over her and covered her nakednesse and sware unto her and entred into a Covenant with her and made her his own Then he washed her and anointed her he decked her with the richest Ornaments both of Jewels and Rayment he fed her with the chief est nourishment And her beauty was made perfect through his comelinesse that he had put upon her Ezek. 16. 8. to the 15. verse And in consideration of these so great so undeserved favours she crieth out with that good Prophet David O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Psal 107. 1. And so thirdly she falleth upon his mercy which she cannot but mightily commend for that so soon as she became sensible of her own lamentable condition he then appeard to her most mercifull For no sooner did she finde her self to be by nature the child of wrath Eph. 2. 3. And by sin the child of the Devil 1 Joh. 3. 8. But suddenly she perceived that he had redeemed her to God by his bloud Rev. 5. 9. That when she was yet his enemy he had reconciled her to God by his death and most assuredly saved her by his life Rom. 5. 10. And all this without the least satisfaction by or from her self For not by works of righteousnesse that she had done but according to his mercie he saved her Tit. 3. 5. And she is most confident that he will continue her in her now happy estate For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forfake thee Hebr. 13. 5. Neither can she doubt but what he hath said he will most certainly perform For she findeth Fourthly That he is full of Grace and Truth John 1. 14. Yea he is the very Truth it self John 14. 6. And therefore she sings with David Her Lord is good his mercie is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations Psal 100. 5. Nor Fifthly is she afrighted at his Justice But rather she rejoyceth therein For albeit The wages of sin is death Rom. 6. 23. And every transgression and every disobedience must receive a just recompence of reward As Hebr. 2. 2. Yet the law of the Spirit of life in her Lord Christ Jesus hath freed her from the law of sin and of death Rom. 8. 2. And in such a case it is not the office of Justice to condemn but to acquit protect and justifie And sixthly she can never forget his wisdom who is the wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. She apprehendeth by faith that it was he which made the earth by his power which established the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heaven by his understanding As Isa 51. 15. He knoweth them that are his 2 Tim. 1. 19. And he knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished 2 Pet. 2. 9. And she doubteth not but she may most safely and savingly resign her self to his direction and disposition For in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Colos 2 3. The soul that adds a thousand fold to these shall yet fall short a thousand thousand fold of his essentiall super-excellencies and lose her self at last in admiration Yet by these dear indearing contemplations she acts and strengthens and improves her Love and works it to a prosperous conditon For as the roote by vertue of the Sap causeth the tree to put forth fair green leaves So worketh Faith by Love and fits the soul the chast soul for a flourishing profession ANd now though somewhat bashfull yet she dares discover her affections to her friends the sweet companions of her virgin Love I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem if you finde my beloved that ye tell him that I am sick of love Saith she Cant. 5. 8. And therefore as the virgin lover first delighteth much to meditate upon the rare perfections of her Paramore So in the second place she will be talking of him very often extolling and comending his person parts and properties that so he may the better come to the knowledge and assurance of her intire affection towards him In like manner the love-sick soul that panteth after Christ will not omit the least occasion or opportunity of conference concerning her dear Lord but will evermore be magnifying his goodness loving-kindness and the like and setting forth the promises due thereto Because thy loving-kindness is better then life therefore my lips shall praise thee saith David Psal 63. 3. And to that purpose she consorts her self with his true servants his trustie friends whom she inviteth kindly to a sweet harmoneous concord and conversation O come saith she let us sing unto the Lord let us make a joyfull noise to the rock of ovr salvation Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyfull noise unto him with Psalms For the Lord is a great God c. Psal 94 to the 8. And from hence she proceedeth to a more eminent and evident Profession of her true zeal and pure integrity which will appear the more infallibly by loving that which he is known to love and hating that which he abhors and hates Resolved thus She findes he loveth righteousnesse and hateth wickednesse Psal 45. 7. And therefore she directeth her affections of love and hatred towards the same Objects In the first place she loveth righteousness whether it be the righteousness of faith which justifieth the person or the righteousness of the law which justifieth the faith of the person For she knoweth that as the one is the cause of her justification so the other is the evidence of her sanctification And this her Love appeareth very precious upon the account of these four properties First it is Cordiall secondly it is Constant thirdly it is Confident and fourthly it is Comprehensive First I say it is cordiall It is no brain-sick fancy begotten by imagination brought forth by opinion nursed by ignorance and maintained by impudence Neither is it an outward formall profession modalled by self-seeking and magnified by self-conceit These are degenerate monsters bastard brats abominable to her virgin brest She owns no other love but what proceeds from the assurance of a saving faith infused by the Spirit of her Lord into the hidden corners of her heart I sleep saith she but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. her loving heart is evermore in labour Neither can any thing prevent or hinder her amourous desires from running out towards the righteousness of her dear Lord Because He is the Lord her righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. Secondly her love is constant She regardeth not the face of the times nor the course of the tide the praise of a parasite nor the partling of a Parrat Neither will she take the spirit of giddiness for her guide least by any means she should wax wanton against Christ and wed her self to some unworthy creature like the younger widows Tim. 3. 11. Profits Pleasures and preferments
the penalty that 's due to her transgressions eternal death in everlasting torments And being thus affrighted at her sins the onely cause of her afflictions the Soul bestirs her self about the Cure And to that end she sighs weeps vowes resolves and fasts and prayes and cries unto the Lord. Behold O Lord for I am in distresse my bowels are troubled mine heart is turned within me for I have grievously rebelled Lament 1. 20. Bowels of grief beg bowels of compassion and all to little purpose For now the more she mourns the more she may her spirit is ingaged in the conflict And a wounded spirit who can bear saith Solomon Prov. 18. 14. Poor Soul for life she labours does undoes she spends her spirits and torments her self and all to satisfie incensed Justice Which she is never able to perform by her own passions were they strong as death and deep as hell The Law is broken and it is Gods Law her sute is entred and her case reported one day of hearing craveth for another night unto night doth utter lamentations Justice must be appeas'd or no discharge every hour fresh summons to the barr she gives attendance but receives no comfort her time runs on her taske is but begun her work is always doing never ended And so her case seems to be desperate Because she seeketh not the cure by Christ by God in Christ Oh! there is heavenly musick That very name revives her and commands her ears and heart to dwell upon that sound which they suck in with a delitious relish For now that God and man that Mediator not won by tears but of his own free grace turns o're the mighty volume of his book the glorious records of free-election and finds her name written in that Book of life Revela 3. 5. And now though haply he may forbear for some short time to utter his affections until her heart be throughly mollified and well prepared to receive impression yet he forgets not to compassionate the pining wretch but in the best of times his own good time he says concerning her like as he did concerning Ephraim Is this my dear daughter is she a pleasant child for since I spake against her I do earnestly remember her still therefore my bowels are troubled for ber I will surely have mercy on her saith the Lord Jer. 31. 20. And to her self as to his spouse he saith O my dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comly Cant. 2. 14. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee c. Isa 54. 8 9 10. And thus her Lord bemoanes and greets and cheers her till being big with Christ her comforter she singeth with the blessed virgin Mary My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour For he hath regarded the lowe estate of his handmaiden c. Luke 1. 46 c. This is a happy progresse you may say But where appeareth this humility Truely she meets with it in every passage First she survayes her sorrows and she says Remembering mine affection and my misery the wormwood and the gall my soul hath them still in rememberance and is humbled in me Lament 3. 19 20. And secondly she sees the work of God in her afflictions and therefore She humbleth her self under the mighty hand of God According as St. Peter teacheth her 1 Pet. 5. 6. Thirdly perceiving sin to be the cause of all her miseries she humbly begs to have it done away Have mercy upon me O God saith she according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions wash me throughly from mine iniquitie and cleanse me from my sin as Psal 51. 1 2. And with like meeknesse promiseth amendment I have born chastisement saith she I will not offend any more as Job 34. 31. But Justice pleads for satisfaction The soul saith he that sinneth it must die At this the poor soul seems as dead indeed she 's utterly dejected quite cast down She 's not so stiff in her opinion to bring in writs of errour or false-judgement All that she desires is to obtain the mercy of the Book where she is taught to read The wages indeed of sin is death But the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 23. And here she breathes for here 's the breath of life And thus restor'd she humbly thanks the law her schole-master for bringing her to Christ She hangs upon this promise claims this gift and by this Jesus Christ her Surty she tenders satisfaction unto Justice and is dismissed without cost or dammage And not so onely But she 's made an heir an heir of God and a joynt-heir with Christ Rom. 8. 17. And is she proud of this preferment now No verily Till now she never felt the kindly force of sound humility All her humilty unto this present was meerly legal troublesome and slavish but now 't is evangelicall and free or if it be constrained any way It is constrained by the love of Christ Indeed The love of Christ constraineth her because she thus judgeth that if one died for all then were all dead 2 Cor. 5. 14. If all were dead then she amongst the rest And that she now lives or begins to live 't is onely by the purchace of his grace He died the death that she deserved to die that she may live with him eternally And where is boasting then it is excluded By what law of works Nay but by the law of faith Rom. 3. 27. Now she believes and loves and hence proceeds a modest willing sweet humility She 's not dejected through a servile fear but she is humbled by attractive love Because her Lord requires to have it so Take my yoak upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart saith her beloved Lord Math. 11. 29. Let this minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equall with God But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likenesse of men And being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse saith his learned Apostle Phil. 2. 5. to the 9. Thus councel wooes her and example wins her And she walkes humbly with her God in Christ According to that of the Prophet Micah 6. 8. And thus effectuall humility is brought and wrought into the sinful soul But what doth this humility perform what doth it work For that is the fourth Question I answer that this true humility being impowred and improved by Faith hath principally these five operations It
thirdly it is by this carnall joy that we rejoyce in spirituall things after a carnal manner or to the satisfying of the flesh by any present of future commodity or injoyment whatsoever As for example when we do delight to professe religion to hear Gods holy word or to partake in any other of his Ordinances either for custom curiosity lucre or pride preferment or vain-glory Doubtlesse it was in reference to these or some of these or the like indirect intents or purposes That Herod heard John gladly Mar. 6. 20. And soon after commanded him to be beheaded verse 27. And that the Jewes were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light John 5. 35. And yet walked in darknesse and ignorance and unbelief neverthelesse verse 37. 28. That Simon the sorcerer would have purchased the gift of the holy Ghost Acts 8. 13. And was therefore reproved for an hypocrite verse 21. And that such hearers as our Lord resembleth to the seed that fell upon the rock receive the word with joy and in time of temptation do fall away Luke 8. 13. Verily it were much to be desired that all such false time-servers and self-servers were separated now from Gods true saints that so we might discover love and honour the Lords true Members with a safer conscience Christians let us not deceive our selves whosoever delighteth in any such thoughts words or works as are meerly carnal or rejoyceth in common or indifferent good things sensually or carnally or in spiritual things in order unto these or any of these foresaid or any the like carnall ends or purposes I say his joy is carnal or hypocritical For these are the abortives the unseasonable and unsanctified conceptions of a carnal minde And therefore contrary to the Spirit of God For to be carnally minded is death Because the carnall minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be saith our Apostle Rom. 8. 6. 7. But the fift is a compleat joy And this is always in our Saviours presence In his presence is fulnesse of joy c. Psal 16. 11. And truly this most happy kinde of joy is not so much external or extream as it is both internal and eternal For albeit A merry heart maketh a cheerfull countenance as saith the wise man Pro. 15. 13. And the Prophet David exhorteth all lands To make a joyfull noise unto the Lord to serve him with gladnesse and to come before his presence with singing as Psal 100. 1. 2. Yet these joyful expressions are but the indices or evidences of a more joyful heart For this true christian joy is mainly spiritual and effectual very answerable unto the fountain from whence it proceedeth and the Object upon which it is placed and both these are the same God in Christ For whosoever can derive his joy from God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself he is likewise able to place his joy upon God in Christ and rateably upon all those Gospel mercies which as mediatour he hath procured and purchased for the sons of men And these Gospel mercies are of two sorts first such as are spiritual in nature and secondly such as are spirituallized by grace Those Gospel mercies which are spirituall in their own nature are such as are offered and evidenced and sealed unto us by the Spirit of God And which we do apprehend imbrace and apply and rely upon spiritually by Faith Those that are spirituallized by grace are such as are common to all mankinde upon the account of a generall dispensation or distribution But are received injoyed and imployed onely by the children of God after a spiritual manner And all these mercies whether they be spiritual or spirituallized are to be rejoyced in spiritually According to the exhortations examples and incouragements of our blessed Saviour and his dear saints by the Testimony of his most holy Spirit The first spiritual mercy which is also the first Object of a christians joy is our Election This our Lâ—rd Jesus Christ exhorteth us to rejoyce in Rejoyce not saith he that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in heaven Luke 10. 20. The second is our Redemption Look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh saith our Redeemer himself Luke 21. 28. This is celebrated with a new song by all Gods elect both under the old and new Testaments as Reve. 5. 8 9. The third is our effectual calling and conversion manifested by our true Repentance For which If there be joy in heaven as Luke 15. 7. How much more ought we also to rejoyce on earth who do continually injoy the benefit thereof The fourth is our Justification Be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee saith our Saviour to the man sick of the palsie Mat. 9. 2. This was the matter of Saint Pauls triumph who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect saith he it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again c. Rom. 8. 33 34. And in another place O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law But thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. Who hath given us the victory by justifying us both against sin and the law The fifth Object of our joy is our sanctification Let thy saints rejoyce in goodnesse This was part of Solomons prayer And it was Pauls profession 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 2 Cor. 1. 12. The sixth is our Salvation This was the matter of good Hannas joy And Hanna prayed and said my heart rejoyceth in the Lord mine horn is exalted in the Lord my mouth is inlarged over mine enemies because I rejoyce in thy salvation 1 Sam. 2. 1. And of Davids rejoycing I will rejoyce in thy salvation saith he Psal 9. 14. And thus do all the godly in all ages with joy draw water out of the wels of salvation Isa 12. 3. The seventh Gospel mercy that we are to rejoyce in is Gods Ordinances I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house ef the Lord saith holy David Psal 12 2. 1. And wherefore should David go into the house of the Lord but to partake of his Ordinances But principally we are to rejoyce in the word of God the voice of Christ in his Gospel These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full saith the Son of God John 15. 11. The eighth is the faithful ministery together with the lawful portions thereunto belonging For thus the Jews whom God had
for the Inhabitants of the world All in one verse Joh. 1. 10. For mankind Joh. 1. 29. For the whole earth Math. 4. 8. For the riches or the wealth of the world Mat. 16. 26. For the pleasures lusts and delights of the worlds Gal. 6. 14. But here in this place it is restrained onely unto Man or Mankinde As being the onely Creature in the world that was capable of such a Covenant And unto whom it was altogether needfull and absolutely necessary So that it cannot otherwise be But that this Covenant of Grace was made with Man or Mankinde Yet not with the first man who did utterly devest and deprive himself of all possibility for such a glorious enterprise or undertaking by his disobedience to the Covenant of wâ—rks Neither was it made with any of his seed after the flesh I mean after a fleshly generation For if flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdom of God As in 1 Cor. 15. 50. much lesse could flesh and bloud recover their lost title to the Kingdom of God We must know that upon the first mans breach of Covenant God Man were parted Man flies from God in fear and God could not follow man but in fury Neither could any reconcile them but he that must be both God and Man Man that so he might suffer for the sin of Man And God that so he might satisfie the justice of God For Adams disobedience had made God and Man enemies Now it is not to be imagined that one enemy will make a league or Covenant with another but either out of fear And far be it from the Lord of Hosts to be subject to any such passion or upon satisfaction which to poor decayed man was a thing impossible And notwithstanding Gods love towards his lost creature and his pity towards the distressed helplesse hopelesse Soul might plead for mercie pardon and compassion Yet justice might not could not be abused without Gods infinite dishonour in whom it is essential Neverthelesse the mercie of God prevailed with his wisdom not against his justice but to finde out a means whereby to satisfie his justice that so his righteousnesse might be vindicated his wrath appeased and Man might be impartially restored And he saw that there was no Man and wondred or considered that there was no intercessour Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him Isa 59. 16. His arm That is His son Christ According to that of the same Evangelical Prophet Isa 53. 1. unto whom is the arm of the Lord revealed For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant And so he goes on with a Prophesie of Christ in that whole Chapter Or if you will understand the arm of God for the power of God according to the more usual construction Yet that also shall direct us to Christ For he is the power of God and the wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. We must know and consider that man by his fall was so broken and disjoynted that he became too weak for such a weighty burthen as that of eternal redemption Therefore the Lord laid help upon one that is mighty Psalm 89. 19. Mighty to save Isa 63. 1. Moreover God might not in honour yield to man his enemy But he could not in gentlenesse deny his only son The son of his bosom John 1. 18. In whom his Soul delighteth Isa 42. 1. who doth alwayes those things that please him Joh. 8. 29. Nay he could not in justice refuse a competent satisfaction from the hand of such an High-Priest as is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Heb. 7. 24. And to that very purpose Christ came forth from God Joh. 16. 28. To overcome the evil of the world vers 33. And God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself 2 Cor. 5. 19. Thus you see with whom this Covenant of Grace was made Not with the World universally propounded Nor with mankinde simply considered But with Jesus Christ both God and Man who being very God Yet he took upon him the very nature of Man that so he might suffer for mans disobedience on mans behalf Not to abolish or destroy the law or the Covenant of works which man transgressed to his own confusion For till heaven and earth passe one jot or one title shall in no wise passe from the law till all be fulfilled Mat. 5. 18. But to fulfill the said law in his own person for and on the behalf of all believers And so Christ is said to be the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. For which cause he is likewise called the last Adam Because like as the first Adam as a publick person received the Covenant of works for himself and all his posterity and brake it to their utter ruine and universal undoing So Christ the second or last Adam as the publick head of his Church hath undertaken the perfect performance of the same Covenant of works in the name and place of all believers which he shall most exactly fulfill and keep for them even unto the end of the world And therefore I may confidently say to all true believers as Paul said to the Saints at Rome Ye are not under the law but under grace Rom. 6. 14. For Christ hath doth and will observe and accomplish the whole Law as it is the Covenant of works for us That so he may estate and settle us in this Covenant of Grace in and by himself onely for ever He being in truth the very essence the onely entire being thereof With whom For whom In whom And by whom the said Covenant of Grace was made granted confirmed and delivered With whom it was made For he is the Surety of the Covenant Hebr. 7. 22. For whom it was granted For he is the Mediatour of the Covenant Hebr. 8. 6. In whom it was confirmed For he is the Seed of the Covenant Gal. 3. 16 17. And by whom it is delivered For he is the Messenger of the Covenant Mal. 3. 1. We passe on now to the fourth particular wherein we are to consider when this Covenant of Grace was made I shall not stand to strive with those unwarrantable opinions that are or have been offered and received in reference to the Date of this Covenant But I shall prove by Scripture and such truths as will conclude from Scripture that it was framed from eternity For first we finde that Adam soon after his creation having sinned against God in the Covenant of works through the seducement of Satan Immediately thereupon the Lord in the presence of Adam cursed that old Serpent And denounced his destruction by the Seed of the woman which was Christ Gen. 3. 14 15. To Satans confusion and mans consolation And truely it is to be conceived that God would not so suddenly and so certainly have set forth his Son for the Saviour at that very instant had there not been some pre-contract
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Eph. 5. 2. In whom our gracious God was fully pleased Math. 3. 17. Which so increased and confirm'd his love that he concludes this Covenant of Grace And certainly there being no possibility to be expected from decayed mankinde for the repairing of themselves either by desert satisfaction intercession or any other way or means whatsoever we must needs conceive consider and assure our Souls That whatsoever God or Christ or God in Christ or God for Christ his sake either did do or shall do in order unto Mans salvation or whatsoever else may truely be called a blessing They did do and shall do it meerly by virtue of that undeserved Love which they vouchsafed in this Covenant Had not that prevailed man had been destroyed and God had lost the glory of his grace which shines most clearly through mans Redemption Without doubt it is in reference to this eternal Covenant That our Redemption is said to be eternal Hebr. 9. 12. our Salvation eternal Hebr. 5. 9. And our Inheritance eternal Hebr. 9. 15. And the onely Consideration or Motive that procured all this was Gods eternal or everlasting Love wherewith he loved us Jer. 31. 3. He loved us generally as his Creatures He loved us particularly as those Creatures by whom he intended chiefly to advance his glory He loved us more especially as bearing his own Image He loved us compassionately as foreseeing our fall in Adam our old Grand-Father But he loved us most effectually upon the intercession of Christ his own dear Son And thus God so loved the World But that this truth may gain our full belief let us surveigh his gift his onely Son For God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son This is the next branch which in the third place sets forth it self unto us in this Copy of the Covenant of Grace Being the Gift or Grant conveyed assigned and set over by the said Covenant or Deed of Gift WHerein I am to shew unto you these three particulars First That Jesus Christ the onely begotten Son of God was the Gift conveyed in that eternal Covenant Secondly What manner of Son he was And thirdly How and to what purpose God did so assign him For the first be pleased to remember what I have formerly delivered concerning this Precontract How God the Father and his blessed Son fore-seeing mans destruction by his fall Least by that means their purpose concerning the Creation should miscarrie The Son Christ Jesus gives himself to God a surety for the Creature And in case of mans default to satisfie the law on mans behalf And thereupon the Lord returns his Son by designation debtour to the law which he must to the uttermost discharge by suffering death which man of right must suffer Not presently for yet there was no cause why he should answer what was yet undone Nor at the very instant of mans fall The Lord was pleased to take his single Bond And to deferre the execution untill his own appointed time should come Neverthelesse by virtue of this Covenant God gave his Son for mans Redemption intentionally and by way of preordination before all time 1 Pet. 1. 19. effectually in the beginning of time Rev. 13. 8. And actually in the fulnesse of time Gal. 4. 4. Now albeit these several times were farre distant the one from the other in our apprehension Yet they were not so in Gods repute and acceptation for with him all times are present Eternity is evermore Gods present Tense And thus it may appear that the Gift which God the Father gave in this eternal Conant was his onely begotten Son And that he then gave him not onely intentionally according to our discretion But effectually and actually according to his own purpose and satisfaction Moreover if we consider the occasion why God and Christ did make this Covenant Namely to save man from that wofull curse which he did voluntarily incurre And yet to clear Gods Justice so ingaged us in the Covenant of works Then we shall finde that nothing could avail to bring to passe that intricate designe but the onely Son of God both God and Man Gods Justice seiseth upon every sin from which nor men nor Angels were quite free Prov. 28. 9. and Job 4. 18. And none but onely God might stay Gods hand But man hath sinned and man must suffer for 't And therefore in Mans Nature Christ must die and Christ as God and Man must satisfie Gods violated Justice And very punctual to this purpose is that of the Prophet Isaiah Vnto us a childe is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his Name shall be called wonderfull Counseller The mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of peace Isa 9. 6. These glorious expressions were too high for any but the eternal Son of God who was then or at that time neither born nor given otherwise then by way of promise and prevention And that by this eternal Covenant Now that we may be the more sensible of that incomparable Love which Almighty God vouchsafed us in this most precious Gift Let us consider for what kinde of Son the word of truth hath set him forth unto us He is Gods own Son Rom. 8. 32. His onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of his Father John 1. 18. His beloved Son in whom he is well pleased Mat. 17. 5. His dear Son or the Son of his Love Col. 1. 13. Whom he hath appointed heir of all things Heb. 1. 2. In whom his Soul delighteth Isa 42. 1. Who never displeased him John 8. 29. Did God give this near dear delightfull Son of his to suffer death a cursed death to save accursed rebels from destruction Truely the though thereof if any thing serious will inforce us to conclude with that beloved Disciple Herein is Love the very power efficacy and excellency of Love Not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins 1 John 4. 10. But happily 't will be demanded how and to what purpose did God give his Son in this eternal Covenant of Grace I answer thus God being simply and essentially one considering mans eternal separation both from his presence and his favour too occasioned by mans rebellion The same one God did graciously decree to take upon him in the Person of the Son of God the Name and Nature of the Son of Man By that mysterious meanes to reconcile mankinde unto himself And thus as God the Father in his Justice opposeth mans contempt so God the Son in mercie intercedes and pacifies Gods wrath for Mans offence And therefore very much to this purpose is that of the Apostle Paul There is one God saith he and one Mediatour between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransome for all to be testified in due time 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. In
of the Church of Sardis Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Rev. 3. 1. The cordial death if I may so call it or the death of the heart is that which happeneth upon the sense or apprehension of some extream danger or distresse when discreet Abigail had told her husband Nabal of the danger he was in by reason of his churlish behaviour towards Davids young men The Text saith That his heart died within him and he became as a stone 1 Sam. 25. 37. And Pharaoh in the plague of locusts desired Moses and Aaron to intreat the Lord that he might take away that death onely Exod. 10. 17. The natural death consisteth in the dissolution of nature or the separation between the body and the Soul It is said That when Rachels Soul departed she died Gen. 35. 18. And when the widow of Zarephaths son was dead Elijah cried unto the Lord and said O Lord my God I pray thee let this Childes Soul come into him again And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the Soul of the Childe came into him again and he revived 1 King 17. 21 22. The last is eternal death consisting in those eternal torments which the damned shall be cast into upon that peremptory sentence Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Mat. 25. 41. In these four sorts or degrees of death are comprehended all the discomforts mischiefs and miseries that mankinde can suffer or suspect whether they be spiritual temporal or eternal And now I shall prove that every one of them is the reward or punishment of sin First the spiritual death is the reward of sin Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned professing themselves to be wise they became fools And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and to four-footed beasts and creeping things Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleannesse through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies between themselves Rom. 1. 21 22 23 24. For this cause God gave them up to vile affections c. verse 26. Secondly the cordial death or the death of affliction trouble and distresse that is also the reward or the punishment of sin We grope for the wall like the blinde and we grope as if we had no eyes we stumble at noon day as in the night we are in desolate places as dead men We roar all like bears and mourn sore like doves we look for judgement but there is none for salvation but it is far off from us For our transgressions are multiplied before thee and our sins testifie against us for our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities we know them Isa 59. 10 11 12. Thirdly the natural death that is also the wages of sin And unto Adam God said Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the dayes of thg life Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the Herb of the field In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread untill thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 17 18 19. And lastly eternal death is the punishment of sin And it shall come to passe that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not die neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh Isa 66. 23 24. Thus we see that sin hath laid us open to every degree of death and destruction And verily the penalty annexed unto the breach of the Covenant of works that original rebellion importeth no otherwise In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Gen. 2. 17. Dying thou shalt die saith the original Thou shalt die every kinde of death And now if it be demanded how it may be said that we are redeemed from these miseries distresses and calamities by this Covenant of Grace I answer that Almighty God hath redeemed us from them by taking away the onely cause of them which we find here to be sin And that for and through the merits and mediation the sufferings and satisfaction of Jesus Christ his onely begotten Son whom he gave us and for us in this Covenant Provided alwayes that we receive him by faith according to the condition of this Covenant And here we may do well to take notice That the evil of sin is three-fold That is to say The guilt of sin The punishment of sin And the power of sin And it is necessary that all these be removed before we can certainly be said to be redeemed For where the guilt remaineth the punishment is not to be avoided and whilest the power continueth neither shall the guilt be forgotten nor the punishment forgiven You know that whosoever transgresseth the Law and is found guilty thereof he must suffer punishment according to the nature of his offence And whosoever committeth sinne transgresseth the Law For sin is the transgression of the Law 1 John 3. 4. Now where is that Soul that dares stand upon her own justification and plead Not guilty to the whole Law of God Or whether our own hearts condemne us or not God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things 1 John 3. 20. It is in vain for us to dissemble or conceal our iniquities For all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do Heb. 4. 13. Verily the Lord sees our sins before we commit them I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherâ—usly saith he and wast called a transgressour from the womb Isa 48. 8. And he that transgresseth the Law in the least particular he is cursed 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 Gal. 3. 10. And being cursed he can expect no better then to be condemned unto eternal torments For the Son of Man sitting upon the throne of his glory shall say unto them Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Math. 25. 41. But being possessed of the Lord Jesus Chriâ—t by an effectual faith according to the tenour of this Covenant of Grace we are redeemed both from the Curse For Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal.
truth to no purpose they must have at least a finger as we say in their own salvation They would indeed willingly follow Christ but they cannot wholy deny themselves Haply they will acknowledge Christ to be all but not all in all As if the bloud of Jesus Christ could not cleanse us from all sin contrary to that of St. John 1 Joh. 1. 7. Or as if his righteousnesse were incomplete In whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the god-head bodily as saith Saint Paul Coll. 2. 9. Truely this must needs be a great dishonour to the Son of God to patch his robe with our rags his righteousnesse with our rotten corruptions It must be the single righteousnesse of one and not the confused righteousnesse of two or more compounded together that must justifie and save us For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ saith the Apostle Rom. 5. 17. But he will further alledge that if our own works have no hand at all in our justification To what purpose is that of Saint James Was not Abraham our Father justified by works saith he when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar James 2. 21. I answer that there is a justification of the person and a justification of the Faith of the person Now it appeareth plainly that the Apostle James in that place intended the justification of Abrahams Faith and not the justification of his person For his person was justified at least twenty years before For is it not said That he believed in the Lord he counted it to him for righteousnesse Gen. 15. 6. And that was before Abraham went in unto Hagar and Ishmael Abrahams son by Hagar was thirteen years old when he was circumcised Gen. 17. 25. And that also was performed before Isaac was begotten And Isaac going to be Offered was able to carry the Wood and to expostulate with his Father Gen. 22. 6 7. So that by computation the person of A-Abraham was justified by Faith no lesse then twenty years before his Faith was justified by Offering Isaac his Son upon the Altar Legal Professour In your actions and allegations a man may easily read your Evidence Your Faith is built not partly as you suppose but wholy upon the Covenant of workes A decayed foundation And not at all upon the Covenant of Grace For you cannot relate to both Covenants at one and the same time Christs work is perfect therefore needs no help ours is imperfect therefore cannot help And upon that account if we compound them Christs work will be dishonoured and blasted and ours will look most filthy and deformed I have trodden the Wine-presse alone and of the people there was none with me saith our Lord Isa 63. 3. And he that said it Is the Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. And therefore learn by a lively Faith to lay hold upon the Lord Jesus Christ this Lord our righteousnesse and to rely upon him wholy and onely for your justification and salvation O verily you get neither part nor portion in this eternal inheritance For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of works least any man should boast As saith that Apostle Eph. 2. 8 9. There are yet a confused company of Competitours I know not how to call them who do all pretend to this heavenly inheritance But they differ as much in their fancies as in their faces and onely do agree in a general disagreement They cry out mightily against selfishnesse whereas there seemeth to be little or nothing else amongst them Their actions are self-seeking their Allegations are self-confuting And their Evidences are self-confounding Whereupon it followeth that they are more profitably seen then felt heard then beleeved and rejected then justified They say go to let us build us a Citie and a Tower whose top may reach unto Heaven that we may make us a name In imitation of those antike builders Gen. 11. 4. But the same God that confounded the language of the one doth likewise confound the judgement of the other And therefore it is very probable that the Countrey or Kingdom which they shall inherit and inhabit will be called after the name of that Citie Babel in plain English Confusion I dare not proceed any further in this discovery least I loose my self in a Wildernesse full of wayes both devious and dangerous I shall rather order my course directly towards the right Heir whom now I conceive to be within sight ANd this is the Loving Believer He that by an active faith willingly receiveth and lovingly embraceth the Lord Jesus Christ and denying himself in all his doings and sufferings dependeth wholy upon the righteousnesse intercession and satisfaction of the Son of God for his justification and salvation According to that of the Apostle What things were gain to me those I counted losse for Christ saith he yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellencie of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine 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. 7 8 9. This Loving Believer is much in action Yet he laboureth not for life He looketh upon that as a gift not as a reward His onely care is That he may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull unto every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God According to that prayer of St. Paul Col. 1. 10. And that he may abound in the work of the Lord for as much as he knoweth that his labour is not in vain in the Lord. After the same Apostles exhortation 1 Cor. 15. 58. He exceedingly admireth the light and liberty of the Gospel especially when he considereth what great light and liberty he for his own particular hath received thereby For he perceiveth plainly That he was sometimes darknesse but now he is light in the Lord and that he is thereby inabled to walk as a Child of light as Ephes 5. 8. And for his liberty he findeth That the Son hath made him free and therefore he is free indeed As the Saviour affirmeth Joh. 8. 36. Not free to sin but free from sin Not onely from the guilt and punishment of sin but also from the power and predominancy of sin Sin shall not have dominion over him for he is not under the Law but under Grace as in Rom. 6. 14. Neither doth he use his liberty for an occasion of the flesh as Gal. 5. 13. Nor for a Cloak of maliciousnesse as 1 Pet. 2. 16. Least by any means this liberty of his should become a stumbling block to them
were negligent and carelesse Be sober therefore be vigilant saith St. Peter because your adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devoure 1 Peter 5. 8. And be ye doers of the Word and not hearers onely deceiving your own selves James 1. 22. Secondly take heed how ye hear deceitfully Thou son of man saith the Lord to his Prophet Ezekiel the Children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses and speak one to another every one to his brother saying come I pray you and hear what is the Word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse Ezek. 33. 30 31. See how these Hypocrites do vilifie the Prophet of the Lord in private Neverthelesse they seem to be very zealous for the word of the Lord in publick and thereupon they come unto the Prophet and they sit before him as Gods own people and they do hear his words But here is the deceit they will not do them for they are Hypocritical and self-ended with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse And may there not be deceitfull hearers in these our dayes that follow the word meerly that they may be accounted good Christians or because they think this to be the onely prevailing way both to make them capable of all manner of imployment though they be never so unfit and undeserving And likewise to countenance all their proceedings though never so corrupt and unconscionable And therefore if you observe it they will seldom or never hear the word though never so sincerely plainly and powerfully delivered but when they think it may conduce to their carnal profit or preferment The cry of their heart is who will shew us any good not Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us as Psalm 4. 6. Is not this to hear the word of God deceitfully Is it not a work of the Lord to hear the word of the Lord Truely it is such a work as doth very well manifest who is our Master He that is of God heareth Gods words Ye therefore hear them not â—ecause ye are not of God saith the Son of God to the unbelieving Jews John 8. 47. And cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully saith the Prophet Jer. 48. 10. Thirdly take heed how you hear despightfully Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed saith Salomon Prov. 13. 13. He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me saith Christ to his seventy Disciples Luke 10. 16. He therefore that despiseth despiseth not Man but God saith that Apostle 1 Thessa 4. 8. But you will say that there is no man so ungracious as to despise the word of God in the mouth of his Ministers No What think you then of those factions frantick spirits that wry the mouth at every Doctrine which agreeth not with their own erronious or peradventure blasphemous opinions Or what do you think of those foul stomacks that will by no means disgest the sincere milk of the word but will rather spet it out in reproches unlesse it be sweetned with faithlesse revelations flattering Prophesies fair promises false invectives fresh intelligence or the like frivolous extravagancies which taste like Sugar to their corrupted appetites Or what do you think of those preposterous hearers that come to Gods Ordinances Not with Davids resolution To hear what God the Lord will speak as Psal 85. 8. But with an Athenian prejudice What will this babler say as Acts 17. 18. Neither shall the Son of God escape better then his servants For some said he is a good man others said Nay but he deceiveth the people John 7. 11. Whereas in truth they deceived themselves Is not this to despise both Christ and his Gospel He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight unto the spirit of grace saith the Apostle to the Hebrews Hebr. 10. 28 29. Wherefore let the Preacher perswade you to keep your feet when you go into the house of God and be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools Eccl. 5. 1. That is keep or see to your affections which carry about the Soul as the feet do carry about the body and be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools what sacrifice is that why you know that under the Law they did use to offer beasts in sacrifice And these as natural brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed do offer themselves to speak evil of the things that they understand not and shall utterly perish in their own corruption according to that of Peter 2 Pet. 2. 12. But take heed that ye do hear the word of God attentively reverently and obediently First take heed that ye hear attentively We finde that the Lord commended Mary for attending to his Sermon when her sister Martha accused her for neglecting his service Luke 10. 39. c. Attention is the Lords own work for it was the Lord that opened the heart of Lidia that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul Acts 16. 14. And the Lord himself will reward it We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God saith that good Centurion to St. Peter Acts 10. 33. Here was a Testimony of their attention And the holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word verse 44. There was the reward of their attention They received the gift of the holy Ghost A gift so precious that it is impossible for any to value it but onely such as have truely received it Secondly take heed that ye do hear reverently Receive with meeknesse the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Ja. 1. 21. And for this cause thank we God without ceasing saith Paul because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God 1 Thes 2. 13. Contrary to these are they who proud of their own parts do creep into the sheepfold of Christ to put the whole flock into a confusion endeavouring not to obtain grace from Christ but to disgrace the faithfull Ministers of Christ And to that purpose where they cannot take occasions of offence they will be sure to make occasions of offence Neither can the most weighty and well-grounded arguments suffice to
David as a King and thus do thou according to thy power or do not say that thou hast any hatred against sin And as that hatred which is warrantable is both impartial and impetuous So in the third place 't is implacable never to be appeased or reconciled This is not hatred to fall out with sin or quarrel with it at some special time or for some extraordinary cause For thus the most ungracious Reprobate may sometimes hate his best-beloved sin And yet return with the Dogge to his vomit and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire If thus the unclean spirit goeth out of a man it is but onely to recruit his forces he will return and take unto himself seven other spirits more wicked then himself and they will enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse then the first According to that saying of our Saviour Luke 11. 26. But when a man in expectation of Gods eternal Love by Jesus Christ doth dedicate his love to God in Christ the violence and perpetuity of his impartial hatred will be such against all sin and every transgression That he will chuse to suffer the afflictions of Joseph Psal 105. 17 18. Much rather then he will be reconciled to any sin or become serviceable unto the Prince of darknesse though with Ioseph he be solicited thereto day by day as Gen. 39. 10. And thus the Soul that is in love with Christ declares it by her Christian profession especially In loving righteousnesse because he loves it and hating wickednesse because he hates it And having thus throughly endeer'd herself by manifesting her affections and fixing them upon their proper objects In the next place she doth prepare herself to seek and entertain her princely lover For as the Tree that is planted in a fruitfull soyl doth not onely increase her sap in her self and send it forth in flourishing green leaves but likewise by the vertue of that sap she putteth forth her beautifull fair blossoms whereby we are induced to conceive that she will bring forth fruit accordingly Even so the Soul that by a lively faith is planted into Christ doth not onely improve her love by Contemplation and manifest it by Profession But likewise she most earnestly endeavoureth to fit and confirm it by Preparation ANd this her hopefull preparation sets forth it self in seeking her beloved It is a principal part of Iehoshaphats commendations That he prepared his heart to seek God 2 Chron. 19. 3. And Hezekiah one of his successours both in his Kingdom and his piety having proclaimed a solemne Passeover He besought the Lord saying The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God the Lord God of his fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary 2 Chr. 30. 19. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people verse 20. And in this search the loving Soul considereth when where and how she may so seek her Lord that she may soon safely and surely finde him And to that purpose she doth call to minde that the holy Ghost sets forth a threefold prescription in order to the time when she 's to seek him First early Prov. 8. 17. Secondly continually Chron. 16. 11. And thirdly evermore Psal 105. 4. Early in regard of opportunity Continually in reference to constancie And evermore in relation to perpetuity First early without delaying In the morning of her youth Remember thy Creatour in the dayes of thy youth saith that kingly Preacher Eccles 12. 1. And thus good Obadiah to Elijah I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth 1 Tim. 18. 12. Secondly continually without wavering For he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the winde and tossed Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord James 1. 6 7. And thirdly evermore without revolting or apostatizing He that endureth to the end shall be saved saith the Son of God Mat. 10. 22. It is registred of Asa That he did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God 2 Chron. 14. 2. Neverthelesse it is a notable blemish to his integrity that towards his latter end In his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the Physicians 2 Chr. 16. 12. And thus the love-sick Soul will seek her Lord early least having withdrawn himself she seek him but cannot finde him and call him but he gives her no answer as Cant. 5. 6. She will seek him continually least he cometh in a day when she looketh not for him and in an hour that she is not ware of Mat. 24. 50. And she will seek him evermore least she be unprovided at his last coming and the door be shut against her as it fared with the foolish Virgins Mat. 25. 10. And in the second place she doth consider where she may safely seek for her beloved And is resolved that this must be in his Ordinances and especially in his word which is sometimes called the Scriptures according as he himself hath taught her saying Search the Scriptures for they are they which testifie of me John 5. 39. And therefore the Prophet David professeth unto the Lord That he rejoyceth at his word as one that findeth great spoiles Psal 119. 162. And the faithfull spouse in the Canticles desireth to hear the voice of her dear Lord saying Thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions hearken unto thy voice cause me to hear it Cant. 8. 13. But I conceive it may be Objected That we may hear severall voices speaking in the holy Scriptures and therefore how shall we know the voice of Christ from other voices I answer it is true indeed the Scripture do discover unto us severall voices especially the voice of God in his law and the voice Christ or of God in Christ in his Gospel And they are so frequently and so diversly mixed or intermingled the one with the other according to the wonderfull wisdom of the Spirit and that both in the old and new Testaments that it requireth a good and a willing understanding to distinguish rightly between them For all that is contained in the new Testament although we do generally call that the Gospell is not to be understood as the voice of the Gospel or the voice of Christ according to his Gospel Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement There is the voice of the law in the midst of the Gospel Mat. 12. 36. Neither may we think that whatsoever is found in the old Testament which is commonly called the law is to be referred to the voice of the law For the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen by faith preached the Gospell before unto Abraham Gal. 3. 8. Saying In thee shall all nations be blessed Gen. 12. 3. And the like we finde many very many times both in the old
and new Testament Neither are these severall voices divided severally into certain Books or Pages or Chapters seeing we do somtimes meet with them both in one and the same verse The wages of sin is death there is the voice of the law Rom. 6. 25. But the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is the voice of the Gospel in the same verse The like may be observed 1 Cor. 15. 22. And in many other places wherefore that we may arive at a right understanding in these so necessary differences or distinctions we will first lay down two generall rules and afterwards proceed to more particular observations First when we finde any work injoyned to be done or the contrary commanded not to be done under any penalty either temporall or eternall whether it be curse or captivity famine or pestilence destruction death or damnation or any promise made upon doing or not doing This we must understand to be the voice of God in his Law Secondly wheresoever the subject matter is of Christ or his kingdom or the promise of grace or the condition faith and the reward either spirituall in its own nature or spirituallized by grace This we may be sure is the voice of Christ in his Gospell These we shall finde to be the two generall Rules From whence we will deduct these following particulars First the voice of God in his Law is a voice of command These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart Deut. 6 6. This thing commanded I them saying obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people Jer. 7. 23. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of intreaty As though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ stead be ye reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5. 20. Secondly the voice of the law is a voice of compulsion If his Children forsake my law and walk not in my judgements If they break my statutes and keep not my commandments Then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquitie with stripes Psal 89. 30 31 32. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of attraction or invitation I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving-kindenesse have I drawn thee Jer. 31. 3. Come unto me all ye that labour and are beavie laden and I will give you rest c. Mat. 11. 28 c. And him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out saith the Son of God Jo. 6. 37. Thirdly the voice of the law is a voice of bondage cursed is every one that continueth not in all thing which are written in the book of the law to do them Gal. 3. 10. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of liberty The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaim libertie to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. Isa 61. 1. c. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Gala. 5. 1. for if the Son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed John 8. 36. Fourthly the voice of the law is a voice of enmity Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend to the world is the enemy of God James 4. 4. And God shall wound the head of his enemies Psal 68. 21. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of reconciliation when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sons Rom. 5. 10. And God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses 2 Cor. 5. 19. Fifthly the voice of the law is a voice of wrath The law worketh wrath Rom. 4. 15. For by it the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men As Rom. 1. 18. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of love God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Rum 5. 8. And therefore the love-sick soul in the Canticles It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh saying Open to me my sister my love My dove my undefiled Cant. 5. 2. Sixthly the voice of the law is a voice of terrour I heard thy voice in the garden and was afraid So Adam to God Gen. 3. 10. And when the Lord gave the law unto the Israelites There were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp trembled Exod. 19. 16. And this did fore-shew the effects of the law to all such as are under the law for ever But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of comfort The Lord shall comfort Zion he will comfort all her wast places c. Isa 51. 3. And Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Saith the Son of God Mat. 5. 4. Seaventhly the voice of the law is a voice of conviction By the law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20. For I had not known sin but by the law saith St. Paul Rom. 7. 7. And sin by the commandment is become exceeding sinfull saith the same Apostle Rom. 7. 13. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of Appeal For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement unto the Son John 5. 22. And he is not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and finde grace to help in time of need saith the Apost He. 4. 15 16. Eightly the voice of God in his law is a voice of condemnation The soul that sinneth it shall die Saith the Lord Ezek. 18. 4. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darknesse Mat. 25. 30. But the voice of Christ in his Gospel is a voice of pardon verily verily saith he I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life John 5. 14. And this pardon hath three degrees First a Reprive Secondly an Intercession And Thirdly a Satisfaction The first I say is a Reprive And this hath been generall to all mankinde since the fall of Adam He was the first that received the benefit thereof And meerly by vertue of the said Reprive both he and all of his posterity have do and shall injoy their naturall lives some shorter and some longer according to the blessed will and pleasure of Christ our Lord and onely Mediatour I have the Keyes of hell
Divinity And both of these are left upon Record by that sweet singer in his nineteen Psalm The first in the first six verses The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handiwork c. to the 7 verse This is the lesson of Philosophy That of Divinity is examplified from the sixt to the twelfth verse The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul c. The mighty volume of the works of God may be perused by the light of nature and it is so fairly and so plainly written that every soul even as they run may read it What is he that sees the heavens and earth and those innumerable creatures contained in them And shall consider their Originall together with their Order Vse and End by which in which for which and unto which they were made placed fitted and intended but must confesse the wisdom power and Godhead of that great arm by which they were created This is in brief the lecture of Philosophy whereby the Lord doth manifest himself to every creature that is indued with Reason The second means whereby we are inabled to see and know God is by the light of his word This is the safest and most christian way This is Gods lecture of Divinity where he presents himself unto the eye of every knowing soul But none can read it comfortably and effectually but such as are Partakers of the divine nature as 2 Pet. 1. 4. I know there are they that esteem themselves great politicians and are indeed very worldly-wise men who will be apt to say do not we understand the holy Scriptures and see God in them what should hinder us Truly I will not say but such as these may read and understand the word of God rationally and morally but not spiritually and savingly These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that Believing ye might have life through his name saith St. John John 20. 31. And thus to know Christ or God in Christ Is not from the flesh but from the Father which is in heaven Mat. 16 17. Again our onely Saviour telleth us That the words that he speaketh they are spirit Jo. 6. 36. And the Apostle Paul That the law is spirituall Rom. 7. 14. Now the naturall man receiveth or perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned But he that is spirituall judgeth or discerneth all things 1 Cor. 2. 14 15. But peradventure it will be demanded How much may a judicious morall man see of God in his word by the light of naturall reason industry and experience Truely I conceive that he may see even as much as the spirituall man seeth one thing onely excepted But without that one thing he had as good or better see nothing He is able to see God as he is the creator of all things Gen. 1. 1. c. As he is the almighty God as Gen. 17. 1. As he is a consuming fire as Deut. 4. 24. A God of gods and Lord of lords a great God a mighty and a terrible which regardeth not persons nor taketh rewards as Deut. 10. 17. The King eternall immortall invisible and the onely wise God as 1 Tim. 1. 17. Yea he may see him in a nearer relation so near as to say The Lord our God as Deut. 6. 4. Thou art our Father our Redeemer as Isa 63. 16. Our Saviour as Jude 25. But haply you will say that this is much for a naturall man to see and know by the light of Reason what would you have him know more Truely let me tell you all this is nothing worth unlesse he can see so far as to say with good David O Lord of hosts My King and My God Psal 84. 3. And with the penitent Prodigall I will arise and go unto my Father Luke 15. 18. And with righteous Job I know that My Redeemer liveth Job 19. 25. And with the blessed mother of our Lord My soul rejoyceth in God My Saviour Luke 1. 47. And with believing Paul I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved Me and gave himself for Me Gala. 2. 20. These are such proper and peculiar interests as are discovered by the light of God and none can see or know them savingly but such a one as is the childe of God And as this saving light directeth us unto the knowledge our Sovereign Lord So it instructeth us to know our selves in reference to God and by this means it teacheth us to entertain Humility This the third obedient courtier which still attends upon that King of kings And whom Christ seems to send before his face as to prepare usher in his way into the new illuminated soul Nor did there ever any soul injoy the saving presence of her loving Lord but by the conduct of this favorite For God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble James 4. 6. And therefore Peter doth advise us saying Be ye clothed with humility 1 Pet. 5. 5. But forasmuch as he is much abused by some that do usurpe his name and office although in nature they are nothing like him I therefore shall endeavour to set forth four sorts that do and do pretend to march under his colours and assume his titles And of these the first is a treacherous Humility The second is a cowardly humility The third is a constrained-humility And the fourth is the true and the sound humility The first I say is a treacherous humility And under this fair-seeming Cloak doth lurk many a foul perfidious design The Prophet David in his description of a wicked person Psal 10. saith That he croucheth and humbleth himself that the poor may fall by his strong ones verse 10. 'T is strange to any honest heart to see how some will counterfeit humility and cast themselves beneath their prouder thoughts to gain the reputation of good men good lowly men but though they gull the world the blear-eyed world yet he that knows their hearts doth see for truth that they are nothing so And whosoever shall believe their forgeries shall finde at length that they are inside Wolves though outside Sheep Wolves in Sheeps cloathing Ye shall know them by their fruits saith our Saviour Mat. 7. 16. Proud Absolon conspiring to depose his tender father David from his Kingdom that he might wickedly usurp the same When any man came nigh to him to do him obeysance he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him And on this manner did Absalon to all Israel that came to the King for judgement so Absalon stole the hearts of the men of Israel 2 Sam. 15. 5 6. See here how this ambitious rebel humbleth himself even to the lowest and worst of the people thereby promoting his conspiracie that so he might advance himself above the greatest and the best of Kings And is it not a