thine Having now laid open the Sinner as under the Law excuseless guilty and under Condemnation under an impossibility of obtaining righteousness and acceptance with God by the best endeavours to keep the Law I would now set upon the opening the Gospel-Righteousness by Jesus Christ through which only a poor condemned Sinner can find acceptance but that I conceive it first needful to speak a word to those words in the close of the 22th verse viz. For there is no difference which may further help on the conviction we have been upon The Jew might object to the Apostle thus you by your Doctrine seem to conclude all under the Law equally and under guilt you make no difference between us Jews who have the Law and endeavour to keep it and the open prophane Gentiles and Sinners in this you do us wrong No saith the Apostle There 's no difference you who in part keep the Law are under the same condemnation as others that which I shall lay down will be this Observ There is no difference between the most prophane person and the righteous and sober as to justification or condemnation by the Law I mean this the just sober man as to his keeping of the Law outwardly or in part is in as damnable estate as the profanest wretch in the world This will hardly go down but 't is most clear from the Apostles words read unto you and hath been in part proved by shewing all the Sons and Daughters of Adam Jews and Gentiles sober and ungodly all under the Law But a little further to prosecute this Doctrine for where a man or woman who hath lived honestly or soberly in the eye of the world but yet out of Christ convinced that he or she were in as bad and damnable a condition as any great sinner in the world it might be a startling to them and a means through the Spirit 's working to bring them off their vain confidence and to lead them to Christ Now that I may clear this let us first consider what it was that might difference the sober Jew from the prophane idolatrous Gentile it being the same which such as conceive themselves sober harmless people in this day do put confidence in 1. The Jew was Circumcised which was the first Ordinance of the Old Testament-Church as Baptism is of the New and it doth appear this was much insisted on by the Jew by what the Apostle speaks Rom. 2. vers 18 19. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God 2. They had the Scriptures of God Rom. 3.2 Vnto them were committed the Oracles of God which indeed the Apostle calls an Advantage in the same place as it might be a means to lead them to the knowledge of God and to the Promise of Jesus Christ but no advantage at all as to the meer having them read and opened and in a general Faith believing them as the more to justifie them in the sight of God 3. The Jews were under the publick Service of God such as was ordained by God himself Rom. 9.4 5. 4. They were for the most part righteous to Men and sober and blameless in the outward man Ye indeed are they which are righteous before men as the Lord often speaks of them Now 't is most clear that these things did not difference the Jew as to acceptation with God and Jesus Christ from the most profane sinner for the Lord Jesus Christ rejected these and call'd to himself Publicans and Harlots and tells the Jews that such should enter into the Kingdom of God before them Matth. 21.31 As might be further instanc'd in the case of the Pharisee and Publican Luke 18.9 Now the Reasons of this point have been before hinted namely that a meer sober Man under Christian Priviledges is no more accepted with Christ nor in any nearer capacity to come to Christ than the greatest sinner because one sin puts a man under the condemnation of the Law as well as a million of sins against it one fellony condemns a man as well as a thousand and the Malefactor must dye by the Law for it All the good a man doth will not be imputed to him if he be found a transgressor in one part of the Law Ezek. 18.24 All men come short of the glory of God in the fulfilling of the Law and he that falls short but in one mile is in as bad a case as he that falls short twenty miles Jesus Christ accepts of no man for his righteousness but as a Sinner nothing else but a Sinner so that still the case of a just man in reference to the Law is as dangerous as the greatest sinners in the world Vse A little further to press this you who are baptized have a general belief of the Scriptures are under part of the publick service of God are just and harmless as to men but yet are under the power of Vnbelief and see it not are not born again of the Spirit are not in Christ Jesus You who rest satisfied in such a condition and think your hope for Heaven well-grounded and will not be beaten off it I must tell you and 't is proved unto your Consciences from the Word of the Lord that there 's no difference between you and the vilest sinners in the Country as to your acceptance with God Though it be thus with you yet as you have been shewed you may be under the Law condemned for one transgression and what can you be more than be condemned Neither doth all this as in it self any more prepare you for Jesus Christ and therefore let all the Convictions Arguments Demonstrations we have produced from the clear light of the Word of the Lord at last prevail with you that you who thus satisfie your selves because you are baptized believe the Scriptures frequent the service of God are just and sober therefore it is well with you and you will trouble your selves no further in the matter of your Salvation that the estate of your Souls is as unsafe and desperate how secure soever as the vilest Drunkard in the Country Therefore let this Conviction have force upon your Conscience that you must come anew to Jesus Christ as a meer sinner having nothing to commend you to him Say from the Light of the Word though I have thus satisfied my self pleas'd my self in these Duties and outward Priviledges yet there 's no difference between me and the
the presence of God's Majesty but by Jesus Christ who is appointed Mediator to bring a poor sinner to himself to make way for him into the presence of God to conveigh Mercy and Grace to a poor sinner Oh say that I could acquaint my self with Jesus Christ take hold of his skirts and he will bring me into the favour love covenant vision union of God this is the way for a sinner to come unto him John 14.6 5. Let it call upon Saints that know Jesus Christ in the Spirit that they do not grow strangers to him that they neglect not Jesus Christ Oh! Neglect him not in his blessed Mediation Grace Love Fellowship Appearance Ordinances 'T is a grievous thing and very apt are Saints to it to neglect Jesus Christ Oh! still know and consider that as your access to God was by him at first so it is still His Mediation for you his love and grace and fellowship is as good as ever as precious as it ever was therefore have high and precious thoughts of him of your blessed access to God by Jesus Christ The next thing that I come to open is how Jesus Christ wrought forth Salvation and Justification for a Sinner so that the free grace of God might by him be freely let out upon a sinner namely the work of his Redemption through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ verse 24. I shall not insist upon the many difficulties that the wisdom of the flesh hath started about the word or work of our Redemption but endeavour as I have promised to give it out in a plain Scriptural practical manner for the use of poor sinners Redemption signifies a deliverance from Captivity by a price or ransom laid down Man had sinn'd himself into captivity and a just condemnation God from his own free Mercy was willing he should be set at Liberty but this should not be done but by a price or ransom being paid to God which was the intervening death of Jesus Christ who being the eternal Son of God came down from Heaven took upon him the nature of man was willing to stand in the room of sinners bearing their sins in the undergoing the punishment for them whereby God laid upon Jesus Christ the Iniquities of all that shall be saved Isa 53.6 proceeded against him as if he had been the sinner in a way of Justice executed his wrath upon him Thus he is said to dye for the sins of his own 2 Cor. 5.15 Heb. 9.15 and to give himself for us and to give his life a ransom for many which death of Jesus Christ is styled an expiatory Sacrifice an attonement and Propitiation all which do imply that by the death of Jesus Christ satisfaction was made to the infinite Justice of God as if the sinners that are saved by it had suffered the utmost of Divine Justice in their own persons Thus much may serve briefly to open the nature of Christ's Redemption The Doctrine I shall lay down from the words will be this Doct. To the Salvation and Justification of a sinner in order to God's letting out his free grace upon him there was required the death of Jesus Christ as a price laid down to the justice of God for his Redemption I might urge many more Texts besides what have been named As 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Redeemed not with silver and gold c. but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of our sins This was it which was typified by all the Sacrifices in the Old-Testament-Dispensation as in the Epistle to the Hebrews at large especially in the 9th Chapter vers 12 13 14 22. And almost all things are by the Law purged with blood and without shedding of blood is no remission From hence the Reasons of Divine Wisdom thus proceeding so far as revealed in the Word will be clear Reason 1. That the Justice of God might be glorified in the Salvation of sinners as well as Mercy Now there being attonement made to Justice by the death of Jesus Christ the Righteousness of God hath a share in the glory of mans Salvation with the Grace and Mercy of God 2. The Purity and Holiness of God's justice did require it which being violated by the sin of Man it was most equal that satisfaction be made which no meer creature was able to do and therefore the eternal Son of God blessed for ever was appointed of the Father to it Therefore 't is said verse 25. of this third of the Romans That he might be just and the justifier of them that believe in Jesus given as a reason of God's setting forth his Son to be a propitiation 3. The express word of the Lord did require it who pronounced to all mankind in Adam that the transgressor should surely die Gen. 2.17 Therefore upon his transgression the sinner must either die in his own person or another in his stead which God in his infinite wisdom might order as he pleas'd Now God being willing to glorifie his mercy chose to lay this punishment on his own Son Jesus Christ and not on the condemned Sinner which Jesus Christ also voluntarily undertaking the word of the Lord was fully made good and Jesus Christ dying for the sinner being made a curse for him 't was all one as if the sinner himself had died 4. God gave out a holy and righteous Law written in the heart of Adam which Law was just and holy and good Rom. 7. Now this Law being broken God would not dispence with it in shewing mercy to the sinner unless his Law was satisfied which Jesus Christ undertook Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfill'd in us c. Gal. 4.4 But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the Law c. So that the Law was fulfilled by Jesus Christ as if the sinner had kept it fully in his own person by Christ's becoming obedient to the death of the Cross and so suffering the punishment of the Law still in the stead and name of the sinner and by his keeping the Law in the pure original righteousness of his nature 2 Cor. 5.21 and Heb. 7.26 27. and by his actual obedience to it in the perfect observing of it Rom. 5.19 For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many were made righteous Namely by the obedience of Jesus Christ which he gave unto the Law Now all sinners being condemned by the Law the Law could not remit them till it was satisfied it call'd for punishment and full obedience which Jesus Christ gave unto it 5. God could not so
guilt bondage reign service of thy sin go and cry to God offer him up the blood of his own eternal Son tell him thou seest he may let out justice upon thee to destroy thee and damn thee for ever of thy self thou hast no plea against it But ask the blessed God if it may not be more glory to him and his grace and mercy glorified by it if he will accept of satisfaction by his own Son Jesus Christ plead to him that thou hearest he died in the room of guilty condemned sinnners such as thou art ungodly Rom. 5.6 yea tell him with an humble adoration of his mercy and love in it that thou hearest in his blessed Gospel that 't is offered to any sinner that will come and accept it and that 't is proclamed from Heaven and there 's satisfaction made by the blood of a Jesus for the greatest Sinner such as thou art Oh! cry unto him that therefore thou comest and begg'st to be heard in thy plea and that it may be entred in Heaven that thou comest for all the ends of his death thou art weary of the service of thy lusts and the pollution of thy nature and therefore thou wouldst have thy nature cleansed thy conscience purged all which thou findest the blood of Jesus Christ is able to do yea tell him and plead it with some humble boldness that thou art acquainted that Jesus Christ prays in Heaven for such sinners that come and plead his blood to thee and that he is heard in what he prays and that therefore forgiveness must be had yea say thou wilt hold on thy plea thou hast no other and art resolved against any other If thou shalt to Hell pleading the blood of a Saviour be it so but I am resolved to plead it to the utmost yea tell him and cry to him that it cannot repent him that he hath ordained the sacrifice of the blood of his own Son and therefore why should'st thou be rejected Yea Come to this Issue through the Spirit of Faith upon thee that if it can be that a Sinner crying out for pardon upon the account of the death and blood of Jesus Christ and for sanctification may go to Hell then thou wilt willingly lay thy hand upon thy mouth and open it no more but sink under Divine Vengeance to Eternity Oh! That every poor sinner might go home with this plea in his heart written there by the Holy Ghost and peirce Heaven with his or her crys and groans and put the blood of Jesus Christ before him and plead for mercy and holiness to be pardoned and sanctified till God say Go in peace thou art pardoned redeemed and blessed for ever Yet a little to excite a poor drowsie sinner to this eternal Concernment 1. Consider thou art under the guilt of thousands of Sins one whereof is enough to sink thee to Hell Guilt if continued is Hell begun and wants nothing but the execution of Vengeance upon thee Oh what should a guilty sinner do but close with a Saviour and get an interest in Redemption from it 2. Especially considering that all the Duties and Obedience thou hast performed towards God or ever shall have not made nor ever will the least payment to God for thy sins thou art as much in debt to God as ever thou wast as much behind with him All the Items for the sin of thy Nature thy thoughts words and actual Wickedness and thy sinful neglects stand uncancelled all ready to be charged upon thee and nought will be accepted for payment but the Death of Jesus Christ the only price that God will hearken to Nothing will cancel the Book where all thy sins are recorded Nothing will blot out the Hand-writing that is against thee but the Blood of Jesus Christ Col. 2.13 14. 3. God is resolved never to forgive you the Debt till you have put in this Plea and it be recorded in Heaven and you have it in a Gospel-way No forgiveness of Sins but by Redemption pleaded claimed possessed and sealed by the Holy Spirit Ephes 1.7 14. 4. Thou art yet under the Bondage and Reign of thy sin and therefore under condemnation the Law is gone out against thee thy Sentence pronounced Cursed is every one that transgresseth c. saith the Law and thou art in bondage yet and hast not procured actual deliverance from it If a Prisoner be condemned and lye in Fetters in a Dungeon and hears of a Ransom paid for him what 's this to him till he have Liberty So for a Sinner to be in the Fetters of his Lusts held fast by them a Bond-man to the Devil and hear of a Christ laying down a Ransom what is this to him unless he sue it out and get actual deliverance and liberty the liberty of the Sons and Daughters of God and have a Spirit of Adoption to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.4 5. That being made free from sin the Reign and Power of it by the Power of the Lord Jesus revealed in him you may become servants to God and have your fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting Life Rom. 6. 5. Consider as thou standest in thy filth and uncleanness of thy Sins thou art unfit for God either to please him in any thing thou doest or to be with him in Heaven hereafter thy person and services are loathsom to the Soul of God therefore get washed and purified in the blood of Jesus Christ Go on to cry and wait and beg a heart to do it and that in Faith till thou shalt feel Peace coming in by thy constant Plea of the blood of Christ till thou shalt feel cleansing vertue of it upon thy Soul till thou shalt experience the power of his death destroying Sin in thee and so shalt find thou hast fellowship with him and so a part in this blessed Redemption we have been treating of 6. Now to encourage a poor Sinner to this coming to God with the Plea of Christ's blood in his heart and mouth and to draw forth the Faith of a poor humbled doubting Soul Consider the All-sufficiency and worth of the price of the Death of Jesus Christ to satisfie the justice of God and procure Pardon and Sanctification for a poor Sinner which may appear from such like Scriptures The Apostle in the 7th of the Hebrews having been opening the excellency of Christ's Priesthood which is chiefly conversant in this Work of Redemption in the offering up of himself a Sacrifice concludes ver 25. of that Chapter Wherefore he is able to save them to the utmost that come to God by him To the utmost that is with a perfect Salvation that nothing more can be desired to it So in the 9th Chap. ver 11 c. The Apostle reasoning from the Levitical Sacrifices to this of the blood of Christ argueth the full perfection of it By his own blood he entred in once into the holy place namely into Heaven having obtained eternal Redemption for us
an infinite unchangeable love upon thee Rom. 5.5 which love he bore thee from Eternity but will now manifest it to thee and estate thee in it for ever 3. Thou shalt have boldness of access to God Rom. 5.2 even into his intimate presence to speak with God face to face and ask of God what thou wilt according to his will Heb. 10. 4. All the Promises of Mercy Grace and all blessings here and for ever shall be thine made over sealed in the blood of Christ 5. Thou shalt rejoyce in the hope of the Glory of God Rom. 5.2 with all Saints and see thy self an heir of Heaven 6. Thou shalt be still a washing and purifying and fating for Heaven till thou shalt be taken up unto God and live in the Ocean of his Love to all Eternity Now if ease in thy sin and the world can do better for thee than this that I have named then keep in but if not as most certain it cannot Arise and come to this blessed Redemption and get thy part and portion in it and thou shalt say Blessed be thy counsel and advice for evermore But now upon this Redemption of Jesus Christ how is a sinner said to be justified that is to be put into an actual Possession of the Redemption of Jesus Christ through the Free-Grace of God 1. When the compact was made between God the Father and Jesus Christ as to the Salvation of those that the Father gave to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ undertook the fulfilling of the Condition of the Covenant God did purpose in himself to justifie them from Eternity and look'd upon them as in Christ 2 Tim. 1.9 Ephes 1.4 So they were justified as to the purpose of God from all Eternity 2. When Jesus Christ performed the Condition of Obedience in his dying and paid unto God what he required at his hands for the sinners redemption then did God as in the Court of Heaven discharge the sinner though not in the Court of Conscience and when Christ arose and came to Heaven the Father gave him in an absolution of them all from the guilt of sin and obligation to death and so at the death of Christ all the Elect were meritoriously justified inasmuch as the price was paid and accepted of the Father Rom. 5.10 3. When according to the purpose of God through the purchase of Jesus Christ a Sinner is called by grace hath Faith given him as purchased also for him to embrace Jesus Christ in the Promise to receive him as offer'd in the Gospel and with him all spiritual blessings then is the Soul put into the actual possession of what God in his purpose and love determined to give him and Jesus Christ by the purchase of his blood gave him a right to before and so there is an Act of God's pardoning Mercy passeth upon the sinnner he hath an actual discharge given in unto his Conscience hath the Obedience of Jesus Christ imputed to him and so is look'd upon by God not as a Sinner under guilt but as righteous in the Righteousness of Christ which bespeaks him justified that is made just and righteous before God by the imputation and making over Christs Righteousness to him as if righteous in his own person Upon which Act of God there is a full Remission of sin as in the Text and the believer is put into another State a State of justification unto life through Jesus Christ Rom. 8.1 who before was in a State of Death and Condemnation Before I speak of that Faith which through Grace puts a Soul in his pardoned and justified State I will briefly apply this to the capacity of the weak 1. It may inform and instruct you in this great Mystery that any sinner that is saved must be thus justified made righteous by the Obedience of Jesus Christ he must come to see the justice of God made up a price paid unto God and this to be actually made over to him As we shall presently shew most of sinners 't is to be feared do not consider this that speak of mercy and pretend they hope in mercy but are never convinc'd of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and what it is to pass from a state of guilt to a state of righteousness by Jesus Christ from a state of condemnation to a state of justification without which there can be no Salvation Oh be convinced sinners of this great matter of the necessity of the righteousness of Christ his obedience in fulfilling the Law to be made over to you to be brought into a justified state or you can never have pardon of sin and be accepted with God you can never stand before God but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Say If I do not get the righteousness of Christ made mine If I do not get thus justified I must never expect pardon of my sin and acceptance of my poor soul at the great day of the Lord. This is the Work of the Spirit to be savingly convinced of this John 16.8 Oh look up to the Father for the Spirit thus to convince you not only of sin and the damnableness and sinfulness thereof but of your infinite need to get not only some general hope of Mercy and Pardon but the righteousness of the Son of God to bring you into a state of Pardon Reconciliation Peace with God 2. It may further clear unto you that your justification before God is not within you but without you wrought forth by Jesus Christ for such as are or shall be called by grace and imputed to them not inherent or wrought in them 'T is not grace in you that doth or can justifie you though renewing grace shall be wrought in all that are so pardoned and justified Therefore though thou must be changed in thy self pray and be holy and obey God in all things yet thou canst not be hereby justified but still thy justifying righteousness is in Christ and not in thy self as the only procuring meritorious cause of Pardon and Peace with God Jeremiah 33.16 Isaiah 54. last 3. The great question therefore that should come upon thy heart is Whether thou art in a state of condemnation or justification If not justified thou art still as I have shewed under the condemnation of the whole Law Nothing thou hast yet done or shalt ever be able to do will stand between Wrath and Hell and thy poor soul till thou comest to be justified in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ Oh sinners ponder of this great thing that is now laid before you Can you say from a Testimony within you Oh! I was thus and thus once under the reign power guilt condemnation of sin but now now blessed be rich and free grace I am washed justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ See that Word 1 Cor. 6.10 11. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus
1. From the tenour of the New Covenant in which way God hath obliged himself to give out mercy and in no other Now thus runs the New-Covenant this is the great Article of it Make you a new heart and a new Spirit Ezek. 11.31 Which God promiseth to give to all he takes into a Covenant of mercy and peace with himself I will put a new Spirit within you and a new heart will I give unto you Ezek. 11.19 And to the same purpose Ezek. 36.26 Wherein as we shall shew lies the special part of the New-Creature 2. Because the Old man all that is of the First Adam the whole frame thereof is corrupted and polluted therefore it must be repaired renewed be made new if ever it enter into glory Ephes 4.22 That ye put off concerning the Former Conversation the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the New man that after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness 3. Whosoever shall be saved shall be a New-Creature from the great design of God in giving out his Son Jesus Christ which was that all the Elect should be made conformable to the Image of his Son Rom. 8.29 For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first born among many Brethren Jesus Christ is called the express Image of the Father Heb. 1. And to that Image all Believers shall be conformed Jesus Christ the first-born and all his Brethren to be made conformable unto him God was infinitely pleased with such a Pattern and resolved all that he gave to him and designed for glory should be conformed to his likeness 4. All the services that a sinner offers to God are not accepted till a New Creature till a Soul shall act from a new living holy principle towards God Pray and hear and give Alms God regards it not till a New-Creature So the Word of the Lord often casts back the services of unregenerate men upon their faces as loathsom to the Lord because they proceed from the old corrupt Adam from unchanged Natures Isa 1.15 When you cry I will not hear you Why You are in your uncleanness therefore Wash you make you clean Vse Oh let this make for your Instruction and Conviction that if ever you come to God in glory you must first be New-Creatures If you will have mercy you must have it in the way of the New-Covenant and if so you must be made new While you have nothing but the Old Adam you are corrupt and polluted and abominable If you shall become the Brethren of the first-born Jesus Christ you must bear his Image and have it renewed upon you Oh you that are yet in your old sins and walk after your Old Lusts you are not New Creatures You will not think so thefore sit down with this conviction That as yet you have no part in this blessedness Oh! All of you who are the same that ever you were whether living in gross sins or sober and civil from your youth up you are yet of the Old Adam nothing but corrupt nature upon you Your hope is vain and you are blinded in your sins and the Grace of God is not in you 2. Oh! Let me before I go further put this to tryal and suffer the word of the Lord which shall one day judge you can you say in good earnest Old things are past away and all things are become new in me Now I am a Vessel in the hand of God wrought by his Spirit and there is through infinite grace a new workmanship upon my Soul I shall lay down rules for the particular discovery of this only at present yield up your conscience to the power of the Word do not slink from under it if it find you out in your sin in nature the same that ever you were give glory to God and say the word of the Lord is quick and powerful and go off with this conviction in power upon thy soul I never expect to go to Heaven and glory if I become not through Grace a New Creature But before I go further I would open that every soul that is a New Creature must be in Christ and why So saith the Apostle to these Corinths in this Epistle 13. Chap. 5. Examine your selves prove your own selves know you not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates ye are created into Christ Jesus Ephes 2.10 If a man abide not in me he is cast out as a Branch and is withered John 15.6 Now herein lies the great Mystery of Godliness unto which all our Evidences for Heaven are resolved and therefore this is a weighty enquiry I am to speak of it especially as it relates to the making and forming the New-Creature This being in Christ is expressed by being rooted into Christ Col. 2.7 Planted into him Rom. 6. Built up in him Col. 2. All which bespeaks a real union with him that this is not a meer imaginary thing but as true and real as the union between the root and the branches John 15. and the foundation and the building Ephes 2. which is wrought by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus drawing and uniting true believers unto him the same Spirit dwelling in them Rom. 8.9 10 11. By his Spirit that dwelleth in you Now to consider Why all that are New Creatures according to the Gospel must be so in Christ 1. Such as are Gospel New Creatures must be in Christ because if they be New Creatures they must be Living Creatures Now God hath laid up all life that shall be dispenced forth in his Son Jesus Christ John 5.21 26. The Son quickneth whom he will for as the Father hath life in himself So he hath given to the Son to have Life in himself Because I live ye shall live also John 14.19 Now naturally all sinners are dead in the old Adam and utterly unable to beget life in themselves Who can make alive his own soul but when they were New-born as new Creatures they are said to be quickned in Christ Ephes 2.5 As God breathed life into man at first and so he became a living soul so in the new Creation the soul is said to be created into Christ Ephes 2.10 and to be made Alive in him Rom. 6.11 2. If there were not a real union of the soul with Christ life if it should be given without it would not be preserved in the soul Thou holdest our Soul in life Psal 66.9 As the branch though it was once quickned cannot preserve its life if cut off from the root and therefore a continued supply of life from Jesus Christ to the soul is necessary as to all its spiritual actings as a new Creature 3. By being in Christ the Soul is made partaker of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 by which the regenerate part all gracious
God with good Josiah This is that most poor sinful Creatures do bolster up themselves with in their Ignorance and Security that they do all to God and Men with good hearts whereas a renewed Soul doubts of the goodness of his heart and hath matter of humbling for it in every duty 2. Another mistake of poor souls is as to the Gospel-New-Creature from a misprision of sins of infirmities for such as are indeed reigning damning sins As to instance to lye for advantage to swear petty Oaths sometimes by Faith and Troth by the Mass to mention God's Name frequently as a by-word crying Oh Lord Oh God slightly vainly or sometimes to drink to excess or the like evils 'T is common to hear wretched Souls when convinc'd of them to excuse the matter Why 't is their infirmity whereas it proceeds from a heart wholly unregenerate and under the power and reign of sin Infirmities of the Children of God are not allowed by them but humbled mourned for every day watch'd against the root of them they endeavour to mortifie through the Spirit which the common professor that calls all his sins his infirmities doth not Oh! Souls there 's a vast difference between the infirmities of such as are indeed New-Creatures and between the reigning sins of natural men sin reigns in its peace power habit in the heart no subduing crucifying purging which a New-Creature doth and hath 3. This mistake of the New-Creature doth arise from a misconcieving of the reluctancy of a natural conscience before or in the committing of sin taking it for the Conflict that is in a truly regenerate Soul between the Regenerate and Carnal part which mistake usually is bottomed upon a misunderstanding of that place of Paul Rom. 7.15 For that which I do I allow not c. Hence say many unregenerate graceless persons Why though they do break out into such and such things and omit such and such duties yet they do not allow themselves in it that is their Conscience is not wholly seared and so make some resistance and this they take to be saving grace a gross and most dangerous mistake now take such a person and he hath not a delight in the Law of God in the inward man as Paul had verse 22. doth not cry out as inwardly burthen'd wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death No such daily complaints and groanings under the weight of it No eying God through Jesus Christ for deliverance from it No serving the Law of God with a Renewed inward Man No walking after the Spirit so that unless it be so with you that no allowance in the conscience and yet do it it comes to nothing and an Hypocrite may and doth as much till given up to a seared conscience past feeling 4. From a mistake of Faith taking that for sound and saving which is common to a Reprobate such as James describes in his Epistle speaking of Men who say they have faith and have not really a Faith that believes God is the Scriptures the dying and rising of Jesus Christ and all other Gospel truths as it pretends yea that he believes on Jesus Christ and hopes to be saved by him as well as the holiest and upon this they have a kind of peace I have spoken before of justifying Faith only a word as to the New-Creature know therefore that Faith that doth not teach a soul to deny it self that doth not purifie the heart that doth not live upon Jesus Christ and so created into him is not the faith of the New-Creature but a common dead putrifying faith that suffers the soul to putrifie in sin and works not to the cleansing of it 5. To instance in some other graces as namely Repentance which souls do take to be only a wishing the sin had not been committed with a little fear and sorrow after it and this they think to be true repentance which when true is accompanied with loathing of the sin and our selves and our corrupt natures brokenness of heart for it and from it and turning to God by Jesus Christ and eyes the honour patience holiness love of God in its sorrowing more than his wrath and hath for its effects carefulness indignation against it self vehement desire after more holiness by Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 7.11 6. A false and carnal hope of Heaven mistaken for a gracious saving hope deceives the soul in this matter Many poor souls yea it may be feared the most think they shall go to Heaven because they hope so and think they ought to hope Now a saving hope of pardon and Heaven is rightly bottom'd namely upon the riches of Gods Grace Titus 3.7 Upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ Gal. 5.5 Upon some special promise of God Upon experience of God Rom. 5. And purifying the soul 1 John 3.3 as I may have occasion more at large to speak Oh! this false and carnal cursed hope that is not thus bottom'd serves only to shut up the heart against the power of the Word and a saving closing with Jesus Christ till a Soul is dasht in this hope it will never get a better 7. A form of knowledge especially if increas'd under the Ministry of the Word may much deceive a soul in this great and weighty concernment so Paul speaks of the Jews Rom. 2.20 having a form of knowledge and of the truth of the law Many have a Catechistical form of Knowledge they can describe what Faith and Repentance and Regeneration is and then think they have it themselves because they can tell what it is and do believe it to be such There may be much knowledge in the head and yet no renewing grace in the heart That knowledge that is saving brings with it a power upon the Soul to love delight in to experience the goodness vertue sweetness of what it knows It transforms the soul into the image of what is known 2 Cor. 3. last It is spiritual and it makes the heart the affections spiritual 8. A Misconceit of the grace of love is also a false ground in this matter As that a poor soul will think that he loves God when he hath no knowledge of him nor delight in him nor communion with him nor doth love his Image which is holiness and that he loves all every one whereas much envy and malice reigns in the heart if but a little provoked and for the people of God truly so called they hate them for Hypocrites Schismaticks and what not or if a little better thoughts of them 't is not love to Christ and his Image in them that acts them which is the nature of the grace of love But yet are justified in their conscience to be the people of God 9. So is patience humility meekness mistaken some natural dispositions are most patient and meek and these poor Creatures are apt to mistake for grace when 't is nothing but meer nature and more candid disposition and such Souls
opened I Might here shew you how every faculty of the Soul is renewed as the understanding by the infusion of new and divine light into it which is stiled the Enlightning the eyes of the understanding Ephes 1.18 and to be renewed in the Spirit of the Mind Eph. 4.23 How the will is altered and changed the affections made new the conscience purged and sanctified with all the powers of the Soul but I shall not take this Method but rather pursue a more familiar way more particularly shewing the make of the New-Creature in reference still to its being so in Christ which is our principal scope First then 1. To the making and framing the New-Creature there must be a New-Nature if there be a New-Creature formed there must be a New-Nature to make it so hence believers that are in Christ are said to be partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Which is wrought by the incorruptible seed of the word 1 Pet. 1.22 Whereby we are said to be born again And Jam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth c. Which seed is the seed of God in believers the seed of every grace in the soul which is something of the likeness of God wrought in the soul and so acts the soul towards God which is stiled the infused habits of every grace in the soul this New-Nature works contrary to the old corrupt nature and it is stiled the regenerate part the new inward man Ephes 4.24 and as soon as it is wrought and formed in the soul it works against the sinful dispositions of the old Adam in us and there is a new war or conflict begun within us which is something more than the resistance of a natural conscience as we have shewed I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind Rom. 7.23 c. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these two are contrary to each other Gal. 5.17 And under this daily conflict and war within is every New-Creature while we abide in the fleshly Tabernacle This is the first peculiar distinguishing Workmanship of the New-Creatures there 's a new seed a new divine nature infused into the soul 2. As there is a New-Nature so it follows that this New-Creature hath a new life it is a Living New-Creature so regenerate persons are said to be quickned in Christ who were before dead in sins and trespasses Eph. 2.1 5. And The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live John 5. And they are said to be alive unto God Rom. 6.11 Christ liveth in me Gal. 20. Which new life must necessarily be because 1. Every natural man as hath been already hinted is dead in sin and is said to be without this life of God Eph. 4.18 The life of God departed from the soul whereby it had Communion with God upon our fall in the first Adam therefore if we are recovered we must have a new Life from God infused into us 2. If there be not a new life breathed in us we can put forth no spiritual vigour in any duty towards God and so all our duties services worship would he dead fleshly duties this I have also hinted in shewing the necessity of being in Christ if a New-Creature 3. As there is a new nature and a new life to begin the New-Creature so thence there 's a new breathing The Soul falls a breathing after God and after Jesus Christ As the Life which God breathed into Man at his first Creation is call'd the breath of life Gen. 2.7 And as soon as ever there is life this new life breath'd by the Holy Ghost in the New-Creature there 's presently a breathing of this life as indeed one of the first discoveries of it as breath is the most immediate acting of Life the Soul breaths and pants and crys after God himself Psal 42.1 As the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee Oh God I opened my mouth and panted Psal 119.131 So that Prayer that is spiritual it is the breath of a living soul Paul that breath'd out cruelties against the Saints when converted and made alive he falls a breathing after God Acts 9. Behold he prayeth And this doth indeed arise from the very nature of saving grace which is to carry a soul to God through Jesus Christ to set it a longing not only after mercy and pardon and peace but after God himself Psal 63.1 My soul is athirst for God the living God c. As also from the dissatisfaction and emptiness the soul begins to find in all Creature-enjoyments which now it cannot having had a view of Christ be satisfied and contented with but the soul must have God must have Jesus Christ must have the likeness of Jesus Christ and so it breaths crys pants after God and the possession of him and communion with him as the Souls highest perfection 1. Now therefore before I go any further let this be well weighed Have you this breathing in you which when you were dead in sin you had not This is the least degree of Grace if the Soul be not thus breathing panting thirsting longing after Jesus Christ so that you cannot must not be satisfied but in the enjoyment of him verily you are dead and the grace of God is not in you so that it may be for a true discovery of your states Consider what your hearts do most breath after what they most earnestly Pant for Oh! Is it for Jesus Christ himself The hearts of Carnal Worldlings are said to pant after the dust of the Earth Amos 2.7 That is it the carnal mans heart thirsts after but a soul in Christ breaths upward the Treasures of Heaven it pants after and will never be at rest till satisfied with them 2. This may serve to distinguish formal praying from that which is of the Spirit in the Children of God There 's no such thing as the breathing panting crying longing of the Soul after God and Holiness and Communion with him in formal saying of prayers the thing done quiets the Conscience but for God himself the Soul thirsts not for Therefore you that pray in forms in secret and content your selves in saying and repeating such a form of words sure you have little or no breathing for Jesus Christ in such Duties the Heart is not exercised in longings and pantings for God ye Souls that pray out of forms upon terrours and no more upon the Conscience but you thirst not breath not after God himself you may be short of the life of God in you 3. This may also encourage weak Souls that have but broken words to express themselves to God yet your very Souls do breath and pant after the Lord verily the life of Christ is in you if it be indeed so with you and God will hear those breathings in you Lam. 3.56 Hide not thine ear at my breathings The blessed God
set the whole man on work to make provision and to effect it which though s being drawn forth by sinful objects or the working of the fancy and the Devil working by both do break forth into abominable practices unless restrained by the Lord for indeed the Fancy the imaginative Faculty is the very Forge of the Devil where he frames all the wickedness that is brought forth Now these being the natural actings of the thoughts of the heart as unchanged there must necessarily ensue a new working of thoughts upon the change 〈◊〉 Oâ—â—y observe by the way by this any sinner may know how it stands with his Soul If Atheistical prophane unclean worldly thoughts carry the heart an end and rove up and down at liberty and the heart even delightfully feeds on them without going to God and mourning over them for their purging and mortifying or no or but an unwilling resistance of them how dwelleth then the grace of God in thee verily not at all and therefore reflect upon thy self for by this thou mayst know the state of thy heart and thy lusts are yet in their strength and rule in thee and will post thee to Hell if the Lord meet not with thee A gracious heart hath bubling up of such thoughts and the Devil casts in suggestions to set them a work but they lodge not there long but they are resisted and purged Take therefore these Notes of a carnal unchanged heart 1. Such a soul makes little or no conscience of thoughts Thoughts are free say wretched souls but that 's a Proverb suggested by the Devil 2. Such a soul is not humbled doth not mourn for wicked thoughts but only looks to the outward man a little 3. Such a soul doth not bring them to the blood of Jesus Christ to be purged 4. He doth not conflict with them resist check hate them 5. He doth not watch the thoughts of the heart nor labour to set them upon holy Objects If it be thus with thee sinner thy heart works wickedness and thou art loathsom in the sight of the holy God who knoweth and observeth all thy thoughts afar off Psal 139. and will one day reckon with thee for them What dost thou but even deny God to be the great searcher of hearts the All-seeing God who carest not how vain vile wicked unclean prophane loathsom devilish the thoughts of thy heart are But wherein doth this newness of thoughts shew it self 1. The New-Creatures Thoughts are changed as to himself who thought well of himself as to Heaven and Happiness before but now seeth himself vile and hath worse thoughts of himself than any one in the world can have of him 2. He hath new thoughts of God New thoughts of his Holiness and Justice and Greatness and Glory Oh! how great is God how holy how just and so is greatly abased before him He hath new thoughts of his goodness grace and love to poor sinners upon which the thoughts do much work thoughts of admiration and praise and the soul delights in holy and gracious musings of it He hath New Thoughts of Jesus Christ of his Person Grace Blood Righteousness Spirit Word People Before he had poor low empty carnal unsavoury thoughts of Christ but the heart being changed and the Mind enlightned by the Holy Ghost the Thoughts work towards Jesus Christ the Soul hath deep and serious thoughts of his grace and love precious thoughts of him 4. He hath new thoughts of Eternity of an Eternal condition which much possess the Heart what may become of his Soul What will it profit to gain the World and lose his soul How he may treasure up for Heaven make sure work for Heaven whatever be his condition in this world and the serious and frequent thoughts of this do much poize the Spirit of a Believer 5. He hath new thoughts of the ways of God and Holiness before he thought basely or notionally of them now he hath real thoughts of Holiness and of the ways of Jesus Christ he doth believe and finds a reallity in them and hath good thoughts of them as to engage his soul to them 6. He hath New Thoughts of Holy People whom before he esteemed Hypocrites and Pharisees Factious and the like that their strictness was their Pride and Hypocrisie but now he honoureth them most is humbled greatly for such thoughts of them and prizeth them as the Excellent of the Earth and their company will be most desirable and most delightful to him Psal 16. Vse 1. To sinners that you do go to God and get your hearts possessed with such thoughts of God as these are how great how just how holy he is and this will make you tremble at going on in your pollutions any more Bethink your selves of the state of your souls and of an eternal condition Saith David I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Psal 119.59 Bethink your selves how short a time it is e're an eternal condition shall pass upon you and how long the blessed God hath waited to be gracious to you and get new thoughts of Jesus Christ and get to his feet and make a resignment of your selves to him and then your thoughts will go after more excellent and soul-quieting and soul-delighting Objects than hitherto you have been exercised with 2. To such as are New-Creatures in Christ and have New Thoughts of themselves of God his Justice Holiness Greatness Graciousness of Christ of Eternity of the ways and people of the Lord let this be a word of Exhortarion to you to look to your Thoughts saith the Wisdom of God Prov. 23.7 As he thinketh in his heart so is he A Soul is before the Lord according to the thoughts of his heart Oh take heed of giving way to and feeding vain unclean unholy thoughts of any kind and let me press it upon you with these Motives 1. Consider that such thoughts are your sins lay that to heart God may justly damn a soul for unholy Thoughts Know thou may'st commit Adultery or Murder in thy Heart though it break not forth actually If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thy self or if thou hast thought evil lay thy hand upon thy mouth Prov. 30.32 This will help to keep thy heart in awe 2. That God's Eye is strictly and continually upon the Thoughts of thine Heart Psal 139.2 and therefore David cries out to God to search his heart for them Oh did a gracious Soul still consider this that the jealous Eye of God is upon every thought and motion of his heart to sin it would make him look closely to the Thoughts of his Heart 3. Consider that evil thoughts and musings of sin are the beginning of all open wickedness Jam. 1. 15. Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and such thoughts are usually set on fire by the Devil 4. They do defile the soul Mat. 15.20 Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts c. These are the things
in the Strength of Christ in the wisdom and patience of Christ and so in all This 't is to have fellowship with Jesus Christ and to walk in him to do all in Christ and through Christ is the main work of the New-Creature as 't was hinted in discovering the necessity of the New-Creature's being in Christ 4. The Walk of the New-Creature is to walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit There 's no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 To walk in the Spirit is 1. Not to fulfill the Lusts of the Flesh Gal. 5.16 Not to be under the power of them or to make provision for them not to feed them but to crucifie them They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.14 which is put as an evidence of walking after the Spirit 2. 'T is to be led by the Spirit Gal. 5.18 to give up our selves to the leadings and teachings of the Spirit Psal 143.10 Teach me to do thy will for thou art my God thy spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightness is the cry of every true Convert in Christ who would not be led by his own Spirit in any thing nor by any other mens spirits but waits for the Leading of the spirit in every work and way wherein he would walk before God 5. The New-Creature walks after the revealed will of God And as many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them Gal. 5.16 speaking of the New-Creature who walks after a rule Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord Psal 119.1 He sets himself to walk in all the precepts of God and esteemed them all holy and righteous 6. The New-Creature walks in his integrity Let integrity and uprightness preserve me Psal 25.21 As for me I will walk in mine integrity Psal 26.11 And as for me thou upholdest me in mine integrity and settest me before thy face for ever Psal 41.12 This is the gracious resolution of every Convert to walk in his integrity through which God will preserve and uphold him in all his ways and when the World reproacheth him God will set him before his face and that for ever 7. The New-Creature so far as he is a New-Creature walks humbly This is that the Lord doth require of thee walk humbly with thy God Micah 6.8 To walk humbly before the Lord toward sinners and towards Saints The soul that walks most with God walks most humbly towards men 8. The New-Creature walks in love And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us Ephes 5.2 In love to all Saints as Saints a special part of the Gospel-walk Not in love to such or such a party of Saints which is but self-love but in love to all that walk with God 9. More Particulars might I mention as walking honestly towards all men not oppressing defrauding but righteously charitably compassionately So far I say as he is a New-Creature he walks thus Only let me add this that the New-Creature walks by Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 and not by sight He is ever learning a life of dependency lives upon the All-sufficiency of God the Righteousness of Christ the fulness of his Grace the word of his Promise and so lives out of himself upon the fulness of God in Christ and his truth in his Promise even when he feels not his presence And herein briefly consists the Life of Faith to live out of our selves upon another even the fulness of an infinite God manifested in Jesus Christ In a word The New-Creature in Christ as he is called of God through infinite Free-Grace So is he to walk in all things Worthy of his vocation Ephes 4.1 To walk worthy of the Lord even to walk as Jesus Christ himself walked 1 John 2.6 To walk in this present world how he might express the vertues of Christ the Grace and Love of Jesus Christ so freely revealed to him to walk self-denyingly holily patiently harmlesly profitably heavenly as one that is called from Darkness to Light from the power of Satan to God called out of the world to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thes 2.14 Vse 1. If this be the Walk of the New-Creature then such who walk not as in the Eye of God but after the Atheism of their Hearts consider not that God sees them in their most hidden ways that walk after their lusts to fulfil them that walk not in the Spirit that mind not Holiness so they keep a kind of Conscience to men Verily the Spirit of God dwelleth not in you you have no Evidence for Heaven as yet you are of the World and you walk after the course of the World Eph. 2.2 You walk Hell-ward and are held by the Cords of your Lusts and your Paths lead unto destruction And therefore turn in to Jesus Christ whose Paths are Wisdom and Safety and lead in the way of Life and Peace and Blessedness even all that choose them and delight in them 2. Let such as have the New-Creature formed in them approve themselves to God to Saints and to the World in this their New-Walk Oh see you are called to walk with God and therefore be as in his Eye continually make Communion with him your chiefest joy Walk in Jesus Christ in his Life Light Power Love Wisdom and fetch your daily supplies from him Walk in the Spirit after the Spirit as much as may be and see that you keep close to Rule to the revealed Will of God and not to Delusions be able to appeal to God Judge me Oh God according to mine integrity Psal 26.1 that you may have this Peace and Comfort in all your ways Thou upholdest me Oh Lord in mine Integrity And see you walk humbly before God and Men and in love to all that profess love to Christ and they do in some measure really express it and carry it justly and compassionately towards all men Learn above all the Experience of the Life of Faith live not in or upon what you have received but live out of it upon the Fulness of the Lord as if you had received nothing Oh ply the Throne of Grace that you may be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ and to walk in this present World as near as may be after the Holiness Patience Meekness Wisdom and Love of Jesus Christ which he shewed towards all men having your hearts and Conversations in Heaven where your treasure is 11. The New-Creature doth in all things labour its own perfection and is therefore still in conflicting with destroying crucifying purging out the old Creature the old man all of the old Adam till it sits down in Victory in a full perfection of Holiness and Glory which it shall have and not till then at the appearing of Jesus Christ Ephes 4.22
That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the Old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed c. Knowing this that our Old Man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed Rom. 6.6 This is the main Work of the New-Creature where it is really formed in Christ to destroy and purge out the Defilements and Dregs of the Old Man of Sin Self Corruption that it may be as a new Lump as a Vessel made meet for the Lord's use as formed up set apart anointed sanctified for God and his use here and for ever AMEN To the Blessed God Alone be all the Glory FINIS Childrens Bread OR The First Principles of the Knowledge of GOD. To Season the Heads and Hearts of Young Ones betimes By way of QUESTION and ANSWER Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Prov. 22.6 And that from a Child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 By A. P. late Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed in the Year 1695. Childrens Bread or the first Principles of the Knowledge of GOD c. Quest WHo made you a living Soul Answ God who made all things made me a living Soul Gen. 2.7 Psal 139.14 Q. Who is God A. God is a Spirit the great and holy and good God Joh. 4.24 Jer. 32.18 Q. Is there but one God A. There is but one true and living God in three Persons the Father Son and Spirit 1 Thes 1.9 1 Ep. Joh. 5.7 Q. How is God known A. God is known by his works and by his holy Word Psal 102.24 Prov. 2.1 2 3 4 5. Q. Why did God give you such a Soul A. God gave me a Soul to know him and glorifie him Col. 3.10 Rev. 15.4 Q. What will become of your Soul when you dye A. My Soul must go to God in Heaven or else be damned in Hell Fire for ever Mat. 25. last Joh. 5.29 Q. How came your Soul to be in danger of Hell-fire A. Because I have sinned against God I deserved eternal Damnation Psa 9.17 Rom. 2.9 Q. How came you to sin against God A. The first Man Adam sinned and brake the Covenant of God and I in him Rom. 5.18 19. Gen. 2.17 Q. What is the sin of your Nature A. My Nature is corrupted with sin and hath the seed of all sin Psal 14.1 Psal 51.5 Q. What is sin A. Sin is the breaking of God's Commandments Deut. 11.27 28. 1 Ep. Joh. 3.4 Q. How many are the Commandments of the Law A. The Law of God contains ten Commandments written in Exod. 20. Deut. 5. Q. What is the first Commandment A. Thou shalt have none other Gods but me Exod. 20.3 Q. What doth the first Commandment require A. To have one God for my God and to love him above all things Deut. 6.4 5. Mat. 22.37 Q. What is the second Commandment A. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. Exod. 20.4 5. Q. What is required in this Commandment A. To Worship God according to his own Word and not after mens Inventions Mat. 15.10 Isa 29.13 Q. What is the third Commandment A. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain Exod. 20.7 Q. What doth the third Commandment require A. To think and speak of God with reverence and fear and not to take his Name in vain Deut. 28.58 Prov. 1.7 Q. What is the fourth Commandment A. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day c. Exod. 20.8 Q. What doth this Commandment teach you A. To keep the Lords day holy and not to spend it in vain sports and idle words Isa 58.13 Rev. 1.10 Q. What is the fifth Commandment A. Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Exod. 20.12 Q. What doth this Commandment of God teach you A. To give Honour to all to whom it is due and to obey my Parents in the Lord Tit. 3.1 Eph. 6.1 2. Q. What is the sixth Commandment A. Thou shalt do no Murther Exod. 20.13 Q. What is required in the sixth Commandment A. To do good to every one and not to have angry thoughts or angry words Mat. 5.21 22. Prov. 19.11 Q. What is the seventh Commandment A. Thou shalt not commit Adultery Exod. 20.14 Q. What is the meaning of this Commandment A. To keep my self from all Uncleanness and to be Chast in my thoughts and words Mat. 5.27 28. Eph. 4.19 Q. What is the eighth Commandment A. Thou shalt not Steal Exod. 20.15 Q. What doth this Commandment forbid A. It forbids me to take any thing that is anothers or to spend what is mine own vainly Eph. 4.28 1 Cor. 6.10 Q. What is the ninth Commandment A. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbours Exod. 20.16 Q. What is the duty of the ninth Commandment A. It requires the speaking truth to others and forbids lying Zach. 8.16 Ephes 4.25 Q. What is the tenth Commandment A. Thou shalt not Covet c. Exod. 20.17 Q. What is required in the tenth Commandment A. To be content with those things that I have and not to have a covetous heart Luk. 12.32 Heb. 13.5 Q. Have you kept these Commandments of God A. No I have sinned by evil thoughts and words and deeds and come short of fulfilling the Law of God Mat. 15.19 Rom. 3.23 Q. What is due to you for sin A. Sin hath brought the curse of God upon my Soul and made me a Child of Wrath by Nature Gal. 3.10 Ephes 2.3 Q. How may you escape the wrath and anger of God A. God in his rich mercy hath revealed Salvation from sin by Jesus Christ Joh. 2.4 1 Tim. 1.15 Q. Who is Jesus Christ A. Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Father and he took our Nature upon him and became God and Man in one Person Heb. 2.16 1 Tim. 3.16 Q. Why was Jesus Christ made Man A. Jesus Christ was made Man that he might dye for our sins and was raised from the dead Rom. 5.8 1 Cor. 15.3 Q. Why did Jesus Chrst dye for us A. Jesus Christ dyed to redeem us from the Curse of the Law and to work out Righteousness for us Gal. 3.13 1 Cor. 1.30 Q. Where is Jesus Christ A. Jesus Christ is sate down at the right hand of God in Heaven Heb. 1.3 Heb. 8.3 Q. What does Jesus Christ do for us in Heaven A. 1. Jesus Christ is our High Priest in Heaven to plead the shedding of his blood for us and to pray for us 1 Ep. Joh. 2.1 2. Heb. 7.25 2. Jesus Christ is our Prophet to teach us by his Word and Spirit Mat. 17.5 Acts 3.22 3. Jesus Christ is a King to Reign over us Acts 3.35 Rev. 15.3 Q. How may you come to be partakers of this Salvation A. I may become partaker of Salvation by coming to Jesus Christ as a poor