and that which is infinite eternall and incorruptible Woe bee unto that man that shall be thus audaciously blasphemous as to say hee hath merited any thing but condemnation For that man appearing before God and wanting his wedding garment the righteousnesse of Jesus shall surely be stripped naked and his nakednesse shall be seene of men and Angels But thou wilt enquire If man bee not able to obey the Law how can God in his justice give him a Law or correct him for the breach thereof To the first I answer thee out of naturall reason Although thou hast rendered thy selfe unable to obey what injustice is it with God to exact thy obediēce for he created thee able to obey whatsoever hee required of thee Is it not so amongst the sonnes of men in civill actions but what is more God giveth thee although thou be unable a law to square thy life by for three causes Vt scias quid acceperis ut videas quid amiseris ut intelligas unde repetendum sit quod amiseris and as he requireth the obedience of his law of thee for these 3 causes so doth he also correct the breach therof for 3 causes 1. Ad ostētationē debitae miseriae 2 ad emendationem labilis vitae And 3. ad exercitationē necessariae patientiae Vse Since in the tenour of the Law and the Gospell the revealed will of God is shut up as in a treasury or store-house Why is it that man delights in ignorance for from the knowledge of the will of God in these there ariseth light to the understanding and sanctification to the affections If it bee so why then doth the Church of Rome inhibit her followers the reading of the Scriptures and injoyne to them an implicite faith Is this any thing else but to make the blinde lead the blinde that both may fall or is it any thing else but to shut up the key of knowledge and neither enter themselves into the kingdome of God nor suffer others to enter And finally is this any thing else but to keep captive in chaines of darknesse the poore people making them by the tradition of men to account the will of God of no effect The Lord open their eyes to see the vanity of the way wherein they walke and the Lord establish our hearts in the obedience of the light revealed to us lest this be our condemnation that light hath shined but wee have continued contemners of the light because our workes were evill The second thing offered to our consideration is what are the points of his revealed will and what are the duties which hee requireth to bee done of us To this I answer It were a tedious worke to runne over all the duties of a Christian required of him in this word yet for an instance the word of God requireth of us 1. The knowledge of Gods will 2. Faith in his word 3. Obedience to the word beleeved 4. Suffering for the testimony thereof when wee shall be called to it 5. And finally an hungring after our dissolution because we cannot get these things done I say first God requireth of us to know him for thus it is written This is life everlasting to know thee to bee the onely true God And againe I have decreed to know nothing but Iesus Christ and him crucified But thou wilt say how shall I know God I answer God is knowne by nature for the naturall man although hee know not the true God yet by naturall knowledge hee propoundeth something to himselfe for a God And this shall serve for a witnesse against him for whilst by nature hee doth the things of the Law he becommeth a law to himselfe By his workes God also is knowne For the invisible things of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are knowne in the workes of his hands Yet this is not sufficient to salvation For the more a man knoweth of the works except hee bee sanctified the more hee evanisheth in the vanity of his owne imaginations and his foolish heart is the more replenished with darknesse By his word hee is knowne for in the Law hee sheweth what wee ought to doe And in the gospell what we should beleeve For the Law was but a pedagogue to Jesus Christ and all the ceremonies figures and types thereof were but shadowes of things to come the body was Jesus Christ and whosoever in his difficulty hath not recourse to the Law and to the testimony it is because there is neither light nor life in him By grace God is knowne for all the knowledge that man can have of God either from the Law or from the Gospell is in vaine unlesse our hearts bee inclined by the spirit of grace to obey or beleeve for it is written As many as are lead by the Spirit of God are the Sonnes of God and heires of glory By glory wee shall know him fully for here wee know but in part but there we shall see as wee are seene and know as wee are knowne being exchanged to his image from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord. The second thing that God in his word willeth us to do is to beleeve in him for there is a faith that beleeveth God to be there is a faith that beleeveth God to bee true and there is a faith that beleeveth in God Every faith is not a saving faith this onely saveth when we beleeve in God and rest upon him for the life of our bodies saying Give us this day our daily bread And for the life of our soules saying Forgive us our sinnes So that in faith there must bee three things Sensus assensus appropriatio sense assent and appropriation Now it is the applying faith that saves for it is written Thy faith hath made thee whole The third thing God requireth of us in his word is a sanctified obedience of that which we know and beleeve For it is written This is the will of God even your sanctification Againe Be ye holy as I am holy who hath called you And againe Let your light so shine before men c. For it is not hee who cryeth Lord Lord that shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but hee that knoweth the will of my Father and doth it It is the will of God that wee suffer for him for it is written Let him that would follow me deny himselfe and take up his crosse and follow mee Brethren this is a lesson the hardest of all for man to learn concerning God for man would learne to know God out of curiosity that he might dispute and reason concerning him Man would beleeve both Gods word and Gods worke out of necessity when they cannot better do Like Pharaoh and his Magicians confessing the finger of God Man also out of custome for civill shame will some time obey God for feare of punishment more then for filiall affectiō but let these all be knit together they shall not so evidently demonstrate the
mee unlesse it were given thee from above Unto this the Apostle Paul subscribeth Rom. 13.1 There is no power but of God and the powers that are ordained of God Now this title of Gods power Christ bringeth in here as an attribute by which hee may underproppe our weakenesse And his meaning is O man why doubtest thou and why art thou fearfull to come to God and pray to him How many evidences hast thou of his power manifested to thee for thy protection Is it not by him and by his power that thou livest movest and hast thy beeing was it not by him by the word of his power that all things were made of nothing Is it not by him and by the might of his power that all things are preserved in that state order and frame in which they now are Was it not by him and the might of his power that fire came downe to destroy Sodome That the seadrowned Pharo the earth swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abirom That Ieroboams hand was dryed up that the mercilesse fire had mercy on the children and the hungry lyons fed not on Daniel That the windes and seas are stilled and calmed and finally that the very devills of hell are curbed that they cannot goe beyond the chaine of his power and good pleasure These things are all evidences of his power But his power is yet not knowne in things that are spirituall Looke to our eternall election our temporall redemptiō our effectuall calling the resurrection of our bodies and upon the glory bestowed both upon soule and body and from thence let us never doubt of his power Hee of himselfe is able to do all things and by his power wee are able to do all things and hee hath manifested his power towards us that by it wee may be instructed by it comforted and by it corrected In a word it serveth for our instruction correction and consolation For our instruction in the path of charity for our correction in the way of our presumption and for our consolation in the day of our trouble First for our instruction in the path of charity For wee do no sooner see our neighbour fall but straight way we are precise and prejudicate censurers not remembring our selves lest wee also bee tempted Nor yet remembring the power of God who is able to ingraffe those againe Rom. 14.4 Secondly it serveth for our correction in the way of our presumption for wee thinke if man can befriend us wee are safe and sure but as fooles wee vanish for the Egyptians are but men not gods and their horses are but flesh not spirit When Ephraim saw his wound and Iudah felt his soare they ranne to Iacob and Ashur but their wound was not healed for there is no helpe but in the Lord And whosoever shall seeke helpe beside him may aske counsell at his stocke but his staffe shall answer him for the Lord shall meete him as a lyon and as a lyons whelpe shall teare him in peeces and none shall deliver him Last of all it serveth for our comfort in the day of trouble Man beare thou the crosse that God hath laid upon thee for thy haires bee numbred thy teares be put in his bottle be thou assured that the Lord will deliver thee in the day of trouble when thou art incompassed with the waters of affliction The second attribute of his kingdome is glory which hath many severall significations in Scripture First it is taken for the majesty of God which whilst man doth celebrate it is said they shew forth his glory Thus did the sheepheards heare that sweete Haliluiah sang by the Angells Glory bee to God on high And David Psalm 8. The heavens declare the glory of God Secondly by the glory of God in the time of the Law was meant the Arke of God 1. Sam. 4. The glory is departed Thirdly it signifieth the visible testimony of Gods presence in a cloud Exod. 16.8 Fourthly it is taken for the light of the Gospell 2. Cor. 4.4 Fifthly by the glory of God is understood the image of God according to which man was created Rom. 3.23 All flesh have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God Vse First bee carefull of the glory of God that his name bee not ill spoken of because of thy bad conversation Secondly suffer for him For all the sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed in us Thirdly sigh and groane for Christs appearing for it is the day of the revelation of thy glory For ever and ever Amen THis is life everlasting to know thee to bee the onely true God and whom thou hast sent thy Sonne the Lord Iesus This is the absolute excellencie of mans knowledge But to attaine hereunto the way is hard for No man hath knowne the Father at any time save the Son and he to whom the Sonne hath revealed him And till the Sonne hath revealed him in his beeing by delineating to them the back-parts of the Father for No man can see God and live It is true indeed if wee shall compare our knowledge of God who live under the Gospell with those who went before us under the Law wee cannot but confesse that our light in regard of theirs is before the light of the Sunne compared to the morning starre for it is written They saw but from a farre and under a vaile but wee behold his glory with open face And yet notwithstanding this our illumination we are imperfect our perfection may bee full in respect of parts yet is not in respect of degrees For our helpe therefore whilst wee dwell in the valley of Meseck tents of Kedar he is pleased to manifest unto us though not absolutely what he is that is to say his nature yet who hee is that is to say what are his attributes for by this hee teacheth us to know both who hee is in himselfe and how he carries himselfe to us Now thus we may know him in his wayes and dispensations towards us Hee hath revealed himselfe three manner of wayes Per viam negationis per viam causationis per viam eminentiae By way of negation by way of causation and by way of excellency By way of negation or denyall hee makes himselfe knowne to us while hee denies the imperfections of the creatures to appertaine unto him as creator and therefore it is said of him that he is immortall invisible immutable that hee cannot lie that hee cannot repent By way of causation while hee makes himselfe to bee knowne to be the cause of all things that are for it is written By him were made all things and without him was made nothing that was made And againe In him wee live wee move and have our beeing And againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By way of excellency while as we looking on the excellencie of the creature are lead to consider the supereminent excellencie of the creator in his wisdome power strength
promulgated wee shall finde it that it is onely to the elect vessels of mercy and to the children of Gods free love whereas to the reprobate men and Angels there is neither promise nor hope of pardon left For their judgement is sealed and their condemnation sleepes not Againe as to Jesus Christ the mediator of the new covenant a free pardon hee obtained not he paid the utmost farthing that was requisite for the satisfaction of the justice of God onely to man and the elect amongst the sonnes of men hath God voluntarily and freely forgiven the burthen and the debt of sinne And I call this a voluntary and free forgivenesse for three respects In respect of God the Father in respect of God the Sonne and in respect of God the Holy Ghost For I say first in respect of God the Father for hee who said In the day that thou shalt eate thou shalt surely die said also the seed of the woman shall tread downe the head of the serpent And againe God so loved the world that hee sent his owne Sonne to the death of the Crosse that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have eternall life It is free also in respect of God the Sonne for hee as willingly and freely assented to the great worke of mans redemption howsoever the way was sharpe and thorny as the Father was willing in his eternall wisedome to propose it And therefore it is written of him that he laid his life down and tooke it up againe hee laid it downe for none could take it from him and hee tooke it up againe for it was impossible that hee could bee holden of the sorrows of the grave Lastly the pardon and remission of our sinnes is free in respect of God the Holy Ghost for willingly and freely without any merit on our part he commeth downe and dwelleth in our soules illuminates our understanding rectifieth our will sanctifieth our affections makes intercession for us with sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed and keepes us by the power of his grace through faith to eternall salvation for it is written Because wee are sonnes God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts whereby we cry Abba Father And againe because wee of our selves know neither how to pray nor what to pray the spirit helpeth our infirmities and maketh intercession for us with sighs that cannot bee expressed And also it is written That as hee hath begotten us to a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the death to an inheritance which is immortall and undefiled that withers not away but is reserved for us in the heavens So also he keeps us by the power of the Spirit through faith to eternall salvation Vse Now having thus cleared the meaning of the word it rests that wee make use of it for our instructions and the uses that arise from it are two the one serveth for rebuke the other for comfort the rebuke falleth on the Church of Rome the comfort shall returne to us and to every soule in whom the grace of God dwelleth The rebuke that ariseth to the Church of Rome is this in these words wee are commanded to crave pardon for our debts in the plurall number and indefinitely now wee know this to bee true that those Propositions which are indefinite are universall in correspondence Whilst then wee crave pardon and forgivenesse of our debts wee universally begge mercy and pardon for all our sinnes for both originall and actuall sins For our sinnes of infirmity and our sins of presumption for sinfull omissions and commissions for the sinfull thoughts of our heart and words of our mouth and actions of our conversation Now in respect of all these wee have need to draw neere unto God and to say Forgive What meane those Doctors of the Romish Church to teach that there is a sort of sinne which in it selfe and of it selfe is veniall and that some onely are mortall but it is cleare out of the word of God that there is not any sin which is not mortall for every sinne is a breach of the law and every sinne and transgression shall receive a just recompence of reward Hee that sinneth without the law shall perish without the law and hee that sinneth under the law shall bee judged by the law and againe The wages of sinne is death I graunt indeed if wee looke to that excellent price that was given for our sinnes no sinnes are mortall for such is the worth and excellencie of that blood of Jesus which speaketh better things then the blood of Abell that whosoever shall have part in it shall stand without spot or blemish before the presence of the glory of God with joy and whosoever shall have but a drop of it to sprinkle on the posts of the doore of his soule the destroying Angell shall not come neere him but though his sinnes were as red as scarlet yet by vertue of his blood they shall bee as white as snow But on the other part if thou shalt looke upon thy sinne in its owne nature and because of thy esteeme and account of it it seeme veniall to thee wilt thou therefore say that it is veniall in it selfe O foole that thou art thou deceives thy owne soule The smallest coyne and the basest bullion that beareth the Kings stampe on it is as currant as the richest and purest gold that is seaven times tryed in the fire and to counterfeit that coyne is as reall treason as hee that either adulterates or falsifies the purest coyne It is so with us in our debts to God the meanest offence wee can commit is as culpable of judgement as those that are of greater nature for wee must not judge of our sinnes according to the quantity number or quality but chiefly according to the person and Majestie against whom they are committed Is not hee as great a theefe that robs the cottage of the poore as hee that robs the Palace of the Prince yes surely and greater for the Prinâ—e hath wherewithall to repaire his losse but the poore hath not Tell mee I pray you is there any sinne in the world smaller then the point of a thorne no surely yet the meanest thorne that was in the crowne of Christ drew blood of him The thornes that were in that crown were thy sinnes it was thy sinnes that drew blood of him and peirced his heart while there came blood and water out of it gushing and yet vaine man that thou art thou wilt say they are veniall how canst thou call that veniall and of no weight which was rated at so great a value as the sufferings of the Sonne of God the least drop of whose blood was of more worth then all the worme-eaten children of men on the earth Looke never therefore O man upon â—hy sinne in the judgement and with the eyes of nature that is but a false prospective and deceiving glasse looke on it as it lay on the backe