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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	king_n	know_v	power_n	6,767	5	5.0443	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10010	The saints qualification: or A treatise I. Of humiliation, in tenne sermons. II. Of sanctification, in nine sermons whereunto is added a treatise of communion with Christ in the sacrament, in three sermons. Preached, by the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Doctor in Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometime preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1633 (1633)	STC 20262; ESTC S115180	353,805	720

Wouldest thou not have that removed which restraines thee Couldest thou not wish that there were no such strict law as Gods Law is Couldest thou not wish that there were not any Iudge to call thee to account Every naturall man had rather be at liberty hee wishes with all his heart that there were no such God no such Iudge Now if thou wishest God were not certainely thou hatest God when we wish a man not to be to be taken out of the nature of things out of the subsistence of being this man we properly hate and thus every man hates God Therefore Rom. 5.10 the Apostle speaking generally of mankind sayes When you were Enemies It is the condition of every man hee is an Enemie to God and sins out of Enmity and what obedience he performes is out of a false servile feare that is the first Secondly that is not all but he denies God dethrones him and sets up another god naturall men little thinke they doe so when they follow their Covetousnesse Lusts Honours Ambitions they little thinke they doe it But they doe Tit. 1. ult They professe that they know God but in their workes they deny him When they are charged with this that they thinke there is no God and told of the greatnesse of the fault as it is the greatest Treason to deny the King to be the King this Atheisme every man is ready to disclaime he thinkes it is not so with him But I beseech you consider there be two kindes of Thoughts in a mans heart some we call reflex thoughts when a man thinkes a thing and knowes that he thinkes it other we call direct thoughts which are in the heart but a man knowes it not and these must be found out by the Actions for they are discovered by the fruits But God that knowes the meaning of the spirit knowes likewise the meaning of the flesh Now saith the Text they professe they know him but in deeds they deny him that is in truth they deny God there bee certaine direct thoughts which have not such reflection in the heart of every naturall man by which he denies God for he honours not God as he ought hee denies the Power the Omni-presence the Iustice and Omni-science of God and if you can see this in his workes you may say there be such thoughts in him because he lives as if there were no God But you will object every man thinks there is a God It is true there is naturally some light in them but where there be two different Principles there be two different conclusions there is some light planted in them that teaches that there is a God but take the darknesse that is in their heart set aside from this light there is nothing but Atheisme he sets God aside and puts up something else in stead of him some make pleasures their god some make their riches their god some make their belly their god c. But we cannot stand on this Thirdly they despise God in the Commission of sin see it in the sin of lying wherein a man respects man more than God and so despises God he cares not though God knowes it and is a witnesse to it and so it is an injury to God a contending with God We little thinke it is so but see that place 1 Cor. 10.22 the Apostle speaking there of one particular sin that is of eating meat offered to Idols saith Will you continue to doe it Will you provoke God to jealousie Are you stronger than he It is as if you set your selves against him of purpose to doe him an Injury And these affections are in the sin of every naturall man And that is the first Circumstance A second Circumstance to aggravate sin is when it is committed against Knowledge and indeed no Circumstance does it more than this that a man sins against the light he hath when he knowes it to be a sin and it may be bethinks himselfe of it and yet commits it You know how it is with men An offence committed an Injury offered to a King after Proclamation comes to be a rebellion because his will was made knowne And so it is with God when he hath revealed a Truth to mee that I know this to be a sin and am convinced of it and yet goe on in it this alters the nature of a sin it is not now a bare Transgression of the Law but a Rebellion and so God is provoked in an high degree for in a sinne against Knowledge there is more harme more disobedience more presumption If a Prince be in a place where he is not knowne and findes not respect sutable to his worth hee matters it not hee wi●l not take it amisse for he is not knowne but if h● be known and taken notice of and yet neglected it is great dis-respect and taken for a great offence So when men sin against light given it aggravates sin exceedingly As in the one and twentieth verse of this Chapter this that the Apostle laid to the charge of the Romans aggravated their sin they knew God but they glorified him not as God as if he had said If you had not knowne him it were another case but to know God and not to practise according to knowledge to know God and not to glorifie him as God this God will not take in good part it shewes you are sinners and in a condition of death Therefore in Acts 17. saith dthe Apostle The times of Ignorance God regarded not but now he admonishes every one to repent that is when the Gentiles walked in their owne wayes before the Gospell came before God published and made knowne his will he wincked at it but now regards it not a yeare nor a day shall now passe without an account for it the axe is now laid to the root of the Tree he will deferre no longer he will take it no more as he did heretofore Therefore the Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13. saith I was a persecutour and blasphemer but am received to mercy because I did it ignorantly Why doth he adde that Because if he had had knowledge and so had done it wittingly and willingly his sin had beene out of measure sinfull and exceedingly aggravated it Therefore Daniel tels Balthazar as an addition to his sins Thou knowest all this and yet hast not humbled thy selfe if thou hadst not knowne it if thou hadst not had an example if it had not bin revealed to thee thy sin had beene so much the lesse and perhaps God would have suffred thee to live but thou knowest all this and yet didst not humble thy selfe But of all places take that in Rom. 7.13 Was that then which was good made death unto me God forbid But sin that it might appeare sinne working death in me by that which is good that sinne by the Commandement might become exceeding sinfull The meaning is this When a man knowes that the Law of God

step to Salvation And so much shall serve for this third use Fourthly if this be the case and miserable Condition wherein every man is before Regeneration to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse Then take heed of putting thy selfe into that Condition consider the danger of disobeying this Truth of offending it of doing any thing contrary to it of restraining and curbing it for it is of that nature that if thou offendest it it will offend thee It is a Truth that God hath set in thy heart and appointed it to rule there if thou oppose it and set up usurpers he will doe as Iehojada did that set up the right King he will even set up this Truth at the day of death to accuse thee and to raigne over thee as a Tyrant It sits in thy Conscience it markes what is done amisse and will be assuredly revenged for every rebellion and offence committed against it as it is said of Truth in generall Magna est veritas praevalet if thou be for the Truth it will be for thee and if thou be against it it will be against thee and it hath God on its side it is attended with the wrath of the Almighty who will be ready to execute upon thee whatsoever this Truth shall alleage against thee though he doth it not presently yet all the while thou art in the way to Damnation as it was with Iudas and Achitophel Therefore be sure to keepe this Truth well that thou offend it not as thou art tender over thy weake stomacke to give what contents it to avoid what may offend it and then it shall be as a continuall feast to thee otherwise it shall be as a sicke stomacke to thee that doe what thou wilt yet whether walking or sitting still it will trouble thee So this Truth thou wilt not be able to deceive it will see what is amisse whether thou wilt or no 2 Cor. 4.2 saith the Apostle Wee commend our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God by manifestation of the Truth That is the Conscience within will see thee thorow doe what thou canst there will be an agreement betweene it and the Truth that is presented to it it cannot but observe all the obliquities of thy life all thy errours thou canst not deceive it nor long shake it off But it may be objected May not a man observe this Truth too much may he not be too scrupulous too carefull in regarding it I answer the Conscience may mistake and give that charge that it ought not but as wee say of Thistles they are a bad weed but it is a signe of a good ground where they grow so though scrupulousnesse be not good yet it is a signe of a good heart where it is If a man be to goe thorow a narrow passage or over a narrow bridge it is good to goe in the midst so it is good not to be scrupulous and yet not to give it offence for if thou dost with-hold it imprison it or restraine it thou shalt finde it will be revenged on thee for it is attended with the wrath of God Fifthly if this be the miserable Condition of all unregenerate men thus to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse As there have beene words of Humiliation and reproofe so let mee shut up with a word of exhortation Be exhorted therefore from hence to give this Truth leave to rule and governe in thy heart and life doe not make a bancke against it or an hedge about it restraine it not fetter it not but suffer it to walke freely in every part of thy conversation to rectifie and reforme every facultie speech and action for so it ought to doe and as I said before thou shalt finde it a dangerous thing to restraine it Among men he that imprisons one whom he should not runs into a Praemunire and forfeits all he hath Commonly we faile both these wayes we give Lusts liberty which should be restrained and imprison Truth which should be at liberty therefore our judgement shall be accordingly For letting thy lusts goe at liberty take heed lest God say to thee as he did to Ahab for letting King Benhadad goe Thy life shall be for his life lest on the other side by imprisoning the Truth you forfeit all things and God take advantage of your forfeiture Since the fall of Adam man doth turne all things upside downe according to that which is complained of those Prophets They did slay the soules of them that should live and gave life to the soules that should die So doe men the Truth that should live they slay and the lust that should die they give life unto But you know what Gods judgement was on them Ezek. 13. He would destroy both the dawber and the wall of untempered morter God requires at thy hands that thou give account of the Authority committed to thee and take heed of abusing it If the King send a Privie Councellour or a great man about him to reveale his will to expresse his commandement in this or that particular that so men may know it and be free from the danger of the Law if a man in stead of obeying it imprison him how will the King take it at his hands What then will God doe in this case He hath put his Truth into the hearts of men he hath sent his messengers to shew his will that this he will have done If thou imprison this Truth be assured God will not hold thee guiltlesse therefore let it have liberty let it rule and raigne in thy heart let it doe what it will This benefit thou shalt have Thou sets it at liberty and it shall set thee at liberty Ioh. 8.32 If you continue in my words c. the Truth shall make you free From what or what great benefit hath a man by this freedome a benefit unspeakable thou shalt be free from the feare of Death from the hands of all thine Enemies to serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse from the feare of Iudgement from the feare of hell from the guilt and punishment of sin from the rule and tyranny of sin and is not this to be desired Againe if thou set this at liberty if thou wilt practice and use it thou shalt finde more benefit and sweetnesse from it than from the meere contemplation of it we are deceived in thinking that the knowledge of it is pleasant but the practice hard Indeed that that keeps the world from practice is because it is accompanied with persecution whereas bare knowledge crosses not at all and therefore most men are willing to heare and know but in practice they fall short But in this they are deceived for this Truth brings more pleasure in the practice and use of it than in the knowledge and contemplation of it Instance in Faith suppose thou know all the doctrine of Faith the knowledge is pleasant much more the practise if thou wilt

true they might doe more if they would they might keepe the Law of Nature better than they doe and for that they are condemned Againe as we are condemned for Adams sin though we did not commit it so we are saved by the righteousnesse of Christ though we did not performe it and therefore there is an equity in that regard Wee can see an equity for our Salvation and is there not as much equity in the other that we should stand guilty of it though we never acted it For as we are condemned by Adams sin though not done by us so are we saved by Christs righteousnesse though only imputed to us So that in equity the severe righteousnesse of the Law should be required of us though we have not power to fulfill it Now that we may not stay in Generals only telling you that the Law of God is holy and pure and you carnall and contrary to it we will come to particulars And that we may helpe your memories observe the breaches of this Law in the severall faculties of the minde And we will begin first with the Generall the generall sore over-spreading all our nature and that is it which the Divines call Originall sinne first consider that and see how your nature is full of all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse First I say consider your originall sin and the generall corruption of your nature thereby Iohn 3.6 Whatsoever is borne of Flesh is flesh And Rom. 7.18 I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Marke that he sayes no good thing Wee thinke wee have something that is good for all our generall corruption but there is nothing good at all As Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under sinne Not onely all men but for the word is in the neuter Gender all things Therefore in Gen. 6.5 he doth not only say The frame of a mans heart is evill but it is only evill and alway evill In all actions at all Times This is a common Truth but men consider not of it they thinke there is some goodnesse in them they will not be perswaded of this Truth in good earnest And therefore when a man comes into the state of Grace it is not mending two or three things that are amisse it is not repairing of an old house but all must be taken downe and be built anew you must be New Creatures And therefore God promises I will give you a new heart and a new spirit For all is out of order and nothing good And there is an equity in this for as in Psal. 49.12 Man being in honour abideth not but is like the beasts that perish That is as God raised man above himselfe giving him supernaturall glory in which he was created for he was created in holinesse and perfect righteousnesse so man not keeping this condition he was cast beneath himselfe And in this there is equity that being raised above himselfe having an holinesse given him transcending common nature he should now be made worse than himselfe even as the beast that perisheth Consider this corruption and know it is a thing that makes you loathsome in Gods sight For this Tit. 1. ult Men are called Abominable that is men that God abhors as you abhorre the snuffe of a candle or name any filthy thing your nature abhors such is the nature of men to God You know how we hate Toads and Serpents for their loathsome poisonfull nature though they doe us no hurt Now God lookes on the corruption of our nature as we looke on Toads that are contrary to us against which we have an Antipathie It is disputed by the Schoole-men whether this be unum peccatum one sin or moe we may easily answer it It is one in act one in essence but many in vertue and power and efficacie As a seed is one individuall but it is many as many branches may arise from it As Drunkennesse which will better expresse it is but one fault but it disorders the whole man neither the head nor the feet nor the reason is excluded So originall sin though it be but one sin yet it distempers the whole man it sets the whol● soule out of order And when the Instrument the heart is out of tune every sound every action is unsavoury and sinfull and thus should you looke upon your selves It is further disputed whether this be privative or positive likewise I answer It is only privative it is nothing but a meere want of righteousnesse But seeing it fals upon an active subject as the soule of man is which is never idle but ever stirring thence it comes that the habites and fruits thereof are active and positive It is true the want of sight to guide is enough to cause errour but the vigour of nature is enough to make it positive Therefore Divines say well It is not only compared to Darknesse which is a meere privation of light but to sicknesse where is not only want of health but corrupt humours which are contrary to health That is the first thing to be considered even the corruption of Nature which is in you which will exceedingly aggravate sin as I have shewed heretofore and shall more largely hereafter have occasion to speake of it Therefore I will say no more of it now but so much shall serve for the generall Originall corruption that is in us And now we will come to the particular faculties and will shew how they are corrupted that we may know our selves and the truth of this point which I am to prove that the nature of man is full of all impiety and wickednesse And first we will begin with the Vnderstanding or minde of a man In this marke first the Vanity of it How ready it is to attend to trifles which was the disposition that the Apostle found fault with in his Epistle to Timothy and others That they gave themselves to Fables and Genealogies and this is in every man by nature How full of questions were the Schoole-men and so every man is ready to turne Religion into questions of curiosities which shewes a sicknesse in the understanding it sets a man on worke to finde out what is propounded to it that hee may not lose his labour And thence come so many errors this is the vanity of the mind The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men sayth the Psalmist that they are vanitie And this should humble us that our minds are no more ready to attend the meanes of salvation As the Schoole-men spent themselves in idle speculations so are we ready to attend to idle questions but that which is wholesome and sound we neglect Secondly consider the blindnesse of the minde we are unwilling to learne and so long must needs be in an Errour and not come to the knowledge of the Lord. To other things we are forward enough but to doe well we have no understanding Therefore it is that men continue ignorant notwithstanding

him off But you will say these things that you speak are wonderfull things how shall we have this wrought in us By being in Christ this wonder is wrought in us when a man is once ingrafted into Christ when hee hath once received him this great worke is wrought in him in his heart hee is made a new Creature But if you adde to this the second way of raising this Sanctification from our Iustification then you will understand it yet more fully and distinctly There are certaine actions wrought in our soules by which this Sanctification followes Iustification and those are these First when a man seeth great reason for it for when a man is once convinced of a thing that it is best for him to doe it and takes a resolution to him to performe it Now when a man hath beene humbled and knoweth what sinne is when he hath had his heart prepared when he comes in once to take Christ that is when he seeth his owne basenesse and Christs excellencie what he was without Christ and what he hath by Christ that when he expected nothing but death then the Gospell came and said Thou shalt live when he seeth that Christ deales with him after this manner then hee thinkes surely It is good reason that I should serve him before indeed we thinke his service to be an hard service and we doe with him as people that are under a tyrannous King they refuse to obey such an one so doth all the world with Iesus Christ they thinke his Law to be an hard Law written with bloud and they thinke him to be an hard Governour such a King as they know not how to be subject unto But when a man is once convinced by the Spirit when he sees reason for it when he is perswaded that Christ will governe him for his wealth that Christ hath suffered for him and freed him from the wrath of God then hee thinkes thus There is reason that I should suffer him to rule over me and when a man seeth reason for it he comes then willingly to submit himselfe to Christ. This is the worke of the Spirit whereby he perswades a man that there is reason for it and it is attributed to the Spirit Iohn 16 The Spirit convinceth of Sinne of Righteousnesse and of Iudgement that is it shewes us that we are sinfull and that there is a Righteousnesse in Christ to heale that And thirdly it convinceth us that there is reason for it why we should serve God in Sanctification and Iudgement The meaning of the word He shall convince is that the Spirit shewes us reason why we should embrace Sanctification and serve the Lord in all things Now when the heart of man is brought to this to see reason and equity in this then a man takes resolution to cleave to Christ to serve him Secondly as he deales with the reason so he doth likewise with the affections for he begets love in us which love sanctifieth us it sets us on worke and turnes the whole heart as the Rudder turnes the Ship for it sits in the sterne of a mans Soule and the reason that when we are justified we love Christ is because when as before a man magnified himselfe setting himselfe at an high rate like a virgin that is coy and curious thinking no man good enough for her now the Law comming and convincing him of the need he stands in of CHRIST and shewing him what he is in himselfe he is hereupon content to marry with the Lord Christ Nay further the Spirit of God not only shews him the need that hee stands in of an husband he being not under covert and deepely in debt the whole weight of his debt lying on himselfe but it goes further and shewes him the beautie of Christ as Ioh. 14.21 To him that loves me I will manifest my selfe that is I will declare my beauty and when the Spirit shewes Christ to the Soule it makes it in love with him We may shew him to you an hundred times over and yet beget not this affection in you but the Spirits shewing is effectuall to that end and when you love him you must needs please him in all things it being the care of the married wife to please the husband So that when the heart is prepared by humiliation and takes Christ love is wrought in the Soule and love sanctifies for Sanctification is nothing else but a setting our selves apart from common uses and keeping of the heart close to God making it peculiar to him and this love makes us to doe when the wife loves the husband shee will be his altogether she will be only to him she will be divorced from all Adulterers and have nothing to doe with them and thus the Lord deales with the affections Thirdly there is wrought not only a love to the Lord but a perswasion that it is good for our selves to serve him in holinesse Indeed many times to satisfie our affections we love a thing too much though wee doe not thinke our selves gainers thereby but in this matter the Lord perswades us that it is best for our selves to sanctifie him in all things to draw neere unto him to sanctifie his Name in our hearts so that now not only love to Christ but even selfe-love also is set on worke to the making us New Creatures for the wayes of God are propounded as good and profitable and pleasing things and when the heart lookes on them it sees them as good for it selfe so that the heart turnes towards them as it cannot but doe to every thing that it apprehends to be good and profitable to it So that when the Holy Ghost shall perswade a man that it is best for himselfe that he shall best provide for himselfe every way by taking Christ hee cannot choose but come in when hee shall see it is best for him to goe to the Citie of refuge that he cannot live else and that if he comes there he shall have life and not only life but a kingdome too and that the way that leads thereto is grace and holinesse hee will goe and goe fast enough When a man is perswaded Christ is the Citie of Refuge to whom I must go else I cannot be safe and that the way to him is to be a new Creature this makes him to goe on and willingly too for it is out of selfe-love Againe when a man is justified and hath taken Christ there is bred in him an holy Ingenuitie which makes him so thankfull to Christ that hee is ashamed to joyne Christ with any sinne As Rom. 6.21 What profit had yee in those things whereof yee are now ashamed you are now ashamed to commit them any more A man will thinke it now an unreasonable thing that Christ should doe so much for him be crucified for him and so give him life being before dead men that he should take flesh for the remission

such change wrought in him doth delight in nothing but to doe evill to doe well he hath no pleasure Gods Commandements are burthensome to him therfore the Laws of God are too strait for him that he cannot march in them as David could not march in Sauls Armour for it was too heavie for him A man that is a New Creature doth things with facility and delight But this is not all If thy Soule be fashioned and cast into a new mould thou wilt not onely doe good things readily but well and handsomely to use our common terme when as other men bungle at good workes and know not how to turne their hand unto them They doe them indeed but as the Wiseman saith Prov. 26.7 As the legs of the lame are not equall so is a Parable in a fooles mouth When they come to doe any good Actions it is like a Parable in a fooles mouth the Parable is not fit for his mouth as when a man hath one legge longer than another he is lame so a Parable in a fools mouth is not equall to his mouth the action may be good yet he do●h it but lamely it is beyond his reach hee doth not doe actions as hee should but an holy man doth them as a workeman I speake not of doing of them before men but before God who judgeth righteously when he comes to performe an holy duty hee doth it as it is meet hee prayes fervently and consecrates himselfe unto the Lord with delight Hee shewes mercy with cheerefulnesse and every grace hath his peculiar property wherein the goodnesse of it consists as Faith Love and Hope are the concomitants of his actions wherein their excellencie consists whereas other men doe the same duties but not with that affection that they should and they doe it but with a dead heart they are workes of vertue and have the lineaments of true ones but they are dead workes because life is not in them Therefore consider how thou doest things the matter is not so much what thou doest as how thou doest them Againe if thou bee a New Creature thou shalt know it by thy doing of good constantly as a man that doth it naturally In Nature you know the habites and inclinations are close and neere unto us and growing in us therefore if thou doe good in thy constant practice it is a signe thy heart is changed This is the first thing there is a new frame all the bent of the faculties are changed and by this you may know it if you doe good readily with facillity and delight and constantly One thing more observe in this new Frame there is not onely a bending of the Soule to a contrary point as it were but moreover all must be changed as for example Cast any thing into a new mould there is not only one part altered but all so if you be New Creatures you must finde this in your selves that you doe not make choice in the duties of godlinesse but take all and omit nothing You must bee holy in all manner of conversation those words are added in all manner of conversation and they are much to be observed that is in all the turnings of a mans life As if he be a Magistrate hee must be exact in hearing of Causes neither to feare any mans face nor to be moved by any mans favour if hee be an husband his speeches and actions must be holy his speeches must be gratious If thou be a Subject in reverence to the King and respective to others thou must bee holy in all manner of conversation otherwise the frame is not altered this must be of necessity for that which God requires of us is the keep●ng of the whole Law as Iames saith Iam. 2.20 where hee speakes of keeping the Law Evangelically For whosoever shall keepe the whole Law and yet faile in one point he is guilty of all Goe thorow the whole Latitude of our obedience if in one part thou wilt favour thy selfe thou art guilty of all In the same Epistle Iam. 1.26 If any man among you seemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceives his owne heart that mans Religion is in vaine That which is here said of the tongue may be said of any thing else Doest thou doe thus and thus doest thou sanctifie the Sabbath doest thou goe to God in prayer goe to all particular duties I know not what to name unto you and yet in any of these dost faile consider that the Apostle might as well have said unto thee for that thy Religion is in vaine hee speakes of keeping the Law in an Evangelicall manner a man must set himselfe to keepe every Commandement and if he doe but take liberty in any he is guilty of the whole Take this for a sure rule what God requires of us in the Gospell he gives us strength to performe but if our hear●s were not altogether new moulded the worke would be more than our strength therefore of necessity the heart must be altogether new moulded Therefore the Apostle saith and what he saith is common to all the Saints I can doe all things through Christ that strengthneth mee Every man that hath this new frame wrought in him may say so If thou be in Christ thou hast a new frame in thy heart which makes thee able to doe all things through Christ. Consider of this and apply it to your selves for it is a matter of much moment as the Apostle saith We are not ashamed to write unto you of these things againe and againe So it is a point we have touched before yet we will speake of it againe and again Consider with thy selfe whether there be such a generall change in thee or no for the goodnesse of a thing consists in the order else the whole is dissolved as in beauty there are two things wherein it consists the frame and order of it that we say is beautifull when the frame is good and no part is to bee admired above the rest so it is the frame and order of the Soule wherein its beauty consists when the whole frame is right and thou art inabled to doe the whole duties of new obedience Observe Gods dealing in this case when Saul had failed in one thing God cast him off But you will say this was an heard judgement did not David faile many times as well as he It is true but here is the difference Saul had a naturall heart to doe evill although his profession was good yet when he was put to the triall whether he would take the fat sheepe and the oxen he did it yet you must know it was not for that that God cast him off but because the frame of his heart was not good for hee would have done it againe and againe an hundred times over I say the disposition of his heart was evill Balaams eye unto the wages of iniquitie marred all though he kept himselfe aloft and

that what he hath said and sworne he will performe Heaven and earth shall passe away but his Word shall not passe This indeed is our chiefest consolation that our saith is not built upon perswasions and imaginations of our owne that our sinnes shall be forgiven but it is built upon the sure Word of God And as Saint Paul saith Gal. 1. If any Angell from heaven should preach any other Gospell you should not receive it from him So when you have this sure Word that God hath given you a generall pardon Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavie laden c. You may build upon this sure Word Now when you put all these together that the Lord hath said it and put his seale to it if he should not doe it the death of Christ should be of none effect no flesh should be saved no man would worship God Againe there is nothing can be an impediment to us not of greatnesse and multitude of our sinnes nor our relapse into sin not our unfitnesse Why should we doubt But now this is the Condition on Gods part Then see the Condition required on our part What is that First it is required that we take the Lord Iesus Christ for though the Lord give him in the Sacrament though he offer him in the Gospell except we take him he is not ours If we beleeve that one will give us a thousand pound that makes not a man rich if he be ready to give it it is the taking that makes us rich If we beleeve that there is such a soveraigne Electuary that is able to heale that beleeving doth not heale it is the taking of it if it be not taken it heales not And therefore there is required a taking of Christ So many as received him Ioh. 1. he gave power to be c. So many as received him If a Virgin beleeve that such a Suitour is willing to take her for his wife except she take him for her husband it is no match And so to beleeve that Christ is ready to forgive and pardon our sinnes to beleeve that God the Father will give Christ to you as he hath To us a Son is given Esay 9.6 To beleeve this except we take him doth not profit he is not ours till then This taking is that which the Scripture cals Faith this is a beleeving in him If you would know what this taking is it is nothing else but the very accepting of Christ for our King for our Lord and Husband So that look what it is among men if you would aske what it is for a spouse to take such an one for her husband for a servant to take such an one for his master for a subject to take such an one for his King it is no more but this the very act of the will whereby they consent and accept such an one for their Husband for their Master or King it is the taking of him and this is the taking of Iesus Christ I say when we shall accept him when we see God hath given him to us and that he hath given himselfe when we take him for our Lord and Master that is the very act of the will whereby we resolve to make him ours and resolve to give up our selves to him as he is given to us That is the first condition that is required we must take him and this the Scripture cals faith Is this all No there is somewhat else required you must take him in deed aswell as in will that is you must so take him as to serve him and only him to turne from all evill wayes and therefore the pardon runnes so though it be a generall pardon as there is a generall proclamation whatsoever your rebellions be it is no matter for all kinde of rebellions there is neither any sinne nor any person excepted but then this condition runnes along with it you must take him for your King Is that all No you must lay downe your armes of rebellion you must renounce the Colours and Tents of the Enemie and come in and be subject to him you must live by his Lawes And therefore besides taking of him there is required that we be ready to obey Christ in deed and not to take Christ onely as a Saviour Every man is ready to take him as a Priest to save them from their sinnes but to take him as a King and a Lord so as to be subject unto him here all the world is at a stand as the young man when he came to Christ and he tels him what he must doe Goe sell all c. He would not take him with this condition here every man is ready to refuse him We are willing to follow Christ thorow faire way but not thorow foule and rough way we are willing to take him with a Crowne of glory but not with a Crowne of thornes we are willing to take the sweet but not the sowre But we must know if we will take Christ we must likewise obey him and take him as an Husband our will must be subject to his will we must take him as a Lord we must be subject to him in all things we must keepe his Commandements and therefore he hath so exprest it If you will suffer with him you shall reigne with him not else If you will obey me and keepe my Commandements then you shall be my Disciples if you will follow me and deny your selves and take up your crosse c. Take up my crosse daily Therefore a second Condition is this which the Scripture cals sometimes repentance and conversion to God sometime obedience But is this all No there is one more required that we doe all this out of love for when a man is in extremity when he is driven to an exigent now to take Christ and to keepe his Commandements perhaps he will be willing to doe to expedite himselfe out of such a strait but will the Lord regard this Surely no except it be from love therefore Gal. 5.5 you shall finde them all three put together Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith that worketh by love there you have the first Condition which is faith The second which worketh it is not an idle faith but it is a faith that sets you a worke and then you have the third they are workes that come from love A man will be ready to doe any thing to save his life you know a Merchant when he is on the sea casts away his goods when he is in extreme danger not because he and his goods are fallen out but to save his life he will doe it Take a covetous man let him be on the racke he will be ready to doe any thing but yet the man is the same And so for a man to do much for Christ to doe as we are ready to doe in the time of extremity when death comes when sicknesse comes when we are under some great