all maters do stand between God and us Secondly that we inform the conscience well from the Scripture not only concerning the law and covenant of works whereby we may know how guilty we are of manifold sins and how impossible it is for us to be justified by our works or to escape condemnation but also concerning the Gospel and covenant of gracious reconciliation by faith in Jesus Christ and concerning the covenant of redemption whereupon the covenant of grace offered in Christ is grounded Thirdly that we make due and orderly application of these covenants that the conscience may alwayes be furnished with mater of humiliation and held on in the exercise of repentance and not only keeped from desperation but also may be furnished with grounds of good hope to be saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus who hath purchased remission of sins and imputation of his righteousnesse to every humbled sinner flying to him for grace Fourthly that being ingrasted in Christ by faith we by way of thankfulnesse study in the furniture of his Spirit to live holily justly and soberly and that whatsoever measure of sanctification we attain unto we beware to fall back to that deadly error of seeking justification before God by our works whereunto we are naturally inclined for upon this rock the flour and most shining professors in Israel after the flesh made shipwrack of their salvation Rom 9. 32. Israel which followed after the law of righteousnesse hath not attained unto the law of righteousnesse wherefore because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the law And Rom. 10. 3. for they being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their own righteousnesse have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God Unto this error of seeking righteousnesse by our works after entering in the way of justification by grace we are all naturally inclined for the covenant of works is so ingraven in all Adams children do this and live that hardly can we renounce this way of justification and howsoever it be impossible to attain righteousnesse this way yet hardly can we submit our selves to the righteousnesse by faith in Christ which not only the experience of Israel after the flesh maketh manifest but also the experience of the Galatians lets us see for they having once outwardly renounced justification by works and embraced the covenant of gracious reconciliation by faith in Jesus did turn about for a time to seek justification by the works of the law and were on the way of falling from grace and communion with Christ. And the experience of Papists doth shew the same for whatsoever they professe concerning faith in Christ yet they abhor justification by Christs imputed righteousnesse and do blaspheme that way as a meer conceit of men and a putatitious or only imaginary righteousnesse and do seek to establish their own righteousnesse and to be justified not only before men but also before God by the merits of their own and other mens works and sufferings the imputation whereof they can tell for money in the midst of their blaspheming the imputation of Christs righteousnesse What can be said for a thief condemned to die for his faults and redeemed by a potent man upon condition that he should be the domestick servant of the redeemer to work his work all his life-time and live upon his allowance and so never be necessitated to steal any more if the ransomed thief should after steal his Masters goods and make himself a stock-purse whereupon he thought he might live and loose himself from his redeemers grace and live upon his own finding were he not worthy upon the finding out of his thifts and other faults to be left in the hands of justice to die according to his deservings And what could be said for a tennent labouring a parcel of ground of his Lands-lord for a yearly farm-duty by his own miscarriage falling to beggary if he should be taken in to the free table of his Lands-lord and trusted with the same parcel of ground to be laboured for his Masters use if he should intervert the fruits of that ground and being weary of his Masters bounty and grace should seek to be fired of his Masters service and to labour the ground for himself for payment of rent if upon the finding out of his thift and not paiment of his rent he should be cast in prison did he not deserve to be dealt with according to justice who would not live by grace So may be said of the man who shall turn from justification by free grace to seek justification by his works The fifth and last use of this doctrine is that to the intent we may not absolve our selves without Gods allowance we study to make our calling and election sure by endeavouring to walk in the sense of our unworthinesse and ill-deserving and renouncing all confidence in any thing without Christ to rely on him for righteousnesse and life-eternal and by faith in him draw spirit and life from him for furnishing us unto new obedience for he is the justified man approven of God who hath no confidence in the flesh and rejoiceth in Iesus Christ and worshipeth God in the spirit Philip. 3. 3. THE SECOND BOOK CHAP. I. Of considerations to be prâ—â—sed HItherto the sicknesses of the Conscience of the un-regenerat man are spoken to and this was needfull to the end that we might shew how Regeneration is either altogether kept off or hindred from growing where it is begun And because many of these sicknesses which destroy many of the sons of Adam cleave to the regenerat man and though they do not reign nor altogether prevail over him yet do molest and vex him and hinder his comfortable walking toward his everlasting blessednesse Now we come to speak first in this Book of these cases of the conscience of the man regenerat which do brangle and bring in question his state in grace and make him doubt whether he be a man translated out of the state of nature out of the kingdom of Sathan or not And next of these cases that concern his condition in the state of grace in the following Book As to the first sort of cases which concern the regenerat mans state some considerations must be premised for making particulars afterwards more clear 1. In the question of this or that mans regeneration or his being in the state of grace it is all one to question whether he be born again or be effectually called or indued with saving faith or be a justified man or be reconciled to God or be an adopted child And in the answer of this question let it be proven that he is any of these and it is proven also that he is all these for albeit these denominations in their formal conceptions in the abstract may be distinguished yet upon the mater in the conceit they fall upon the same individual person altogether because it is impossible
a most wise course so to execute the decree of election and Redemption as he shall be sure to bring in his own to himself and not open up his counsell in particular to the discouraging of any as is told by the father Isa. 52. 13. My servant shall deal prudently and prosper The chief mean appointed is the preaching of the Gospel to all nations commanding all men where the Gospel is by Gods providence preached to repent and believe in the Name of Jesus Christ and to love one another as he hath commanded them Acts 17. 30. and 1 Ioh. 3. 23. and they who refuse to obey are without excuse Another mean is the bringing of so many as professe their acceptation of the offer of grace by Christ Jesus them and their children into the bond of an expresse solemn covenant that they shall submit themselves to the doctrine and government of Christ and teach their children so to do as Abraham the father of believers did Gen. 18. 19. Matth. 28. 19. 20. make disciples of all nations or make all nations disciples to Me. A third mean is the sealing of the covenant by the Sacrament of baptism Matth. 28. 19. 20. make all nations disciples to Me baptizing them in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost A fourth mean is the gathering them into all lawfull and possible communion with others his disciples that by their Church-fellowship one with another they may be edified under their officers appointed in Christs Testament to feed govern and lead them on in the obedience of all the commands which Christ hath commanded his people in his Testament by which means he goeth about his work and doth call effectually sanctifie and save his own redeemed ones leaving all others without excuse Concerning all these and other means and maner also of executing his decree it is agreed upon between the Father and His Son Christ as His holy Spirit hath revealed it to us in Scripture All which may be taken up in two heads the one is the agreement about the doctrine and directions given to His Church the other is about actions operations and all effects to be brought about for making his word good Concerning his doctrine Christ saith Ioh. 12. 49. 50. I have not spoken of my self but the Father who hath sent me he gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak and I know that his commandment is life everlasting whatsoever I speak therefore eveâ—â— as the Father said unto me so I speak Concerning actions and operations and the executiou of the decrees it is agreed also between the Father and the Son Ioh. 8. 16. If I judge my judgement is true for I am not alone but I and the Father that sent me and vers 29. He that sent me is with me the Father hath not left me alone for I do alwayes these things that please him and Joh. 6. 38. I came down from heaven not to do my own will without the consent of the Father but the will of him that sent me In a word the consent and agreement of the Father and the Son Jesus Christ our Lord is such that the Son â—oth nothing by his Spirit but that which the Father â—oth work by the same Spirit from the beginning of the world Ioh. 5. 17. My Father worketh hitherto and I work and Col. 1. 16. for by Christ were all things created that â—re in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible â—hether they be throns or dominions or principalities or 〈◊〉 〈…〉 created by him and for him He is alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending the first efficient and the last end of all things Rev. 1. 8. because for the glory of Christ the creation the covenant of works and the covenant of grace were made and had and shall have their full execution all for the glory of God in Christ by whom all things were made and do subsist CHAP. V. Of the Covenant of works WE have spoken of the first divine covenant wherein God and God incarnat are the parties it followeth to speak of the next divine covenant to wit the covenant of works between God and man Adam and his posterity made in mans integrity In which covenant God is only the one party of the covenant and man created with all naturall perfections is the other party In this covenant mans continuing in a happy life is promised upon condition of perfect personall obedience to be done by him out of his own naturall strength bestowed upon him as the Apostle teacheth us Gal. 3. 12. the Law is not of faith but the man who shall do these things shall live by them And unto this law or covenant of works is added a threatning of death in case man should transgresse the sense whereof is â—old by the Apostle Gal. 3. 10. cursed is every one who doth not abide in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them The difference between the law and the Covenant of works THe word Law is sometime taken for the mater or substance of the law of nature written in the hearts of our first Parents by creation the work of which law is to be found in the hearts of their posterity unto this day And in this sense the word Law is taken by the Apostle Rom. 2. 15. the Gentiles saith he shew the wrok of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witnesse c. Sometime the word is taken for the formall covenant of works as Gal. 3. 10. as many as are of the works of the Law that is under the covenant of works are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them 2. The law as it is taken for the covenant of works differeth from the law of nature written by creation in the hearts of our first Parents first because the law of nature written in the heart of man in order both of nature and time went before the covenant made for keeping that law because the covenant for keeping that law was not made till after mans creation and after his bringing into the garden to dresse it and to keep it Gen. 2. 16. 17. Secondly God by vertue of the law written in manâ— heart did not obliedge Himself to perpetuat mans happy life for albeit man had keeped that law most acuratly God was free to dispose of Him as he saw fit before he made the covenant with him But so soon as he made the covenant he oblieged himself to preserve him in a happy life so long as he should go on in obedience to his law and commands according to the tennor of the covenant do this and live Thirdly death was the naturall wages and merit of sin albeit there had no covenant been made at all for sin against God deserveth of its own nature
be suffered for sin by the sinner is the curse-everlasting of soul and body seing a meer creature cannot for ever satisfie for his rebellion how long soever we presuppose his duration under suffering And for obedience by way of doing perfectly what the Law doth crave it is utterly impossible because we are carnal sold under sin and cannot satisfie the Law and because we cannot satisfie the Law the Law becometh weak and unable to justifie and save us Rom. 8. 3. How the Covenant of works may be called the Covenant of nature ALbeit the Law written by nature in mens heart differeth from the Covenant for performance of the Law as hath been shown before yet the Covenant of works made with Adam before he fell tying him to keep that Law may be called the Covenant of nature First because the Covenant of works is grounded upon the Law of nature and doth exact nothing of man save that which God might require of him according to the Law of nature Secondly because when the Covenant of works was made with Adam it was made with all his natural posterity which was to spring of him by natural generation and so the obligation thereof did pass upon all his natural posterity by the Law of nature which maketh the child begotten to bear the image of the begetters Thirdly that the Covenant of works may justly be called the Covenant of nature appeareth by the force of the conscience being wakened from its sleepy security for it challengeth for sin according to that Covenant and pronounceth the sentence of God's wrath against the sinner For the conscience doth acknowledge the Judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death Rom. 1. 32. Fourthly because the conscience naturally inclineth a man to seek justification by his own works if it can any way find pretence for it as we may see in the Pharisee who in his speech to God doth judge himself a holy man because he is not amongst the worst of men and hath many good works above others to reckon forth and lay before God Luk. 18. 11. Fifthly the inclination of mans heart to expect a reward of every good work he doth whether it be in some part reall or only apparently such testifieth so much Iudg. 17. 13. Micah so reasoneth Now know I the Lord will do me good seing I have a Levit to my Priest And how miserably the conscience may be deluded in this case when men do dote upon their own well-deserving appeareth in Leah for Gen. 30. 18. Leah saith God hath given me my hire because I have given my maiden to my husband Sixthly this point is also made manifest by the natural ignorance of righteousness by faith and affectation to be justified by works which the Apostle finds fault-with in the Israelits Rom. 9. 31. They sought righteousness not by faith but as it were by works And Rom. 10. 3. being ignorant of the righteousness of God and going about to establish their own righteousness to wit righteousness by works according to the tenour of the Covenant of works they did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God Seventhly the same course followed by Papists and other erroneous teachers testifieth the natural inclination of men to seek righteousness by works according to the tenour of the Covenant of works and not by faith in Christ Jesus that righteousness may come by grace only And so are some mens hearts glued to this error that they do transform justification by faith in justification by one work in stead of all as if the work of faith were the mans righteousness and not Christ him-himself laid hold on by faith Not considering that to the man that renounceth all confidence in any work of his own and flieth to Christ by faith Christ is made of God unto that man wisdom and righteousness 1 Cor. 1. 30. Last of all this natural inclination even of the regenerat to seek righteousness by works doth prove the Covenant of works to be naturally ingraft in all mens hearts as appeareth in the Galatians who being instructed in the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ without the works of the Law did easily upon a tentation offered look back with likeing to the way of Justification by works for which the Apostle reproveth them Gal. 4. 21. Tell me saith he ye that desire to be under the Law or Covenant of works and ver 9. But now after ye have known God or rather are known of God how turn ye again to weak and beggarly elements whereunto you desire again to be in bondage Obj. But the Galatians as it seemeth did not reject Justification by faith but did joyn with it Justification by the works of the Law thinking that the safest way was to joyn both together Ans. The inconsistency of these two wayes of Justification the Apostle sheweth Rom. 11. 6. For Justification by grace is no more by works otherwise grace is no more of grace and what Justification is by works is no more of grace otherwise work is no more works And therefore the Apostle makes the joyning of these two wayes of Justification to be nothing else but a plain seeking of Justification by the Covenant of works which cutteth a man off from any benefit by Christ Gal. 5. 2. and whosoever seeketh to be justified by the Lawâ— or Covenant of works is fallen from grace ver 4. For further clearing this matter we may distinguish two sorts of the Covenant of works The one is true genuine and of God's institution which God made with all men in Adam for perfect obedience unto God's Law out of mans own natural abilities There is another counterfeit bastard covenant of works of mans own devising which a sinner lying in his sins unable to do what the Law commands or to suffer what the Law being broken binds upon him of his own head devileth upon other conditions then God hath set and will have God to take his devised covenant in stead of perfect obedience to the Law that so he may be justified Such was the covenant which the carnal Israelits made with God in the wilderness and which their posterity did follow turning the Covenant of grace whereunto God was calling them into a covenant of works of their own framing For the grace which was offered to them in Christ under the vail of levitical types figures and ceremonies they turned into an external service of performance only of bare and dead ceremonies and into a ministry of the letter and death for they did not take up Christ to be the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believes in him but did think that both the moral and ceremonial Law was given unto them of God to the intent that they should do the external works of the moral Law so far as they could and when they transgressed the moral Law they should fly to the ceremonial Law and make amends for their faults by
satisfying for their sin by the external sacrifice of some clean beast offered to God or by the washing of their body and their cloaths Such also is the covenant which now adayes many make with God cutting short with the old Pharisees the sense of the precepts of the Law by extending it no further then they may keep the same that so they may make their own inherent righteousness the longer conform unto their own clipped rule of righteousness and this they do by denying themselves to be guilty of original sin after baptism and by extenuating and diminishing many faults as but light and venial as they call them and by devising satisfactions for expiating the sins of the living by penances and pilgrimages and of the dead by their sufferings in their imaginary purgatory that so they may be justified by their works and sufferings Such also is their covenant who seek justification by deceased Saints merits hoping they may so have absolution from sin and obtain life eternal And all these sorts of covenants of mens framing we call bastard-covenants of works because God will not admit any other Covenant of works then that which requireth perfect personal obedience And therefore so many as seek to be justified by works do stand under the obligation of perfect personal obedience under pain of death and will be found not only utterly unable to do any good work but also to be without Christ and to be fallen from grace as the Apostle Gal. 5. 3 4. doth teach us Obj. Seing God doth abhor these bastard-covenants of works and doth well know that men are so far from performance of the due obedience of the Law that they are utterly unable before they be reconciled through faith in Christ to do so much as one acceptable work as the Psalmist teacheth Psal. 14. 1 2 3. Why doth the Lord exact perfect obedience unto the Law from sinners why doth he press so instantly the slaves of sin to perform the duties required in the true Covenant of works Ans. The Lord justly doth abhor and reject these bastard-covenants because they evacuat and make void both the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace which is by faith in Christ and he doth press all men to perform perfect obedience to all the commands whereunto they are naturally obliged to the end that proud men conceity of their own natural abilities may find by experience that they are unable to perform the condition of the Covenant of works and may acknowledge the same and so dispair of righteousness by their works and be forced to flye to Christ and to the Covenant of grace through him that they may be fred from that covenant and being justified by faith in Christ may be enablâ—d to begin new obedience to the Law in the strength of Christs furniture For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4 And the Law entered that men might by the Law see and acknowledge that the offence did abound and then might perceive that the 〈…〉 â—â—grâ—ce by Christ did super-abound Rom. 〈…〉 and 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the command is 〈…〉 of a purâ— heart and a good conscience and faith unfamed This was the end of the promulgation of the Law in mount Sinai that a stiff-necked people trusting in their own abilities might be made sensible of their imperfection by the repetition of the Law And to this also God super-added the external yoke of the ceremonial Law which neither they nor their posterity were able to bear Acts 15. 10. that the people perceiving their manifold pollutions and guiltiness wherein they were daily involved by breaking of God's Law might in the sense of the burden lying on them and of their damnable estate under it flye to Christ the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world as he was represented and offered to their sight in the sacrifices and burnt offerings Of this end of pressing the Law upon proud men we have an example Math. 19. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22. In the conference of Christ with the young conceity rich man who in the opinion of his own inherent righteousness and of his abilities was hudgly swelled as if he had already for time by-gone satisfied the the whole Law and that he was able and ready to do any good work which could be prescribed unto him for obtaining of eternal life whose proud conceit that Christ might humble and bring down he craveth nothing but that he would keep the commands And when the young man denyed that he had broken the Law he proveth him guilty of gross and vile Idolatry from this that he put a higher estimation on his riches than on remission of sin and did love them more then heaven and fellowship with God in eternal life In all this let it be considered that albeit mens confidence in their works doth displease God yet good works do not displease him but they are so far pleasant unto him that there is no morall motive which may serve to stir up in his people an endeavour to follow after good works which the Lord doth not make use of partly by setting before them the reward if they obey partly by setting punishments before theiâ— eyes if they obey not yea and the very observation of externall morall duties and obedience such as may be discharged by the unregenerat man albeit God in relation to Justification do esteem it polluted and vile yet he doth sometimes reward their externall works by giving them externall and temporall benefits for their encouragement for even Ahabs temporary humiliation the Lord so far accepted that there-upon He took occasion to delay to take vengeance upon him 1 Kings 21. 27 28 29. Likewise the Lord useth to recompence the civil justice of Pagans with a temporal reward yea and to reward the outward diligence of every man in every lawfull occupation with some answerable outward reward The very Pharisees who for the raising to themselves a fame and higher estimation for holinesse did take a great deal of pains in prayers in the streets and Mercat-places and other exercises of Religion wanted not an answerable reward veâ—ily saith Christ they have their reward Matth. 6. 2. And this course the Lord doth keep that he may encertain and foster the civil society of men among themselves and that His people looking on this bounty of God may be stirred up the more to bring forth the fruits of faith in hope of a mercifull promised better reward of grace in the life to come beside what they may have in this life CHAP. VI. Of the Covenant of Grace THe third and last covenant concerning mans eternall salvation is the covenant of Grace made between God and man through Christ the Mediatour Grace someâ—imes simply and absolutely taken is opposed to merit and in this sense every good thing which of Gods good pleasure is ordained or promised or actually bestowed on the
creature presuppose innocent is called Grace because it is impossible that a meer creature can properly merit any good thing of God because the creature neither hath nor can have that which it hath not received Rom. 11. 35. who hath first given to Him and it shall be recompenced to him again Sometime Grace is taken for every gift or good bestowed by God upon the ill deserver in which sense gists common to elect and reprobat are called by the name of Grace Rom. 1. 5. Ephes. 4. 7. Sometime Grace is taken in opposition to the pactioâ—all merit of works or to the reward due by debt covenanted as Rom. 4. 4. To him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of grace but of debt In which sense that which is given for works is not given of grace Rom. 11. 16. and in this sense we take Grace as it is opposed to the covenant of works for the condition of the covenant of works is the giving perfect obedience to the law But the condition of the covenant of grace is the receiving of Christ by faith unto righteousnesse and life offered in the Gospel without the works of the law which covenant may thus be described The covenant of grace is a contract between God and men procured by Christ upon these tearms that whosoever in the sense of their own sinfulnesse shall receive Christ Jesus offered in the Gospel for righteousnesse and life shall have Him and all the benefits purchased by Him according to the covenant of Redemption and that God will be his God and the God of his children This covenant of grace is founded upon the covenant of Redemption past between God and Christ wherein it was agreed that all the elect given unto Christ shall be reconciled in due time to God and that to this end this grace should be preached to bring about the reconciliation and therefore Christ is called the Mediatour of the new covenant Heb. 12. 22. Of Infants interest in this Covenant Quest. WHat interest have infants in this covenant Ans. The same which they had since the first expresse and formall making thereof with Abraham to whom God promised to be his God and the God of his children whose children all are who are in Christ Gal. 3. 27 28 29. For of the redeemed some come to age whom God having called by the preaching of the Gospel doth induce and effectually move to embrace solemnly the offered fellowship with God and his saints in Christ and to consecrat themselves and their children unto the service of God There are other redeemed ones who die in their infancy before they come to the use of reason to whose salvation God hath expresse respect in making his covenant with their parents that he will not have them excluded from the blessing when he calls their parents to him but in the common offer of grace and reconciliation by Christ he makes the promise jointly to the parents and the children for in one sentence and as it were with one breath He saith I will be thy God and thy seeds after thee Gen. 15. 17. whereof the Apostle maketh good use Acts 2. 39. declaring the promise to be made to the Jews and their children and to the called Gentiles and their children And upon this ground Paul and Silas timeously did offer consolation to the Jailour trembling and anxious what way he should be saved Acts 16. 31. saying Believe in Christ Iesus and thou shall be saved thou and thy house As for the maner how the Lord dealeth with the souls of infants in converting them the Scripture doth not speak for this lieth among the secrets of God which doth not concern us to search after Deut. 29. 29. It should be sufficient to us that God in covenanting with the parents promiseth to be the God of their children And according to this covenant the Lord complains of their staying and offering their children unto idols calling them His own sons and daughters Ezek. 16. 20. and upon this ground in the second command the Lord promiseth to shew mercy to the thousand generation of believing parents and 1 Cor. 7. 14. the Apostle doth call the children of one of the parents believing holy children because of their consecration unto God by the believing confederat parent and in regard of Gods right and interest in them as the children of His own family by covenant And Christ our Lord upon this ground doth call the children of confederat parents burgesses of heaven of such is the kingdom of heaven Matth. 19. 13 14. and because infants are dedicat to Christ to be taught and governed by Him in His own way and order they are called disciples Acts 15. 10. as the disputers for the circumcision of Christians children as well as of their parents after the law of Moses do make it manifest and in the institution of baptism our Lord gives the priviledge of the covenant unto every nation no lesse then to the Iews that by covenant whole nations might be drawn in and given up as disciples to His doctrine Matth. 28. 29. make all nations disciples by your doctrine baptizing them c. that the children with the parents might be partakers by baptism of the seal of the covenant for the righteousnesse of faith no lesse then the children of Israelites were by circumcision Of the means to draw on the making of this covenant OF these means we have spoken in the fourth article of the covenant of Redemption and need not to insist more about them then to name them The first mean to draw men into this blessed covenant and to keep them in it is the externall revelation of the will of God for teaching men how great their sin and misery is and how they may be reconciled and delivered by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and how they may testifie their thankfulnesse being reconciled for such a mercy which grounds of saving knowledge are fully and faithfully set down in holy Scripture and committed to His servants in the ministry who should in preaching of the Gospel inform and perswade men to repent and imbrace the grace of Christ and put on His sweet yoke of obedience upon them The second mean is after application of the Lords word to the hearers for convincing them of sin in them and righteousnesse in Christ and judgement to follow to wit of absolution of the believer and of condemnation of such as believe not To receive into the bond of this covenant of grace all that appear seriously to consecrat themselves and their children to the faith and obedience of the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ without determining whether they be regenerat for the present or not The third mean is the solemn sealing of this covenant for righteousnesse of faith and salvation through Christ by baptizing both the parents that accept the covenant and their children also and by exhortations promises and comminations and all other arguments which may more and more
they read very Fables and fained Romances which they know to be such and yet they cannot command their affections in reading of them May not then an unrenewed man give as much credit to holy Scripture and be affected with the holy history thereof without any change made of his perverse nature the wisdom whereof is enmity against God and cannot subject it self either to his law or Gospel Secondly if we consider what the power of a natural conscience can work upon the affections by just accusations or excusations for raising grief and joy therein whereof not only Scripture but also heathen writers do bear witnesse we need not doubt but the natural conscience may have the same power in a temporary believer Thirdly if we consider what the precepts of morall Philosophy hath wrought upon the Schollers of Socrates and Aristotle and other heathen Masters for the outward framing of them unto seeming vertues we need not doubt what the precepts of the morall law may work upon a temporary believer for putting a luster on his life as was to be found in sundry Pharisees without conversion and renovation of the inner man toward God Fourthly if we consider what delight is found by Schollers in the contemplation of these things which Philosophy doth treat of we may easily perswade our selves that more delight may be had in contemplation of what holy Scripture doth hold forth without making the man a new creature But when unto the natural mans foresaid seeming perfections knowledge of the mysteries of religion and the gifts of preaching and prophecying are superadded which are but movable gifts common to renewed and unrenewed men and far from being saving graces what wonder the natural man and temporary believer be puffed up with a high estimation of his own worth and hope of being received by Christ the Judge and yet be found at last to have deceived himself and unwarrantably absolved himself by his own deluded conscience as Christ giveth warning Math. 7. 21. Quest. But what can a temporary believer want coming up all the length that is now spoken of and supposed to be indued with so many seeming good things whereunto many saved Saints do not attain Ans. Every saved Saint is beaten out of self-estimation for any thing in himself beaten out of confidence in any thing he doth or can do and is humbled in his heart by the law the spiritual perfection whereof being understood killeth his natural pride Rom. 7. 9. 2. Every saved Saint is chased for refuge to flye to Christ to his righteousnesse and the riches of grace holden forth in him and every saved Saint is a new creature aiming more and more to follow the course of new obedience and drawing vertue from Christ by faith to please God and worship him in spirit Phil. 3. 3. So that his purpose and endeavour in some measure is like unto that of David Psal. 71. 10 15 16. saying I will hope continually and I will praise thee more and more my mouth shall shew forth thy righteousnesse and thy salvation all the day for I know not the numbers thereof I will walk in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousnesse even of thine only But the temporary believer reckoneth not for his debt and deservings with the law he is not humbled in the sense of his sins and sinfulnesse and inability to satisfie the law by himself he hath not the root of repentance in him for immediatly upon the hearing of the Gospel he receiveth the Word with joy without godly sorrow for his sins Luk. 8. 13. The temporary believer is ignorant of the righteousnesse of God by faith in Jesus Christ and goeth about to establish his own righteousnesse upon the bottom of his own blamelesse conversation priviledges of the visible Church common gifts of the Spirit and successe with prosperity all which because he is not justified by faith in Christ do not advance him above the state of the workers of iniquity Math. 7. 21 22 23. The symptoms and ordinary signs of this malady of unwarrantable self-absolution are these 1. all of this sort are well pleased with their own wayes they are not daily humbled in the sense of short-coming in duties and chased to Christs righteousnesse which may hide their nakednesse 2. They are all secure and fear no wrath but put the evil day far from them 3. They cannot be induced to any accurat examination of their own life wayes condition or estate If any man insinuate any suspicion of hypocrisie in them or if their own conscience begin to question their sincerity they cannot endure it 4. Albeit they say unto Christ Lord Lord yet they make little use of his office of mediation of his power and vertue for illumination humiliation healing and helping on to salvation 5. They look more to the seeming good things in themselves for strengthening their carnal confidence then they take notice of the evil of a body of death in themselves to drive them to Christ the only deliverer from it 6. Yea they all serve some Idol lurking in their heart they yield obedience to some reigning lust which they will not forsake for which cause Christ foretells that he will declare them to be but workers of iniquity Math. 7. 23. The causes of this evil are 1. the ignorance of the law and the utter inability yea aversenesse of nature to be subject to it the knowledge whereof might make men live all their dayes in a loathing of themselves and cut off all hope of obtaining righteousnesse by the law 2. The ignorance of that dear-bought righteousnesse of Christ and of the riches of his grace offering to impute his satisfaction to every self-condemned sinner who shall flye to him and accept his offer 3 The ignorance of the necessity of the bringing forth the fruits of faith in love and study of new obedience and sanctification by the furniture of Christ without which no man shall see God 4. The taking of a presumptuous dead faith in stead of that true justifying faith which layeth hold on Christ and worketh by love The taking of a vain groundlesse hope for that lively hope which purifieth both the heart and external conversation also 5. The comparing of themselves either with the worst sort of vile sinners or with such as are like to themselves or with the Saints in their grosse failings not judging themselves according to the law The use to be made of this doctrine is first to stir us up to take notice of that power of the soul called conscience which God hath put in every man to observe all the mans words deeds and intentions and to compare them with the law and will of God so far as it is informed and to accuse or excuse condemn or absolve smite or comfort the man as it findeth cause that we suffer not our own conscience to sleep but set it on work whilst it is time that we may know how
the Son of God but his holy heart could not admit such a temptation And the Apostle Eph. 6. 11 12. c. doth warn the Saints that our adversary Sathan useth to throw firy darts at all the children of God which firy and poysonable darts the regenerat man should not meddle with nor finger them but by the shield of faith with all speed quench and extinguish them But when a probable reason is joyned with the temptation and the temptation doth appear to be very reasonable and when there is a fear that the tentation shall be yielded unto except the scruple be removed then let the temptation be examined and brought to the form of a reason or sylogism that the strength of it being tryed to be null it may be rejected or let the temptation be communicated to a prudent friend or Pastor who may discover the sophistry of the temptation for if the temptation shall be slighted and not discussed albeit it lye quiet for a time yet it will return again and raise more trouble and vexation to the conscience then it did before 11. In answering of doubts and temptations tending to weaken faith it is needfull to observe and â—shew an usual stratagem of Sathan whereby he doth multiply and heap together a number of doubts and after he hath suggested one doubt presently doth suggest on the back of that another and after that another whereby he marreth the answering of the first doubt which from the Word of God either immediatly or by some faithfull Friend or Minister is offered for solution thereof by this mean Sathan endeavours that the mind of the afflicted person may at one time both be turned off from taking notice of the answer offered and be taken up wholly with the consideration of the new suggested doubt So that the answer to the new doubt hath no place because the afflicted party doth not take heed thereto In this case both the party afflicted and the party offering consolation must hold to the first doubt and not suffer any other new doubt to have place till a satisfactory answer be given to the first doubt and after that let every objection moved by the party afflicted be answered one after another in order 12. Seing every doubt whereby the regenerat person is troubled doth tend either to weaken faith in Christ or to hinder the bringing forth of the fruits of faith let no answer to any doubt of this kind be esteemed sufficient except it lead the afflicted person unto Christ teaching him to humble himself before God and being brought low in his own eyes to lay hold by faith on Jesus Christ the only Redeemer and relief from sin and misery and after laying hold on the Physician to request for the remedy of that evil which hath moved and given strength to the doubt for Christ is the end both of the Law and of every spiritual exercise for the enjoining of such and such moral duties whereby un-skillfull Physicians use to over-charge diseased consciences commanding the afflicted party in the first place to go about such and such duties and the exercise of such and such vertues as may remove the evil which gave ground to the doubt can never avail the diseased person except he be led first unto Christ for remission of sin and acceptation of his person that in him power to do these duties may be obtained and by his Spirit moral precepts may be quickened for if these precepts be pressed upon the diseased without Christ they can do no more but detain the afflicted in self confidence and make him hope in vain that he may or can by his own work over-come the evil felt in him or that he can by himself attain to that good which he conceiveth necessar for loosing of his doubt but let him go to Christ for remission of sin and then for strength to go about the duty 13. Because almost in all cases of conscience which pertain to the state of the regenerat man some grace or Christian vertue is pitched upon and called in question whether it be in him or not heed must be taken that evangelick graces vertues or actions be not weighed in the ballance of the moral Law and covenant of Works wherein nothing hath weight which cometh short of absolute perfection of personal obedience for in the strict judgment of God and the conscience according to the law of Works no meer man nor any action of man can stand Ps. 130. 3. for there are so many imperfections and blemishes in the Saints and their best works being compared with the perfect rule of righteousnesse by the Law that whatsoever lustre or appearance of good may be in a work it is blecked and made to hide it's face before the Law but let the tender buds of new obedience and fruits of faith be examined by the grace of the Gospel which judgeth of the begun obedience of the believer in Christ according to the sincerity and uprightnesse of the man aiming at conformity to the Law how short soever he come of his aim and of the spiritual perfection of the Law and it will be taken for new obedience It is true the Evangel requireth that a man fled to Christ for justification and reconciled to God by faith in Christ should set himself to work the works prescribed in the moral Law for the glory of God and should aim at the exact obedience of all the Commands yet the Gospel doth not reject a good work for the defects imperfections and blemishes thereof but accepteth and taketh in good part the first fruits and buds of new obedience and doth foster the tender and small beginnings that they may grow and encrease And the reason is because the Gospel doth not teach us to seek the justification of our persons before God by works but by faith in Christ and then teacheth us to seek the justification of our faith before men in our own and others conscience by the sincere endeavour of new obedience And therefore 14. While we are about the cure of the wounds of the conscience and strengthening of faith we must on the one hand take heed left we foster presumption and hinder either the exercise of repentance or doing diligence in following duties for Christian graces do not impede but help and strengthen one another if they be real and kindly because they must flow from the same fountain of the spirit of sanctification and do run toward the same end which is the glory of God and on the other hand we must take heed lest we presse the exercise of repentance as it were out of our own strength or the practice of duties so as we hinder the exercise of faith in Christ who is that exalted Prince to give repentance and is the author and finisher of faith Let us so cry up the imputed righteousnesse of Christ that we neglect not to presse the regenerat man freely justified by grace to bring forth the fruits of
his yoke upon them are troubled with doubtings whether they be of the number of true believers whether they have rightly come unto Christ whether they have been well accepted of him and for their doubting they can give no other reason save this I cannot be quiet nor rest in assurance that I am in the state of grace if they be interrogat what they think of the evident signs of their regeneration which have been and are to be seen in their conversation since they began in earnest to seek the face of God in Christ They will possibly not altogether deny Gods work in them but yet dare not lean weight upon these signs because they do find these signs also brought in question whether they have been or are kindly and sincere mean time they are about to do that which is acceptable to God in the course of their calling albeit with more heavinesse and lesse alacrity then bâ—cometh persons reconciled to God in Christ. 2. This disease will be found complicat and made up of moe mistakes and errors then one and therefore is to be the more narrowly considered because it is no small hinderance of a comfortable christian conversation which God doth allow on his children for in the party troubled with unquietnesse we presuppone Iâ— there is a serious sense of sin and purpose to do better 2. An unfained embracing of the covenant of grace and reconciliation in Christ Jâ—sus And 3. an honest though weak endeavour to bring forth the fruits of new obedience and yet notwithstanding the person is not quiet but walketh heavily and is discouraged by reason of his uncertainty whether he be in the state of grace or not yea he is cast down and disquieted because he is disquieted and cannot get a reasonable answer from his conscience when he asketh of it why are thou cast down and disquieted within me 3. The mistakes and errors whence this dissatisfaction and unquietnesse doth flow are many but we shall condescend upon eight or nine only The first error and cause of unquietnesse is or may be this that the party afflicted albeit he have the habits of saving grace in him and doth by Gods grace put forth these habits in actual exercise yet he doth not reflect upon nor turn his eye to observe the operations of Gods holy Spirit in himself nor the acts of saving grace which the holy Spirit hath made him put forth of which if he take not notice they are to him for the time as if they were not and so no wonder he be disquiet while he perceiveth not in himself that which might make him quiet For example when the sense of sin is raised up in a mans spirit by the holy Ghost if he do not observe that this is one of the operations of the holy Spirit convincing the world of sin or if he do not turn back his eye on this operation and upon his own act stirred up thereby to subscribe the sentence of the law against himself no wonder that he doubt of his conversion till he see the foot-steps of God the converter of him from the love and approbation of sin unto the hatred of it and when he is â—lâ—d to Christ the only Redeemer from sin and misery and hath laid hold on him according to the covenant of grace offered in him if he do not look back on this operation of God drawing him to Christ and upon his own act of coming unto Christ by the draught of Gods Spirit what wonder he do not reckon himself among believers albeit he be in Gods account one of that number And when the holy Spirit hath kindled in him not only a purpose of new obedience but also a begun endeavour to live holily justly and soberly if he do not observe and acknowledge these operations of Gods Spirit making him to bring forth these acts what wonder that this mistake and inconsideration do open a door to disquietnesse and doubting whether he be in the state of grace or not 4. For removing this cause of disquietnesse the afflicted person must beware that he passe not sentence of Gods dispensation towards him according to the tentations and suggestions of Sathan nor yet according to the opinion which his Pastor or friend may have of him judging somewhat uncharitably of him upon sinister suspicions neither let him stand to the suspicions of his own incredulous heart but let him consider what the Word of the Lord hath said of the person in whom these three graceâ— do concur to wit 1. the sense of sin and inability to help our selves 2. flying unto Christ for relief from sin and misery and 3. some measure of upright purpose and endeavour to serve God in new obedience for of such saith the Apostle Phil. 3. 3 We are the Circumcision or true Israelits who have no confidence in the flesh but rejoyce in Iesus Christ and worship God in the spirit Let him therefore esteem the discovery of his sinfull and wretched estate in himself to be the very fruit of the eye-salve and work of the Spirit bestowed on him by Christ and let him esteem his hearty consent given to the covenant of grace and reconciliation to be the undoubted act of saving faith For hearty consent to the offer of grace in Jesus Christ presuppones first that the person sees no standing for him by the law or covenant of works but is beaten from all confidence in himself and made to believe and subscribe the righteous sentence of the law against himself to the praise of Gods truth and justice Secondly it imports the mans believing the testimony which God hath given of Christ Jesus to wit that God hath made a gift of life eternall to the soul that hungereth and thristeth for righteousnesse and that this life is in his Son yea it imports the mans receiving and embracing of Christ offered in the Gospel Thirdly it importeth that the consenter to the covenant of grace as he hath renounced confidence in his own works So he hath given up himself to God to live by the grace of Jesus Christ unto eternall life Now if the afflicted shall reflect upon these two operations of the holy Ghost making him humble in the sense of sin heartily to receive Christ Jesus for his relief and withall do observe an unfained purpose and begun endeavour to live more holily and fruitfully by the grace and furniture of Christ howsoever he labour under many infirmities not only is he undoubtedly a new creature but also by observing the foresaid evidence thereof may conclude that God hath begun a good work of grace in him and so shall this first cause of disquietnesse be removed 5. Another cause of disquietnesse is or may be this if the afflicted after examination of the work of grace in himself being convinced of his blessed estate and confirmed by present sense of Gods love shed abroad in his heart do not hold fast his estimation of Gods work in himself longer
but not be rested upon It is indeed natural unto us to seek to have perfection in our selves for our own glory and not to follow the way prescribed to us of God for perfecting of us unto the glory of God as may be seen in the flower of Israel after the flesh Rom. 9. and 10. Now the order of God is that we should be first justified by faith in Christ without the works of the law that is God will have us in the first place to confesse unto him our sins and renounce all confidence in our own works before in and after our conversion and to renounce all confidence in our own worthinesse or our own strength and betake us to that righteousnesse which by the obedience and satisfaction of Christ is purchased unto us and offered in the Gospel to be accounted ours of meer free grace In the second place God will have us being cloathed with Christs imputed righteousnesse to approach unto the throne of grace that by faith in Christ we may receive the power of the holy Spirit in a larger and larger measure for encreasing our sanctification more and more And in the third place he will have us as we profit and grow in holinesse to give the thanks and praise and glory thereof unto God in Jesus Christ who both justifieth us and sanctifieth us by his own Spirit and in as far as we come short in the measure of sanctification which we aim at he will have us to be humbled in our selves and lay faster hold on Christ who justifieth us that he by his Spirit may more and more sanctifie us and that because Christ is made of God unto us not only our righteousnesse but also our sanctification as the Apostle teacheth us 1 Cor. 1. 30. Now when any man breaks this order and seeketh justification by Christ but sanctification by himself as it were and when he findeth sanctification not to grow as he hoped it should doth not flye in to the garment of Christs imputed righteousnesse which alone is able to hide his nakednesse Rev. 3. 18. but in stead of humbling himself in the exercise of repentance is ready to call his justification and conversion in question and to cast it away as it were what wonder is it that God being justly offended because the righteousnesse of Christ is not in due estimation and precious in that mans eyes doth not grant unto him a better measure of sanctification especially while he is contending to have his own prescribed measure of sanctification with the prejudice of that divine righteousnesse which is by faith in Jesus Christ and will not as a humble penitent hold grip of Christs righteousnesse except he obtain such a measure of sanctification and freedom from wrestling with sin as he hath resolved to find in himself before he can stand to his interest in Christ for justification What wonder is it that God suffer sin in the afflicted to put forth its power more then before that he may teach his young convert and souldier ignorant of his duty and of Gods order of proceeding with his children to be more wise and to adhere more closely under the sense of his sinfulnesse unto the righteousnesse of Christ unto which he did flye and was forced to flye in his conversion As also that he may teach his child that sanctification must be drawn out of no other fountain then Christ out of whose fulnesse we must receive grace for grace and who by faith applyeth to his redeemed ones his imputed righteousness and by faith applyeth and worketh in them sanctification purchased unto them in the covenant of Redemption 5. Wherefore for remedy of this mistake first let the afflicted when he perceiveth and feeleth the power of sin to be more then he conceived he should have found in himself after his conversion let him I say forthwith humble himself before God acknowledge his natural uncleannesse and utter inability by his own strength to resist sin and being humbled at the heart let him blesse God who of his free grace hath prepared and freely granted unto him a righteousnesse purchased by Christ 2 Cor. 5. 21. with which being cloathed he may stand before the Tribunal of grace absolved Next let him earnestly and daily pray that he may both hold fast grips of that righteousnesse of Christ by faith and out of the same fountain of Gods glorious grace in Christ study to increase in sanctification and peece and peece to mortifie and abolish the corruption of nature Thirdly let the afflicted use the ordinances and means appointed of God for mortifying of sin and reparation of the Image of God in him And fourthly let the afflicted in the use of appointed means and ordinances of God by faith look unto Christ that out of him he may suck sap and the furniture of his Spirit to bring forth good fruits for without him we can do nothing but if we abide in him we shall bring forth abundant fruits Joh. 15. 5. CHAP. XIII Wherein is solved the converts doubt whether he be in the state of grace arising from his comparing of himself with the hypocrit and unregenerat In those perfections they may attain unto SOmetime a true convert when he perceiveth how far specious hypocrits may make progresse in the way of righteousnesse with how many vertues they may be indued with how many gifts they may be adorned how-like the foolish virgins may be unto the wise and how far temporary faith may carry a man especially when it is busked with spiritual common gifts how many glorious professors of the true christian Religion have made apostasie how many wayes men do deceive themselves and may possibly further and further deceive themselves of which self-deceivings somewhat is spoken in the end of the former book what wonder is it the weak convert stagger and fear least he also deceive himself especially when he seeth nothing in himself which may not be counterfeit 2. For lousing of this doubt wherein many have been pusled we must yield to the afflicted that there are many indeed who do deceive and destroy themselves with their vain thoughts which because it doth very frequently come to passe it should stir up all men to be circumspect and wary least they deceive themselves in the mater of their salvation and for that intent to examine themselves whether they be in the saith 2 Cor. 13. least they be beguiled and so perish And because tender faith is easily hurt all their fear must be turned into a holy carefulnesse to be found sincere and serious in the use of the Lords ordinances least Sathan beguile them on the right hand or on the left And for this end we offer advice to the afflicted to discern things that differ and first to distinguish gifts common to hypocrits and true converts from saving graces or benefits accompanying salvation for learning and skill to govern great maters and eloquence and understanding of deep mysteries and revelation of
free of grosse out-breakings This last sort deceive themselves also because they esteem their natural sorrow for such sins as are grosse and scandalous to be true repentance albeit they be not humbled for the fountain of these out-breakings to wit their in-born corruption of nature and filthy concupiscence and the daily out-breakings thereof to the polluting of their spirits whereof they do take litle or no notice Many also there are who deceive themselves esteeming the outward exercises of religion and some works in themselves commendable to be sufficient fruits and evidences of their faith in Christ and of their regeneration albeit they have not as yet fled to Christ sincerely neither ever put a right estimation upon the imputed righteousnesse of Christ. Such men when they should renounce all confidence in their own works and in the sense of their sinfulnesse flye unto the covenant of grace offered in Christ that in him they might have remission of sin and from him by faith draw strength and ability to bring forth good works they run a contrary course for in the confidence of their own strength they go about sundry duties toward men and exercises of religion toward God trusting in those works as if by works they were to be justified Therefore justly shall Christ say unto them depart from me ye workers of iniquity I never knew you Such were many of the Israelits who being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God went about to establish their own righteousnesse These things when one weak in faith doth consider no wonder he be troubled and be afraid lest he deceive himself and perish as others have done 3. This is a dangerous disease and so long as it is not cured it hinders much the tender beginnings of the new creature that it cannot come up to manly strength First therefore let the afflicted wisely examine the course of his by-gone life lest he either absolve or condemn himself rashly and let him beware lest he esteem the worse of the evidences of a new creature and the fruits of faith because these that look to be justified by their works can produce the like works Secondly let the afflicted call to mind whether in the beginning of the reâ—ormation of his life the Law as a Pedagoge did lead him unto Christ and whether since that time the law did daily put him on and force him to â—lye to Christ and to embrace Christ and his righteousnesse and hath made him to study obedience to the law out of love to God so much the more carefully as he perceived himself obliged thankfully to acknowledge grace granted in Christ to him for if any measure of the daily exercise of repentance if any measure of love to Christ and any measure of endeavour of new obedience be found after examination in the person afflicted out of doubt the ground is laid solidly of his salvation out of doubt he hath an evidence of the work of grace by the operation of the holy Spirit in himself 4. If in this examination the afflicted be not clear but the doubt doth yet stick because of the suspicion he hath of the felt deceitfulnesse of his own heart we offer unto him this counsell that he quickly humble himself before God and do ingenuously acknowledge the native perversenesse and deceitfulnesse of his heart and for that very reason let him embrace Christ the Redeemer in the armes of faith offering himself to every condemned sinner and let him thank God who hath deciphered unto him this deceitfulnesse of his heart and offered Christ unto him for the true remedy of this and every other sinfull malady And in the mean time let him put a difference between himself and an hypocrit in whom the deceit of the heart is neither acknowledged nor seen but fostered and defended for a close hypocrite after hearing of the doctrine of the deceitfulnesse of the heart will stand to the defending of his own sincerity and will take it hardly if any man labour to convince him of any measure of hypocrisie but a true convert or regenerat person will not deny but much hypocrisie may be found in him and albeit he be sorrowfull that this deceitfulnesse of heart hath had lodging in him and lurked too long yet is he willing and glad to have this evil more and more discovered unto him and heartily doth he deliver up this traitor to Christ to be mortified and abolished by his Spirit 5. But if the afflicted cannot be quiet and satisfied still fearing and suspecting he be found a man unrenewed and that for the running issue of this filthy boyl opened up to him by the sword of the Spirit let him beware that he passe not permptor sentence against himself that he do not conclude himself to be a man altogether in the bond of iniquity but let him suspend for a time the disputation and do that which is allowed unto every self-condemned man in the beginning of his conversion that is quickly let him flye unto Christ for remission of sin let him lay hold on that righteousnesse purchased by him and the more he feareth to find God a severe judge let him the more firmly lay hold on Jesus Christ the Mediator who justifieth the ungodly by faith this is the only solid way to persevere in faith to overcome Sathan to solve doubts to resist temptations and to cure the wound made by Sathans firy darts for unto that man who in the sense of his sins and ill deserving and inability to help himself doth flye unto Christ it shall never be said by Christ depart from me I never knew thee 6. Now when the person afflicted hath of new laid hold on Christ and guarded the fortresse of faith and repulsed the tempter who by all means and specially by quarreling and questioning the by-past work of grace in him had laboured to weaken and overturn his faith for by-gones and for the present also lest it should convalesce and grow stronger for time to come now I say let the afflicted after victory return to the dispute and to the examination of his state in grace of his faith in Christ and of his regeneration and he shall see all the begun saving graces which were darkened by temptations clearly appear and shall perceive the several steps and degrees of Gods grace toward him in former times more evidently then he could discern them in the hour of darknesse and temptation And so he shall return from this battel strongerin faith then he was before and more perswaded of the work of the holy Spirit in him then he was before the temptation CHAP. XXV Wherein is solved the doubt of the true converts conversion arising from his breach of the covenant of Grace as he conceiveth THere are some sincere converts who albeit they do not doubt but penitents flying to Christ are received in favour with God are justified from their sins and do obtain right unto all the priviledges of the Saints yet they doubt
and faith in him and so saveth the believer 1 Ioh. 1. 9. and 2. 1. 7. As for the last objection taken from the impossibility of knowing taking notice of or confessing every sin wherewith we are daily polluted or from the impossibility of putting repentance and faith in exercise about every particular sin we answer first that the children of God notwithstanding of this impossibility acknowledged by them have sought and obtained renewed remission of their innumerable sins Ps. 40. 12. and Ps. 19. 12 13. 8. Secondly such as are justified by faith upon confession of such sins as they know and do remember are accepted of God as if they had confessed all their sins particularly because he that hath no mind to deny or excuse any sin in himself but is willing to open up his heart to God in sincerity and to canfesse every particular if he were able he hath presented a contrite heart before God which is a sacrifice acceptable to God Ps. 51. 8 9. Ps. 32. 5. and this much also Christ doth teach us speaking of the Publican who made a short and general confession of his sins in sincerity and went home justified Luk. 18. 13 14. Thirdly it is not impossible for a watchfull conscience to observe daily as many particular sproutings from the root of in-born sin as may humble him daily and bear down all confidence in his own righteousnesse and furnish to him mater for exercise of repentance and faith in Christ. And this lesson the Lord did teach his people under the Law by the twice offering sacrifice every day morning and evening that his people observing daily the running issue of corrupt nature might daily have their recourse by faith unto the lamb of God that takes away the sins of his own people and hitherto we are directed to look Is. 45. 22. and 1 Iob. 2. 1. Mean time on the one hand let us beware to lay any sort of merit upon our daily exercise of faith and sorrow for sin in our repentance otherwayes we should be found offerers unto God of satisfaction from us and not suiters of remission of sins from God and on the other hand let us beware to be discouraged albeit we do not find daily the renewed intimation and sense of remission but as we apply the Law to our selves in the exercise of repentance So let us apply the sentence of absolution pronounced in the Gospel in favours of every penitent soul that flyeth to Christ for refuge The tenth question shall be concerning spiritual dispositions of mind and qualifications which may be joyned with or separat from the special work of true conversion and saving grace THe Apostle Heb. 6. 4 5 6 9 10. tells us of sundry qualifications which may be found in unconverted men and also he tells us of better things which do accompany salvation and are sure evidences of regeneration Of the first sort there are among others these five 1. A legal conviction of the vilenesse of sin and vanity of the world 2. A renouncing of unlawfull pleasures joyned with a refraining even from lawfull and allowed wordly delights 3. A natural desire of salvation and of sanctification that they may be saved 4. A purpose to live righteously holily and soberly in this present world 5. An outward change of maners and conversation so far as they may be blamelesse before men These and such like qualifications may make a fair show in the flesh and yet may be found to be not only in true converts but also in such as are strangers from the life of God such was the Apostle Paul before conversion such was Israel Rom. 9. 31. Which followed after the law of righteousnesse and did not attain to the law of righteousnesse Who being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse did and going about to establish their own righteousnesse did not submit themselves to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10. 3. Of this sort are such of the Papists who go about to be justified by their own works and do but mock at the imputation of Christs righteousnesse calling it blasphemously a putatious or conceited righteousnesse not considering that the Pope and his servants do reckon the imputation of the righteousnesse and merits of men and of the superfluity of the Saints righteousnesse by reason of their works of supererogation to be worth a great sum of money as they find their merchants Concerning these five qualifications some converts especially such as desire to see the evidences of saving grace in those with whom they will joyn in the society of Church-membership may make question what to think whether they be saving graces or common operations of the Spirit 2. For answer we must distinguish between a mans judging of those qualifications in himself and his judging of another in whom these qualifications appear to be for a man judging of himself may attain to a clear and certain discerning of saving grace in himself as the Apostle giveth us to understand 1 Cor. 2 11 12. In which case of our judging of our selves this much may be said that if a man find in himself those qualifications joyned with faith in Christ for righteousnesse and eternal life and is seeking furniture from Christ to bring forth fruits of his faith in new obedience he may be quiet and be out of doubt of saving grace in himself for unto such a person the description of a true convert may safely be applyed Phil. 3. 3. We are the circumcision c. And pre-suppose he hath observed these qualifications in himself before he hath observed his closing with Christ or his application of the offer of reconciliation through him he neither needeth nor should trouble himself or others with questioning whether such and such qualifications in him before his fixing on Christ were the common or special operations of the holy Ghost for seing the kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation alwayes it is hard to determine of the first beginnings of the working of saving grace by the holy Spirit because saving faith hath in it the substance of historical dogmatical and temporary faith And therefore when both saving faith and historical dogmatical and temporary faith may produce belief of the law and convince the man of sin and wrath due for sin and produce the belief of the Gospel also without application of the offer of reconciliation how shall a man determine whether these effects were produced by vertue of dogmatical and temporary faith or by vertue of saving faith untill the time that the humbled sinner flye in unto Christ and seek to draw furniture from him for new obedience of the law of love toward God and man and so put difference betwixt saving faith and that faith which may be in an unregenerat aud unreconciled man But when the man is come up to apply Christ and cleave unto him for righteousnesse and life and furniture to carry him on the way unto salvation it is not his wisdom to dispute whether these
from whence thou art fallen Or the thing we are to examine is our deeds words and thoughts actually done or omitted the neglect of which examination is reproved Ierem. 8. c. and Revel 2. 19 20. 7. The third thing to be looked unto in the court of Conscience is the rule whereby we are to examine our selves in all or any of the former respects which is the revealed will of God in holy Scripture wherein is set down to us what we should believe and what we should do and what is the reward of the obedience of faith and what is the punishment of disobedience And here if the Conscience be not well informed and the rule closly cleaved unto the erring Conscience may swallow down the grossest idolatry and cry up Diana for a great goddess Act. 19. 28 and make the murtherers of the Saints conceive that in killing them they do God good service Ioh. 16. 2. 8. The fourth thing is the judicial process of the Conscience for giving such a sentence of direction for what is to be done or of absolution or condemnation in the point examined and found done or not done which process if the Conscience be well informed is after the maner of clear reasoning by way of Syllogisme wherein we lay down the rule given by the supreme Law-giver in the major or first proposition Then we do lay our selves to the rule in the minor or second assumed proposition and from the comparison of our selves with the rule we give out sentence in the third room which is called the Conclusion As for example If the Conscience be about to give direction for what is to be done it reasoneth thus What God hath appointed to be the only rule of faith and maners I must take heed to follow it as the rule But the holy Scripture God hath appointed to be the only rule of faith and maners Therefore I must take heed to follow the Scripture as the only rule Or more shortly the Lord hath commanded to repent and turn unto him offering reconciliation in Christ therefore it is my duty so to do But in the process of the Conscience unto conviction or absolution sometime moe sometime fewer reasonings are used As for example for conviction the process goeth thus That which God hath commanded me I should have â—one But to repent and turn to Him He hath commanded me Therefore I should have repented and turned to God Again He that hath not obeyed the Lord in repenting of his evil wayes and turning unto God is under great guiltiness and worthy of death by the sentence of the Law But such a one am I may every impenitent person say of himself And therefore may conclude of himself I am under great guiltiness and worthy of death by the sentence of the Law Likewayes in the process of the Conscience a humbled person well informed may reason thus That way of reconciliation which God hath appointed a self-condemned sinner to follow I am bound to follow But this way and no other hath God appointed that the sinner convinced of sin and of deserved wrath should flee to Christ Iesus the Mediator that by Him he may be justified sanctified and saved Therefore this way of reconciliation and no other I am bound to follow Again Whosoever by the grace of God in the sense of sin and deserved wrath is fled unto Christ for righteousness and eternal life and in Christs strength is endeavouring to give new obedience to the will of God is undoubtedly a true believer and child of God But such a one am I may the humbled sinner fled to Christ say of himself Therefore I am by the grace of God undoubtedly a true believer and a child of God And yet again he may go on to strengthen his faith and to comfort himself in the Lord thus Whosoever in the sense of sin poverty and weakness hath fled to Christ the Redeemer resolved never to part with Him and hath consecrated himself in the strength of Christ to endeavour to give new obedience to the will of God he is an heir with Isaac of the promised blessings and may hope to have them perfectly in possession at last But such an one am I may the humbled sinner fled to Christ say of himself Therfore I am an heir of the promised blessings with Isaac and may hope to have them perfectly in possession at last Such a process as this doth the Conscience of the regenerat man follow when he reneweth the acts of his repentance and sentenceth himself worthy of what the Law pronounceth against his sin and when he reneweth the acts of his faith in Christ through whom alone he is fred from the deserved curse of the Law 9. As to the fifth thing to be observed in the court of Conscience which is the execution of the sentence it hath pronounced because the Conscience is set over the man by God as Judge-depute therefore it goeth about in the name of God by and by to execute as it may the sentence justly pronounced by it and according to the nature of the sentence of condemnation or absolution pronounced by it it stirreth up divers motions and affections in the heart some of them sad and sorrowfull some of them joyfull and comfortable The sad and bitter passions that follow upon the sentence of conviction and condemnation justly pronounced are shame grief fear anxiety vexation and such-like whereby the guilty sinner is either fretted as with a worm or fired and tormented Of this we have an example in our first parent Adam who being convicted in his conscience of sin and deserved wrath did flee from the face of God all amazed and a frighted Gen. 3. 9. 10. The Lord called unto Adam and said unto him where art thou And he said I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid my self But the Conscience after it is furnished by the Gospel to absolve the penitent believer fled to Christ doth stir up more sweet and comfortable motions in the heart such as are peace comfort joy gladness exultation confidence and such like An example whereof we see in Paul 2 Cor 1. 2. Our rejoycing saith he is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world So the Conscience after it is wounded by the mans transgression doth the part of a Iudge citing the man before its Tribunal and the part of an Officer presenting the man at the Bar and the part of an Accuser challenging the man for his transgression and the part of the Recorder producing the book of Statutes and the part of sufficient witnesses proving and convincing him of the deed done Again it doth the part of a Iudge pronouncing sentence and condemning the convicted transgressour and the part of a Sergeant and Marshal binding the condemned wretch and the part of the
sin but did not seek mercy and pardon Neither is it sufficient to boast of acquaintance with Christ and professe great respect to him because many do cry Lord Lord who neither renounce their confidence in their own righteousnesse nor worship God in spirit for of such Christ saith Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith to Him Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of God Neither is it sufficient to pretend the worshiping of God in spirit for all they who think to be justified by their own works do esteem their manner of serving of God true and spirituall service and worship as may be seen in the proud Pharisee glorying before God in his own righteousnesse and acknowledging that God was the giver unto him of the holinesse and righteousnesse which he had Luke 18. 11. I thank Thee O God saith he that I am not like other men extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this publican for of this man Christ saith he returned to his house unjustified that is a man lying still in sin unreconciled Neither is it sufficient to prove a man regenerat to confess sin and by-gone unrighteousnesse and to promise and begin to amend his wayes and future conversation for so much may a Pharisee attain And there are many that professe themselves Christians who think to be justified by the merits of their own and other saints doings and sufferings and do disdainfully scoff and mock at the doctrine of the imputed righteousnesse of Christ how many are they also who think their bygone sins may be washen away and be recompenced by their purpose to amend their life in time to come How many are they who being willingly ignorant of the righteousnesse of God which is of faith in Jesus Christ go about to establish their own righteousnesse as the Jews did Rom. 10. 3. And how few are they who follow the example of the Apostle who carefully served God in spirit and truth but did not lean to his own righteousnesse but sought more and more to be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse which behoved to be made up of his imperfect obedience of the law but that righteousnesse which is by faith in Jesus Christ Philip. 3. 9. But that man who daily in the sense of his sinfulness and poverty sleeth unto Jesus Christ that he may be justified by His righteousnesse and endeavoureth by faith in Him to bring forth the fruits of new obedience and doth not put confidence in these his works when he hath done them but rejoyceth in Jesus Christ the fountain of holinesse and blessednesse That man I say undoubtedly is regenerat and a new creature for so doth the Apostle describe him Philip. 3. 3. CHAP. IV. Of divine Covenants about the eternall salvation of men and in speciall of the Covenant of redemption shewing that there is such a Covenant and what are the articles thereof BEcause the healing of the sicknesse of the conscience cometh by a right application of divine Covenants about our salvation therefore it is necessary that some measure of the knowledge thereof be opened up 1. A divine covenant we call a contract or paction wherein God is at least the one party contracter Of this sort of covenants about the eternall salvation of men which sort chieflly belong to our purpose there are three The first is the covenant of redemption past between God and Christ God appointed Mediatour before the world was in the council of the Trinity The second is the covenant of works made between God and men in Adam in his integrity indued with all naturall perfections enabling him to keep it so long as it pleased him to stand to the condition The third is the covenant of grace and reconciliation through Christ made between God and believers with their children in Christ. 2. As to the covenant of redemption for clearing the mater we must distinguish the sundry acceptions of the word redemption for 1. Sometime it is taken for the contract and agreement of selling and buying-back to eternall salvation of lost man looked upon as in the state of sin and misery In which sense we are said to be bought by Christ both souls and bodies 1 Cor. 6. 19. 20. Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And this may be called redemption by paction and agreed bargain 2. Sometime redemption is taken for the paying of the price agreed upon In which sense Christ is said to have redeemed us by suffering of the punishment due to us and ransoming of us Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us 3. Sometime redemption is taken for the begun application of the benefits purchased in the covenant by the price payed Ephes. 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through His blood even the remission of sins according to the riches of His grace 4. Sometime redemption is taken for the perfect and full possession of all the benefits agreed upon between the Father and Christ His Son the Mediatour In which sense we are said to be sealed with the holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession Ephes. 1. 14. and Ephes. 4. 30. it is said Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption which is the day of Judgement when Christ shall put us in full possession of all the blessednesse which He purchased by bargain and payment for us In this place we take redemption in the first sense for the covenant past between the Father and Christ His Son designed Mediatour about our redemption 3. When we name the Father as the one party and His Son Christ as the other party in this covenant we do not seclude the Son and holy Spirit from being the party offended but do look upon the Father Son and Spirit one God in three Persons as offended by mans sin and yet all three contented to take satisfaction to divine justice for mans sin in the Person of the Son as designed Mediatour to be incarnat Whereby the Son is both the party offended as God one essentially with the Father and holy Spirit and the party contracter also as God designed Mediatour personally for redeeming man who with consent of the Father and holy Spirit from all eternity willed and purposed in the fulnesse of time to assume the humane nature in personall union with Himself and for the elects sake to become man and to take the cause of the elect in hand to bring them back to the friendship of God and full enjoyment of felicity for evermore When therefore we make the Father the one party and the Son designed mediatour the other party speaking with the Scripture for the more easie uptaking of the Covenant let us look to one God in three Persons having absolute right and soveraign
the uttering of the promise did not direct his speech unto Adam and Evah but to the devil by way of threatning and cursing him and his seed even all the reprobat in the audience of Adam and Evah that our first parents over-hearing the curse of the serpent and his seed and the promise of Christs incarnation in laying hold upon the promiser by faith might be justified and saved as privat persons after the same way as other believers after them should be justified and saved This their faith in Christ the Lord did foster and augment by his doctrine taught unto them and by the prescribing typicall sacrifices to be offered in faith to God for remission of sins And the Lord did admit their children into the externall fellowship of this covenant without putting difference between one and another outwardly as we see in Cain and Abel of which two the one to wit Cain was a covenanter in the flâ—sh outwardly and in the letter only for he was destitute and void of saving faith the other to wit Abel was both outwardly and inwardly a covenanter not in the letter only but in the spirit also indued with lively justifying and saving faith in Christ to be incarnat and to die for his own people as the Apostle testifieth reckoning him up among believers justified by faith Heb. 11. 4. 3. After the flood God did not make the covenant with every man nor with any family by way of explicit and formall paction except Abraham and his family only of whom the Messiah God the Mediatour was to come according to the flesh and with him the Lord confirmed the covenant by adding unto it the Sacrament of circumcision as the seal of righteousnesse and justification by faith 4. In the wildernesse at mount Sinai that the Lord might make evident the necessâ—â—y of justification by faith in Christ to come he did repeat the law to works and to them that did acknowledge their siâ—â— he did set forth Christ their deliverer under the vâ—â—l of sacrifices and leviticall types and the very same is the covenant now whereunto Christ and his ministers laying aside the vail of the ceremonies did openly invite their hearers that acknowledging their sins and renouncing confidence in their own power and worth they should cast themselves into the arms of Christ the Saviour that through him they might obtain justification and life eternall We see here indeed a diverse maner of dispensing and outward managing the making of the covenant with men but the covenant was still the same clothed and set forth in a diverse maner and did no other wayes differ then and now but as one and the self same man differeth from himself cloathed sutably one way in his minority and another way in his riper age 5. If the covenanters therefore be compared among themselves in respect of diverse dispensations the covenanters in spirit after Christs incarnation are in a better condition then the believers before Christs coming for the believers before Christ incarnat under the pedagogie of the law did lye under a servitude and bondage as to the outward man for then the sons and heirs not come to age did differ nothing from servants Gal. 4. 1. and in regard of the inward man they saw the mystery of salvation albeit savingly yet more obscurely for through the vail they saw the mystery of salvation to be had by Christ but after Christs coming the Lord dealt more liberally with believers because by their freedom from the leviticall ceremonies taking away the vail they may behold with open face the glory of the Lord as in a mirror and be transformed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. 6. But as for what concerns the covenanters in the letter and outwardly only they are in worse condition after the coming of Christ then the literall covenanters before his incarnation for the unregenerat under the Gospel are in danger of more heavy judgement then the uncircumcised in heart were before Christ came in regard it is a greater sin to neglect and despise Christ speaking from heaven in the more clear manifestation of himself in the Gospel then it was before Christ came to contemn the darker doctrine of Moses Heb. 2. 3. and 10. 20. Concerning the condition of the Covenant IN receiving or admission of persons who are come to the use of reason into the covenant these three things are to be observed and distinguished one from another first the condition of the person desireing to be in covenant with God for reconciliation and grace through Christ 2. The condition upon which he is entered in covenant 3. The condition required of him for evidencing of his sincere covenanting The first condition required of the man who desireth to enter in the covenant of reconciliation is the acknowledgement of his sins for except a man confesse himself a sinner and unable to help himself Christ rejecteth him and will have nothing to do with him for Christ hath said I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Matth. 9. 13. As for the next the condition of the covenant upon which the man is received and whereby the man becometh a confederat it is his consent to receive the grace offered even Christ with his benefits as he is holden forth in the Gospel or the condition of the covenant is faith receiving Christ for righteousnesse and eternall life As for the third the condition required of the man now entered in the covenant for evidenceing the truth and sincerity of the faith which the covenanter professeth it is the taking on him the yoke of Christ which he layeth on his confederat people or this condition is the covenanters up-giving of himself to Christs government and obedience of his commands and all these three are expressed by Christ Matth. 11. 28. 29. First they that labour and are heavy laden are they whom Christ calleth unto a covenant and fellowship of his grace Secondly he propounds the condition of the covenant to wit that they believe in Christ or come unto Him that in him they may find full relief from sin and misery and in him full righteousnesse and felicity Thirdly he requires of them who do embrace him by faith and so have accepted the condition of the covenant that they give evidence of their faith in him by taking on of his yoke on them take my yoke upon you â—aith he All these three a covenanter in the letter externally will professe to have and to purpose to follow but the true covenanters in spirit have indeed all the three for true faith in Christ or the receiving of Christ offered in the Evangell for justification and salvation which is the condition of the covenant presupposeth the condition of the man who is called to imbrace Christ and draweth after it the condition required of the man covenanting for he that receiveth Christ for righteousnesse and eternall
of the Israelits who were ignorant of the deceitfulness of their own heart and of their inability to perform what they promised he saith ver 28 29. They have well said all that they have spoken Therefore unto the tying a man in this bond of the covenant this morall honesty is sufficient albeit to salvation it is not sufficient but in order thereto a mean of God's appointment Now that there is such a thing as we call morall integrity or honesty which differeth from the true Christians spiritual honesty or sincerity it is plain from these places of Scripture which speak of this integrity of heart in such persons as were not renewed because they intended no other thing then they pretended Thus Abimelech excuseth himself to God when he took away Sarah Abrahams wife from him thinking Sarah had been his sister and not his wife Gen 20. 6. In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my â—â—ads have I done this And this the Lord doth acknowledge to be true ver 17. So also the captains that came with their companies to David in Ziklag are said to have a perfect heart because they were morally honest and resolved as they professed uprightly to make David King and to help him in the war and not betray him 1 Chron. 12. 33. 38. Of the sundry wayes of mens framing of the covenant of Grace AS we told there was a covenant of works one truly so called of Gods institution and another false sort of covenant of works of mans framing So it is also in the mater of the covenant of Grace there is one truly so called and another sort false and counterfeit of mans framing That which is of Gods framing is the covenant that God makes with the Church for giving righteousness and life by faith in Jesus Christ that which we call a counterfeit covenant is the covenant which men frame unto themselves upon any other condition then faith Such was the counterfeit covenant of the false apostles who corrupted the Gospel-covenant among the Galatians whereof the Apostle Paul complaineth Gal. 1. 6 7. challenging them that they had forsaken God who called them to the grace of Christ and were turned over to another Gospel that is to another covenant of grace then the true one which is only one and not various but by the troublers of the Church was changed into another frame for the true covenant was perverted and corrupted by these who went about to joyn together Justification by works and Justification by grace through faith in Christ which two sorts of covenant are inconsistent and do mutually overthrow one another So also did the Pharisee Luke 18. 11 12. corrupt and pervert both the covenant of works and the covenant of grace he corrupted and perverted the covenant of works because he put up to God some external good works for the perfect obedience of the law and he perverted the covenant of grace because albeit he did acknowledge the grace of God and gave him thanks for giving him ability and power to do good works and for infusing habits of piety and justice in him yet he exalted himself and took the thanks and praise to himself who had made good use of these verâ—uous habits God I thank thee saith he that I am not like other men c. 2. Like unto this fault is the errour of many of whom some makes the act of faith brought forth by the power of natural free-will to be the condition of the covenant contrary to the doctrine of the Gospel which makes saith infused to be the gift of God renouncing its own righteousness and the merit of all works also and resting on Christ to be the condition For the sentence of the Apostle standeth firm and unmovable Rom. 11. 16. If it be by grace it is no more of works c. Other some make this the condition of the covenant that Christ should pay for mortal sins by his own temporal sufferings and so take away everlasting punishment but will have the sinner himself to pay for veniall sins by temporal sufferings partly in this life and partly in purgatory Other some dream of framing the covenant of grace thus if a man do all the good he is able and hath a will to serve God better then before they conceive that God must take the will for the perfect dead and so for good payment Which counterfeit conditions and other such like inventions of self-pleasing conceits are all of them nothing else but the adulterating both of the covenant of works and of the covenant of grace appointed of God by which inventions men deceive themselves to their own perdition Now that such perverting of the covenant of works and of grace are rife frequent among men experience may prove For before Christs coming this was the way of carnal Israelits Rom. 10. 3. and Rom. 9. 30. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God went about to establish their own inherent righteousness and would not subject themselves to the righteousness of God And of the Galatians it is said chap. 5. 4. Christ is become of none effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from grace that is ye who seek righteousness or justification by worke have renounced so far as in you lyeth grace to be had by Christ and experience daily sheweth the same disposition in many professed Christians Quest. Are not then such corrupters of the covenant of grace loosed from their obligation wherein by their baptism they were tyed to seek righteousness by faith only Ans. No for albeit by so doing they prove themselves to be corrupters and falsifiers of their covenant to their own perdition if they repent not yet they stand obliged still before God to their covenant sealed in baptism For the covenant of God with man cannot be dissolved by mens treachery and without Gods consent not only because the covenant of God with men in regard of the perpetual equity thereof hath in it a perpetual obligation but also because the soveraign dominion of God hath the force of a law to oblige them whom God hath taken in among his people that being once his confederat subjects they should remain still his subjects For as circumcision was a seal of covenanted righteousness by faith So baptism is a seal of the same covenanted righteousness by faith whether the covenanters remain constant unto their covenant or not as we see in the Israelits who albeit they were polluted with idolatry in Egypt and albeit they proved rebellious in the wilderness and in the land of promise were found often guilty of breach of covenant yet still in the Scripture they are called God's people and the Lords interest and right in them stood fast and their right also unto the external priviledges of the citizens of God's kingdom remained fast also untill the time that for their open and obstinat rejecting of Christ the children of the kingdom were
every one that thirsts come to these waters c. Isa. 55. And besides these promises which contain the condition of the covenant made to them who embrace the condition and do already believe such as is they that believe in me shall not perish but shall inherit eternall life there are also promises conditional serving to make men who profess faith in Christ to be reall and stedfast in the covenant wherein they are at least outwardly and solemnly entered such as Ioh. 15. 7 10. If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you and if ye keep my commands ye shall abide in my love c. And Ioh. 12. 26. If any man serve me him will my father honour and Ioh. 14. 21. he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him Obj. Seing it is certain that the condition of the covenant of grace is not the doing of one or moe works but faith receiving Christ offered without respect to our works as any part of the condition and seing the condition of the covenant is not the having or exercising of such and such vertues but the receiving of Christ through faith unto righteousness and eternal life by the man who hath renounced all confidence in his own works how cometh it to pass that such conditionall promises are made to them that are indued with and do exercise such vertues Ans. Albeit the endeavour to work good works or the exercise of such and such vertues prescribed by Christ cannot be the condition of the covenant for then no man could close covenant with Christ till first he shall find these vertues in himself and have given proof of his constant exercise thereof yet such conditional promises are made use of after a man hath closed covenant with Christ by faith as conditions required in a true believer to evidence the sincerity of his faith And that because many make pretense of their faith in Christ and yet do turn the grace of God into wantonness and do no wayes set themselves to new obedience unto God law and are no wayes careful to bring forth fruits suitable to professed repentance but are indulgent to their vitious and fleshly lusts and in effect do renounce all endeavour to exercise good works in stead of renouncing a carnall confidence in good works Therefore God doth put the endeavour to exercise Christian vertues on all professed believers as a condition distinguishing a sincere believer from an hypocrit least any man should please himself because he is externally in the covenant of Grace while it may be as yet his faith is but a dead faith not working by love Against which sort of pretended believers Iames chap. 2. disputeth Such conditional promises are directed toward them that are outwardly already in covenant and do serve for these severall uses First that such as both profess faith in Christ and are endeavouring the duties required in such conditionall promises may acknowledge that they have obtained of the Lord grace for grace grace to believe and grace to bring forth the fruits of faith Secondly that the honest hearted may be encouraged te set upon these duties and may hope to be furnished for them out of the rich fountain of Christs grace Iohn 1. 16. Thirdly they serve to make such as believe in Christ when they feel the in-lake of any such commanded duty or the bitter root of any vice in themselves to humble themselves in the sense thereof aâ—d to flye more earnestly to Christ the Redeemer that first they may be covered with his righteousness and then from him receive the power of the holy Ghost to bring forth good fruits as he hath promised Ioh. 15. 5. If ye abide in me ye shall bring forth much fruit Fourthly they serve to make believers in Christ subject themselves to the order of the operation of the holy Ghost who giveth grace for grace and worketh one grace before another in his own order as the foresaid promises do import Fifthly they serve to stir up believers in Christ to the love and exercise of such and such vertues in the hope of the promised reward Sixthly they serve to move believers to joyn one vertue to another for certifying themselves of their own calling and election by their growth therein 2 Pet. 1. 3 4. 12. Last of all they serve to make these who are destitute and void of such qualifications and are careless to have them manifest to themselves and others that they are blind and cannot see a far off and that they have forgotten that they were in baptism ecclesiastically purged form their old sins 2 Pet. 1. 9. Obj. How can this offer of grace to all the hearers of the Gospel and the solemn making of a covenant with all that profess they do accept of the offer stand with the doctrine of election of some and reprobation of others or with the doctrine of Christs redeeming of the Elâ—ct only and not of all and every man Ans. The election of some and reprobation of others was made clear of old by Gods making offer of grace unto and covenanting with one nation only and not with any other Psa. 147. 19 20. He shewed his word unto Jacob his statutes and his judgments unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any nation anâ— as for his judgments they have not known them 2. And the offer of grace to all hearers of the Gospel and covenanting with all that profess to accept the offer do consist with the election of some only as well now as of old when God made a covenant externall and conditional with all Israel of whom the great part were not elected to life and of whom it is said albeit they were in number as the sand of the sea yet a remnant of them only were to be saved Isa. 10. 22. For by this course God was not frustrat of his purpose and fruit of his covenanting with the mixed multitude of Israelits for the Elect by faith obtained righteousness and life but the rest were blinded Rom. 11. 7. 3. This common offer of grace to all the hearers of the Gospel and the making of a morall covenant with all that do profess that they accept the offer may stand with the doctrine of Christs redeeming the Elect only no less now then of old when Christ did make offer of grace to them that were not his sheep Ioh. 10. 26. and did receive sundry in among his disciples in external covenant who did afterward forsake him Ioh. 6. 66. but yet he did save and doth save all his Elect sheep whom the father hath given unto him Joh. 10. 65. And however this doctrine soundeth harsh in the ears of many when they hear of any reprobat or not elected or when they hear that Christ did not lay down his life for all and every man but for the Elect only and proud men
altogether Ans. We answer with the Apostle vers 20. Nay but O man who art thou that replyeth against God whether dost thou compear procuratour for the reprobat and for Satan the enemy of God to quarrell and dispute with God anent his righteous decrees If thou wilt avow this we leave thee and all such proud and presumptuous misbelievers of plain doctrine to reckon with your Judge But if thou speak only for thy self we shall let thee see that this doctrine shall not hinder thee from repentance If then thou shalt say I will not dispute against God but do desire earnestly to be satisfied about my self for I believe that many are reprobat and few are chosen and my fear is that I be found of the worst sort and do not know how to rid my self of my doubts and fears For answer we shall deal with thee in a friendly maner and first we put thee in remembrance that God hath served an inhibition on all men not to medle with the secret counsell of God Deut. 29. 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God but these things that are revealed belong unto us and our children for ever Therefore do not hearken to this suggestion but go about thy duty We ask then first art thou convinced of thy sin and ill deserving If thou say I am a sinner and cannot answer for one of a thousand of my by gone sins for which God may justly and I fear he shall in effect reject me we answer unto thee it is to good purpose that thou are so far convinced of sin as to judge thy self worthy of death and utter exterminion from his mercy mean time be comforted thus far that thou art not of the number of those who confide in their own righteousnesse nor of the number of them who trust in their own strength or power of their free-will We ask again doth thy by gone life displease thee and wouldst thou have thy sins forgiven and thy self reconciled with God doth Christ offering himself in the Gospel please thy soul when thou hearest from his word that he craveth nothing of thee save that thou welcome his offer and consecrat thy self to him that so in him thou mayest have righteousnesse and sanctification and salvation If thou answer that the searcher of hearts knoweth thy hearty desire to be reconciled to God in Christ to live before him hereafter as a reconciled child there is good hope of salvation for such a one as thou art Thirdly we say seing thou hast heard the law convincing thee of sin and hast believed Gods word so far why dost thou not believe him also when in the Gospel thou hearest his offer and call unto all self-condemned sinners to come unto Christ and rest their weary souls upon him who hath excepted thee from the embracing of mercy offered in Jesus Christ look therefore what his word saith to all sinners flying for refuge unto Christ who is the hope set before sinners and leave him not whatsoever be thy fears for he that hungereth and thirsteth for righteousnesse through Christ shall be satisfied CHAP. VII For a further clearing and confirmation of the doctrine about the three Covenants from Jer. 31. and Heb. 8. THe prophet Ieremiah giveth us a short compend of the former doctrine anent these three covenants chap. 31. vers 31. c. whereof the Apostle giveth a clear commentary Heb. 8. vers 6 7. c. As to the covenant of Redemption it is here presupponed to be past as the Apostle expounding this place of Ieremiah giveth us to understand while he sheweth us that the covenant of grace was no other wayes purchased then by the Mediation of our Lord Jesus transacting about the covenant of Redemption with the Father And that he may give us to understand this 1. Christ is called the Mediatour of a better covenant Heb. 8. to wit of the covenant of Grace 2. The covenant of Grace is designed by the name of a Testament which giveth us to understand that Christ the Mediatour did not obtain the making of this covenant on a lesse price then the laying down of his life that all the benefits contained in these better promises might first be his goods to dispone upon as he pleased and that he being resolved to die did make his Testament and leave them all in legacy to the redeemed his heirs and assigneys designed from eternity 3. The Mediatour making his Testament is called Iehovah not a meer man but God to be incarnat making an unchangeable Latter-will or Testament which of necessity required the death of the Testatour that it might be ratified Heb. 9. 15 16. and the death of a Testatour not a meer man but the Son of God to be incarnat and to die who had life in himself that he might lay down his life and take it up again 4. The goods which he purchased according to the covenant of Redemption and left in legacy to his heirs are all and every blessing which do belong to godlinesse and life eternall as remission of sin and writting of the law in their hearts c. 5. The redeemed and designed heirs are not all and every man but the elect only these that were to be saved only and who were to be effectually called and indued with the saving knowledge of God who from the least to the greatest were all of them to know the Lord not such as were the reprobat fathers nor their unbelieving children but the chosen society of the Israel of God and of Christs family the house of Iudah which is the tribe of Christ for the Apostle doth extend these promises unto the covenant between God and the elect to be gathered under the Evangel unto Christ out of Jews and Gentiles As to the covenant of works it is certain first that God made a covenant of grace in substance and upon the mater with the fathers that were brought out of Egypt as we may gather from the consideration of the parties and articles of that covenant for albeit God repeated the covenant of works and declared the force of the law for binding the curse upon all transgressours thereof yet he did presse the law on them in order unto their reconciliation by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to be in due time offered up and did teach them that Christ was the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believed 2. It is certain that in the framing of this covenant of grace between God and the visible Church of the fathers God did make the promises of righteousnesse and eternall life and spirituall blessings under the vail of temporall types upon conditions more hard and difficile in appearance then the new covenant doth require for this the Apostle sheweth to us plainly Heb. 8. 6. 3. It is certain that the un-believing Fathers did not take up nor understand the covenant of Grace but turned it over in a covenant of Works which is manifest by
comparing the words of Ieremiah and the commentary thereupon by the Apostle For Ieremiah saith that they did transgress the Covenant albeit God did shew himself a husband unto these un-believing Fathers that is they changed the covenant of Grace in a covenant of Works of their own framing and transgressed that Covenant also And the Apostle saith they did not continue in that covenant because they changed it to themselves in a covenant of Works according to which Covenant God did deal with them for in stead of being a husband to them he exacted of them the penalty of the broken covenant of Works and Lorded it over them and did not regard them Heb. 8. 6. For they sought after the righteousness of works and not to have righteousness by faith and therefore did he despise them and dealt with them after the tenor of the covenant of Works And it is observable that the words of Ieremiah do comprehend the Apostles meaning for the words may bear both that God was a husband unto them to wit in making a covenant of Grace with them and that he dealt with them as a Lord over them by exacting of them the penalty of the broken covenant of Works and of the rejected covenant of Grace As â—o the covenant of Grace the Apostle speaketh of it in express termes first by Gods promising that he would make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and Iudah Secondly by his setting better promises before them then these were which were made to the Fathers in the wilderness Thirdly by his giving no other cause of bestowing so great blessings on them but his own good-will and pleasure Fourthly by his requiring no other condition of them but saith that they who feel in themselves the want and need of the promised blessings and are convinced of their own unworthiness might give credit unto God that maketh the promise and so embrace the promises and apply them to their own use As to the external dispensation of the Covenant it is certain first that it was common to all that were externally called to all the members of the visible Church for the covenant made in the wilderness with the elect Fathers and reprobat with the believers and un-believers with those that rejected the covenant of Grace and the offer of Righteousness by faith and with those who looked through the vail afar off to Christ coming and were saved was one and the same 2. It is certain that the external form of the covenant of Grace was more obscure and vailed over by the types and figures of the levitical ceremonies before Christ came but after his coming it was propounded in clearer and better promises 3. A day is set to wit the fulness of time when these shadows and typical figures should be abolished and the grace of God should be set before his people to be looked upon with open face 4. And yet the grace of God was not so hid and obscurely propounded to the Church before Christs coming as it could not be taken up by the children of God for in the midst of the shadows and dark typs the star-light of gracious promises did shine and the doctrine of the new Covenant was in substance holden forth by the Prophets and one instance thereof doth appear in this place of Ieremiah As to the internal covenant of Grace first these things which are promised in that Covenant do declare in what state God doth find men whom he doth convert and draw into covenant with himself for when the Lord taketh in hand that he will write his law in their heart that he will teach them himself to know him by the teaching of his Word and Spirit and that he will forgive their sins he pre-supposeth that lawless rebellion did reign in them with blindness of mind and hardness of heart and that the Elect by nature are without law without God without faith before he reform them according to the Articles or tenor of the covenant of Redemption 2. Albeit by nature the law be written in mens hearts as to the knowledge of sundry moral duties and so far as is sufficient to make them inexcusable for their contraveening these sparks of light Rom. 1. â—0 and 2 14. 15. Yet the writing of the law here promised is spiritual and super-natural inlightning their minds by the light of Gods Spirit and renewing their heart and in effect the thing promised is actual conversion of them 3. And seing conversion is here promised by Christ the Testator absolutely he hath taken in hand absolutely to effectuat it for it is not said I will put my law in their heart if they please to suffer me but determinatly I will put my law I will write my law in their heart and inward parts that is I will make them willing who were averse and obedient to my law who were rebellious 4. Christ the Testator doth in all this not satisfie himself by promising the illumination of the mind and the inclining of the heart for a time but promiseth also to make a solid and permanent work of it by making them persevere which is imported in the words I will put and I will write it for to write it is as much as to fix and ingrave it that it may remain 5. The chief head of the Covenant and which in substance doth contain all blessings is set down in these words I will be their God and they shall be my people for by this promise right is granted unto the true heartconvert and confederat first unto God himself then unto all his benefits whereof he hath need in order to righteousness and eternal life for they whose God the Lord is they do live and shall live for ever as Christ saith God is not the God of the dead but of the living Matth. 22. 32. And all particular promises what are they else but explications of this great and first promise and applications thereof to his childrens cases in particular Gifts of the Spirit are promised here and induements whereof disciples have need whereof pilgrims going home to that heavenly city have need yea the Spirit himself is promised to them who is to remain with them to the end of their life as a directer and leader They shall all know me saith the Lord that is as Christ doth interpret it They shall be all taught of God Joh. 6. 45. 7. The Lord sheweth here that he will deal with men in their regeneration and reconciliation as with reasonable creatures by preserving and not destroying them in their simple naturals by maintaining and not over-turning the liberty of their free-will I will make a Covenant saith he with the house of Judah Now a Covenant is a free and voluntar Contract 8. He sheweth that he is Lord and Over-ruler of mans will who can turn it about as he pleaseth and that he is not hindred nor impeded to execute and bring to passe whatsoever he hath purposed to do by the
might weaken their faith and to rejoyce in believing and to be zealous for the Lords glory and carefull to bring forth more and more fruits of faith and love and working such other gracious works of his Spirit in his children as may more and more mortifie sin in them and perfect the image of God in his new creature This divine magisteriall and effectuall application of reall blessings belongeth to God only and is the end of all ministeriall application which is of the externall means appointed of God to be made use of by men the blessing whereof must be left to God to bestow on whom how and in what measure and in what time it pleaseth him as the Apostle doth shew unto us 1 Cor. 3. 6. I have planted and Apollos hath watered but God giveth the increase 3. The externall means which do serve unto the foresaid divine operations are 1. The doctrine of life and salvation set down in the Scripture to be heard and read by all men and meditat upon with prayer for a blessing And 2. sent ministers to whom God hath committed the word of reconciliation by whose ministery disciples may be made unto Christ out of all nations And 3. the administration of the Sacrament whereby they with their children are baptized and gathered together in severall Churches and put under the government of such Church-officers as his Testament hath appointed And 4. these Churches joyned together in the most edifying way of mutuall communion and strengthening one another in true doctrine pure worship and discipline which Gods providence doth make way for that the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus may continue and grow in the world and all his ordinances may be exercised publickly and privatly to the best advantage of the Church for perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministery and for the edifying of the body of Christ as the Apostle requireth Ephes. 4. 12 13 14. 4. In the use of these external means and specially in the application of these three covenants prudence is required both in Pâ—stors and people to which intent and purpose these following considerations may serve 1. The remedy of every sicâ—ness of the conscience must be grounded on the doctrine of salvation set down in Scripture which doctrine 〈…〉 be known and believed by the porty 〈◊〉 before he can receive benefit thereby And 〈…〉 a prudent application of wholsom and saving doctrine may be made of necessity the party diseased must be acquâ—â—ared with the doctrine to be applyed unto him before he can make use thereof to his advantage for experience teacheth us how hardly gross ignorants can be convinced of sin add how hardly such can be comforted when their conscience is wakened with the terrours of God because they neither know from the Word of God the cause of the terrour and anxiety wherein they are nor can they be capable of the remedy of their evill except they first be catechised in the heads of saving doctrine hâ—ld forth in the Law and Gospel which instruction can hardly be given or received in a short time and howsoever a prudent Pastor must make use of time as it is offered yet when death is near to the party to be instructed how little is it that can be expected to be done 2. The order of applying saving doctrine doth not begin at the application either of the covenant of Redemption or at the covenant of Grace but he that will follow a right order must begin at the law and covenant of works under the yoke whereof we are all born by nature children of wrath And if a man apply that covenant and law to his heart and subscribe his own dittey and deserved condemnation then may he turn up his soul to Christ Jesus the Redeemer and flye to him for refuge and accept the offer which he makes in his Gospel of a new covenant of grace for pardoning of sin and reconciling unto God in himself the person who is fled unto him and for sanctifying and saving of him which covenant when a chased soul doth consent unto and layeth hold on Christ offered for relief from sin wrath death and hell then may he ascend by faith unto the covenant of Redemption and apply to himself with Gods allowance all the saving graces purchased by Christ by that covenant to all that flye unto him and believe in him 3. This order of making use of these three covenants many do not follow but they begin at the covenant of Redemption and will either be satisfied about this whether they be elected or not given to Christ to be redeemed or not which is a secret and not to be inquired into save in Gods order as we have shown or else they will not enter upon the use-making of these means which God hath appointed to bring a man to repentance and faith in Christ. This is a tentation of Sathan which if they yield unto it shall lead them either to resolute profanity with Cain or to anxious desperation with Iudas 4. There are some also who make leap-year of the covenant of works and do take no notice of their own naturall sinfulness or wrath due to them and lying on them by nature but neglecting this order do start a race and run to a presumptuous avouching of their faith in Christ and will thrust in themselves in the number of the elect given before the world was unto Christ to be redeemed and saved pretending their believing of the Gospel when they have not believed the doctrine of the law and so do turn the grace of God into lasciviousness and wantonness and go about the satisfying and fulfilling of their own lusts Wherefore it is necessary that every man who seeketh to be saved and hath resolved to follow Gods way to attain unto salvation do begin first at the covenant of works and examine himself according to the rule of the morall law how he hath behaved himself in obedience unto the first and second table and having sound a dittey great enough that he judge himself and passe sentence on himself as guilty and worthy of everlasting wrath for his sins Secondly when he is convinced of sin and deserved wrath and of his own utter impotency to deliver himself then let him flee to Christ and lay hold on the grace offered in the Gospel applying the same to his burthened conscience according to the tennor of the covenant of grace fully revealed in the Gospel And thirdly when he hath in earnest consented unto the covenant of grace and reconciliation and hath laid hold on Christ with unfaigned faith seeking in him remission of sin and renovation of life being resolved by the grace of Christ to use the means appointed of him for that end Now it is time and not till now to look up unto the covenant of Redemption and there to read his own name as it were written in the book of life and to acknowledge that the measure of repentance and
faith in Christ bestowed on himself now in experience hath flowed from that fountain of Gods love and free grace through Christ. Except this order be keeped a man cannot warrantably and with confidence and comfort make application of these covenants Hence it followeth that it is a preposterous and perilous course which some do follow and presse others to follow that presently upon the hearing of the Gospel every man should believe that Christ hath died for him for Christ calleth no man warrandeth no man to come to him except he first do acknowledge his sins and himself to be worthy of wrath condemnation and hell for his sins and to be utterly unable to save himself by any mean save by Christ for Luke 5. 32. Christ saith I came not to call the righteous but sinners unto repentance Neither doth Christ require of any man to believe himself to be of the number of Christs sheep for whom he laid down his life except he come by faith as a lost sinner to him and submit himself to his doctrine and discipline and pastorall care over him for Ioh. 17. 9. Christ saith I pray not for the world but for these thou hast given me out of the world and no man shall know that himself is given of the Father to Christ till first he come in the order foresaid unto Christ and when he is come to Christ resolveth to abide with him then may he say the Father hath given me to Christ and drawn me to Christ for this is the mark which Christ giveth Ioh. 6. 37. All that the Father hath given unto me shall come to me And again vers 44. No man cometh unto me except the Father draw him 3. There is an order alâ—o to be observed in the application of the graces offered in the Gospel for in the Evangel first Christ himself is offered as the only and sufficient remedy against sin and misery and next unto the person that receiveth Christ heartily all Christs benefits are promised to come to him by Christ and are to be found in and through Christ such as are Justification Adoption the indwelling of the holy Ghost love joy peace gentlenesse bounty fidelity meekness temperance and other Christian graces Gal 5. 22. for no man hath right unto Christs benefits before he be a believer in Christ. But so soon as a man in the foresaid order is fled unto Christ and hath laid hold on him by faith straight way a door and entresse is opened unto him unto the rich treasure of grace and right is given to him unto all the benefits of Christ for all the promises are yea and amen not before a man come to Christ not to a man without Christ but they are all yea and a men in Christ. 4. Therefore they wrong both God and their own selves who when they come unto the throne of grace do prescribe unto God another order of working then he hath set down in his word craving in the first place consolation and sensible peace in their conscience felt in their hearts and that God would work some such saving graces in their heart which the reprobat cannot counterfit which directions if God will take off their hand and bestow his graces on them sensibly as they prescribe unto him then they will stand oblieged to continue in the faith of Christ but if they find not their directions obeyed and their petitions in their order granted then with grief of heart they begin to complain and to pretend that they dare not approach unto God or Christ so long as these petitions are not first granted and felt to be granted This temptation doth invert and overturn the order of Goâ—s calling for Christ doth not call unto him well-doers or these that do found their faith upon their own good behaviour and lean to their own works which they desire to find in themselves before they fasten faith on Christ but Christ doth call sinners in their own sense and acknowledgment who renounce all confidence in their own works past present or to come He calleth such as are lost in their own sense and do feel themselves utterly unable so much as to think a good thought of themselves that they may be cloathed with the imputed righteousnesse of Christ and indued with the spirit of sanctification by him and Christs will is that they who believe in him abide in him and suck by faith out of him as the branches do suck sap out of the tree grace to bring forth fruits more and more abundantly for this is the order which Christ doth prescribe unto his disciples Ioh. 15. 5. He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing Whosoever therefore will not believe in Christ or do think it is not lawfull to approach unto him till first they find in themselves amendment of life and evident fruits of saving faith they do in effect change the condition of the covenant of grace and do suspend their faith in Christ till they find works to build upon when it were their duty the more they feel their barrennesse so much the more straitly to lay hold on Christ and hold him fast and ply him with earnest supplications to make good his promise to them who do abide in him Ioh. 15. 5. 5. It is necessary to presse every man who doth believe his justification by faith that he be carefull to observe the morall law or ten commands as the perpetuall and unchangeable rule of good works prescribed of God for Christ came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it Matth. 5. 17. He hath indeed unto believers in him dissolved the covenant of the law not only by his doctrine teaching them that by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified in the sight of God because by the law is the knowledge of sin gotten but no absolution from sin Rom. 3. 20. But also by absolving every believer in him that walketh not after the flesh but after the spirit from all condemnation Rom. 8. 1â— Mean while he hath not broken the yoke of obedience of the law from off the believer as he hath broken off the yoke of the covenant of works but by the contrair he prescribes to them who come unto him for remission of sin that they take on his yoke upon them and bring forth works of new obedience Matth. 11. 29. and this is the order which the Apostle doth prescribe Tit. 3. 8. This is a faithfull saying and these things I will thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men 6. The moral precepts of the law are so to be pressed that the hearers whether un-converted or converted may by them whether in some measure obeyed or disobeyed be driven to Christ that the law may ever in some sort be a pedagogue unto Christ for before conversion
sort of men the Lord doth speak Deut. 29. 18 19. shewing that he makes his covenant with his people lest there should be among you saith he a root that beareth gall and wormwood And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my own heart to add drunkenness to thirst It is possible few shall be found so impudent as that they dar in expresse termes professe this their mis-belief of Gods justice yet they are not a few who foster this error in their heart who having as it were made a Covenant with death and hell are far from fearing to perish in their sins In this sort are all they to be ranked who conceive that all the threatnings in the Scripture are given forth to the intent that men being bridled by terrors might compose themselves to a more humane and social life among others who lest they should seem Atheists in word do cry up Gods mercy bounty and love to man so as they make small reckoning of the Lords truth and justice even as if the justice of God in punishing rebels could not consist with his mercy to the penitent or as if the end of creating man could not be obtained if obstinat sinners be destroyed 2. The main cause of such error is an obstinat purpose to walk after the counsel and imagination of their own heart and because they cannot quiet their conscience in following their own wayes except in promising to themselves impunity in their sinning they presume confidently to go on in their own wayes against all threatenings and so do blow their consciences blind Such profane presumption although it deserveth to be beaten with a rod rather then to be reasoned with yet let the Pastor deal with the presumer as he ought to do with other desperat like sinners and in the first place let him propose for remedy of this evil what the Lord doth speak against such a person Deut. 29. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven And as he findeth this work upon him So let him deal with him 2. Some are near of kindred to such persons who do not reject all threatenings yet do think in their heart that none are in danger except grosse flagitious and notorious sinners but as to themselves they conceive because they are not the worst of men they are without the reach of divine justice especially if their conversation be according to humane laws so regulated as they have the reputation of honest neighbours With such men Christ dealeth Luk. 13. 1 2 5. when word came concerning the Galileans whose blood Pilaâ— mixed with their sacrifices Christ saith to them Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans because they suffered these things I tell you nay but except ye repent you shall all likewise perish This is the remedy prescribed by Christ to such men 3. Some there are who hope to be absolved before God and do absolve themselves in their own conscience by their good works and obedience done to the law Of this sort was Paul before his conversion who till the time that the spiritual light of the law brake in upon his mind and killed the conceit of his own inherent righteousnesse was no mean man in his own eyes Rom. 7. 9. Such was the rich young man in the Gospel who said to Christ that he had keeped all the commands from his youth up till Christ did prove him a covetous Idolater who put a higher price on his riches then upon Christ and the kingdom of heaven Such were the Pharisees who by their obedience to the law such as it was doubted nothing to absolve themselves and that God should absolve them also But that the met-yaird should be no longer then their cloath or the law of further extent then their imagined possible practice they admitted no metonymie or figurative speech in the law whereby under one branch of a duty commanded all duties of that kind are comprehended and all faults contrary to the duty are forbidden As for example they counted not the sixth command to be violat except the man did take away his neighbours life nor the seventh command broken except by grosse adultery and violation of the marriage-bed nor the eighth command transgressed except another mans goods were openly or privately taken away whose mistake Christ doth correct Matth. chap. 5. and 6. 2. Such men as those are far from repentance far from humbling themselves before God and seeking remission of sin through Christ for they are ignorant of the righteousnesse of the Gospel by faith in Jesus Christ and of the way of coming to ability for doing any acceptable work by faith in Christ and therefore they go about to establish their own righteousnesse Rom. 10. 3. and 9. 31. 32. The false ground which they do lay for their own absolution is this they think to be justified by their works against which ground the Apostle hath pronounced condemnatory sentence Rom. 3. 20. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in Gods sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin 3. With this sort we may joyn these who not only come short of the obedience due to the law but also are in conscience convicted of many transgressions of the Lords law yet they conceive that God will not exact of them or of any man who is about to obey his law more then the man can in the common infirmity of flesh overtake and do perswade themselves that God will be satisfied with all them in whom is a willingnesse to obey the law their false ground which they lay is this that God will accept a mans will for the deed And to this purpose they do abuse the Scriptures Isa. 1. 19 If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good things of the land And 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 4. But here is their error whereupon they purchase from their conscience mis-informed an unwarrantable absolution first they lay down for a ground that they must be justified by works 2. Because they know they do come and shall come short in obedience they turn the condition of the covenant of works into other terms then God hath appointed and make the will of a man to obey the law so far as he is able to be the condition of the covenant which God disclaimeth 3. They deceive themselves in this that what is spoken to converted believers in Jesus Christ already justified by faith aiming at new obedience they do apply to themselves lying under the curse
and covenant of works for it is true indeed when God is dealing with those that are already justified by faith in Jesus and have renounced all confidence in their own works and fled unto Christ and have taken on his yoke the Lord doth take in good part the first fruits of the new creature and doth much esteem the tender fruits of the spirit as the places cited Isa. 1. and 2 Cor. 8. do shew But when the Lord hath to do with the proud natural man the unrenewed man the man that is not humbled for violation of the covenant of works he dealeth with him according to the rigour of the law according to the condition of the covenant of works pronouncing his curse against that man for every sin till the sinner be humbled and slye to Christ. 5. With the former we may joyn all these who believe they may wash away their sins partly by bearing such afflictions as are laid on them by God in this life partly by their tears prayers fastings pilgrimages penances and scourging of themselves and partly by their almes-deeds and other good works do believe they shall make amends for all their misdeeds and what they cannot perfect in this life for the mater of good works they will take assignation to the supererogation and superfluity of the merits of Saints made over unto them by the Pope And what for the mater of suffering is not endured in this life they will take upon them to endure in an imaginary purgatory and place of hell after this life and so poor souls they think they may absolve themselves at least from the sentence of everlasting condemnation by such poor shifts as those But the truth is so long as they rely upon their own sufferings and satisfactions they deny both the necessity and the worth of Christs sufferings and so long as they have confidence in their own works or works of other men they reject and disclaim the covenant of grace and yet behold how proud they prove themselves to be Isa. 58. 3. when they plead with God saying wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge 6. Last of all unto the former sort we joyn these who please themselves in the composition of righteousness by works and righteousnesse by faith thinking to save themselves under the shelter of the one righteousnesse or of the other however God shall deal with them Such were the Seducers and seduced amongst the Galatians for refuting of whole errour the Apostle as it were travelled in birth till he brought them to take up the right frame of Christs way of salvation 7. The cause of all such mens deceiving of themselves in a false absolution of their conscience is their ignorance both of the righteousnesse of the law and of the righteousness by faith for such as think their sins are so few and light or their lives so innocent or their good works they have done so weighty and their purpose to do yet moe good works to be so holy or their pains taken in religion so considerable or their sufferings resolved upon so great and thereupon do absolve themselves consider not that the law or covenant of works doth require perfect personal obedience to all Gods law under the pain of Gods curse growing in Items as the law is oftener transgressed till they flye in to the perfect ransom of Christs obedience And as for the righteousnesse of faith in Jesus they consider not that his righteousnesse will not be bestowed upon any who do not renounce all confidence in their own or others works and betake themselves altogether to the only grace of Christ they consider not that if the worth of any work be relyed upon the bargain of free grace is spoiled and clear marred for if it he by works it is no more of grace and if it be of grace it is no more of works for these two are so opposit one to another in the mater of mans election and justification that they can no more consist together as causes pâ—ocuring or moving God then contradictory sentences can be both true as Paul teacheth Rom. 11. 6. 3 A third sort of self-deceivers and unwarranted self-â—bâ—olvers we reckon all persons poysoned with deadly herefies who being drawn away from the doctrine of Christ set down in the holy Scriptures turn after some false christ and false religion of mens or their own devising giving unto their Idol what worship what service what employment what power they please and making their own conditions of peace with God as they think good some denying the eternity of the Godhead of the true Christ some the reality of his assumed humane nature some evacuating so far as they can his three offices and the fruit of his execution thereof all of them promising to themselves salvation in another then in the true Christ described to us in Scripture who is Creator up-holder and Governour of all things very coeternal God with the Father and holy Spirit in the fulness of time made man ever-living Prophet Priest and King to his Church both before his incarnation and constantly since the way the truth and the life made of God unto true believers in him wisdom righteousnesse sanctification and redemption who walk among the golden candle-sticks and searches the wayes and hearts of every man as he holdeth forth himself in these Epistles unto the seven Churches of Asia Revel chap. 2. and 3. Of this danger of mistaking the true Christ and embracing a false in his room he himself doth carefully fore-warn his Disciples Math. 24. 4 5 24 25 26 Take heed that no man deceive you for many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many The proper remedy of this evil is this let every one that hath an ear hear what the spirit speaketh to the Churches not only in these seven Epistles but also in all the rest of the holy Scriptures which are the expressions of the holy Spirit but if any man receive not the truth in love set down by the Lords Spirit in the Scripture his punishment is set down by the Apostle 2 Thess 2. 11. and for this cause to wit because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse 1. The fourth sort of absolvers of themselves without Gods warrand are these who pretend unto true religion and deny the power of it of whom some are couvinced of their duty to repent their sins and to forsake their lusts and to endeavour a reformation of their life and this they do promise to themselves and purpose seriously to do as they think only they cannot presently and at once break off the course they are upon but do hope by little and little to come forward
and at length that they shall wholly give themselves to religious exercises and a holy life mean time they conceive they may come in among the true converts and young beginners albeit they come not up the length which they intend but are unde the power of some beloved lusts which they cannot rid themselves of but do hope they shall betime overcome them Such men do miserably mistake the mater first in that they think their purpose of repentance and a new life bred in them by conviction of their duty to be the very grace of regeneration and begun sanctification Secondly they conceive that the lusts which do reign in themselves are common to them and all other regenerat persons of whom few or none think they want their own grosse faults Thirdly they conceive they can repent more seriously when they please and will repent after a whiles following of their beloved lusts as if repentance were not a saving grace of the holy Spirit whom they do daily provoke by their vilenesse but a work in the power of every mans free-will being once convinced of his sin Fourthly they do not consider that by the delay of repenting and turning from all sin unto God their heart is daily more and more in Gods Judgment hardened and God provoked to punish their voluntary impenitence with judicial hardness of heart that they shall never repent Such men our Lord compareth to the disobedient Son who promised to his Father he would go work in his vineyard and went not Math. 21. 30. Such men are they who know the well of the Lord but do it not and therefore worthy of double punishment Math 12. 47. The â—â—medy of this evil Christ giveth Luk. 13. 24 25 26. Strive to enter at the strait gate for many â— say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Mâ—n know not how soon God may shut the door therefore men had need while it is to day not to harden their hearts psal 95. 8. 2. Other some are who being of a civil life professe and do perswade themselves that they indeed do repent and believe in Christ and by faith in him do certainly expect salvation freely of his grace If you pose any such men whether they do indeed believe in Christ they shall presently answer that they firmly do believe in him and that they never doubted but he is their sweet Saviour who died for them If you press them to speak in earnest from their heart they shall presently be ill pleased with the question and ask what cause of suspecting the sincerity of their faith and repentance can be justly alledged or what cause hath any man to suspect them or doubt of Gods favour toward them in Christ In whom should we believe say they if not in Christ Is there any other Saviour of sinners beside him If a man please to try the truth of their faith by their repentance they shall forthwith affirm that they repent day and night and have just cause so to do for in many things we sin all and why then should we not alwayes repent If they be asked of their love to God and their neighbour they shall answer after the same maner Such men are these of whom Christ speaketh that they will confidently come to him and call him Lord Lord and yet be found no wayes carefull to do the Lords will but servants to their own lusts 3. Such men do deceive themselves first by framing to themselves such carnal notions of faith and repentance and of the love of God and of saving hope and other spiritual graces as in their phantasie they conceive they do practise which conceptions are not grounded upon the Word of God Secondly they esteem the assent of their mind unto the truth commending these duties unto men as good as the performance of them and they do take the sentence of their conscience concerning the equity of such duties for the sentence of their conscience bearing witnesse of their practice and obedience of these duties and while their conscience saith why should not I do so they take that for as good as if it had said I do so but saving graces go deeper then civil carriage and to commend the duties of repentance and faith in Christ is not enough except they be put in practice also in daily sorrow for sin and hatred of it and flying to Christ daily to be washen and more and more sanctified 4. Some there are who when they have heard that a man is justified by faith in Christ only without the works of the law do imagine a faith which needeth not to bring forth any good works at all and so they take off the justified man from all necessity of following good works as far as they take off good works from being the cause of justification and do open a door to themselves to live after their own will in the lusts of their flesh conceiving that they who believe in Christ are fred not only from the covenant of the law but also from the command of the law against whom our Lord doth speak and doth cut off such libertines and turners of the grace of God into wantonnesse from the kingdom of heaven Math. 5. 17 18 19. And the Apostle to guard against this self-deceit Heb. 12. 14. commandeth to follow holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 5. Some there are who pretending to esteem well of the offer of the Gospel and of the duty of following the means of making them partaker of the marriage-supper do yet think themselves excusable when they have much ado in their worldly callings albeit they prefer the care of their family and provision for their things out-ward unto the main work of their entertaining communion with God yea they conceive that God will allow them in so doing as Christ doth insinuat in the parable of the ghuests invited to the feast answering the invitation with I pray have me excused Luke 14. 18 19. This is a rise evil in great personages rich persons and such as are much imploved in earthly affairs such men deceive themselves first in laying down this ground with themselves that their earthly affairs the necessity whereof doth first and most sensibly appear must in the first room be cared-for and that the one thing necessar may be followed after as their civil and earthly affairs may permit Secondly they reckon gain to be godliness 1 Tim. 6. 5. for they cannot be perswaded when gain may be had that God requireth of any man to slip the occasion or to put his worldly goods in hazard by defending or following maters of religion Thirdly they think themselves so wise as they can well enough serve two Masters God and covetousnesse albeit when it cometh to the proof they will be found to serve not God but their own lusts This error our Lord refuteth and giveth warning to beware of it Matth. 6. 24. And Luke 21. 34. Take heed
in darknesse of tentation and desertion cannot discern his own blessed state yet there may appear and be perceived in him such signes and undoubted evidences of saving grace that the prudent beholder of him under his sad exercise may in the judgment of discretion and charity declare his righteousnes and him for his state to be in grace and favour with God In these two disciples going to Emaus Luk. 24. saving faith was not extinguished albeit they were driven to suspect themselves to have been mistaken when they once believed that Christ was the promised Saviour for in that same time there appeared in them evident tokens of their unfained love to Christ for while they are troubled with suspition of their being mistaken about Christ they are very sad and sorrowfull and were regrating the sufferings of Christ and were gathering what arguments they could for supporting their faith whereby their dying faith might be supported by conference about this mater laying forth their doubts and tentations one to another 7. The precise time of begun regeneration is not alwaies observed nor known either by the regenerat man himself or by beholders of his way as experience makteh evident in many who from their infancy are brought up in the exercises of true religion in whose conversion no notable change can be observed In those the words of Christ in part are verified the kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation Such persons when they begin to examine themselves whether they be regenerat whether they be in Christ and at what time they were converted they can neither determinatly condescend upon the time of their conversion nor can they confidently speak of their conversion till after sundry tryalls and experiences they can gather proofs of their sincerity from such signs effects and marks of the work of saving grace in them as may prove that Christ hath dwelt in them of before 8. Albeit regeneration be of the same kind spece and definition in all the regenerat yet it doth admit sundry accidental differences when the conversion of such and such persons is compared for some do not stay long in the straits of regeneration or new birth but within a short space of time they are both wounded and healed are both casten down and raised up again are both slain by the Law and quickened by the Gospel Of this sort we have a past proof in some thousand converts Act 2. who by one sermon or two were converted to the faith of Christ and fellowship with the Church On the other hand experience of many doth shew they have been under the spirit of bondage a long time before they could receive the consolations of the Gospel Heb. 2. 15. Some in the beginning of their conversion are handled very tenderly and afterward fall in hard exercises of mind as we may see in David who in his youth while he was keeping his fathers sheep did passe the time in holy songs and playing on his harp but afterward he was more sharply exercised and much afflicted from time to time with the sense of divine wrath Some in sorrow and much weeping do follow Christ and study to promove his kingdom such a one was Timothy whom the Apostle exhorteth to admit a larger measure of consolation allowed unto him by the Lord that he might be the more cheerfull and couragious in the warfare whereunto he was called 2 Tim. 1. 4. Another of this sort was Heman the Ezrahit who Psal. 88. declareth that from his youth up he was so keeped under terror as he was ready to die under discouragment And in the experience of this holy man we have a proof of what was holden forth in the preceeding consideration to wit that regeneration may be begun in a man and well promoved before either himself or others can well discern it for of them who are keeped under the law and spirit of bondage it is hard determinatly to judge before faith in Christ begin to appear in them whether their exercise be the special work of the holy spirit of regeneration or not for as it may come to passe that the spirit of fear and bondage may for a time work and go no further then to convict a man and not go on to convert him So also it may come to passe that there be some wrestling of faith lying under-foot in the midst of terrors not perceived for a while of which wrestling none can well give out sentence that it is a wrestling of saving faith before faith get some victory over tentations and break forth in some evident effects In which case it is very needfull warily and circumspectly to apply the doctrine of the Gospel so as the afflicted soul may be supported with hopes of a gracious out-gate for the work of the law humbling the sinner is a fair call to come to Christ and a messenger sent by Christ to bring him up Gal. 3. 24. 9. Albeit the regenerat man in respect of the state of his person by standing in grace and favour with God fixed and unmovable as the Apostle doth shew us Rom. 5. 1 2 3. partly because the love of God manifested to the believer in Christ is unchangeable and partly because the covenant of grace through Christ is an everlasting covenant Isa. 55. 3. and partly because the saving gifts and calling of God are such as God will never repent him to have bestowed them Rom. 11. 29. yet in respect of his condition the regenerat man is subject to many changes in his life and conversation in the disposition of his mind and affections and in the exercise of his gracious habits and in the sense and observation of the grace of God in him and favour of God toward him for it may come to passe yea and oft-times doth come to passe that men who are regenerat and in the state of grace which is a notable good state may be in a very evil condition in a miserable and deplorable disposition of heart as befell the Church of Ephesus Sardis and Laodicea And it may be also that regenerat persons after their consciences are wakened and they do perceive the miserable and sinfull condition of their affections and conversation that no small doubts arise in their hearts whether their state in grace be reall or not which doubts will evanish when after the renewing of their repentance theâ—r condition is changed to the better for Christ pre-occupieth this tentation speaking to the Church of Sardis and Laodicea counselling them to strengthen the thing that remaineth which was ready to dye and not to doubt of his love toward them Revel 2. and 3. 10. These tentations whereby the regenerat man is troubled and tempted to doubt whether he be in the state of grace should be distinguished and discerned from actual doubting for there may be a temptation unto doubting without a yielding unto the temptation as we see in Christ our Lord whom the devil durst tempt to doubt whether he was
faith and to follow hard after the growth of sanctification without which no man shall see the face of God and let us so extoll the covenant of Grace and freedom of the believer from the covenant of Works that we neglect not to keep up the authority of the moral Law and the commands thereof as the perpetual rule of new obedience the use whereof is very profitable in the whole course of a Christian life to hold forth the duty of believers in Christ and to shew unto them by their short-coming in duties the poyson and power of corruption remaining in the Saints and to make them sensible of the necessity of flying daily to that imputed righteousnesse by faith in Christ and of drawing strength from Christ to bring forth more aboundant fruits whereby Christ shall be more and more precious in our eyes and be acknowledged absolutely necessar for our justification sanctification and salvation 15. When question is made concerning Christian vertues and operations of the holy Spirit in us the order of Gods working held forth to us in Scripture is carefully to be marked by us which is that sense of sin should go before faith in Christ for the Law is a pedagogue to Christ for he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Matth. 9. 13. And faith in Christ goeth before the fruits of faith and the fruits of faith before the sensible approbation of them and approbation of the fruits by Scripture goeth before the sensible fealing of the believer and the quieting of the conscience in its approbation of what the Scripture approveth for after we have believed we come to be sealed Ephes. 1. 13. Now for the not observing this order many real Christians do make unto themselves a very un-comfortable life for albeit they be convinced of sin and humbled in the sense of their own inability to help themselves and are fled to Christ for pardon and help and do lead a life blamelesse yet do they unhappily suspend the acknowledging of the work of faith bestowed upon them and do disquiet themselves so as they cannot rest on Christ but do quarrel the reality of their faith till they shall feel and perceive with approbation of their conscience such and such fruits of faith in themselves and that in such a measure as they have fore-imagined to be the necessar evidences of faith yea and they refuse to account themselves persons justified because they cannot perceive such mature fruits in themselves as they conceive must not only be but be acknowledged also to be in the justified person before he can lay hold on justification Such persons do in effect invert the order which they should observe for when it were their part to flye unto Christ the only Mediator because they come short of new obedience and because they are loaden with sin that in him they might have God reconciled to them and by his Spirit pouring in of his grace in their souls to make them more holy they take another and contrary course by suspending their faith upon their works and do exact of themselves works before faith and so do weaken their own faith and hinder it to bring forth such fruits as they do require It is reason indeed to prove our faith by our works and it is just that such a faith be accounted dead which is not accompanied with the purpose and endeavour to live holily justly and soberly But it is against all reason and equity to condemn weak faith accompanied with the purpose of a new life as if it were no faith because it hath not as yet brought forth so fair and fully ripe fruits as the weak believer would It were their wisdom when they perceive such impotency to do what is good and such strength of the body of death in them to flye unto the Redeemer so much the more and in him to seek remission of sin and strength to bring forth good fruits and to be sucking juice and sap out of him as the true Vine for if we come to him and abide in him we shall bring forth much fruit Iob. 15. 4 5. For faith in Christ in order of nature goeth before good works for only they who come to Christ and abide in him do bring forth aboundant fruit and not they who upon the apprehension of their want of fruits do loose or slacken their grip of faith and upon discouragment are ready to depart from the living God 16. The like wisdom is required in dealing with the consciences of men concerning the preparatory dispositions of such as may confidently come unto Christ to be justified sanctified and saved for albeit it be true that all that come to Christ ought to come in the sense of their sin and acknowledgment of wrath and death deserved for their sins ought to come with contrition of heart with godly sorrow for their sins and a humble renunciation of all confidence in themselves yet must not such persons as do not satisfie themselves in the measure or sincerity of such preparatory dispositions in themselves be keeped back or debarred from coming to Christ because they not only want as they conceive both the humiliation and sorrow of heart for sin and fear of wrath required in such as have accesse unto Christ but also do perceive in themselves such blindnesse of mind and vanity thereof such stupidity of conscience and stubbornesse of a proud heart as is not fit as they conceive to be received by Christ or fit to be comforted by him such persons I say are not to be forthwith debarred from coming to the throne of grace for oft-times sincerity of conviction compunction and humiliation is to be found in such as are displeased with their own short-coming in such preparatory dispositions more then in many others who make a fairer shew and profession of their godly sorrow and humiliation and are well pleased with themselves in that respect We must be wary also while we require sorrow and humiliation and other like preparatory dispositions in them who may come unto Christ least we secretly import and insinuat a sort of merit to be in such dispositions so as if he that doth not perceive himself thus qualified could expect no good at Christs hands except he have in his hand such preparatory dispositions as if it were a price of purchasing adresse to Christ. But let us hold this fast that the more poor and empty a man be in his own eyes he ought to draw the more near unto the riches of grace in Christ because in him only are to be found all the treasures of every saving grace and preparatory dispositions for receiving thereof he is that exalted Prince who giveth repentance unto Israel Act. 5. 31. he is the author and finisher of faith unto whom all they who in the sense of their want of repentance and faith do sigh in themselves ought and safely may come that they may have from him a more ample
aiming to walk as reconciled children and servants unto God uprightly laying forth their burdens and desires before him daily all these I say are believers in Christ and may assure themselves of reconciliation for there is no more in the Apostles and Ministers commission required for entering of the humbled sinner into a covenant of friendship save this we request you in Gods name and in the name of God incarnat Jesus Christ the Mediatour we beseech you be reconciled to God v. 20. Now we judge that humbled sinners fled to Christ and purposing to amend their lives by his grace will not be found unwilling to accept this offer of reconciliation but will declare their hearty consent to this offer and so may be convinced that a covenant is closed between God and them and that God hath given unto them saving faith how weak soever it seemeth unto them for the consenting unto and accepting of this offer is the condition required for entering in covenant and the proper act of saving faith Fifthly the Apostle holdeth forth the ground-right of this covenant and reason whereupon the sinner fled to Christ may be assured of justification because in the covenant of Redemption past between God in three persons on the one hand and the second person of the God-head as Mâ—diaâ—oâ— and perfect Redeemer by price-paying on the other hand it is agreed finally ended and decreed that Christs satisfaction made for the imbracer of this offered reconciliation shall as certainly make the believer judicially righteous and justifie him as Christ was judicially made sin or a sacrifice for the sins of the redeemed for God saith he v. 21. hath made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Therefore as Christ the only Mediator by accepting the covenant of Redemption had the sins of the redeemed imputed unto him albeit there was no sin at all nor could be in him and was punished for them unto the death of the crosse So the humbled sinner by flying unto Christ and accepting the offered covenant of reconciliation hath Christs satisfaction imputed unto him albeit he can see nothing in himself but a masse of inherent sin and shall not enter into condemnation but be brought to life-eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord. Both the covenant of Redemption made with Christ in the Redeemers name and the covenant of Reconciliation made with us through Christ are of Gods making and so must stand and cannot be dis-annulled for ever The other place 1 Cor. 1. 30. holdeth forth the right which God hath made to the believer unto the unsearchable riches of Christ whereunto the weakest believer fled from sin and wrath unto Christ as the refuge and perfect remedy from both may claim namely wisdom righteousnesse sanctification and redemption by him and that by covenant and decree registrat in this and other places of Scripture as judicially declared and adjudged unto all and every believer in him So that they may and should make use of Christ as made unto them wisdom to direct them justification to justifie them sanctification to perfect them peece and peece in holinesse and redemption to support them under and deliver them from all bonds of misery For the better understanding of this rich passage we shall take it up in four sentences pronounced from the holy Spirit by the Apostle in every one whereof these three things are insinuat and imported first our need of Christ 2. his ingaged help and supply and 3. our duty to lay hold upon and make use of him according to the right and interest in him made unto every believer The first sentence is this Christ is made unto us wisdom which importeth first that not only we are by nature blind and ignorant of our sin and misery blind and ignorant of the way of salvation and right maner of serving God but also after that we are illuminat by grace and made in some measure to know our last condition and to flye unto Christ for delivery we are compassed about with much darknesse and foggy mists of doubts errors and mistakes and have need to be in every step of our way directed and powerfully taught by Christs Word and Spirit to know what is that good and acceptable will of God Secondly it importeth that as Christ is the treasure of all wisdom and knowledge who hath revealed in the Scriptures the whole counsell of God concerning our salvation So he is judicially made over unto us as anointed Prophet to his Church to make known unto us the way of life by his Word and Spirit Thirdly it imports our duty to receive him as the great gift of God and to give up our selves to his teaching to imploy him and depend upon him as Prophet appointed to us for direction by his Word what to believe and how to live before God Whereupon the weakest believer may trust in him for guiding them in the use of the Scripture and exercise of the means appointed by him unto salvation because he is made of God unto us wisdom and intimation thereof is made by his Apostle The second sentence is this Christ is made of God unto us righteousnesse which presupponeth first that we are by nature destitute of righteousnesse condemâ—ed as unrighteous by the law and unable to deliver our selves from condemnation and when we are fled to Christ and delivered from condemnation that we are not able to stand in that state but by our daily sins wherein we fall do deserve to be condemned as unrighteous Secondly it imports that Christ is not only righteous in himself and able to satisfie divine justice for our sins but also hath undertaken to pay and actually hath payed the price of our redemption by his obedience unto the Father even to the dâ—ath of the Crosse and hath taken on him the office of high Priest to apply unto us absolution from our sins make us accepted and to be dealt with as righteous and to keep us in that blessed estate by his intercession Thirdly it imports our duty to lay hold on Christ our Cautioâ—er by vertue of our right and interest in him granted and intimat unto us and so to rest on him that whatsoever Sathan Conscience or Law violat by us shalâ— say we who are fâ—ed from sin and wrath to him may oppose this sentence of our absolution registrat here Christ is made unto us righteousnesse judicially by the decree and decreet of God The third sentence is this Christ is made unto us of God sanctification which presupponeth that in the justified believer there are remaining still the reliques of sin inherent from which we are not able of our selves to deliver our selves but have need of divine power to mortifie sin in us and to repair the image of God by increasing holinesse in us Secondly it importeth that Christ the Mediator the holy one of Israel hath not only payed the price of our redemption
would most exercise faith and believe in Christ he is found least able to do it yea he findeth it no lesse impossible to observe the whole moral Law then solidly to believe in Christ hence ariseth anxiety in the soul of the afflicted while he neither dar depart from Christ nor yet is able to approach unto him confidently In this case many new doubts and temptations do arise which weaken his faith yet more and hinder him in the exercise of religion and discharge of duties not a little That this sometime may be the case of some converted the experience of the Saints set down in Scripture maketh evident Ps. 30. 7. Lord saith David by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled And in his prayer Ps. 61. 2. while his minde was overwhelmed in him with perplexing thoughts he findeth in himself no strength or ability to deliver himself or put forth acts of faith on the Mediator as he would have done but prayeth that while he is now exiled and driven far off from the tabernacle and ark of the Covenant he may be raised up to believe in him who was signified by these tipes to wit Christ the Rock of all Salvation which Rock of salvation he perceiveth to be a higher mystery then he can discover or ascend upon without the hand of divine power And therefore saith from the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher then I. Yea the godly afflicted Hebrews fell in this sicknesse whom the Apostle exhorteth to take courage unto them Heb. 12. 12 13. Wherefore lift up your hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make streight paths for your feet 2. For answering of this doubt the afflicted person must be convinced of his infirmity and sinfull dissidence because being called of God to the exercise and tryal of his faith in Christ by whatsoever sort of trouble he hath been discouraged and fainted which did not become a souldier of Christ and that for no other pretended reason but this that he could not give such a proof of his faith as he should have given and hoped to give before he was put to tryal Secondly he must consider how far he is mistaken in leaning to his own strength in the exercise of his faith of which self-confidence the more a man is emptied the more speedily he shall be furnished if being emptied he flye to Christ for supply This was the experience of the Apostle 2 Cor. 9. 10. who was made weak in himself that the strength of Christ might be made perfect in his weaknesse and therefore he resolved to make use of the strength of Christ in all his felt infirmities and that he did with good successe For when I am weak saith he then am I strong Whose example we must resolve to follow Thirdly after search it will be found that the person afflicted under the notion and expression of I cannot believe hath in effect this meaning I cannot find such a full assurance of faith as I would be at or I cannot find such a sense of the approbation of my â—aiah as can satisfie me and perswade me that I do believe really in Christ. And so it is another thing and another gift of the Spirit he is seeking then what he pretendeth to seek for the sense and feeling of approven faith and full assurance of faith is not given to every believer but to him that sights the fight of faith and in his tryals adhereth closely to Christ and to his truth when he is tempted to sin as the clause in the close of the seven Epistles to the Churches of Asia doth teach us Rev. 2. 3. To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life to eat of that hid manna I will give him that white stone and a new name written thereon which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it Fourthly the afflicted must be instructed or put in minde to distinguish between believing in Christ and the knowing that he doth believe in Christ as may be learned from 1 Ioh. 5. 13. These things I writ to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God He must distinguish between true though weak saying faith and strong faith True saving faith is in that person who being pursued by the Law doth flye for refuge to lay hold upon Christ the hope set before us The man that dwelleth in this city of Christ and maketh use of Christ as the only remedy against sin and misery as he is offered to us in the Gospel hath right unto that strong and well-grounded consolation spoken of Heb. 6. 17 18 19. True and saving faith is in that person who acknowledging himself a child of wrath heartily receiveth the Lord Jesus Christ as he offereth himself to us in the Gospel for such a person hath the right and priviledge of a child of God and may reckon himself among believers in Christ Ioh. 1. 12. As many as received Christ to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe in his name True and saving faith is in that person who being convinced of his enimity against God doth answer the request of God in Christ in the mouth of his Ministers with a hearty consent unto the covenant of grace and reconciliation offered to all that hear the Gospel 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliateon Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled unto God for he hath made him that is Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Therefore let the afflicted answer thus I receive the offer and do consent upon these termes to be reconciled to God Lord help my unbelief for thou hast said seek ye my face and my soul answereth Thy face O Lord will I seek hide not thy face from me Ps. 27. 8 9. He that upon these termes doth flye to Christ and resolveth to adhere unto him needeth not doubt but he is received in the state of grace for confirmation whereof let the fruits of faith outward and inward which may be observed by the afflicted himself or by his comforter be called to mind and let him rest and go on in the course of obedience of the Gospel CHAP. VI. Wherein the doubt of the regenerat man concerning his being in the state of grace arising from his apprehended defect of humiliation and sorrow for sin is answered SOme regenerat persons will be found who mourn indeed for their sin and
may be found in humane Histories who from the principles of nature and civil education have led a more innocent and blamelesse life than many who glory in their Christian profession for whose conviction and condemnation Pagans and Infidels shall arise in the day of judgment and be brought forth for a witnesse against many called Christians and who shall be beaten with fewer stripes than many who are counterfeit Christians and do disgrace the profession of Christian Religion But we have here to do with these that are indeed regenerat and indued with saving faith who endeavour to be holy and do lament their imperfections and do not give over the use of the means whereby they may profit in holinesse albeit with grief and fear they go on heavily suspecting they meet at last with disappointment and be excluded from the kingdom of heaven for their coming short of Scribes and Pharisees in the point of righteousnesse 2. In this case first the complaint of the afflicted concerning the imperfections of his life and fruits of faith in as far as it is true and just must be admitted granted and confirmed and the afflicted must be taught upon this consideration to be seriously humbled in the presence of God that he may profit in self-denyal and more and more renounce all confidence in his own works or inherent righteousnesse To which purpose let him consider yet more the body of death and original sin not yet throughly mortified in him let him look upon and acknowledge in his present case the bitter roots of infidelity and inclination to depart away from the living God even then when he is most called and hath most need to draw near and adhere unto him upon the sight and consideration whereof he shall perceive a necessity daily to renew the acts of repentance and faith in Christ. Secondly let the necessity and timeous use-making of the imputed righteousnesse of Christ be shewed unto him which righteousnesse if the Lord had not set before us for a refuge what should become of us in the examination of our works and felt imperfection of our inherent righteousnesse And here the afflicted must be exhorted in the sense of his own un-righteousnesse to run alwayes toward Christ to have his nakednesse hid by the garment of Christs imputed righteousnesse and exhorted to apply and imbrace more and more straitly the righteousnesse of Christ our Cautioner who is judicially by the Father adjudged to the believer fled unto him for righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Iesus who is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption And here let the friend comforter of the afflicted insist that he may consider the value of the ransom paid for us and of the righteousnesse purchased unto us for the only garment able to hide our nakednesse Thirdly let the afflicted person understand that it is righteousnesse with God to be displeased with his children when they esteem little and make little use of the dear bought righteousnesse which Christ hath purchased and that in wisdom and righteousnesse Christ doth not increase the inherent righteousnesse of those who slight him in the mater of his imputed righteousnesse for we are not justified by the perfection of inherent righteousnesse which in this life is impossible but by the perfection of Christs righteousnesse imputed unto the believer in him Fourthly when the Pastor or prudent friend perceiveth the afflicted now convicted of his mistake and error and to be brought to acknowledge that the justification of a sinner doth come by the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ alone without respect to the works of the law and that the justified man must set himself to bring forth good fruits in the gracious furniture which Christ hath promised to the believer Now I say let him enter upon the comparison of the righteousnesse of the penitent believer in Christ with the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees and then shall it be clear to the afflicted person that the righteousnesse of the weak Christian shall far exceed the righteousnesse not only of Pagans but also of Scribes and Pharisees of the highest pitch and that for three reasons the first is this the Pharisee cutteth short the interpretation of the law unto the measure of his own external obedience lest the law whereby he seeketh justification should condemn him but the Christian acknowledgeth in all things the spirituality and perfection of the Law and doth not reject any duty which the Law doth command but finds himself bound to obey the Law in all things and to aim to be perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect The second reason is because the works which the Pharisee or Scribe doth are all counterfeit and corrupt in regard they arise from the strength of the natural man and are done for his own glory and carnal ends and not for the glory of God but the works of the Christian exercising faith in Christ proceed from the power of the spirit of Christ in him and are done to the glory of God by him The third reason is because the righteousnesse of works which the Scribes and Pharisees did affectat is altogether impossible and maketh void the grace of God for if righteousnesse be by works it is no more of grace it overturnes that heavenly way of justification by faith in Christ for the righteousnesse of the Pharisee by works cannot consist with the righteousnesse which is by faith of grace but the righteousnesse and justification of the Christian by faith in Christ is possible and ready at hand to every one who renounceth all confidence in his own worthinesse and slyeth unto Christ for grace and this is a most perfect way of righteousnesse which dependeth upon the obedience and satisfaction of Christ imputed to the believer in him Which righteousnesse only can stand in the judgment of God as perfect which only doth open the fountain whereby the power of the holy Ghost runneth down upon the man justified by faith in Christ to enable him to bring forth the acceptable fruits of new obedience By this comparison it doth easily appear that the righteousnesse of the weak believer in Christ doth far exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees and thus may the afflicted be solved of his doubt arising from comparison of his righteousnesse with the righteousnesse of the Pharisees 3. If these grounds of satisfaction laid before the afflicted do not satisfie but his wounds do break up and bleed afresh let us examine his reasons O! saith he what I have been aiming at in the way of new obedience I suspect is not accepted of God because I find not these fruits of the Spirit which the Apostle speaketh of as evidences of a new creature Gal. 5. 22. love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse and temperance the defect and little feeling of these fruits doth argue that God doth not approve my works For answering of
grace of God the man made a believer in Christ then the absolute promises of making a new heart and of writing the Law of the Lord therein Ier. 31. 31. and Ezek 11. 19. and all the promises of saving graces set down in holy Scripture do all of them belong to the believer in Christ in whom all the promises are yea and amen as if his name were set down 4. As to his doubt arising from his weak and infirm application of the promises let the afflicted consider what God hath already wrought and is a working in him by way of application for first God hath granted to him the use of the meanes with others in the visible Kirk so that it may be said unto him in this respect as it is Esa. 5. 4. what could be done in outward means and offer-making of grace which is not done Secondly God hath drawn more near unto him and hath illuminat his mind about his sinfull state in nature and about the way of delivery by faith in Christ and yet more hath inclined his heart to accept of the offer of Christ and make answer to the call as David did When thou saidst seek my face my soul answered thy face O Lord will I seek Psal. 27. 8. Thus God hath applyed Christ and the promises of the Gospel to the afflicted and hath made the afflicted to flye unto Christ offered in the Gospel and to apply him unto himself that hitherto the afflicted hath no reason to complain of not application of Christ and his promises on Gods part nor yet of begun-application on the afflicted's part Where is theâ— in-lake then I answer the defect is first in the afflicted who hath not duly considered the passages of Gods gracious approaching to him and drawing of the man to himself in Christ another defect is that the afflicted upon groundlesse mistakes doth not lay claim to Christ and to all the promises of grace for righteousnesse and salvation in him and that because he is not so clear of his right unto and interest in Christ as he can lay claim confidently unto the same 5. For clearing of the afflicted in this his right and warrant confidently to apply Christ and all the promises of the Gospel let him consider first the dreadfull sentence of the curse and condemnation of all them that do not believe on Christ Ioh. 3. 18. He that believeth in Christ is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the only begotten Son of God Secondly let him consider the largenesse of the Gospel wherein grace is offered to all and every believer Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life He saith whosoever without exception lest any man who desireth to believe in Christ should doubt that he shall be received and made welcome Thirdly let him mediate upon the wonderfull mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God who that he might ransom and redeem his people from sin and misery hath assumed humane nature into the union of person with his divine nature and given a perpetual pawn and pledge of his hearty willingnesse to reconcile justifie sanctifie and save to the uttermost every one who shall come unto God through him whereunto his mediatory Office and cloathing himself with most sweet relations of Prophet Priest and King to all his followers doth hear abundant witnesse Fourthly let him hearken to the quickening and comfortable invitations which by his Spirit speaking in Scripture he uttereth in the ears of all to whom the Gospel cometh with a joyfull sound Ho every one that thirsteth Isa. 55. 1. to 10. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy loaden Mat. 11. 28. We are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead beye reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5. 20. And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. Fifthly let the afflicted consider what answer he will give to the expresse command of God 1 Ioh. 3. 23. This is his comandment that we should believe in the name of his Son Iesus Christ and love one another as he hath commanded us For this commandment being directed to all the hearers of the Gospel chargeth every one without exception first to examine seriously their life by the rule of Gods Law that thereby they may be convinced of their damnable state in nature and made to acknowledge their sin and misery and inability to help themselves Secondly having examined and acknowledged their natural lost condition they are commanded to flye to Jesus Christ that by faith in him they may be delivered Thirdly that having fled to Christ they should evidence their faith by love to Christ or God in Christ and their neighbours especially such as are of the household of faith In which commandment both the order of applying Law and Gospel is set down and the necessity of believing in Christ upon the warrant of this clear command so that whosoever is a hearer of the Gospel and doth not in this order flye unto Christ he is inexcusable even the wicked and worst of men And much lesse excusable is the afflicted convert of whom we are now speaking who already hath acknowledged his lost condition without Christ and knoweth that there is no hope of relief except by faith in Jesus and hath fled to Christ and dare not depart from him if this man shall stand here and not relye on Christ and rest his soul upon him confidently what excuse can he make If he do object that his name is not written in this command 1 Ioh. 3. 23. it hath no force to impede his faith for neither is his name written in any of the ten commands of the morall Law and yet he findeth himself tyed to the obedience of every one of them and why is he not tyed also to this sweet command of the Gospel of grace as well as to other commands this command being given forth as the last declaration of Gods will for relief of them who acknowledge that they by the law are condemned wherefore let not the afflicted any more pretend the difficulty of applying Christ and his graces offered in the Gospel seing it is presupposed he hath fled to Christ and dare neither depart from him nor for the pretended scruple draw confidently in unto him but let him check and chide himself for not haunting Christ and conversing with him in heaven in that humility and confidence which the Word of the Lord doth allow unto him and commandeth him to take up and hold fast CHAP. XXII Wherein is solved the doubt of the true convert concerning his conversion arising from the observation in himself of presumption and security in his prosperity and of his misbelief in adversity THere are some true converts who albeit they are neither idle nor
and when he could not have the first place in his fathers blessing contented himself with what portion in the earth he could have beside Therefore let the afflicted labour to understand well the nature of the covenant of grace and the several articles thereof and let him consider that there is no advantage to be had by excluding of himself from that covenant but that if he will be saved in every condition he must draw near to Christ and lay hold on him for remission of sin and fresh furniture of grace for every duty for it is good alwayes to draw near to him because he will destroy all them that depart far from him Ps. 73. 27. CHAP. XXVI Wherein is solved the true converts dâ—ubt whether he be regenerat because he findeth himself not only far from the measure of holinesse which he observeth to have been in the Saints commended in Scripture but also short of the measure which some of his acquaintance have attained unto SOme true converts are who in the time wherein they are about to strengthen their saith by all means do fall in comparision of themselves with other converts in the mater of their faith love endeavour and attainment of an holy conversation and finding themselves very short of that measure which not only Saints commended in Scripture have attained unto but also short of what sundry of their acquaintance have gained and given proof of sudainly are overtaken with a sad suspicion that they may be found none of the number of true converts as for example when they read what David saith of himself in the Psalmes and namely in the hundred and nineteen Psalme they seem to themselves so unlike the copy he hath cast unto them so far short of that affection to the Word of God of that faith of that diligence of that sincerity of that patience of that fortitude in afflictions and delectation in God which the practice of this servant of God doth hold forth that they are ashamed to assume the name of a visible Saint or faithfull servant of God And for the same reason do forbear under this exercise to apply unto themselves the precious promises made to the faithfull servants of God in the Scripture What am I saith the afflicted that I should presume to intrude my self in the number of the Saints what am I that I should apply to my self what is promised to true converts and sincere servants of God Were I such a one as this person or that person is I might then for my consolation apply promises made unto such Saints but now I cannot apply their priviledges except for conviction of my conscience that I am justly for my unlikenesse unto them secluded from the promises made unto them and those that are like unto them 2. For lousing of this doubt we must acknowledge that the comparison of our selves with the rule of perfection holden forth in the Scripture is to be aimed at by all and the comparison of our selves with the eminent servants of God who have attained a great measure of growth in holinesse is very profitable if it be prudently managed For the first comparison teacheth us what we should endeavour to attain and the other teacheth us what may be by the grace of God attained unto even in this life Again both these comparisons do serve to humble us before God when we perceive our selves not only short of perfection which cannot be fully attained unto in this life but also short of these degrees which may be attained and have been attained by others in this life we cannot choose but think the more meanly of our selves and put down the sailes of self-estimation Thirdly this sort of comparison is profitable to make us more uprightly renounce all confidence in our own inherent righteousnesse and flye for refuge to the righteousnesse of Christ obedience and satisfaction imputed unto all that believe in him according as the example of the Apostle Paul who renounced all confidence in his priviledges performances sufferings and inherent righteousnesse counting them all but dung that he might win Christ and be found in him not having his own righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Phil. 3. 8 9. 3. But this sort of comparison is dangerous and hurtfull when it tendeth to discouragment when it maketh us think little of the measure of Gods grace granted unto us when it makes us heartlesse in the course of obedience and hopelesse that we shall attain unto the measure whereunto the Saints have attained 4. Wherefore let the afflicted strengthen the thing which remaineth and is ready to die Rev. 3. 2. let him beware lest he quench the smoaking flax or break the bruised reed wherein he hath Christs help to look unto Isa. 42. 3. Again let the afflicted consider that there are divers degrees of saving faith divers degrees of the measure of sanctification and growth in grace for some are old men some young and strong men and some babes in Christ and that the same duties in the same measure are not to be expected from the tender and weak beginner which are required of the strong and experimented souldier 3. Let the afflicted remember that nothing is given nor promised nor done unto the Saints in Scripture or in latter ages for any merit or worthinesse in them but altogether of free grace and so much the more should this be remembred as this doubting of the afflicted arising from comparison of his condition with the measure of sanctification in others doth presuppone the contrary as if God did deal with his children according to the worthinesse of their persons and merit of their good works which is a false supposition for why doth the afflicted cast down his courage and weaken his faith and confidence in God but for this very cause that he counteth himself a much more unworthy man and of lesse merit before God then those Saints were or are with whom he hath compared himself 4. Let the afflicted by so much as he doth preceive himself more unworthy and more sinfull then those Saints with whom he hath compared himself thrust himself the more into the bosome of rich grace let him so much the more lay hold on the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and cover his nakednesse therewith and employ Christ by faith so much the more that out of his fulnesse he may receive grace for grace and be made able by his Spirit to bring forth more abundant fruits and come up nearer unto conformity with Christ and the examples of renouned Saints 5. Let the afflicted consider that we must live by rules set down in Scripture aiming sincerely at obedience of holy precepts albeit we have not yet come up unto the practice of the rule in that measure which others have attained unto CHAP. XXVII Wherein is solved the true converts doubt whether he be in the blessed state
of such as they hate hoping how false and groundlesse soever the calumnies be that yet something shall prove likely and probable and so fasten something upon the innocent In which case let the afflicted lift up his mind to the Lord and pray him to rebuke Sathan 2. Let him humble himself in acknowledgment of his natural corruption and having fled to Christ for righteousnesse let him take the shield of faith for quenching that dart 3. Let him as he is inabled contemn these devilish slanders of Sathan and set his mind on some better employment then to dispute with so impudent and restless an adversary for we have other businesse to go about then to take notice of the dogs barking at us but if it please God to continue that exercise from day to day let the afflicted in patience submit himself to God and direct his speech and thoughts unto God only not answering directly such a Shimei at all It is not safe to direct our speech to Sathan at all but let us say to God the Lord rebuke Sathan 3. Sometime Sathan falleth on with suggestions blasphemous against God and all the grounds of religion and fathers all these blasphemies on the afflicted as his proper sins In which case let the afflicted be humbled before God because of original sin whereof Sathan maketh use as of something of his own in us 2. Let him renew the grips of faith on Christ the Mediatour in whom the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth reconciling the elect world to himself not imputing their sins unto them 3. Let not the afflicted look upon these blasphemies otherwayes then as Sathans malice against God for so they are indeed and not the sins of the poor soul vexed with such suggestions 4. Let the afflicted beware of discouragments misbelief or weakening of his faith in God of impatiency and fretting under this sad exercise for there is more cause of fear from Sathans second subtile tentations then from his grosse suggestions whereby at the back of the former grosse blasphemies he goeth about to draw the afflicted to the suspicion of the former work of grace in him and of Gods love unto him His wiles in this case are much more dangerous then his violence in his furious lyon-like assaults for he may more easily get the consent of the afflicted to some sits of misbelief and impatience or some other sins then to admit or consent unto any of these grosse blasphemies suggested 4. Sometime when the young and tender convert is reading or hearing in Sermon the sad sentences of God against such and such sins which do reign in the wicked Sathan flyeth on him with a false application saying thou art the man and doth not a little disquiet the weak in faith In which case let the afflicted consider that whatsoever is spoken in or from Scripture of the maledictions of the law are spoken against them that are under the curse of the law and covenant of works 1 Tim. 1. 8. who have not repented their sins nor fled to Christ nor are aiming at reformation of life and sanctification but these curses are not spoken against the righteous that is to say against such as in the sense of their sinfulnesse do loath themselves and are fled to Christ for refuge and have taken on his yoke upon them already justified and begun to be sanctified 5. Sometime Sathan doth abuse the Scripture and put a wrong sense upon it that thereby he may wound these that are weak in the faith For example it is written Rom. 14. 23. whosoever doubteth is damned if he eat But thou saith Sathan to the young and weak convert hast done many things whereof thou didst doubt whether they were lawfull or not yea thou hast eaten the Supper of the Lord with doubting therefore thou art damned Again it is written 1 Cor. 11. 29. He that eateth the sacramental bread of the Lord or dinketh of the cup of the Lord unworthily eateth and drinketh his own condemnation but thou saith Sathan hast eaten the bread and drunken the cup of the Lord unworthily for thou knowest thou art very unworthy therefore thou hast eaten and drunken thy own condemnation In this case and such other like let the afflicted convert inquire of the Pastor or some faithfull Christian better acquaint with Scripture concerning the sense of the words of Scripture which seem to make against him that the words being well understood the doubt may be dissolved As for example these foresaid abused Scriptures do only declare the sentence of the law against him that doth what he doubteth to be lawfull but doth not exclude him from mercy upon the acknowledgment of his sin and flying to the mercy offered in Christ Jesus And by eating and drinking unworthily we must not understand that every one who finding himself unworthy flyeth to the grace offered and sealed in the Supper of the Lord eateth unworthily for so no man should eat worthily for all worthy communicants in the sense of their unworthinesse must and do flye to free grace offered in Christ but the meaning is that these do eat and drink unworthily who profane the Sacrament and put no difference betwixt this holy banquet of the Lord and a common supper yea and even this sin of not discerning the Lords Body doth not exclude the man from mercy for the Apostle for remedy of this sin exhorteth these who are guilty to judge themselves that so they may not be judged by God who pardoneth the penitent 1 Cor. 11. 31. And so let the afflicted for strengthening of his faith know that every Scripture which speaketh against sin doth drive the guilty man unto repentance and faith in Christ without whose grace sought after and embraced there is no salvation 6. Sometime Sathan the adversary of all converts doth assault the faith of Gods children when he findeth them under some present guiltinesse lately contracted or under tryall of their faith as under desertion and disconsolation or some miserable condition whereof he taketh advantage to suggest to the child of God that his faith is but phantasie that God neither loveth him nor can love the like of him In which case let the afflicted humble himself before God and flye to him in Christ offering reconciliation let him 1. resolve firmly to adhere to the covenant of grace offered to self-condemned sinners through Christ. 2. Let him observe his present condition to be the day of his visitation tryal and probation what use he will make of Christ in his difficulties and straits 3. Let him in the use of Gods worship wait for the day-star of divine consolation promised to those that wait on the Lord Isa. 49. 10. 11 and Hos. 6. 3. and Isa. 40. 31. And last of all lest we insist too long in reckoning the innumerable wiles of the crafty serpent let every convert consider that there is no time while we dwell in the tabernacle of this body of death wherein we may be secure
So soon as his condition is clear to the Pastor or friend who is about to help him let the speaker unto him recollect in few words his condition as he conceiveth it and take up his doubt in a word as shortly as may be that the afflicted may perceive that his case is well taken up by the Pastor or Christian friend For oft-times here is the cure marred when the afflicted conceiveth that his case is not rightly apprehended or what is spoken is not spoken to purpose 7. Whatsoever his case seem to be Christian compassion must be shewed to the afflicted and his affliction estimat no lesse then the afflicted conceiveth of it but made possible for God to cure it For even our Lord in the resurrection of Lazarus groaned in his spirit in compassion toward the mourning friends before he gave them the full consolation And surely compassion doth well become a Physician for it is an addition to the affliction of the afflicted when the beholder cometh to him to think little of his pain 8. Whether the afflicted seem to be a convert or not let him be exhorted by his present exercise to humble himself before God and confesse his original and actual sins to God and flye to the grace of reconciliation and remission of sins and consolation holden forth in the Gospel to every self-condemned sinner through Jesus Christ our Lord for Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse when the conscience is burdened and the rod is heavy the curse of the law and the rod of correction do drive the man to flye unto Christ and take his yoke upon him And this course is wholsome and safe whatsoever be the afflicted mans estate whether he be converted or not 5. And as for that speciall stratageme of Sathan whereby he beareth in the sentence of condemnation on the afflicted and fiteth his phantasie with the continual ingemination and inculcating of this fiery dart crying over and over again blasphemous words charging the afflicted with the sin thereof and pronouncing sentence against him saying thou art condemned thou art a reprobat and such like the afflicted man must be informed 1. that such peremptory sentences are not from the Lords Spirit speaking in the Scripture but from the false accuser of the brethren for God pronounceth not condemnation but remission of sin to every one that flyeth to Christ. 2. That he must put difference betwixt Sathans part in the sinfull suggestions and his own part in rejecting of them abhorring them and grieving for them 3. That he must put a great difference between his imagination or phantasie and his conscience between the voice sounding in his phantasie whether he will or not and the sentence of his well informed conscience approving or disallowing what is offered unto it to be chosen or refused consented unto or dis-assented from by the conscience judging according to the rule of Gods Word for a sentence of words may be suggested to the phantasie repeated and obtruded upon the phantasie a thousand times which the conscience may and should refuse and reject a thousand times We know by experience that a sentence of words may by oft repeating in the ears of a parret and other birds take such an impression on the phantasie of the bird that it shall repeat vocally the words one by one and pronounce them disstinctly as if that sentence had been the work of its own invention So also we see that by frequent repetition of any whistle or song the phantasie of some birds may be so beaten and informed that they shall chant the same song over and over again and make it as if it were its own Now phantasie and imagination being a thing common to man and beast it is certain that the phantasie of a man may be wrought upon and stamped with the like impression And this much as experience teacheth us doth befall men for when a certain song or toon is sung in our audience and is often repeated our phantasie before we be aware useth to repeat and same song or toon or quietly whisper the notes and measure of the song or toon And after our judgment hath observed this work of the imagination we can hardly stay our imagination or phantasie while we are about other serious thoughts from its secret sowthing of the measures and notes of the song for phantasie will not be ruled by the laws of reason more then the outward sense of seeing can be hindered from observation of what it seeth whether pleasant or displeasant What wonder is it then that Sathan who hath great influence on mens imagination doth make so deep impression on it by continual iteration that the afflicted seems to himself to own those blasphemous suggestions as his own thoughts and as the voice of his conscience and yet they are indeed nothing but Sathans whistling and false sentences pressed on the mans imagination And put the case that his deluded mind should take them for the justly deserved sentences of the conscience yet are they only the voice of the conscience ill informed not judging of the mater according to the rule of Gods Word which â—oth not impute Sathans suggestions to the soul afflicted by them and mourning for them And so much for solving of the doubts of the true convert concerning his state in grace and regeneration THE THIRD BOOK CHAP. I. Concerning some premises WE have handled some examples of those cases of the conscience of a regenerat man wherein his state whether he be converted or not is brought in question Now follow some examples of those cases which concern his condition In which cases albeit the state of the convert be not at the first brought in question yet his conscience may be deceived and miscarry for a time to his detriment Of which cases that we may speak the more clearly some considerations must be premised and taken along with us 1. A mans staâ—e and his condition sometime are taken in a larger sense indifferently for the same thing as when we say that all the regenerat are in a blessed state or good condition and that all the unregenerat are in a miserable state or in an evil condition But when we put difference betwixt these two in a more strict sense a mans state is that relation of his person wherein he standeth either as a child in grace or as a child of wrath In which sense every convert is said to be in the state of grace and every unregenerat person is said to be in the state of wrath judicially declared such in Scripture But the condition of a man is his present morall disposition in order to his exercising of vertue or vice better or worse In which sense the renewed man or true convert is said to be in a good condition when he is going about the duties of religion and righteousnesse as becometh a renewed man and said to be in an ill condition when he is otherwayes disposed and exercised for
from him in fatherly wrath yet must he not yield to the weakening of his faith but rather yet more humble himself in the sense of his sins which have stirred up wrath against him and flye in to Christ and lay hold more closely upon his grace because God being offended is not pacified nor pleased save only by flying in tâ— Jesus Christ. Quest. II. Q. But what will you say unto them whose confidence is weakened whether they will or not whensoever they apprehend God angry against them and especially when they feel that God being provoked justly removeth gifts and benefits comfortable from them Ans. It is not to be doubted that the confidence of many true converts is shaken and weakened in this case but the question is what shall be said unto them We answer that they must acknowledge that they have leaned too much upon these carnal props the failing whereof maketh them to fall 2. Let them be humbled yet more because of such sins as have provoked God to change his dispensation toward them 3. Let them lean more upon the only rock of free grace in Jesus Christ offered in the Gospel for the comfort and relief of all those who in the sense of sin and unworthinesse in the sense of their ill deserving and of any measure of apparent fatherly wrath that hereafter however it fair with them they may rely upon Jesus Christ who is the only foundation to build our selves upon and whose grace is sufficient to help and uphold them who have their recourse unto him in every condition whether it be adversity or prosperity Quest. III. Q. ALbeit common benefits are not sufficient evidences of Gods favour yet new obedience of faith and fruits of the spirit are sure signes of Gods special favour bestowed only on the Elect Seing then as these signes when they are present serve much for the strengthening of faith so also when they are amissing have as great force of reason to debilitat faith yea seing faith without fruits is dead may it not be concluded where no fruits are no faith is Ans. If the question be of the universal want of all fruits of faith such as is to be found in all unrenewed men whose fruit cannot be good so long as the tree is evil whose seeming service cannot be acceptable so long as they remain unreconciled to God through Christ let the question be yielded unto But we are speaking of the true convert in whom there is a missing of the measure of formerly felt fruits and that in the time present wherein by some temptation or tryal their faith is sifted and winnowed And here indeed there is a vast difference between them that were never humbled in the sense of their sins nor led for relief from sin and misery unto Jesus Christ and the true convert who hath renounced the works of darknesse and hath fled unto Christ and consecrated himself to his service and who is set upon a new course of life hath brought forth new fruits of repentance faith love and hope and hath felt consolation in this course and now under exercise of conscience looketh upon himself as barren ground doth lament his impotency to bring forth good fruits and while he is under this exercise liveth in a sad condition blamelesse and free of scandal-giving great ods between this man and a man yet in nature We grant in the unrenewed man who is a stranger to the life of grace and true godlinesse the sentence holds No fruits no faith but as for the convert who hath had comfort in Christ and brought forth good fruits in some measure he must not reason from his present dead condition felt and lamented barrennesse to the denying of true faith in Christ or to the weakening of his saith or marring his confidence further then to acknowledge he hath leaned too much on his formerly felt fruits and hath not grounded himself wholly on Christ and the rock of free grace in him but may and should maintain his faith in Christ against his discouragment that he may be inabled to bring forth more ripe and aboundant fruits Quest. IV. Q. BUt what shall be said to humbled converts who looking to the holy Law of God and finding no fruits such as should be do passe sentence in the time of tentation upon all their works as unworthy of the name of the fruits of the Spirit and then do dispute against their own faith by the Apostles words Iam. 2. 20. faith without works is dead Ans. If the conscience do pronounce according to the truth as the mater is indeed it cannot be denied but faith without works is dead and God is greater then the conscience and knoweth all things But when the conscience is misled by a tentation powerfully pressed in by Sathan in the time of some sad affliction and appearance of Gods displeasure the testimony of the conscience is not a sufficient proof to infer so hard a conclusion for it cometh to passe oft-times that the convert who liveth blamelesly and entertaineth the love and purpose of well-doing in his heart followeth the exercises of religion constantly is not negligent in his calling and is ready upon occasion offered to let forth the fruits of love to his neighbour for all this sometimes walketh in darknesse and under desertion seeth no light as Isaiah 50. 10. In this case it may be he set all his works at nought as no wayes answerable to the Lords Law I see nothing saith he but sin in me I see no fruit of true faith in me I feel no operation of the holy Spirit in me save the work of convincing me of sin and unrighteousnesse In this case we must not give credit to the afflicted but convince him rather of his error and in special of his leaning too much weight on his works before this sad exercise fell upon him for when a convert maintaineth his faith in Christ only so oft and so long as he findeth in himself the fruits of new obedience but when he hath new experience of the power of the body of death and findeth the course of good behaviour and bringing forth good fruits to be interrupted in himself incontinent he resiles from his confidence such a man certainly giveth evidence that he hath relyed too much on his former felt righteousnesse an himself for he doth as if he durst not for sin approach unto Christ and so he falleth in Peters case who looking on his own sinfulnesse and the brightnesse of Christs Godhead shining in a recent miracle cryeth out Luke 5. 8. depart from me O Lord I am a sinfull man for Peter in this case did forget Christs mediatory office and that he stood so much the more need of Christs drawing near to him as he was a man convinced of sinfulnesse Another answer we give to this question the afflicted person must not think that he wants altogether the fruits of faith albeit he find them to be short of the
perfection which the Law doth require albeit he find not the fruits whensoever he would exact them albeit he find them not in that measure as he hath found them before For as trees are not to be esteemed dead or barren which bring forth fruits in due season albeit they bear not fruit in winter So faith is not to be esteemed dead which as occasion is offered bringeth forth the fruit at one time of mercy at another time of justice and equity at another time the evidence of zeal at another time of love and other vertues albeit when occasion or opportunity offereth not it doth not exercise such and such vertues yea albeit sometimes when occasion calleth for the evidencing of such and such gracious vertues the convert be somtime found in-laking or short of doing duty or guilty of doing contrary to duty faith must not be counted dead for all that Because it may come to passe that faith may be so wounded and fall sick and languish and fall in a swound that it cannot bring forth fruits till it be recovered of its sicknesse as we may see in Ionah David and Peter whose faith fainted but failed not altogether It is true they suspected they were cut off and gone when they were in hard exercise but after that they did look up to the mercy of God in Christ draw near unto him and did shew themselves alive in the Lord and to be in the state of grace Last of all we answer that the regrate of the humbled soul of its barrennesse and short-coming of bringing forth fruits as it would is no small evidence of life and sense in the inward man And of such a disposition it may be said as it is written Cant. 2. 13. The figtree putteth forth its green figs and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell For he that is fled to Christ and laments his barrennesse is a lover of doing good works and of bringing forth the fruits of the Gospel Quest. V. Q. BUt how can a man maintain his faith in Christ who after examination findeth no evidence at all of his conversion and that all his former life hath been spent in the unfruitfull course of corrupt nature and the mater is so indeed he hath lived after the course of this world a stranger to the life of God and grace Ans. Let such a mans examination and sentence of himself stand being according to the truth but this sentence of himself must not hinder him from believing in Christ or from flying to him for refuge for remission of sin for reconciliation and furniture of grace to bring forth better fruits then he hath brought forth before he hath proven against himself that in time bygone he hath noâ— been a regenerat man hath not been a believer in Christ but he hath not cut off himself from flying to Christ and believing in him for time to come for he must put diâ—ference between these two questions whether I have been of the number of sincere believers in Christ heretofore and whether I must now â—lye to Christ for time to come that I may be found hereaâ—ter and henceforth a true convert believing in Christ His former want of good fruits altogether doth prove him not to have been a believer in Christ for time by-past which is the first question and the same want of all good fruits heretofore doth answer the other question for his present duty and in time to come to wit that now except he will perish he must flye to Christ and believe in him In proving of this assertion that I have heretofore for such a space of time been a true convert I must bring forth the evidence of my faith by my works as the Apostle Iames appointeth shew me thy faith by thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works But in proving this other assertion to wit I must now flye to Christ while the offer is made to me of reconciliation left I perish it will suffice to produce first my want of good fruits and next the commandment of the Gospel charging me to flye to Christ for refuge in time leâ—t I perish And so a man must maintain the way of believing in Christ Jesus for time to come whether he find he hath been a 〈◊〉 or a barren branch in time by-gone or not Quest. VI. Q. SEing the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 10. commands us to make our calling and election sure by well-doing how can it be called carnal confidence which in part doth lean upon good works For seing assurance and certainty of our effectual calling is not attained unto but by reasoning from our good works that we are called effectually and are elected how do not our works support the assurance of faith concerning our calling and election and so may be leaned unto Ans. A man may make use of his good works for confirmation of his faith and yet not lean his confidence upon his works but upon the grace of God who hath called him of his free grace and made him imbrace the offer of his free grace and given unto him both to will and to do of his free grace and made him to be Gods workman-ship created of Gods free grace unto good works wherein he hath made him to walk Thus grace is by Gods word and working cleared up to the believer to rest upon without laying too much weight upon the mans work but if a man lay hold on Christ and his free grace only then when he observeth in himself such and such fruits of faith and looseth or slacketh his grips of Christ when he feels deadnesse and indisposition to good works justly we may call this a carnal confidence in his works for when he ought with Paul Rom. 7. 24 25. so much the more to flye in to Christ and his righteousnesse as he findeth the body of death powerfull in him and in-born sin strong to hinder his obedience he doth contrary wayes abate of his confidence languish and decay in his faith and look like a departer from Christ we must say he putteth carnal confidence in his own works Quest. VII Q. BUt seing it is impossible to perswade me of the truth and sincerity of saving faith in me except I do observe in me and can bring forth my good works to prove the reality of faith in me how is it possible that I should not lean weight on my good works seing the proof of my faith is by my works which proof if I have not I am at a stand I cannot prove my self to have been a true believer in Christ I cannot perswade my self that I have been and am a true believer in Christ Ans. 1. The observation of the fruits of faith in me is not the only proof of my believing in Christ for the very act of imbracing the offer of reconciliation made to me in the Gospel and flying unto Christ for a refuge when I am chased by the Law by the
examples of a conscience erring by esteeming a good condition to be an evil condition Of the which sort this shall be one Sometime some converts do mistake the peace of God granted unto them after hard exercise and do esteem the quietnesse of their conscience to be nothing else but a carnal security and sleepy disposition of the conscience To which case that we may speak the more clearly we do not deny that many are who indeed fall in a carnal security and please themselves therein conceiving they have the peace of God and a blessed quietnesse of conscience Such persons have no doubt nor suspicion but all is well with them for they do not examine and compare their condition and wayes with the Word of God but sleep sweetly in their carnal security and negligence of spiritual duties like to these luke-warm Laodiceans Rev. 3. Of such we do not speak here 2. Again we do not deny that true converts are in danger to suffer the peace which God hath granted unto them to degenerat unto a carnal security For easily may a convert after consolation divine fall in a sleep as the Spouse did in the Canticle 5. 2. But we are speaking of the case of a convert watching unto duties who after no small vexation in his conflict with the tentations of the devil with the terror of the law and sense of divine wrath hath gotten the victory by faith in Christ and hath obtained peace with God graciously granting his petition we are speaking here of these converts who after the Lord hath granted peace unto them through faith in Christ dare not injoy their peace but do suspect that their peace is not sound and at length do count and call it carnal security and so do breed themselves new troubles of mind The pretense and seeming reason whereby they do deceive themselves is this When God say they seemed unto us angry with us when we found no peace and were wrestling under the sense of sin and in doubt whether such as we should find mercy then we did pray very earnestly night and day then we were diligent in hearing and reading of the Word of God and were painfull in the exercise of all duties of religion and obedience But now we find our selves much cooled and slackened in all these duties whereupon we justly suspect the peace which we now do find to be nothing else but a carnal security of a sleeping conscience By this mistake all thanksgiving for the peace granted unto them is well-near suffocat extinguished Their former condition under doubts and fears is judged to be better then their present condition they wish their former fears may return rather then they should continue in this condition wherein their tears are dryed up and their former diligence eaten up Hence go they on to lay forth their complaints before their intimat acquaintance concerning Gods dispensation and dealing with them because the spirit of fear and reverence toward God the spirit of grace and supplication is much diminished and near-by quenched in them By which complaints they do not only breed trouble to themselves but also make heavy the hearts of their godly friends and do tempt them to fall into the like complaints and to grieve the Lords Spirit 2 This mistake doth arise partly from the not considering and esteeming of the gracious gifts of peace and other graces bestowed upon them and partly from a wrong comparison of their former present condition For first the afflicted person taketh no notice of the evidences of a new creature in himself he doth not consider how great a benefit is bestowed upon him when he feareth to offend God feareth to be shut out from society with him and earnestly desireth to be sure of his favour in Christ he hath not a due estimation of having peace with God and war with sin in himself joyned together to be freed from the torment of the conscience condemning him according to the law and withall a desire and delight in the obedience of the Gospel joyned together 2. He doth inconsideratly exact of his conscience that his soul should be in the same disposition before peace be granted and after that it is bestowed or that his affections should be stirred up one and the same way in both these cases for before peace is given he cannot choose but he must have sorrow heavinesse of heart unquietnesse fear and such like other sad affections But after that God granteth peace these perturbations are quieted tormenting fear ceaseth lamentations are restrained tears are washen away in a good measure and in their place do thanksgiving to and praises of God succeed and every duty do call for their own place in a pacified mind so that the mans body be not neglected as before but care had of keeping health for inabling to do what is required of him in his calling toward every one with whom he liveth For now his condition being changed why should not his affections and the effects depending on them be changed also Who can reasonably exact the same duties of a man in a fight which he may require of him when he hath gotten the victory who can expect the same carriage from a man when he is sick and when he is in health Doth not the Apostle say Iam. 5 13. If any man be afflicted let him pray Is any merry let him sing Psalms 3. For remedy of this evil 1. leâ— the afflicted examine himself whether this peace hath had a conflict of conscience and faith under the sense of sin and fear of the wrath threatned in the Law going before it or not 2. Whether this peace hath followed upon flying to Châ—â—st by faith unto whom he did cleave in his sad exercise 3. Whether this peace hath followed after prayer and supplication made to God for it that he might without fear of his enemies serve God all the dayes of his life 4. And last of all whether his heart still inclineth and endeavoureth to give obedience to the commands of God and to be grieved for his short-coming therein If these things do concur which beseem a convert let him perswade himself his peace which he hath censured for carnal security is the solid peace of God mistaken by him And therefore 1. let him no more suspect the gift of God but hold fast the Word of God which faith of the soul chased to Christ hath laid hold on that being now justified by faith he may have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. For God doth not give to his supplicant carnal security for peace a stone for bread and an adder for fish But 2. let him observe the wiles and malice of Sathan who cannot indure that the soul fled from him to Christ should have peace or in the enjoying of it blesse God for his gift of grace And 3. let him study to make use of this peace granted to him going on in the obedience of Gods commands chearfully and to
convert being chased by the law to lay hold on Christ who is the end of the law for righteousnesse unto every one that believeth shall stand aback from laying hold on the highest priviledges of Saints and the greatest promises made to justified souls because of his own unworthinesse doth he not say in effect if I were more worthy and like in holinesse unto such and such Saints I could be more confident to lay hold on these high promises which ground if it be once holden it makes the reason of the mans confidence to be his own well-deserving and not the meer and only grace of God the free promiser thereof and so the way of salvation by grace should be undermined and over-turned which is absurd because the Apostle Ephes 2. 8. saith that by grace we are saved through faith and that not of our selves it is the gift of God Therefore let not the humbled convert think it presumption to lay hold on Christ and the fulnesse of all promised grace in him how large soever it be CHAP. XIII Of the condition of the convert fearing that the joy of the holy Ghost which he hath felt be found only to be either the joy of speculation common to temporal believers or a meer delusion OF this sort also is this case wherein the convert doth suspect that the joy of the Spirit which he hath felt at some times was either a joy of speculation or contemplation only such as Philosophers may find in their study of humane learning or else a delusion of Sathan also This case may fall upon the true convert in the time of affliction and felt desertion when not only the sense of consolation is withdrawn but also sorrow and heavinesse have seized on his spirit when the sharpnesse of affliction takes up the whole soul and sorrow doth fill the heart At such a time the memory of by-past joy is greatly darkned and the sense of present grief inflameth the whole man For as it falleth forth in a mans body that both sweet and sour liquor do affect the sense of tasting most when they are presently felt but when they are past the memory of them doth affect the imagination only and that but lightly in comparison with present sense As the sense of a fiery coal doth otherwayes affect us when it touches our flesh then the memory of the pain we have felt doth move us when the pain is past So it is in the passions of the soul for joyes spiritual shine for a while when they are lately raised up in the soul but after a time they are darkned and in some sort worn out especially when grief doth arise then they are swallowed up with sorrow or are well near forgotten or lightly esteemed and rejected My soul refused comfort saith the Psalmist Ps. 77. 2. Such was Davids condition Ps. 116. 11. when he said in his haste all men are lyars at which time whatsoever joy he had felt in believing the promises made to him by Samuel or other Prophets he counted all to be but deceiving of him and delusion This mistake is strengthened ordinarily by Sathans tentation and wicked suggestion watching upon all occasions to traduce and slander all Gods words and operations The complaint of Ieremie savours of this malicious suggestion which the Prophet layeth out before God to be rid of it Ier. 20. 7. Thou hast deceived me and I was deceived Yea oft-times it cometh to passe that our old man and corrupt inclination taketh part with Sathan and when occasion doth offer scorneth all the spiritual affections of the new man as Ishmael mocked Isaacs devotion 2. This evil except it be speedily and solidly cured not only casteth the convert in a miserable condition but also calleth in question his state whether at all he be regenerat reconciled and in the state of grace for if the joy of the holy Spirit granted to the supplicant praying to God in Christ for confirmation of his faith granted to the mourner for sin that he may be comforted shall be esteemed as the effect of speculation only then the comfort of the earnest-penny and first fruits of the spirit is lost the confirmation of faith by that consolation is enervat and weakened thanksgiving formerly offered for the comfort sometime felt is recalled and the testimony of Gods Spirit speaking according to the word in oft-repeated experience is laid aside And so the afflicted soul shall seem to himself in worse condition then when he was lying in his sins because he shall seem to himself to have lost his labour from the time that he renounced his sins Wherefore it is necessary that this sicknesse be speedily cured lest it prevail 3. For remedy of this evil let the afflicted lay aside the dispute for a time whether his joyes and spiritual experiences of the Lords working in him have been reall as they sometime seemed and let him turn his eyes upon his present miserable confused condition let him take a new view of his sins and unworthinesse let him observe Sathans malice power and wiles to weaken faith and what need now he standeth in of Christ Mediator Redeemer Surety and Physician by office after a new discovery of his sinfulnesse and let him look upon the riches of the grace of God offered in the Gospel to every hungry and thristy â—oul flying to Christ for refuge and let him say to God Lord there was never a time wherein I had more need of Christ for righteousnesse and salvation behold I flye unto thee I welcome and embrace Christ offered in the Gospel and heartily do consent unto the covenant of grace through him and do accept embrace and relye upon remission of sins through him and the imputation of his satisfactory righteousnesse made over to such as flye unto him or else I should perish utterly and do give up my self to thee that thou mayest write thy law more powerfully on my heart By this means the confidence of the afflicteds interest in the covenant of Grace shall be more fixed and made sure to him and Sathan disappointed of his design to cast the afflicted by his tentations in mis-belief and separation from Christ. 4. Thus when he hath renewed the grips of faith in Christ let him now enter the lists and dispute the solidity of his former felt experiences by discussing the objections which did weaken his estimation of the former felt joyes of the Spirit One objection against them was because they were of short endurance and therefore seemed not solid The answer may be this The short staying of the joy of the Spirit is no proof against it as not true joy for it is sufficient earnest of the promised salvation if when the Word of God in the Gospel speaketh peace to the man fled to Christ he findeth the Word believed to be confirmed to the believer by peace and joy albeit the sense of it remain but a short while After you believed saith the Apostle you were
of the love of God through Christ in all his tentations he cannot stand out in the conflict Therefore that he may guard and strengthen his saith first let him seek wisdom from God to expound the Lords dispensations toward himself by the word and working of God in his children set down in the holy Scripture in exercising of whom by affliction he hath discovered the corruption of their nature the bitter fruits of sin and promoved the work of the mortification of sinfull lusts that are in the world to wit the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and pride of life and taught them humility meeknesse patience temperance and compassion toward others in affliction Secondly let him set his affections on things spiritual and on our blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for all them that call upon him that they may be saved alwayes remembering that as the Law is a pedagogue to lead us and draw us unto Christ So affliction is a pedagogue to lead us to the Law and to Christ the end of the Law for righteousnesse and life Thirdly let him learn in examination of his own condition accuratly to distinguish the Lords part exercising him with trouble for tryal and training him on in the obedience of faith as for his own glory so for the good of his afflicted child and Sathans part in cruelty craftinesse and malice tempting and and vexing him and his own part who hath deserved much more affliction then is come upon him which considerations may keep him from fretting and murmuring in his trouble how heavy soever it be Fourthly let him put difference between sinning and suffering of trouble that he may choose to endure affliction rather then by sinning draw on much more trouble 3. But if the afflicted convert seem to himself deserted of God in respect of the speciall operations of the holy Ghost let him be of good courage he is not altogether deserted who can observe the decaying of saving graces from the measure he hath found before he is not altogether deserted who loveth communion with God and longeth after it and can go to God and regrat his desertion as a sad affliction for if our loving Lord Jesus Christ hath withdrawn himself out of the sight of his afflicted child yet hath he persumed his own foot-steps with the unction of his own Spirit that he may quicken and kindle his childs love and desire toward him This regrated desertion is but in part not altogether yea it is not a reall but a seeming desertion The Lord resteth in his love albeit he hide the effects of his love for a time He preserveth the habits of saving grace as his own seed in the afflicted heart albeit he do not alwayes draw them forth unto action if he withdraw the sight of saving graces yet he augments the estimation of them and langour to find the Lord working in him If the afflicted observe well he shall see the hand of the Lord in some part of his works so that in his hardest condition he may say with the Psalmist Ps. 73. Neverthelesse I am continually with thee thou holdest me with thy right hand 4. If it shall please God with immediat afflictions from himself to suffer not only Sathan to fight against the faith and consolation of his child but also to super-add a fiery tryal of his faith by cruell persecution for righteousnesse let him still for all this be of good courage because in all such battel 's the Lord of hostes shall be with him who will not suffer his souldiers to be tempted above their strength but with the tentation will give an issue that they may escape and will furnish strength to them that they shall overcome for he hath laid up a crown of righteousnesse for all them that keep the faith and at last will give it to all that love the coming of our Lord Jesus Wherefore let the afflicted convert humble himself under one or all these exercises and not doubt of his condition seing it is agreeable to the Scripture and lot of the Saints 5. It is true that all affliction to the flesh for the present is a bitter potion but yet reached forth to the patient by the hand of our Physician and heavenly Father It is a fire but will not consume the burning bush it is a furnace but will not destroy any mettal but drosse only it is a labour but shall in due time bring forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse it is a rough fyle but the more sharp it be it shall so much sooner rub away the rust of the vessel of grace make the soul of the penitent more bright and by the blessing of God render him more humble in his thoughts more fervent in prayer mor constant in the faith more strong to bear whatsoever burthen shall be laid on him more desirous to grow in all vertue more carefull to keep communion with God more innocent in his conversation more clean in his conscience and at last more blessed Let not then the afflicted convert regard the labour he is put to but look to the fruit reckon the worth of healing and not the bitternesse of his potion let him not look to the pain of the affliction but to the fatherly love of God chastiseing him who expressely hath told us that he chasteneth all whom he loveth lest they perish with the world let him not shift the battel but set his eye on the crown and go on in the way of God how many soever his tribulations shall be for as the outward man by trouble doth decay So the inward man is renewed daily for the Apostle who who was most acquaint with such exercise hath for incouragment of all who are under the crosse said Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. The seventeenth and last question shall be about the relicts of sin in the Saints in this life THe remainder of sin doth often-times drive true converts to many doubts for when carnal lusts and sinfull passions seem to be subdued and in a good measure mortified incontinent upon the least occasion as dying ashes when sulphureous pouder is cast upon them they kindle and are inflamed and when their spirit is most willing and ready to do good corrupt nature standeth up and maketh opposition so that the coâ—vert cannot do the good he would yea such is the power thereof that oft-times it forceth him to the ill he would not In which warfare being oft overcome he is so weary that he falleth out with the Apostle in his lamentation Rom. 7. 24 crying O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me
God and men concerning the way of justification For by nature we cannot admit the righteousnesse of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ flying to his satisfaction of justice for us and righteousnesse imputed to us thereby for by nature with mis-believing Israel we acknowledge no iustification save of or for works albeit it be impossible Rom 10. 3. And as they being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their own righteousnesse have not submitted themselves unto the righteousnesse of God So we even after conversion and after embracing of justification by faith in our conversion do give oft-times evidence of our natural inclination to seek after the righteousnesse of works for after examination of our selves we shall find that our confidence doth flow and eb as we are pleased or displeased with our own carriage and when we have most need to make use of the righteousnesse by faith in Christ we forget it or slight it do not flye to it do not adhere to it do not comfort and strengthen our selves in conflicts by it as hath oft-times been observed by us what then would we do if our going about to establish our own righteousnesse did prosper or if the power of in born sin did not set up it self against us and force us by the law either to dispair or flye to Christ And this our natural inclination even after conversion to return and seek after the righteousnesse of the law may be seen in the Galatians who having begun in the spiritual way of justification by faith sought to be perfected by the fleshly way of justification by works and did fall in danger of falling from grace and excluding themselves from the blessing of the promise through Christ. Wherefore our infinitly wise Physician Jesus Christ taketh course as we have said for his own glory and our good not to repair at once the image of God in us not to heal our sinfull diseases all at once but piece and piece by degrees that his righteousnesse bestowed on those that flye unto him for refuge may be in higher and higher estimation daily that the fountain opened up in him for removing of sin and uncleannesse may daily be made use of and the benefit of justification may daily be looked upon as a new gift that vertue may daily be sucked out of him for bearing of good fruits and out of his fulnesse we may receive daily grace for grace and may render thanks unto our God daily and blesse him for his grace given unto us as did the Prophet Ps. 103. 1 3. Blesse the Lord O my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy infirmities And grow in the love of God for the remission of so many sins as escape us daily as did the woman Luk. 7. 47. who loved much because many sins were forgiven her And grow in holinesse without putting confidence in our works as the Psalmist did Ps. 71. 15. 16. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousnesse I will go in the strength of the Lord God and will make mention of thy righteousnesse even of thine only And the Apostle giveth us his example Phil. 3. 8 9 12 13 14. Wherefore let the doubting convert make use of these considerations and long for the coming of Christ who shall abolish sin and misery altogether To whom with the Father and holy Spirit be glory for ever Amen A TABLE of the Titles of the several Chapters BOOK I. Chap. Page 1. OF Conscience in general 1 2. Of cases of Conscience in general 7 3. Of Regeneration what it is and the regenerat man who he is 10 4. Of divine Covenants about the eternal salvation of men and in special of the covenant of Redemption shewing that there is such a Covenant and what are the articles thereof 22 5. Of the covenant of Works 71 6. Of the covenant of Grace 86 7. For a further clearing and confirmation of the doctrine about the three Covenants from Jer. 31. and Heb. 8. 133 8. Of the prudent application of divine Covenants in general 148 9. Of the more special application of divine Covenants for removing the impediments of regeneration 162 10. Concerning them that are like to despair 182 11. Concerning them that absolve themselves without warrand 190 BOOK II. 1. OF considerations to be premised 215 2. Wherein the regenerat mans doubt of his being in the state of grace by reason of his felt unworthiness is answered 241 3. Wherein the regenerat mans doubts arising from the multitude and weight of his sins against the Law and the Gospel and against the light of his conscience are answered 245 4. Wherein is solved the doubt of the regenerat man raised by his suspicion whether he be elected or not 250 5. Wherein the regenerat mans doubting of his regeneration because he findeth no power in himself to believe in Christ is answered 253 6. Wherein the doubt of the regenerat man concerning his being in the state of grace arising from his apprehended defect of humiliation and sorrow for sin is answered 257 7. Wherein the Christians doubt whether he be regenerat because he findeth not his righteousness exceeding the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees is answered 263 8. Wherein the regenerat mans doubt whether he be in the state of grace arising from his unquietnesse of spirit is answered 274 9. Wherein the converts doubt arising from his uncertainty at what time he was converted is solved 292 10. Wherein is solved the converts doubt of his regeneration arising from his apprehension that the beginning of the change of his life was not from the sincere love of God but either from terrour or self-love which he conceiveth to be but carnal 294 11. Wherein the converts doubt of his being in the state of grace arising from heavy afflictions and grievous tentations is solved 298 12. Wherein is solved the converts doubt of his conversion arising from the power of his corruption manifesting it self more after his entry upon the course of new obedience then it did before he began to repent 304 13. Wherein is solved the converts doubt whether he be in the state of grace arising from his comparing of himself with the hypocrit and unregenerat in those perfections they may attain unto 311 14. Wherein is solved the doubt of the true convert whether he be in the state of grace because some godly persons look upon him as an hypocrit 313 15. Wherein the converts doubting of his being in the state of grace so oft as he doth not feel the sense of his reconciliation with God is examined and answered 316 16. Wherein is solved the true converts doubt of his regeneration because he seemeth to himself not to grow in grace by the use of the means appointed for his growth 320 17. Wherein is solved the converts doubt whether he be regenerat because he seemeth to himself to follow religion and righteousnesse from the common operation of Gods working by moral swasion
set to his seal to the truth of God without an hink or fear and suspicion of his right to apply the grace offered in which case so long as he doubts and doth not rest his sinfull soul on the Word of God offering grace to every soul sensible of sin who shall flye to Jesus Christ what wonder the holy Spirit doth with-hold the sealing of the mans faith For this is Gods order holden forth Ephes. 1. 13. that a sinner should first six his faith on Christ offered in the Gospel and after he hath believed not before he do believe wait for the sealing of the holy Spirit For removing this cause 1. let the afflicted acknowledge that his hesitation doubting and suspicion is justly chastised of God because he hath not firmly adhered to the covenant embraced by him and because he hath not given unto God the glory of his truth without a pawn and yet doth in effect quarrel and complain that he doth not find these consolations which are given and but rarely it may be even to the sound and strong in the faith 2. Let him for the confirmation of his faith hereafter consider well how strong and solid a foundation faith hath to lean unto even Gods promise and oath given unto all that do flye to Christ for refuge and relief from sin and misery Heb. â— 17 18. that the afflicted may with the Psalmist Ps. 56. 10. sing in God I will praise his Word 3. Let the afflicted study to be so fast glewed unto Christ in every condition and case he findeth himself and go about the exercise of repentance and faith and new obedience in his calling submitting himself to the will of God in every dispensation which direction if he shall aime to follow he shall not want the fruit of his faith and honest endeavour to please God for Psal. 97. 11. Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart CHAP. XXI Wherein is solved the doubt of the true convert whether he be indeed converted because he cannot confidently apply to himself the promises of the Gospel THere are some true converts who albeit for fear of the wrath of God for their sins are already fled unto Christ and have hid themselves under the wings of the propitiatory in the shadow of the Almighty Mediator and are already begun in earnest to give new obedience to the law of God yet from time to time they fall in fear and trembling suspicion that all be not a sound work of grace in them and that partly because they cannot confidently apply to themselves the promises of the Gospel whether absolut such as are made to the Elect Ier. 31 31. or conditional such as are made to believers in Christ offered in the Gospel or qualified promises such as are made to the meek and mercifull Mat. 5. which qualified promises they look upon as conditional excluding them as they conceive who do not find in themselves such qualifications and partly because they are not clear about their right to receive the offer of the Gospel because they want as they conceive fitnesse in themselves to receive the same and thus are they oft-times vexed with doubts whether they be in the state of grace or not 2. For lousing of this doubt sundry things are already said by the way in answering other doubtfull cases But because many do meet with this difficulty we shall speak a little more particularly to the case and first it is needfull that the afflicted be confirmed about that which is right in him that the thing which remaineth and is ready to die may be strengthened To this intent we commend the afflicted that being sensible of sin and feared for-wrath he hath fled unto Christ for refuge next we commend him that he hath begun to give new obedience to Gods Law and doth purpose to follow on as he shall be enabled and thirdly we commend him that albeit he cannot attain that near conjunction with Christ which he would yet he neither will nor dare forsake Christ nor put himself out of the number of weak believers in Christ for he hath said in his heart with Peter Joh. 6. 68. To whom shall I go for Christ hath the words of eternal life Hitherto all is right and the afflicted must resolve to cleave close to this foundation because Christ hath said Ioh. 6. 37. These that come unto me I will in no case cast out 3. For his doubt arising from the nature of the promises absolute conditional and qualified looked upon by him as if they were conditional we answer 1. That these qualified promises having some mark in them of true believers are not exclusive of these believers who find in themselves a defect of the qualification but they are inductive unto all believers to study the attaining of that qualification and are corroborative of these believers who find in any sensible measure these qualifications For example promises made to the mercifull to the peace-makers to the upright in heart do not exclude these who find themselves short in these graces and yet are hungry and thirsty for righteousnesse yet are poor and indigent of all good in themselves and daily beggers at the throne of grace for what they want Mat. 5. for these qualifications sound in a weak believer are signes and effects of sound saith in them And we must grant that of these graces specified in these qualified promises some of them are more eminent in some of the Saints and other some of them more eminently seen and felt in other some of the Saints And in the same person one of these qualifications may sometime shine more clearly and at another time by some tentation or mistake be over-clouded and not shine so clearly as before yet the qualifications are comfortable to all them who find the same in themselves and are inductive to make every believer to aime to excell in these graces and so to confirm their own faith more and more as 2 Pet. 1. 4 5 6 7. we are exhorted Again these qualifications are signs of a believer already entered in the covenant of grace by faith in Christ and begun to bring forth good fruits but they are not the conditions of entering into the covenant for then none could enter in covenant till first these qualifications in exercise were sound in them and that were to dis-annull the covenant of grace and to set up a sort of covenant of works for there is not another condition of entering in the covenant but saith in Christ only whereby the humbled sinner renouncing all confidence in any good in himself or from himself doth betake himself wholly to the grace offered in Jesus Christ in whom perfect righteousnesse is to be found Now unto the man who shall believe in Christ all the promises of the Gospel are made upon this condition that he do believe in Jesus Christ which condition of faith in Christ when it is now performed and by the