Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	good_a	work_n	4,967	5	5.7579	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41123	Remains of that reverend & faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. William Fenner, late minister of Rochford in Essex ... now compared with his own notes and published by Simeon Ash, William Taylor, Matthew Poole, John Jackson and John Seabrooke ...	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.; Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.	1657 (1657)	Wing F696; ESTC R7304	478,746	332

the son of God and live he speaks of the elect people that naturally are dead to all good for though a man be alive to many of the acts which the Saints of God do naturally yet to those works that a Saint doth as he is a S●●nt he is altogether dead as a beast though it hath a life of its own yet it is dead to the life of a man indeed it can do many things a man doth a beast can see and hear and goe up and down as well as a man doth but for those acts a man doth as he is a man he is altogether dead to those acts a beast cannot discourse how many things are in a man which a beast looks not after it is altogether dead to them so a natural man is alive to do what the Saints of God doe as they are men because he is a man himself but as they are Saints of God and have the life of God in them he is altogether dead to that he cannot carry himself as the Saints do he cannot curb himself of all his lusts as the Saints of God do you cannot if you would never so fain bring a natural man to these things you may as well bring a dead man to walk up and down among men as to make a natural man to be so strict and precise as a Saint Secondly the liveliest of all Gods Saints have some of this deadness remaining in them the child of God though in one part se the spirit he be alive yet in the flesh he is dead Paul himself tells us I am not perfect neither have I yet attained Phil. 3.13 David was as lively a man as any in the Old Testament yet he cries out Psal 143.11 quicken me O Lord for thy names sake the Saints are like to a man sick of the numbe palsey he is dead on one side so the Saints are dead on one side like the Moon that side the Sun shines upon is light but the other side is dark so when God shines upon his Saints by his Spirit there is light but they are dark on one side for though justification be perfect in this life yet sanctification is still but imperfect the guilt of sin may be fully forgiven here but the power of sin is never here fully destroyed none of the Saints of God but find some clog they go not so quick as they should or would do Paul himself groans under this burden Rom. 7.24 and Christ doth not quicken his servants all at once Job 10.10 Christ doth put life into his people yet so as that it goeth gradually on he gives them more and more he makes them more and more agill and quick in good duties the best of Gods Saints are like to a goodly tree that may be hath a hundred dead boughs upon it though the root and body be alive may be a young tree hath fewer dead boughs yet it is weak and there is less strength a great deal in it then in the other and less fruit so I say for a Saint of God though he be consolidated and setled and grown substantial yet there may be abundance of dead boughs Thirdly The meanest of Gods Saints the deadest of them all have some life they cannot lose all their life they have an eternal life Joh. 1.36 he that believes on the son hath everlasting life a child of God though he may lose all his liveliness yet he cannot lose his life there is a difference between liveliness and being alive as Exod. 1.19 the Hebrew women there are said to be lively any woman is alive but not lively so all the children of God are alive they may lose their liveliness but not their life as the wise Virgins all slumbred and slept but yet their oyl was not gone out though old Eli was grown marvelous dull and heavy and lumpish and had no zeal for God and liveliness in him yet he was not altogether dead as appears by his answer to Samuel and his care of the Ark of the Covenant for the life of a Saint of God is like a vessel of Canary that cannot be quite frozen up a child of God though he be never so cold and frozen yet he shall not be altogether frozen up he shall have some life still the seed of God remaineth in him 1 Joh. 3.9 Fourthly This is a ticklish point and marvellous dangerous unless great heed be taken those that hear it that hear how far a child of God may grow dead may recieve much mischief by it and I was once of the mind not to ha●e spoken of it in regard of the evil consequents that may grow upon it For first This may greatly embolden the adversaries of the Church of God In some sense it were well that the adversaries of the Church did think the Church were more lively then they are it might be a great means to curb them of doing that they do as it is noted of the Scribes and Pharisees that conceiving that the people were more lively then they were it did withhold them from what they otherwise would have done as when Christ spake of Johns baptism they would have vilified it but that they thought the people were so affected to his ministry that they would stone them I do not think they were so affected and wrought upon I do not think there would have been such a stir in the Country but this was wel they thought so for it saved a great deal of mischief Mat. 13.25 when the good mans servants were asleep then the enemies sowed tares so when the enemies of the Church shall see thee grown dull and careless and sleepy the Sabbaths are little sanctified and the holy ordinances of God and powerful preaching little looked after nay even such as were strict people are grown cold this doth embolden them to bring in errors and broach what they list when they durst not do it if the Church were lively so that it is something dangerous to tell this in Gath and publish it in the streets of Ashkalon Secondly This may hearten abundance that are standers by that are dead in sins and trespasses to be hardned under their deadness and to be secure for when a Minister shall shew how that the children of God may be marvellously dead and may be quite off the hooks and their zeal be quite gone the life and liveliness that hath been formerly is not seen when they hear this this may help them to hope 't is true I am dead and my heart is like a stone in prayer and like a block at the hearing of the word of God I have no spirit nor heat nor affections in the ordinance of God yet Gods blessing on the Ministers heart I heard him say a child of God might be dead like a dead tree and I hope I may be a child of God for all this no question when a carnal heart shall read how Christ upbraided his own Disciples with

accounting this your principal and total and main good and accordingly affecting this these are the works of faith and if you have these works you may be quickned believe in the Lord Jesus Christ set your hearts upon him and seek after him and you shall have all manner of good even life it self The second meanes is a careful learning of the Word of God preached When the Corinthians were marvellously blocked up in their minds and hearts and were straightned in good things 2 Cor. 6 12. mark what the Apostle saith v. 11. Our mouth is open to you c. as who should say In our Ministery there is abundance of grace abundance of life and largenesse of heart abundance of gracious things all manner of good things we bring with us in our Ministery peace and comfort and hope and all the promises of God and all the rich treasures of Jesus Christ we come with our armes full you are not straightned here but you are straightned in your own bowels as who should say you may be enlarged sweetly by our Ministery we deliver unto you abundance of grace and mercy and abundance of supply all those deadnesses and lockings up of heart in you would be healed by the Ministery of the Word so may I say if your hearts are locked up certainly it is for not taking what the Word offers if you would come hungerly and greedily to the Word of God with an heart desirous to be edified and instructed and to apply what the Word speaks to your soules certainly you shall here meet with abundance of grace and life for the Word is the Word of life and the Ministery of the Word is the Ministery of the Spirit of God and life so that the deadness of all people is meerly from their own bowels you are not straightned in us saith the Apostle no in the Ministery of the Word is abundance of life The third meanes is A careful shunning of all those causes of deadness which we named formerly we must take heed of sin for if we give way to sinne it will dead the heart it will make a make a man shy of God and put a man to woful tasks and breed lothness to goe about duties it will make a man to have a guilty conscience and dead a man that way it will grieve the spirit of God and quench all the operations and sweet influences and gracious motions of the Spirit that the sweet livelinesse of his workings will be gone away if a man give way to sinne if he give way to the world or slackning in a godly course if a man give way to pride or vanity or any sin this will dead the heart a mans heart will presently be deaded if he give way to the Devil and to his temptations In particular you must take heed of niggardlinesse in Religion they that love quickning must labour for a frank and free spirit that will rather overdoe in Gods service then underdoe as long as a man hath a free heart he shall have a quickened heart therefore labour to preserve it doe as Philemon I know thou wilt doe more then I say Paul knew he had a free spirit that if he commanded him a little he would doe more he would rather overdoe then underdoe our Saviour Christ calls for this free spirit If a man take thy coat give him thy cloak also rather overdoe then underdoe in any good thing have a free heart if God bid thee pray pray three times five times a day rather then not often enough there be many duties that God doth not set down how often and how frequent and how long now labour for a free spirit rather do twice as much then underdo Again Take heed of lownesse of Religion of taking up a low and base and mean kinde of Religion that will not reach the Kingdome of God there is a low kinde of Christianity that wil not be able to attain to salvation a low faith that doth not make a man to have his conversation in heaven a low repentance that reacheth not to mortification a low profession of Religion that comes not to the power of Godliness Prov. 15.24 The way of life is above it is an high thing therefore take heed of low Religion for people think that any kinde of righteousness will serve turn if they have but a little Reformation and Religion they presently think this is godliness but let us take heed of this low Religion that will never do the deed Again We must take heed of want of Watchfulnesse we must set up a gracious and Christian watch in our hearts from day to day when the Lord had found fault with the Church of Sardis for being dead in the next words he bids them be watchful as who should say the want of this watchfulness and looking to your selves and having a care over your thoughts and affections lest you should be drawn aside the neglect of this is the cause of all deadness Again We must take heed of vanity as David saith Psal 119.37 Turn away ●●ne eyes from beholding vanity and quicken me O Lord. Again We must take heed of covetousness for we shall never have any gracious work upon us if we give way of it Again We should take heed of slacking and abating private duties we should carefully call upon God every day in secret when there is no body by but God and our own souls if we finde backwardness to this duty know it comes from the Devil that would drown us in perdition if he could therefore we must resist him and goe about it for certainly otherwise we cannot be quickned Again We should take heed of slighting inward duties the holy ordinances of God in our bosoms holy meditations gracious strivings against corruptions when they arise setting the Lord before us seeking Gods presence in all places we must have a care we have gracious purposes and endeavours and strivings inwardly in our bosomes Lastly Let us take heed of contenting our selves with any pitch we have attained but still labour to grow in grace lest we fall short and never enter into Gods rest The next meanes is to be earnest with God to quicken our hearts to pray to God for his grace that God would be pleased to put life into us we should make Elijahs prayer that prayed to heaven for fire to come downe upon the sacrifice so pray earnestly to God to send down his celestial fire into thy heart to warm thee and heat thee and stir thee up to that which is good as the Church doth Psal 80.18 Quicken us and we will call c. Of all Petitions under heaven we should pray most of all for life next unto the glory of God and the salvation of our souls nay indeed as the very means for both we should pray that God would quicken us into all our prayers let us put in this Petition that God would quicken us evermore to have it as

justifie though in the act of justification it be alone yet in existency it is not alone but it hath good works together with it as signs and marks of the same as 1 John 1.6 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and doe not the truth Hereby we may know that we are deceived we may think we have faith and so fellowship together with him yet if we walk in darknesse we may know we lye for this could not be if we had fellow●hip with God So 1 John 2.4 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar If a man should once think that he knows God with the knowledge of faith and yet keeps not the commandements of God by this very thing he may know that he is a lyar Hereby shall all men know ye are my disciples if ye love one another saith Christ and as it is a sign to others so it is a sign to a mans own self Hereby we know that we are passed from death to life if we love the Brethren He sets down one good work in stead of all other if we bring forth the works of new obedience and if our hearts be purged of God i● we bring forth the fruits of holiness this is a signe we have faith for faith makes a man to choose God for his God and raises a man up to see him to be the chiefest good of all and to see all happiness in him and a supply of all the good we need in him and so it makes a man to love God and by love to doe the works of God Fourthly Good works are necessary also by necessity of commandement not onely to be effects and signes of faith but they are also such things as are commanded of God God hath commanded good works that we should walk in all holiness of conversation to be holy as he is holy that we should be holy in our carriages and behaviour Tit. 3.8 The same God that commands us to believe commands us to maintain good works as we may see there we see that Ministers are to urge people and maintaine it against all gainsayers that there is a necessity of good works and that the Lord will have us to go on in them for faith through the Object of it as it justifies is the promise of God in Christ for forgiveness of sins yet faith in it selfe looks upon the whole word of God and looks whatsoever it seeth joyned together by that it joynes together of it self as the Promises and Commandements are bound together by an inviolable knot so faith joynes them together it cannot take the promises of God but it must take the commandements of God also faith looks upon God and as it seeth him to be gracious whereby it comes to have faith to rely upon him so also it seeth him to be holy a God that is severe against sin and hateth unrighteousness so that it is necessary that works be together with faith for the commandement and nature of God require it Fifthly They are necessary also by necessity of end for God hath ordained his people to this end that they should bring forth good works Eph. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ to good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them We are created in Christ Jesus not onely that we should be saved but that we should bring forth good works Now good works are necessary by necessity of end in divers respects First to this end To glorifie God in the world Let your light so shine before men c. Matth. 5.16 So 1 Pet. 2.12 the Apostle saith Having our conversation honest amongst the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil doers c. For when a Christian that professeth he believes in God and Jesus Christ is plentiful in all manner of good works this stops the mouth of all gainsayers You know Piety and Religion is hated in the world the Gospel finds opposition among men Now when those that are Professors are loose and licentious in their lives this opens their mouths against the truth but when our lives and conversations hold forth Jesus Christ as we take up the profession of his holy name so they are agreeable to his will they are just and holy and righteous and good this makes men think in their conscience this is of God this stops their mouths that they cannot rail at the Gospel Secondly They are necessary to doe good to others and convert others as the Apostle instanceth in women that believe if they be zealous of good works if they be chast and humble and meek and discreet by this means they may be instruments to convert their husbands that believe not 1 Pet. 3. The Lord looks that his people all that believe in him should be fruitful in good works that they may winne and gaine others to the faith Thirdly Another end is to purifie our selves for it is vertue that must throw out vice we are all borne by nature filthy and unclean and full of noysome lusts and the way to expel these is by the contrary vertues 1 Pet. 1.22 Seeing you have purified your soules by obeying the truth Fourthly Another end is to qualifie us for Heaven we cannot be qualified for the Kingdome of heaven unless we be holy and godly in Christ Jesus except we have our conversations honest as becometh Saints for though it be faith that entitles a man to the Kingdome of Heaven and gives a man right to the Kingdome of God yet holinesse and conformity to the minde of God and the image of God is that which doth fit and qualifie a man for to enter into the Kindome of God as Christ saith Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you can in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Though it be true we are saved by grace and so good works have no causality no proper efficiency in our salvation yet notwithstanding they are a cause sine qua non without them there can be no salvation we cannot enter into Gods Kingdome except we be humble and meek and lowly except we fear God and be according to his minde in all things in some measure we cannot enter into his Kingdom Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God A man cannot be admitted to the Beatifical Vision of God except he be pure in heart and he cannot enjoy the Kingdome of grace neither here unless he be pure in heart Rev. 21.27 Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb. 13. It is impossible we should enter into Gods Kingdome by having actual possession of it except we be holy and fitted for it as the Apostle saith Col. 1.12 It is impossible that drunkards and unclean persons should have society with the blessed Trinity with the eternal God with the Spirit of holinesse to dwell with them for evermore we

must be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Fifthly To proportion our Reward for though we are saved only by grace yet God doth proportion our reward according to the multitude and zeal and fervency of our good works for Gods Covenant is a remunerating Covenant for mercy doth not consist only in the pardoning of a man but also in the sanctifying of a man and the inclining of a mans heart to new obedience that there may be remuneration for though God doth not reward people for their works yet according to their works he doth 2 Cor. 9.6 He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly c. Though a man be a Believer and a godly man if he be sparing in his godliness he shall fare accordingly and if he be abundant in the work of the Lord he shall reap abundantly for as there are differences and degrees of torments to the wicked so there be degrees in the Kingdom of God and in glory and the Lord doth reward his people according to their works Lastly Good works are necessary by necessity of thankfulness it is necessary that we having received the forgiveness of our sins and God being pleased to be our God and to deliver us from the wrath to come and the power of Satan that we should be thankful for these mercies as David saith Psal 118.19 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts and be thankeful Col. 1.15 When David had considered what the Lord had done for his soul saith he what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits as soon as ever God hath been good to a man to open his eyes to let him see his damned estate and condition and to let him have hope and comfort and encouragement in him concerning deliverance from it and bestowing upon him his heavenly Kingdom and glory it cannot be but the soul must be thankful what shall I do unto the Lord for all his benefits you know there is nothing that we can do back again for these benefits except we will praise and glorifie him by living unto him and not unto our selves therefore when the Psalmist had reckoned up the benefits of God to Israel Psal 105.46 he concludes that they may keep his statutes and observe his Laws First Here we see how horribly the Papists wrong us when they say we Vse 1 do not teach people good works and therefore nickname us and call us Solifidians whereas we maintain a necessity of them and as great a necessity of them as they only we beat down the merit of them that no man may think to be saved by works as a reverend Divine Mr. Carter said we teach people holiness and righteousness and good works as if there were no way to be saved but by good works and again we teach that there must be as much hanging upon the grace of God as if we could shew no more to be saved then the vilest drunkard or adulterer all our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth and it is Gods mercy that any of us have an heart to do good you see how the world runs after their hearts lusts and every man is of this disposition and it is Gods grace and mercy to incline any mans heart to walk in that way that tends to his heavenly Kingdom and if God should not be infinitely gracious to pardon us for our best doings they would rise up in judgement against us God might condemn us for all our prayert and performances Secondly This teacheth Ministers how to preach to people to call upon Vse 2 them that they have an operative faith not only to believe but to have a faith that may be fruitful and make their lives not to barren in obedience and to be abundant in the works of the Lord and to serve him and fear him and glorifie him in the world as the Apostle having shewed how Christ gave himself for us to purchase to himself a people zealous of good works saith he these things speak Tit. 2.14 15. We must speak these things and rebuke our hearers with all authority rebuke evil workers and tell them they turn the grace of Christ into wantonness they trample the blood of the Covenant under their feet and kick at the spirit of grace and misconstrue the meaning of the Covenant of God in Christ and rend themselves off that they cannot enter into life for no man without holiness shall see God Ministers should tell people plainly and affirm constantly that unless they bring forth good fruit they shall be cast into the fire and that without holiness they cannot have license and dispensation to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for God is an holy God and our faith is an holy faith and the promises are made to none but those that lead an holy and a godly life we must preach these things and reprove with all Authority and let people know that are loose Christians and Hell-hounds that if they do not depart from iniquity they shall see God as a Judge to condemn them for evermore Vse 3 Thirdly This confutes all the graceless conceits of men that think to be saved by Christ and yet walk not after Christ they cast not away from them the works of darkness nor renounce their wicked wayes and yet hope to be saved by Christ this is a cursed and blasphemous hope whereby a man blasphemes God 1 Joh. 3.6 whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither known him if a man live in his sins still that is the meaning of it and walks not after the spirit but after the flesh that man hath not seen him neither ever known him he doth not know Jesus Christ otherwise then the Divels know him otherwise then Hell-hounds and reprobates may know him for the second Covenant is as holy as the first and rather more holy and before God hath done it shall bring a man to a nearer communion with God and a nearer likeness it will raise the powers and faculties of the soul so as I believe Adam in innocency never attained unto so much participation of God as God by degrees will bring a man unto by the Covenant of grace therefore no man can look to be saved by Christ except he mean to be ruled by Christ and to have him for his Lord and Master and to obey him in all things if a man should lie sick in his bed of a burning feaver and should say he were well would you believe him so if we see a man that is burning in lust wallowing in sinful courses that hath a carnal and a worldly heart unmortified and unsubdued to God if he should say that he were in Christ and hoped to be saved by him believe him not all the world cannot save this man for the Lord Jesus Christ hath this very name Jesus not only because he shall save his people from hell but also from their sins and make them fruitful in all the works of God Vse

behave my selfe as I ought though a persecutor of Religion were in company can he know these thoughts No man can persecute or mock him for any of these a man may think as good thoughts as he will if he hath an heart to them and this will keep up a mans quickning when a man goeth abroad what should hinder but he may be imployed in inward duties considering seriously and thinking solemnly how it stands between God and his soule what shall hinder a man from these duties Now the neglect of these is the cause of the deadnesse of mens hearts people come to Church and hear Sermons but what do ye do within do you set up Gods Ordinances in your bosomes do you set up a Christian watch in your bosomes and prayer in your bosoms how do you go up and down all day long is heaven in your bosoms is the fear of God in your bosoms preserving and keeping of you This is that which will quicken you and a man can never be quickned if he make not conscience of this Lastly Another cause of deadnesse is peoples contenting themselves with what they have attained unto if they have gotten any thing they are apt to set up their staves there and content themselves as if all were well this is the cause of the deadnesse of peoples hearts because every little sufficeth them if they have but any hope that they are of God and fear his name if they finde they have any thing in them they are apt to be secure and not to be earnest to grow in grace from day to day Now when this gets into a mans heart it will dead him presently therefore the Apostle when he perceived many of the Hebrews deaded their hearts this way he shakes them up Heb. 6.1 Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfection As who should say Let us on on for shame unto perfection let us proceed further let us not ever be learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth let us not be ever laying a foundation and never building thereupon let us not be ever going about repentance and faith and the first principles of the Oracles of God and never come to perfection This is the effect of the Epistles of Peter that people should not content themselves with what they have but that they may grow and goe forward Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 and grow in grace 2 Pet. 3.18 He is beating upon this that no man should content himselfe with any measure already attained if he do his heart will be deaded and made dull and blockish to all goodnesse and this is another cause of the deadness of peoples hearts they are at a stay they are at a stand every man may be would be a good Christian and a childe of God and if he can get but any hope that he is a childe of God now he is safe and now he goeth dully and blockishly on if he can but hold there and if he hath any fears that he is not right then may be he begins to stir himselfe a little but as soon as ever he gets any hopes again that he is right he goeth on in a blockish manner and passeth over holy things otherwise then he ought to doe and then if any spurs come into his conscience and awaken him may be he stirs again till he gets up a little hope that his condition is good and then he falls off and grows as secure again as he was before and this deads the hearts of people I come now to the meanes how a man may be quickened and the first is this If we would be quickened we must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we must goe to him I speak now to good people if you would be quickned you must goe and fetch it from the Lord Jesus Christ he is a fountain of life opened unto all that come unto him I am come saith Christ that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly John 10.10 Christ is not only come to quicken the dead and raise them up that they may be alive towards God barely and nakedly but he came to make all his people lively that they should have more life and quickning and be more enlarged in grace he came not onely to work the thing but to work a growth and increase of it more and more Now if you would know how to come by this life in Christ Jesus the only way is to believe in Christ John 7.38 He that believeth in me out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water there shall be rivers of spiritual life in that man that shall never be drawn dry so then doe any of us stand sticking at this how shall we be quickned and shake off this deadness that is in us I say look up to Christ and labour truly and unfainedly to desire him and hunger and thirst after him if we did search after Christ wee should be quickned presently there is no man is dead but he that hath no care to look after Christ and desire him if we would have Christ if our hearts be open to him if we doe but desire him and long for him if we have but these groanes and outgoings in our souls oh that I had but Christ shed abroad in my heart if I had him I should have life and quickning if I had him I should have right and title to all Gods heavenly comforts if our hearts did but goe up and down longing after Christ this is the way to attain to quickning Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters c. Come and ye shall have waters that shall never be dried up the want of faith is the cause of hardness of heart and of deadnesse as our Saviour Christ when he saw they were dead Matth. 16. he did upbraid them with unbeliefe if a man did but once believe if a man did but truly cast his soul upon God if he had but once his eyes opened to see the vanity of all other things to see the danger of sinne and iniquity the misery of all unregenerate people and to see the worth of Christ and the infinite goodnesse of God in Christ what an admirable pearl it is to enjoy him how it is better then life it selfe better then the whole world yea then thousands of worlds if a man did but see this and had his heart affected with this to be drawn to Christ and to have his heart and minde run after him to be possessed of him this is faith you that would know whether you have faith or no if you had all the faiths in the world you are infidels without this faith but if you have this faith you have true faith if you have a heart running after Christ minding him and longing for him and casting your soules upon him for all good

4 Fourthly To exhort that we would consider of this the Gospel doth call for works as well and as strongly yea and more strongly then the Law and there be necessary uses of holiness and obedience and all manner of pious works under the Gospel as the Apostle saith Tit. 3.4 let us main●ain good works for necessary uses c. We are barren trees whatsoever we are we are barren and dead Christians and have no life of God in us if we bring not forth good works for good works are necessary for many uses Motive 1 First They are for signs to shew us what estate and condition we are in we may know what estate and condition we are in by our carriage and conversation whither it be earthly or heavenly holy or prophane so is our condition either happy or damned First They are signs of a mans election 2 Tim. 1.20 this is a sign and a badge and a token whereby we may know that we are vessels of honour if we be sanctified and made meet for our masters use and furnished and prepared for every good work if we do not deny all ungodly lusts and live righteously and soberly in this present world we have rather badges and tokens of reprobation then election we cannot say that God hath appointed us to attain salvation by Jesus Christ but have rather marks of hell and destruction upon us and what is the reason that men that profess Christ do so much question their election no wonder when we are so scanty in our holiness and obedience to God and so backward to do good there is no nickling of Gods everlasting favour breaking out whereas if we were plentiful in good works it would break forth as the Sun out of a cloud Secondly They are signs of effectual calling Jude 1. if a man be called of God he is sanctified also and kept in an holy course preserved in Christ 2 Pet. 1.3 you are an holy Nation a peculiar people to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you 1 Pet. 2.9 so that we may be sure that we yet abide in darkness and are under the power of sin and Satan if we have not given over our sinful courses and conformed our selves to the Gospel of God we were never called according to Gods purpose but lie under the wrath of Heaven to this day it is holiness and righteousness that is a sign of our effectuall calling Thirdly They are signs of justification also as the Apostle sheweth but you are washed c. 1 Cor. 6.11 you see if we be justified we are also sanctified so 1 Joh. 1.7 if we walk in the light as he is in the light c. We have not one drop of the blood of Christ sprinkled upon our souls by Gods eternal spirit through faith unless we walk in the light and bring forth the works of the light Fourthly They are signs of adoption John 8.39 If you were Abrahams children you would bring forth the works of Abraham so if we were Gods children we would do the works of God the will of God The Apostle having spoken of the adoption of Saints behold what love the Father hath shewed to us c. presently he tells us that holiness and righteousness follows from hence he that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure So Rom 8.14 As many are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God this is an infallible sign if we be the sons of God we are led by the spirit of God so that we have no mark that we are the children of God but rather of the Divel unlesse we walk in purenesse of conversation from day to day Fifthly They are the marks of our love to God as Christ saith if you love me keep my commandements John 14.15 we love not God except we keep his commandments as ever you would be able to say in truth you love me keep my commandments look that you yield not to the corruptions of the world look that you renounce the Divel and all his works I will conclude you love me not at all if you keep not my commandments and he that loves not Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha saith the Apostle Secondly Consider this that the reason why we cannot pray better is Motive 2 because we are no more abundant in good works not only because we want faith but because we want good works for certainly this is a great help to prayer a great support to the soul a great encouragement to go to the Throne of grace and a great sign that God means to hear a man when God hath given him an heart to fear him and love him and make conscience of his wayes as the Apostle saith 1 John 3.22 Whatsoever we aske we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do the things pleasing in his sight As who should say when we go to God and intreat him to be merciful to us and intreat such and such favours that we stand in need of we know that we shall receive them because we keep his commandments These are admirable supports to hold up the hands to the Throne of grace and to make us importunate in prayer and confident because we know God hath poured forth his gracious good will and pleasure into our hearts and hath given us a mark he loves us and beares us good will indeed Why can we pray no better our hands are weake and our knees feeble there is no power in our supplications to the Almighty the spirit of grace is departed from us why the spirit of holiness is gone there is the reason of it when people are loose and do not mortifie their lusts when they are not abundant in following God in fearing God and serving God and obeying the commandments of God they cannot have confidence at the Throne of grace Thirdly Consider this would be a great chearing and rejoycing in the Motive 3 evil day whatsoever afflictions come upon us in this world if we can carry letters testimonial in our own conscience that we do serve God with a pure conscience in this world as Paul saith 2 Cor. 1.12 God knows what evil may befal us before we are a little older what temptations may await us what distresses and calamities may fall upon us happy are we if we have the testimony of a good conscience that we walk in the wayes of God and fear him and love those things that are beloved of God if we love his children his Ordinances his glory and are tender of it a good conscience tender of the commandments of God and his wayes is the best comfort a man can have in the world setting aside his faith in God and this is an evidence of his faith too how can we tell what may be may be the best of us may come to Davids pass you know how he was put to it once in the time of his misery and affliction he was fain to look if he

could see an honest life and conversation whither he had pleased God saith he I communed with my spirit and made diligent search Psal 77.6 How have I pleased God and followed God what manner of life have I led he ransacked all his life and conversation and would be glad to see he had done the things pleasing to God it would be more comfort then if all the Angels in heaven had spoken comfort so temptations or afflictions may be upon us that we would be glad to see signs and tokens of Gods favour in sanctifying our hearts and making us to be obedient to his will and tremble at his word and if we cannot see these things woe unto us 1 Tim 6.19 charge them that be rich in the world that they be not high-minded c. So we do not know what times may come we had need lay a good foundation for comfort against the time to come and charge rich men that they be rich in good works charge all Christians all that desire to stad in the evil day to be rich in good works and abound in them and lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold of eternal life Lastly Consider that your want of obedience and good works is the cause of all Gods temporal judgements why God doth stop the bottles of Heaven and turns the Earth into dust and parcheth our Corn we see God hath begun the plague among us in the principal place of the Kingdom wherefore is all this see what the Prophet saith Jer. 3.3 therefore have the showers been withholden because you have been wicked thou hast an whores forehead and refusest to be ashamed thy carelesseness and barrenness under the means of grace thy impenitency and hardness of heart these have caused the showers to be withholden and have made God to deny the former and latter rain The second point is this As the Covenant of grace requires works so it requires perfect works he tells the Church of Sardis that he looks for works and perfect works but cannot find them so that the second Covenant requires perfect works But you will say how can that be Paul himself that was as forward a man and had as perfect works as any man yet he confesseth he was not perfect Phil. 3.12 so likewise here we know but in part 1 Cor. 13.10 perfection is not yet come in the world to come it may come Heb 12. there we read of the spirits of just and perfect men then men are made perfect but they are not perfect in this life I answer 't is true therefore there is a double perfection First A perfection of degrees to be perfectly perfect and so no man can be perfect by any perfection inherent indeed the Covenant of works requires this perfection but the Covenant of grace doth not indeed when we come to glory there shall be this perfection but not in this life in this life the Lord only subdues our sins but casts them not into the bottom of the Sea til the life to come therefore this perfection cannot be looked for upon earth Therefore secondly There is another perfection and that is a perfection by way of sincerity and uprightnesse Job 1.1 Job was a perfect and upright man Now this perfection differs from the other five wayes the perfection God requires in the Gospel from that in the Law First The Law stands upon performances as well as the will and desire and a man is not perfect unlesse he perform all as well as desire to doe it But now the perfection of the Gospel is without these performances indeed that man labours for as many performances as he can but it may be onely by desires Rom. 7.18 Paul was perfect by Evangelical Perfection he was upright before God yet he could not reach performances no he had a will to be good he did unfeignedly desire to be godly and serve God in every thing unfeignedly endeavouring after godly courses yet could not attain to that which he did desire So it was with Nehemiah and all the good people of God Nehem. 1.11 O Lord I beseech thee let thine ear be attentive to the prayers of thy servants who desire to fear thy name He could hardly say that he did perform it but he did desire it he could hardly say he did love and obey God and doe his will but this he would say he did desire to doe it and unfeignedly desire it as Solomon saith Prov. 21.21 He that followeth after righteousnesse and mercy findeth life He doth not say he that reacheth it he cannot reach it may be but he that followeth after it shall have life it is a sign that he hath the life of justification and that he shall have the life of glory Secondly The perfection of the Law it stands upon quantities as well as upon qualities truth it is not satisfied though a man be never so truly holy and religious unless man hath quantities and is so much holy But now the perfection of the Gospel indeed it will have as much quantity as a man can but yet it will stand with truth though a man hath not that quantity of humiliation and self-denial and power against sin yet if he have it in truth he is Evangelically perfect in some measure he is sincere and upright before God as Solomon saith of his Father 1 Kings 13.6 M● Father had great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth He doth not say he walked before thee in legal perfection he was perfectly righteous but he was truly righteous he was humble in truth and godly in truth and zealous in truth he had none of all these things to the utmost yet he walked before thee in truth So Josh 24.14 Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth He doth not say serve him as if you should doe every thing he commands but doe it in truth and sincerity Now sincerity is when there is no commandement but a man sets himselfe to doe it there is no sin but he labours to avoid it and there is no right manner but he sets himself to doe it in the right manner to his power this is the perfection of the Gospel Thirdly The perfection of the Law stands upon full measure whether a man have power or no that is nothing to the purpose the law will have all holiness and righteousness whether a man hath power or no But now the perfection of the Gospel by way of sincerity it looks at what measure God hath given and bestowed and no more but what God hath given and enabled a man to doe as you may see the Lord doth not require the gain of ten talents when he gave but five nor the gain of five when he gave but two the widows two mites were accepted and taken for a good and sincere gift because she gave all that she had Luke 21.4 as the Apostle

carry you through from the beginning to the end Vse 1. Then certainly the thing is a possible thing a man may be able to say so it is a thing may be known effectual calling whosoever is partaker of it that man may know he hath it though it be such a great jewel such an admirable thing and happy is that man that ever he was borne when he seeth it yet it is such a thing you may come to see and know every man may know what estate he is in whether he be good or bad the conscience doth not onely excuse in good actions but also in a good estate preserve my soul for I am holy saith David Psal 86.2 his conscience did not excuse him onely in that he had done holy duties but in that he wa● an holy man his conscience could witness with him that he was an holy man and on the other side the conscience doth not onely accuse in evil actions but also in an evil estate I and my people are wicked saith Pharoh Exod. 9. his conscience did not onely accuse him that he did evil actions but that he was in an evil estate not onely that he had done a wicked thing but was a wicked man and the reason of this is because how else should a man be commanded to shun a bad and follow a good estate if it were not discernable who are in a good and bad estate as we see we are called to avoid the one and follow hard after the other therefore it is a thing that may be attained to nay it is not onely a thing that may be attained unto but the children of God are wont to know it as Paul here to Timothy he hath called us we are able to speak it our consciences choake us not in speaking of it nay the doubtfullest man that ever was was Heman Psal 88.1 O Lord God of my salvation I have cryed night and day unto thee as who should say I am very much bewildered and much to seek and lost in doubts and fears marvelously oppressed and overwhelmed yet this I can say thou art my God the God of my salvation thou hast effectually called me to pertake of thy mercy and I have relation to that thou hast given me union with thee thou art the God of my salvation and so it was with David when he was at his worst hath God forgotten to be gracious will he cast off for ever c Psal 77. though he had named all their grievous passages of feare and despaire as a man would think yet at the self same time ver 5. I have considered the dayes of old he was able to lay hold upon this certainty I have been called such a time the Lord was gracious and merciful unto me I have believed I have tasted of Gods goodness and pertake of his mercy and known the forgiveness of my sinnes he looked unto the dayes of old he could not deny it though he were now miserably put to it he could not deny this but in the dayes of old God had been his God and he his servant and so Jonah when he was dejected and cast down and seemed to be in the belly of hell Lord saith he I am cast out of thy sight as if he had been cast off and quite at a losse yet at the selfe same time saith he I will look towards thy holy Temple Jon. 2.4 as who should say I cannot deny but thou hast effectually called me I have looked to thy Temple heretofore I have looked to Christ and rested upon thee for eternal life and for mercy and thou art my refuge therefore I will look againe to thee So Joh. 14.5 6 7. Thomas he speaks as if he had not known Christ Thomas saith he ver 7. thou dost know me nay when he made a vow that he would not believe except he saw the print of the nailes yet this was but in a fit for within a little space he saith my Lord and my God Joh. 20. I will prove this by reason that a man that is quite to seek that a man that is not able to speak with any certainty he hath not a jot of faith in this point to believe that he is the Lords for that man walks in darkness our Saviour makes it a brand of a man that walks in darkness that knoweth not whether he goeth Joh. 12.35 He that walks in darkness knoweth not whether he goeth whither to heaven or to hell whither he goes right or wrong to Christ or not it is a shroad signe that that man is in a bad estate that God never yet took him out of the world to the fellowship of Jesus Christ The first reason is because it is the office of the Spirit to make known to a man the things given him of God 1 Cor. 2.12 now saith he we have received the Spirit not of the world but the Spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God as who should say as God hath given us such and such things So we have the Spirit of God that can tell us the things that God hath freely given us when God hath given a man effectual calling it is a free gift and then it is the Spirits office to let a man know it and the Spirit will do his office nay when God effectually calls a man by his Spirit the Spirit saith to a man as the disciples of Christ said to the man that was brought to Christ Matth. 10.40 Be of good cheare he calls thee so when God effectually calls a man the Spirit saith arise be of good cheare the Lord calls thee the Lord of heaven and earth gives thee a gracious call to come to his heavenly Kingdome to believe in his name and to rest upon him for Salvation and for every needful thing for this life and the life to come the Spirit whereby a man is called doth speak internum verbum as Divines speak an inward word which the soul hears as well as the outward eare hears the external word our Saviour sheweth this Joh. 6.45 he that hath heard and learned of the Father saith he cometh unto me when a man is effectually called to come unto Christ he hears of the Father there is a word that the Father speaks not onely the word of the Minister but an inward word and that man hears a word from the Father and how can it be but a man may know it when he hears it for there is a word and an audible word a word whereby the Lord of glory speaks to a man when he effectually calls him to come out of his sins Secondly Because a man that is effectually called of God he is commaded by God to make his calling and election sure as we may see 2 Pet. 1.10 as who should say you may make it sure 't is true in legal precepts this doth not follow that if so be God bid a man to do it

found out the Lord Jesus Christ to be the meanes and he is the power of God to save any man that believes and wheresoever we come we preach this Doctrine So again you may see Heb. 7.24 25. This man hath an unchangable Priesthood for he is able to save to the utmost all those that come unto him c. As who should say he is a publick Saviour he is not onely able to save these and these but all that come unto him he is able to save them to the utmost whosoever you are though you be never so wretched and reprobate to every good work though never so foule and all the nitre in the world cannot cleanse you never so stubborne and all the meanes and Ordinances you have enjoyed have not tamed you why yet here is a Saviour for you he is able to save you to the utmost though you be never so out with God and though God be never so much displeased with your sinful courses and all the Angels and all the world cannot take away Gods wrath from you yet he is able to save you to the utmost if you will come unto him This is the tender of the Gospel delivered to every man Now in the next place I will shew you the reasons why God calls people home by a general tender in this fashion First because this is the surest ground of faith suppose a soul that is effectually called shall afterwards feare and question and by what warrant do I hope to be saved by Christ and by what warrant do I look to be heard for Christs sake and how is it that I lay hold upon such promises and cast my self upon such things in the Gospel upon what acquaintance do I presume that the Lord Jesus will see you assisted in all my wayes and helped in all estates and conditions and save my soul when I die Why saith he I have a good warrant for I see in Scripture that Christ is tendered to all and wh●so●ver believes shall not perish but have everlasting life and whosoever will have him may I could not tell indeed I was elected before I heard the Sermon but I heard that any man might have Christ that would and I am sure I would have him and I finde in Scripture that he came to save that which is lost and I am sure I am a lost creature and if he came to save that which is lost I have warrant to believe This is that which grounded Saint Paul this generall offer This saith he is a faithful saying worthy to be received of all men that Christ died for sinners whereof I am chief 1 Tim. 1.15 As who should say here is the thing this is that which comforts me and staies my soul I see that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and I see it is a faithful saying and worthy of all men to be received all men whosoever have a heart may receive it and I am sure then he came to save me and this is my hold I have no other hold but this But now if a man were called by any other call but this a man could have no ground for his calling if the Scripture should say they only are called that are elected he would have no ground for his call Secondly because this is the best answer to Satan many times a man will be put to heavy straits and will have much ado to answer Satan sometimes a man will be under uncertainty sometimes under want of feeling and sense sometimes under horror of conscience and a mans sins may come to a mans view and feares may step up in the soul then Satan comes how look you to be saved you are a wretch you have a stiffe faith indeed What believe and no sense and feeling such a horrible wretch and such a guilty conscience and you believe What have you to shew Is any one promise in the Bible to such a one as you that are so foul and filthy and cannot pray nor do any thing you see God casts you off where is any promise for you to hang upon Yes I can believe for all this because the Gospel is not tendered to sense and feeling and such and such things but to every one that would have Christ and I would have Christ and so much the more eager is my heart to have him the more I am troubled and cast down the more I would have Christ and grace here is my hold this is the thing the sure Word of Faith it is called the Word of Faith Rom. 10.8 Now you know the Word of God is true whether a man believe or no and now when faith comes in it layes hold upon that general Word the thing is true so that if any man comes and believes though I never found it before I believed it yet now I may hang upon it and there is nothing in the world will put off Satan more then this he will say you have Christ how can you have him you are proud aye but I would be humbled you are dead 't is true but that is my grief and mourning I would be quickened and therefore would have Christ that I may be so and so here he hangs upon the general tender of Christ Thirdly because this is that same simple Scripture that is simply true in it self before all acts in man a man cannot be effectually called by any truth but that which is true in it self before all acts in man now what truth can effectually call a man before any act of grace in man but only the general tenders of the Gospel these are the truths that are simply true in themselves Before any thing is done upon man it may be true that God hath elected me but it is not a Scripture truth before something be done in me the Scripture doth not say simply in it self that I am elected before some grace be put forth in me if I have grace put forth already in me then I may say that God did specially intend it to me and did elect me in Christ before all worlds but now these truths cannot call a man because before effectual calling nothing is done in a man therefore those truths that suppose any thing in a man cannot be calling truths the first truths that a man is effectually called unto a man hath no more to shew for it then any man else in the world therefore it must be meerly the truths of the Gospel in themselves what Christ did and so forth As for example these be the calling truths Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Joh. 1.29 God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3.16 and Mat. 18.11 The Sonne of man came to save that which is lost but these truths concerning this mans election that God doth love him and hear him and accept of him these are not Scripture

a mans will and seeme to have no good in them What because he assents to the promises that they are true No but because he is confident that the promises shall be performed So Deut. 4.4 there saith Moses to the Israelites You that did cleave to the Lord your God you are all alive at this day as who should say though your brethren went away from God some to satisfie their lusts as in the matter of quailes and flesh-pots and others to humour their fancies as in the matter of the calf and others to fulfill their filthy delights as in the matter of Baal-Peor your brethren went away from God as if they might have comfort and delight and good elsewhere they went from God but you cleave to God and are all alive to this day that is as you did look for good in God you had it your brethren looked for good elsewhere and they are disappointed where are their profits and pleasures They went away from God and are dead but you followed God and are alive to this day So 2 King 18.6 it is said of Hezekiah that he clave to God c. that is he did not only conceive that the chief good was in God but he did stick to God in all his wayes he did cleave to God and would not go away Lastly a true justifying faith is expressed in Scripture by believing on God or believing in God a phrase that is not used in any Greek Authour but only in the Scripture and those that have been acquainted with the Scripture now why doth God pick out a new phrase but to imply a new work What is it only to assent to the truth Then the old phrase would have served the turne but when a man believes on God or in God this is the expression of a justifying faith as you may see 1 Pet. 2.5 So John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever believeth on him should not perish c. So Rom. 4.5 and Rom. 3.26 What do all these phrases import onely a naked consent and belief that all the things in the Gospel are true No but when a man can believe on these things when a man can submit to all the Ordinances of God and embrace Christ in all his wayes and believe that all the good things spoken of in the Gospel are to be had in him I confesse sometimes simple believing Christ without on or in is put for a justifying faith as Ro. 4.3 it is said that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousnes he doth not say he believed in God but that is the meaning of it and if you look into Gen. 15. you shall find through the story that he beleived in God he did not only believe that God was good but he committed himself to God in all his wayes and did relie upon him that God was Almighty and that made him walk before God in uprightnesse and that made him live a different life from all the rest of the Countrey this shews that it was a confidence and affiance in God that was accounted to him for righteousness The second Argument is taken from the offer of Christ which is the giving of Christ to be a propitiation for sin and to be a Mediatour between God and man to be the only means of eternal life this is the offer of Jesus Christ in the Gospel Christ is given to be a redeemer to them that do believe now what can answer this giving Can only an act of the mind answer this gift 'T is true indeed he is the only Mediatour the only Messias the only way the truth and the life and he is freely offered and given in the Gospel I believe this and assent unto it is this taking No this is only believing he may take him therefore true faith must be a taking of Christ that only answers to the giving of Christ giving is a relative which answers to taking a gift is no gift except it be taken the nature of the gift returns back again to the giver if it be not taken so it is here God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life He gave his only begotten Sonne that hath a relation to taking of him he gave him that whosoever believeth on him might not perish that is God gave him that whosoever takes him might not perish but have eternal life though a man offer himself to a woman yet if the woman do not take him he is not her husband the match is made up by taking so though Christ be given to the world in the Gospel yet Christ is not ours but by taking of him when you take Christ then you are in the number of those that shall not perish but have everlasting life when you take Christ that is when you take him to be your chiefe good when you take his promises to be your stay and propp to be the the life and comfort of your hearts when you take his Commandements to do them when you take his ordinances to walk in them when you take his people to have society with them when you take Christ and all Christ now you shall have everlasting life this is to take Christ though the woman assent firmly that the man is a proper man and a goodly man and a godly man and a rich man this makes not up the match but when she takes him to be her husband then she hath interest in his person and all that he hath so when a man takes Christ then he hath title to Christ and all the good things that are in him It is said of the faithfull that they did not only see the Promises afar off but they did embrace them Heb. 11.13 the word signifieth they hugged them they kist them many see the Promises afar off but embrace them not they embrace the things of this present world they hugg them but never take the promises of God home to there soules true faith therefore is such a faith as takes Christ and then it followes that it cannot be an act of the mind but an act of the heart in relying and taking the thing to himself to hang upon it and live by it The third argument is this Faith is an act of coming unto Christ Christ you know is the righteousnesse of God now when a man is come to it he hath it now what motion of coming is this is it only a motion of the mind a Contemplation of the mind when a man seeth Christ afar off I may see a goodly man a goodly thing afarr of my eye sight may go to it but if my whole man do not come to it I am not come to it this cannot be only the Contemplation of the mind when the eye of a mans understanding discovers Christ for this makes him the more foole and the

thinks he hath life and is dead Rev. 3.1 I know thy works thou hast a name thou livest but thou art dead Here the Church of Sardis did imagine she was alive and others conceived so she seemed to be alive and yet notwithstanding was dead she had no true life in her she seemed to be alive not only in the sight of others but in her own apprehension she seemed to be alive and yet was dead now this is the meaning of the words without the Law I was alive once that is I thought my self to be alive I apprehended my self to be no dead man no damned man I thought not my self to be under the wrath of God and one that should perish evermore if I continued in that estate wherein I was I hoped better things of my self I saw these signs of Grace and Life in me and I thought I was alive indeed till the Commandment came till the Law of God was pressed upon my Conscience and shewed me the contrary I thought my self to be a very live man and one that had some hope of eternal happiness and one that might enter into glory I took my self to be alive Thus we see the meaning of the words Now the Point I intend at this time to insist upon is the livelinesse of a carnal mans heart before the Law comes home to him and is pressed to him and shews him his damnable estate and that he is dead in his sins and trespasses he hath some colour of Righteousness that he is moral and civil and orderly and he hath somthing that is like Grace and Life he hath some hope towards God and hath some kind of obedience he seems to be obedient to the commandment of God before he is humbled by the Law of God he is a live creature Here St. Paul shews it by his own example Without the Law I was once alive noting out unto us how it is with every unhumbled man with every unmortified man that is not yet converted to God he hath many things to say for himself but he doth not understand the purenesse of the Law the Law hath not yet killed him it hath not yet pulled him flat down before Almighty God A man that is unhumbled by the Law of God is a live man he will not be perswaded that he is a dead damned creature he doth apprehend and hope he hath life it is so with men before their Conversion they will not believe that they are damned creatures and they think it uncharitablenesse in any to say they are damned creatures and dead creatures they will not believe it so long as the Law is not charged upon their Consciences so long as they see not how it is with them they do verily apprehend that they have life in them their hearts are not killed their spirits are not dead within them they are not pulled down in the apprehension of their own cursed estates before Almighty God this is the thing I intend to insist upon 2. For the Proof of the Point we may see 1 Tim. 5.5 there the Apostle speaking of VVidows that lived in pleasure saith She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive that is dead in pleasure dead in sin dead in the vanity of her own heart and yet such a VVidow liveth she liveth not only a natural life but she is alive in her own conceit in regard of a spiritual life for if she conceived she were a dead creature a damned creature such thoughts would kill the heart of any creature under heaven it would break the neck of all her pleasure but in that she took her pleasure it was a plain token that she was not killed Now for the Opening of the Point I will do these Three things First I will shew what this liveliness is and wherein it consists Secondly I will shew what the Effects of it are Thirdly The Uses First I will shew what this livelinesse is and it consists in these Three things I could branch them into Four but I will reduce them into Three Heads 1. First It consists in the non-appearance of a mans dead and damned estate So long as a mans dead and damned estate doth not appear unto him so long a man thinks he is alive and that he is not a dead man he is not a man that hath the sentence of condemnation lying upon him so long as the Law hath not come and shewed a man his wretched estate and made his damnable estate appear in its ovvn colours unto him vvhy he is alive man he conceives himself to be alive because the Lavv of God hath not convinced him of the contrary if the Law of God doth seise upon a mans heart and in its own colours appear to a mans eyes and hold it self as a glasse to a mans understanding and shew him his wretchednesse and what a cursed estate he is in before God this will kill his very heart and break the livelinesse that is in him and make him burst out into out-cries Oh! I am a dead man I am a damned man so that the livelinesse that is here spoken of consists in the non-appearance of a mans dead and damnable estate As for example an Adulterer his damdable estate doth not appear to him he knows not that he is a dead man as Prov. 9.18 He knows not that the dead are there and that her guests are in the depth of hell When he goes to lie with his Whore and commit his wickednesse he doth not think that they are dead and damned men that are there nor that they are in the pit of Hell Though his Conscience may tell him that he is wicked and sinful and wretched and that he is half dead yet he is not a dead man he is not absolutely a dead man he doth not know this It may be he will confesse it Lord I am a dead man Lord I am a damned man it may be he will confesse this in his Prayer because he hath some light but yet his heart is not taken down the livelinesse of his heart is not killed I will prove it to you for let another man a Minister of God or a child of God say he is a dead man a damned man one that lies under the wrath of God he will deny it and say he is uncharitable and judgeth hardly and why may he not be a live man and a good Christian he hopes he is he doth not know that he is a dead man as the wise-man speaks Prov. 14.12 There is a way that seemetht right to a man but the issues thereof are death that is there is a way that seems to be a way of life and a man seems to be alive that walks in that way but the truth is it is a way of death and a man that goeth in that way is a dead man and a damned man but yet in the mean time while he walks in that way it seems to be a way of life

light of the Sun and all is gone in the same moment so it is with this new Creature and the Spirit of God he doth dwell in the soul as the Sun in the Air his presence warms the soul and quickens the soul and inables a man to good and gives a principle of life and enables to all actions that are good therefore how should all Gods people carry themselves towards this Spirit They should have a care that they quench him not nor go against him in any particular The Third Vse is for all Gods people in whom God hath wrought this blessed work the Spirit of God hath regenerated and begotten them again I say to all such persons Let them endear this Spirit of God let them not grieve or offend or displease him seeing he is such a gracious worker in them Ephes 1.13 The Apostle makes this very Inference in whom after ye believed ye were sealed by the holy Spirit of Promise that is whereby you were Regenerated Regeneration is the first seal of the Spirit whereby he seals Gods good will to a man Now hath the Spirit of God sealed you Then do not grieve him nor cause him to take any indignation against you for though he will never depart from them whom he hath made new Creatures yet notwithstanding he may hide his face for a time if we displease him Yea Consider Will any natural Child willingly displease his loving Father The Spirit of God is our Father therefore we should have respect to him Again This should be a Motive to Gods people to be willing to do any thing for God because he hath made them as David saith Psal 100.3 This very Consideration That God hath made us and re-made us he hath done that for us that all our own wits could never have done that the whole world hath not the like the Lord gener-ally lets the whole World sink in ruine and damnation should be a Motive to you to be willing to serve him gladly and to call upon his Name to be ready prest to execute any of his Commands to enter into his presence upon all occasions seeing it is he that hath made us and not we our selves To them that are Vnregenerated Here we see where to have Regeneration it is only in God and in the Spirit of God to renew a man and make a man up again As David prayed when he had the Spirit Lord take not thy holy Spirit from me Psal 51.11 So when a man hath not the Spirit of God he should pray to God Lord Give thy holy Spirit to me and send down thy holy Spirit into my heart that may work this work in me But it may be many of you will think that you expect this and desire it and wish it and use some means I Answer Then shew it by thy coming unto God for it from day to day will any man say That Noah did expect that God should deliver him from the Deluge if he had not took that course which God appointed If he had not built an Ark certainly we may justly say That he did not look that God would deliver him Therefore it is said of Noah That as he did expect that God should keep him so being warned of God he built an Ark c. Heb. 11.7 So when a man shall say That he looks that God should deliver him from his natural estate and condition that God should renew him by his Grace and goodness yet if a man will not prepare an Ark if when a man is Commanded and directed by God what to do yet he will not come to God to do that which should be done for him these men do but deceive their own souls and treasure up indignation against themselves I remember the story of Moses Exod. 14. when the Children of Israel were in Pi-hahiroth and the Egyptians were behind them and the Mountains were on the side that they could not pass and the Sea was before them and there was notable crying out Oh! that God would deliver them now they were dead men the Egyptians were come out to destroy them the Mountains were on the side and the Sea before them Now mark what an Answer God gives to their cry cause the people to go forward you keep a crying to me I pray go forward you are not yet at the red sea but go to the red sea and when you are there then cry to me you are idleing and lazing and mistrusting me though the red Sea be before them yet cause them to come thither and when they are there then cry for help to me So thou sayest thou desirest that God would Regenerate thee and quicken thee and turn thy heart and vouchsafe thee his holy Spirit do you so I say it is very well the thing is very good but if the desire be sincere you will take that course God bids you art thou come to the utmost difficulty Are not many things to be done which thou refusest to do Must thou not seek God more and more carefully Go forward go forward if thou meanest to have help and aid from God otherwise it is in vain if thou wouldst go on in the wayes of God and do what God Commands thee thou shouldst be quickened and renewed Fourthly Another Vse is for Examination To examine our selves whether the Word of God hath wrought this for us yea or no. And the first sign is this If thou beest born again if thou hast this new Nature then it is natural to thee to do good duties to follow good courses and to yield obedience to the commandements of God it is not enough for a man to do good duties a natural man an unregenerate man may do them but whether is it natural to thee A proud man may do the actions of humility a proud man may pull off his Hat and give the time of the day and speak meanly of himself a proud man may suffer another to do him wrong and put up base language he may do these things but the man is a proud man still he hath no humble nature but the question is whether it be thy nature to do this May be thou dost these things for fear or some by-respects A worldly man may speak of heavenly things but is thy nature heavenly A man may think of God but is thy nature godly Here is the thing If a man be regenerate there is Grace got into a mans Nature Jer. 31.33 When God Regenerates his people he saith He will write his laws in their inward parts he doth not only say they shall do these duties but their very hearts shall carry them their very hearts shall go to a Sermon their very souls shall go about the duties of God as it is with the fire water may heat but not by nature but it is the nature of fire to heat So if a man be Regenerate it is natural to him to do good duties Rom. 2.14 A man

Dir. 1 Look to the power of God 2 To the freeness indifferency universality of the promises 3 Send often unto God by prayer John 6.45 Doct. When God calls the soul he makes it hear a particular voice p. 60 Reas 1 Else no man could come to Christ p. 61 2 That we may have a ground for our faith Qu. Why is this act attributed to the Father Ans 1 Not as though Christ did not speak p 62. 2 Not as though we should set up a conceited distinction of works in the Trinity p. 63 Qu. What is this voice of the Father Ans Neg. Not distinct from the word preached Aff. 1 It consists in the opening a mans senses 2 In taking away a mans lameness 64 Called a voice 1 Because joyned to the Word 2 Because it hath a similitude of a voice Qu How may we know whether the soul hath heard this voice p. 63 Ans 1 There is a power goes along with this word 2 This voice makes a man hear more then any creature can speak 3 It is the irrefragable propounding of the promise 66 The second act of faith which is the believing that in Jesus Christ he shall have eternal life 67 To distinguish 1 A natural man may believe the power of God 67 2 An unrooted confidence of the will ibid. 3 Presumptious confidence p. 68 2 Confidence of the godly ibid. 1 In special perswasion of Gods love ibid. 2 A constant expectation ibid. Confidence in Christ for life and salvation is justifying faith p. 68 Arg. 1 From the several expressions of faith in Scripture 1 Trusting 2 Relying 3 Staying on God 4 Rolling ones self on God 5 Adhering 6 Believing on God p. 70 Arg. 2 From the offer of Christ Arg. 3 Because faith is a coming to Christ p. 71 Arg. 4 Because the Doctrine of justifying faith is no proposition but Christ himself p. 72 Arg. 5 Because true faith is faith of union p. 73 Use 1 No absurdity to say faith is in the heart as well as in the mind 75 Use 2 A believer may not be sure in regard of sense True faith may be without sense and feeling Arg. 1 The event is not the object of justifying faith p. 77 Arg. 2 The event is conditional till a man believes p. 78 Arg. 3. 4. p. 79 Arg. 5. Not the truth but the strength of faith apprehends the event p. 80 Doct. It is faith that makes a man obey the call of God p. 83 Reas 1 Because faith seeth Gods purity and mercy to be inseperable attributes p. 83 Reas 2 Because faith looks on Christ not only as a Saviour but as a Lord p. 84. Reas 3 Because faith cleaveth the heart to the commandements as well as to the promises p. 85 Reas 4 Because faith looks for a fitness for heaven as well as a title to heaven p. 86 Reas 5 Is eminently all that a man is to do p. 87 Qu. How doth faith make a man obey p. 88 Ans 1 By setting before a man his corruptions 2 By carrying a man to God p. 89 3 By making a man improve all his abilities p. 89 4 By making a man relie on Christ p. 90 Qu. How doth faith fetch power from Christ p. 90 Ans 1 As an instrument 2 In a moral way Use 1 See what little faith is in the world p. 93 Use 2 Of examination of our obedience 1 It is willing p. 94 2 Works resignation to God 3 It puts forth all a mans strength in God p. 95 Use 1. To condemn security 42 2 to reprove the neglect of it in the godly 3 to direct how to walk Dir. 1. Count watchfulness your life 43 2 Watch universally 3 Proportion it to the duty in hand 4 Take heed of hindrances 1 Vain company 2 spiritual drunkenness 5 Set God before your eyes 44 Use 4. To exhort to watchfulness Mot. 1. Otherwise it will be ill with us at last 2 Our soules are sickly 3 We are already awakned 45 4 The badnesse of the times places families we live in The New birth John 3.6 Doct. The Spirit of God regenerates all the Saints 47 Qu. 1. What is regeneration 48 Ans 1. A renewing of a man 2 A renewing of the whole man 49 3 It is done by degrees 4 It is according to Gods Image 50 5 It is Gods Image in Christ Jesus Qu. 2 Why called Regeneration 51 Ans 1. To shew the great corruption of nature 2 Because great resemblance with generation 1 In both there is a father 2 In both there is a mother 3 A shaping in the Womb before life 4 Pain in bringing forth 5 A new being attained 6 New kindred gotten 52 Qu. 3 Wherein doth it consist 53 An. 1 There is a passive receiving of Christ 2 An active power to become Sons of God Qu. 4. Why doth the Spirit work regeneration 54 Ans 1 It is the good pleasure of God 2 No other agent can doe it 3 Man of himself is totally against it 55 Qu. 5 How doth the Spirit work regeneration Ans 1 By the Word of life 56 2 By a secret supernatual power Use 1 To confute Papists Pelagians c. 2 To inform of our need of the spirit 57 3 To exhort 1 Not to grieve the spirit 2 To doe any thing for God 3 To pray for the spirit Use 4 For examination whether we be regenerated 58 Signe 1 When doing good is natural 2 When heart is a good soyl for graee 59 3 When a man cannot live in sin 4 When it is pleasant to do Gods will 60 5 When grace gets the upper hand 6 When a man loves the children of God 7 When a man loves to profit others spiritually Christians ingrafting into Christ Qu. 1 What is Christs body into which men are ingrafted 62 Ans 1 It is the Church of God 2 It is gathered out of all Nations 3 Predestinated unto life 63 4 Begotten again by the Word 5 Knit and combin'd to Christ Q 2 What is it to be put into this body 64 Ans 1 It is part of the ingrafting into Christ 2 It is done by faith 3 It makes us have a common life with all the rest of Christs members 65 4 It makes a man be of one consent with all the people of God everywhere 5 Is for mutual help care and sympathy 66 Qu. 3 Why doth the spirit of God doe this 67 Ans 1 None else is able to doe it 2 None else fit Qu. 4 How doth the spirit doe this Ans 1 By being one and the same spirit in all the members of Christ 2 By tying a knot between these members Use 1 Informs that the want of the spirit is the reason of the difference of men in the World 68 2 Let none put asunder whom the spirit joyns 3 Try our acquaintance hereby 4 Stir up Sympathy 69 Qu. 5 How shall we sympathize with Christs members Ans 1 By informing our selves concerning one another 2 By visiting

fellow-members 3 By laying to heart their afflictions Of the Sabbath Exod. 20.19 Prop. 1. There must be some set time for the worship and immediate service of God 70 Reas 1 All actions cannot be done at once 2 Because of our dulness Prop. 2. There must be some set time every day Reas 1. Else we live like beasts 71. 2 Every morning God reneweth mercies 3 God is the beginning and ending of all things Prop. 3. Every day is in some sort a Sabbath Reas 1. Gods covenant with us requires it 2 Not to do so is a brand of hypocrisie 3 Blessednesse consists in it 72 4 This is the sum of the law of righteousnesse Prop. 4. There must be a particular special day Reas 1. That in this life we may have an Emblem of Heaven 2 Gods honour requires it 73 3 God sometimes calls for extraordinary dayes 1 Of rejoycing 2 Of fasting 1 When judgements are feared 74 2 Mercies wanting 3 Souls tempted 4 Some notable work undertaken 4 It is most equitable 75 1 That God should have one day 2 That our souls should have one day Prop. 5. One day in seven is to be set a part for Gods worship Reas 1. Gods positive command 76 2 It is Gods day 3 That servants cattel c. may have rest 4 God hath sanctified it 5 Because we are apt to be worldly c. Prop. 6. That day of seven is to be kept holy on which God rested 76 Prop. 7. All that is in the fourth Commandement is not essential to it Prop. 8. The fourth commandement continually to abide in force 78 Reas 1. Because the Sabbath was instituted before there was room for ceremonies 2 The Sabbath was kept before the Law given 3 It was written by the finger of God 79 4 God often urgeth this Commandement as well as any other 5 Else we have not ten Commandements 6 Christ plainly tells us so 7 The Heathens have ever kept a Sabbath day 80 Prop. 9. The first day of the week is now the Lords day 81 Reas 1. From Psal 118.24 2 From Rev. 1.10 3 Christ calls himself Lord of the Sabbath 82 4 Christ commanded the Apostles to keep this day 5 Christs wisdom would not leave such things uncertain 6 Who should institute this day but he that is the head 7 All Christians have kept this day since the Apostle time 8 Gods judgements on the prophaners of this day do evince it 83 Use 1. Then we are to keep an whole day 84 Reas 1. We have six whole daies for our selves 2 God rested an whole day 3 From Levit. 23.32 4 God never instituted halfe holy daies 85 5 It is the judgement of Divines in all ages Use 2. Then sports are unlawful on this day Reas 1. Because working is otherwise commanded sporting only permitted 2 Working doth less distract the mind The Second Part of CRISTS Alarm to DROUSIE SAINTS REVEL 3.1 Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead I Have spoken of the life of the affections and now I should come to the next thing namely to shew how far a child of God may be said to be dead but before I handle this there is another point that would be spoken to in a word or two and that is this Why a child of God may think himself to be dead when he is not and think he is grown deader then ever he was and there is no such matter and others may think he is grown cold and negligent and yet the truth is he is more affected and more alive towards God then formerly this is a very needful point and there be several causes of false liveliness which a child of God may have and when they go away he may seem to be deader then he was whereas indeed he is not so The first is novelty of Religion and grace when grace is yet new and the word comes fresh to a man and the promises of eternal life look freshly into a mans heart they will affect him much and not only raise his sanctified affections but his unsanctified too for the unsanctified affections will stir at a novelty a man that hath no grace at all nor any life will be stirred at a new thing as when the Apostle preached new doctrine to the Athenians Acts 17.32 we will hear thee again of this matter say they they cared not how often they heard this because it was news to them so when Christ preached up and down O what new doctrine is this say they never man spake as this man Joh. 7.46 it was a new kind of preaching new gifts this stirred them mightily so it may be with a true Christian when the word of God comes first to him and grace comes first to him the novelty of grace may affect him when God first opens his eyes how strangely will he be moved in prayer how strangely will he carry himself at a Sermon his very bowels yearn at a Sermon and he will cry out Oh the infinite mercy of God to my soul what a beast was I before I was an hell-hound a child of the Divel and now the Lord hath made me a child of God I went on in the high way to perdition and now God hath brought me into the right way this is admirable but do you think these are all good affections there is a great deal of corruption in these as new Beer when it is first tunned it hath a great deal of working then but when it is staler it doth not work so much yet then is the Beer more powerfull and hath more life as it is with a mans first entrance into an hot bath it doth so stir him as if it did scald him but after he hath been in a while he is sensible of little or no heat the heat is as much as it was at the first and works upon him as much but he feels it not so much so a good Christian doth not seem to be so much affected afterwards as formerly are his true affections therefore down no but his unsanctified ones are down may be a man hath not lost a jot of his true and sound and sanctified affections but only his unsanctified ones for when grace comes first into the soul of a new convert there is a greater Army raised up for God then is likely to continue there are a company of mercenary Souldiers steping and seem to go out and to fight for God as well as the rest you shall have more fears in that man then are true and more desires after grace then are true carnal desires and joys and delights these will be all up at the first and will go out though they never go to the journeys end it is with a new convert at his setting out towards heaven as it was with the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt there was a mixed multitude went up with them Exod. 12.38 why the plagues of God had wrought upon many

and so full of zeal for him though all men forsake thee yet will not I he thought he was so affected that he could compare with all the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ and go beyond them all but afterwards when Christ asked him Peter lovest thou me see his answer Joh. 21.15 his answer was nakedly Lord thou knowest that I love thee he would make no more comparisons though Christ put him upon it there yet he would not be brought to compare any more Now was he less affected towards Christ no but he was less presumptuous Fifthly Activeness of natural disposition may make a man seem to be more affected then indeed he is for a man the more active his nature is and the more spirits he hath the more stirring he hath a man that hath such a disposition will go further then another of a slower spirit there is a great deal more grace required to make an heavy dull natured man to speak a word for God then to make a cholerick man strike a blow for God mens natures differ some men are more active naturally may be one man is full of activity and stirring another man is of a dull disposition will you say this man is deader then he no this man may have more life of grace then he it is as if one man should swim with the stream and another against the stream he that swims with the stream will more easily swim a mile then he that swims against the stream will swim half a mile will you say that this man cannot swim so well as the other no he may be a better swimmer of the twain for this is the thing we are not to judge of the life of our grace by what we do but by what labour we take in doing as the Apostle saith remembring without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love 1 Thes 1.3 may be another man is of a more loving nature then this man but the man that is more unkinde naturally and harsh-natured he labours a thousand times more abundantly then the other who hath most grace of love now the other hath most natural love but this man hath more grace of love as Paul proves he had the life of grace in him because he laboured more abundantly then they all it is not what thou doest but what thou laborest to do he that swims down the stream doth not labour if he should do nothing but stir his hands and feet without any labour the stream will carry him so when a man hath nature to help him he need not labour much but when a man must fetch all out of the hard flint how is he fain to labour there thou mayst try the life of thy affections not by what thou prayest but by what thou labourest in prayer not by what thou remembrest at a Sermon but though thou hast a blockish memory how dost thou labour to remember so it is not the not doing of sin but the labouring against sin hereby thou mayst know whither they zeal and affection be abated in thee So again for a mans self may be he was more active heretofore had a more nimble spirit and temper of body now he is grown more sad and melancholy his head is distempered and grown more weak his memory fails and his understanding decayes that quick disposition of his body is taken down and he cannot do as he did before is the man therefore not so quickned as he was before is he grown more dead may be the man complains certainly he hath cause to suspect himself and he doth not think he is right formerly he could remember a Sermon be fixed in meditation be attentive at the word be fervent in prayer and put forth himself in this fashion now he cannot he was so lively before now he hath not the same activity and therefore begins to call all into question certainly all is not right I answer this doth not follow it is true in many a man it is the deadness of his heart and the decayedness of his spiritual estate that causeth this but it doth not follow that it is so with thee but the cause is this may be thou hast worn out thy tools therefore no marvel thou canst not work so well as formerly take a skilful Musitian whose instrument is crackt and marred he cannot make so good musick upon this instrument as he could when it was sound doth it follow he hath lost his skill no give this man a sound instrument as he had before and he will play as well as ever all our operations not only external but also internal do much depend upon the disposition of the body as for meditation may be when the body was lively and active a man could fix his meditations upon a thing now it is weakned he cannot may be he hath the same desire and delight as he had before but he cannot do it so may be he hath as great a desire as ever to remember the word but his memory is gone so may be he hath as great a desire to put forth himself in any ordinance of God as ever in all his life but his body will not bear it I say the spirits depend much upon the body you may see this in natural operations let a mans eyes fail will any man say that the soul of that man is less able to see then it was no the soul is as able to see in a blind man as in a seeing man in an old man whose eyes fail him as in a young man that hath the quickest sight if this man had an excellent eye given him he would see as well as any body else the soul is able to do it but it wants a tool so many Saints of God cannot do many duties as they were wont not for want of love and zeal and affections but for want of tools it is said 2 Sam. 21.16 that when David waxed old they would not let him go out into the field did they look upon David now as less worthy then before no they looked upon him as more worthy then before the text saith they looked upon him as the very light of Israel though he could not fight for Israel so well as he did before so you shall see many a godly man and reverend father upon his death bed shews no great matter in his dying what because he is dead and is not the man he was no but because he hath worn out his tools he is not the man in regard of operation though he hath the same affections he had formerly Sixthly Extraordinary assistance may make a man seem to be more lively and quickned then indeed he is for God doth assist his people extraordinarily in their beginning 't is true some of his people he doth extraordinarily assist all their life long but he doth not usually do it he doth choose rather extraordinarily to strive and help his people at the first and afterwards

he helps them only ordinarily leaving them to fight with their own corruptions why because it is an extraordinary case when a child is young his parents will extraordinarily help him to go and will not let the weight of his body li● upon any one step but help him in every step afterwards they help the child but more ordinarily they look the child should go alone and may be now he gets more knocks then he did before and falls oftner will you say the child is now grown weaker no he is stronger then he was but there is a differe●●e he had extraordinary assistance before now he is left to himself and to his own legs so it is with God towards his children at first when they are new beginners when they are newly born again he takes compassion upon them extraordinarily helps them in prayer and against their corrupt lusts and if the Lord should not do thus it is impossible they should stand as the Lord saith of Ephraim when he was a child I loved him and taught him to go Hos 11.1 3. he carried him in his arms as a child when he was young afterwards he looks he should go alone not as if any of Gods children could go alone they have need of his help every day but they must go alone in respect of extraordinary help for God hath given them access to the throne of grace and hath given them understanding and some strength and he looks they should use these things not as though they could use them without his assistance but without extraordinary assistance now when God leaves his child to walk by himself he will fall oftner then before you shall have many grown Christians fall oftner then young beginners why because they are weaker and less quickned no but because they have no such extraordinary assistance they can go alone I speak not as though it were without the assistance of God but without extraordinary assistance and though for want of care and watchfulness they get a fall yet they are not weaker few new beginners ever fell as David and Peter fell afterwards no the Lord bears them in his arms but afterwards he lets them go alone now when the Saints of God feel duties to come on so heavily extraordinary assistance being gone they think they are grown dead and lumpish why the load lies heavier upon their own backs then ever it did before yet it doth not follow they are more dead a child whom his father bears in his arms may be carried along from one end of the house to the other sooner then another child that goes alone can go it in thrice as much time will you say this child is weaker then the other no this child goes alone and the other is extraordinarily helped so the people of God when they are first converted they must know they are extraordinarily assisted and they must take heed lest they be proud and conceited oh they may think they have gotten such a deal of grace and life already no no alas you shall see what you have when you go alone Seventhly Freedom from temptations may make a man seem to be more quickned then he is as a heavy dull tempered man may go faster a great deal having no clog then the nimblest man in the Country with a clog at his heels a man at his first conversion God will not let him be tempted he is but in his nonage in his entrance into the Kingdom of God and if God should let temptations presently fly upon him before he hath more grace and judgement and more experience of the vileness of his own heart and the goodness of God he would break his neck now God will never suffer a man to be tempted above what he is able therefore when his people are first converted he frees them from temptations a while and then they go roundly on afterwards when they have been ten or twenty or thirty years in grace may be they are fouly overtaken and go heavily on shall they therefore complain they are deader then they were as an horse when he carries single may go roundly afterwards the same horse being put to carry double he goes more heavily will a man say the mettal of the horse is grown worse no but he carries double so it is with the Saints of God may be formerly they carried single now they carry double the Lord lets more temptations fall upon them then he did before will you say that Joseph was grown cold because he had gotten that vile custome of swearing in Pharaohs Court he never sware at home alas he had no temptations at home if he had had those temptations at home and had had no more grace then he had then it would have been the bane o●●is soul no wonder he goeth on more heavily because he hath more temptations you may see how heavily David drew on 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul formerly he could believe admirably and trust in Gods promises wonderfully he fought against the Lyon and the Bear and was mightily affected with God but now he goeth heavily on what hath he lost his faith no but he is more tempted then he was before may be the man had more grace of life in him then before but he was more tempted and carried double We come now to the next thing to shew you how far forth a child of God may be dead and lose his quickning not only seem deader but be deader indeed then he was and this point we will shew you in these particulars 1. That every man by nature is dead to all goodness 2ly That the liveliest of Gods servants have some of this deadness still remaining in them 3ly The meanest of Gods servants that have least grace have some life and cannot be quite dead 4ly We will shew you this is a very ticklish point and very dangerous a world of mischief may come of it by reason of the corruption of mens hearts Yet 5ly It is a very necessary point 6ly Those particulars wherein he may be dead 7ly The uses of the point First We are all by nature dead we have no heart to seek reconciliation with God no heart to get his image in our hearts and to have communion with him and approve our selves unto him we see naturally how the world slights these things they seek how they may live and do as others do but to look after righteousness and holiness and pleasing of God they have no heart to these things and though God afford them good motions and checks of conscience and all helps yet people have no life at all to these things Eph. 4.18 they are as Paul speaks there alienated from the life of God and as the father speaks of his prodigal son this my son was dead quite dead by nature we have not the son of God and therefore have no life as Christ saith the dead shall hear the voice of

us we are grown worldly and the world carries us away we are all for the world so that all our words thoughts affections carriages they are all little else but worldly most people have many businesses abroad in the world riding abroad into the world but who takes that short journey into his own heart people can tend businesse with every body else but themselves they know what is done beyond sea and the countries round about and yet hardly any one marks how things go in his own soul whither he goes backward or forward whither he gets or loseth every body can ask how others do but no man looks how his own soul doth people are grown at great distance from themselves I speak not of drunkards or prophane persons such as are absolutely dead in sins and trespasses but I speak of Christians in whom we should look for life we are grown strangers to our selves we are out of our own reach we are grown to a mighty distance from looking to our own estates and conditions as we ought to do our minds are scattered up and down about other things therefore no marvel we are so heartlesse towards God Seventhly The next cause is idleness and spiritual sloth when men let their minds go as a boat without a guide the boat goeth uncertainly when it hath no body to guide and steer it so people let their thoughts and hearts and minds run at all adventures people do not take pains with their own hearts and hold them to that which is good we let our hearts be like the field of the sluggard any thing may grow in them for all us we do not look to our hearts that we may have good things grow in them and that we may fence our hearts from those things which may make us untoward in the wayes of God if we have any stirrings at any time we are like idle huswives when the liquor hath done working they forget to stop up the bunghole so when men have any stirrings then they are in motion and action but when they are gone they let their hearts get a vent and they are deaded again as if they had nothing at all as Solomon shews Prov. 19.15 though a man hath enough for the present yet if he grow idle when that is spent he will famish and starve and die the idle soul shall suffer hunger may be he hath something now but if he be idle and sluggish that may be all spent and then for want of supply he may famish so it is with the soul though it hath something for the present yet if it be idle and sluggish and slothful and take not pains from day to day it must needs go to wrack when God gives us knowledge of sin we should improve that knowledge to root out sin when God gives us insight into graces we should employ it that we may get those graces if God give us his ordinances if he give us a Sermon at any time we should presently work with it As it is with a graft that a man cuts off to plant and set if he lets it lie till it be dead it will never grow but if he presently plant it it will take in the ground and prosper so if a man would presently take a good motion when it comes if he would presently take hold of a reproof or counsel given him out of the word of God while it hath life in it and works upon his heart the heart might receive much benefit but when people are blockish and dull they are not willing to take any pains no wonder though they go down as they do Eccles 10 18. by much slothfulness the building decayeth c. it is so in the spiritual building if people be slothful all gracious things must needs vanish away and go out more and more and this is a most grievous thing it is generally among all people nay among the better sort for wicked men that live palpably in sin they are struck dead in sin and never had any colour of life but I speak of those that have had some kind of quickning yet notwithstanding suffer themselves to be deaded through idleness when we go to prayer we do not put forth our selves in prayer our prayers are dead when we go to the word● we do not put forth our minds and therefore our hearing is dead our hearts are like to a sieve when it is in the water it is full but when it is once taken out again not a jot remains so it is while people are at a Sermon may be they seem to drink in something and their hearts are affected yet these people are rare too but when they are gone all is gone all leaks out again for want of stopping for want of observing the things they have heard this is the reason there is no more life among Christians because they are so idle and sluggish thou evil and slothful● servant saith Christ when a man is a slothful servant he must needs be an evil servant Christians will confer may be now and then of grace but with such loose thoughts that there is no edification or quickning nay their hearts grow dull and sleepy under the same how is it possible a man should get any quickning or keep it without labour and pains men must labour for it as the Apostle saith give all diligence to make this sure it is said of Paul that he followed hard after the mark there is nothing can be done in this thing without labour as it is with our outward callings if a man will have a living in the world he must labour for it the earth will bring forth no fruit unless he till it and take pains about it so it is here much more a mans heart by reason of sin is cursed as the earth is and it will bring forth nothing but weeds vanities fooleries and vile passions and inordinate affections unless a man be still husbanding of it therefore unless a man be diligent in this work he can never be quickned Eighthly In the next place the neglect of secret duties is the cause of the deadness of our hearts in all duties of Religion secret duties are the best quickners when a man goeth alone and serveth God alone as it is spoken of Peter when his heart was dead and untoward in the high Priests hall if he had had any life he would have stood for Christ What if I be one of them what say you to that I am one and I confess it and if that be my fault it shall be my fault still but he was dead and had no life now what course did he take he went out and went by himself and wept bitterly he went to a private and secret duty to humble his soul before Almighty God when a man is sick and would recover his health he go●s and betakes himself to a chamber and shuts the windows and will not let the air come in so

the behalf thereof but that Mordecai stirred her up soundly now is not this a sufficient motive to stir us up to labour for quickning how can we do the things God calls for from day to day we should stand for him and call upon him and set up his worship in our families we should fear his name and set him before our eyes and fight against sin and labour to please him in all our wayes now without being quickned we are fit for none of these things now what a woful thing is it when we shall not be furnished to every good work as we should and fitted to do that which God requires of us therefore let us shake off this dulness and blockishness of spirit Motive 3 Thirdly Another motive is this we can have no true sign at all to our souls that we have any true grace at all as long as we are dead when Christ is said to give a man grace he is said to quicken a man Joh. 5.21 conversion is called the life of the dead a mans repentance is no better then the repentance of a reprobate unless it be repentance from dead works and repentance unto life if a man hath faith it is not the faith of Gods elect if it doth not quicken him I live by faith saith Paul Gal. 2.20 justification is communicated only to a man that is quickned God together with justification doth quicken a man he doth revive him and make him alive towards God nay we have no argument that we have our sins forgiven us unlesse God hath quickned us Col. 2.13 he hath quickned them having forgiven them all trespasses when God forgives the trespasses of his people he doth quicken them he takes away the dulness of their hearts and the blockishness of their minds and the senselesness of their consciences and their awkness and untowardness to that which is good he doth quicken them up every man hath life for we see how lively men are in seeking after their profits and pleasures people have life enough but it is upon things here below and they have affections enough love enough and hope enough and joy and delight enough in the world but they are set upon carnal things but if grace comes into the heart it is the vigour of the heart now as long as we are dead and dull what sign of grace can we have if we have grace yet we cannot have any proof and comfort of it as long as we are drowzy and dull 't is true no man can have any grace but he hath some life but if he doth not quicken up himself he hinders himself of the peace and comfort that otherwise he might have hence it is that the conscience is troubled and people are unsetled and are so full of fears to dye hence it is that people are so like to the sea the waves whereof cannot rest their minds are unquiet and unsetled it is for want of quickning if we were quickned we should have great peace come into our souls Fourthly We cannot grow in grace unless we are quickned as long as Motive 4 we are thus dull and heavy and lumpish to the things that are good we cannot grow in grace Hos 14.7 they shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine first they shall revive and then grow first God quickens a man and then he makes him grow the Philippians love was dead to Paul afterwards it quickned again now saith he your love flourisheth Phil. 4.10 now their hearts were quickned it began to grow but when a man hath a dead heart how can he grow as he said Joh. 15.4 can the branch bear fruit without the vine so may I say can a mans heart grow in goodness without life it is only a living creature that can grow if a plant be once dead it withers away and cannot grow if a man have a dead heart though he should hear lectures and sermons every day he would never grow he would be never the more holy never the more godly if he should have family prayer closet prayer yet if he should be dead he should have never the more ability against his temptations though the ordinances of God be admirable helps to growing yet if a man be dead and dull they will never help him to grow in grace though grace be of a growing nature yet a dead heart starves all the graces that a man hath Fifthly Another motive is this as long as we are dead we shall be so Motive 5 far from growing that we shall be hardly able to keep our own Rev. 3.2 strengthen the things that remain that are ready to dye as who should say thou art so far from growing that the good things that are in thee are even ready to dye thou wilt lose that very good that is in thee if thou dost not shake off this deadness and careleseness and heartleseness to that which is good as it is with a man that hath a consumption upon his body he is so far from growing that he rather pines away he waxeth more and more faint and groweth deader and waxeth neerer to his end he pines away so when a man is dead though not quite dead his heart is deaded he doth pine away as the Prophet saith Ezek. 33.10 if we pine away how shall we do yet thus it is if a man hath a dead heart he doth pine away I and again how is it possible for a man whose heart is dead to prayer and he hath no affections to that which is good if there be any opportunity to that which is good he hangs off how can this man doe otherwise but wax worse and worse for he wants that which should work out sin if it be a springing water it will work out the mud but if it be a standing water it will grow thicker and thicker and will be noysome so if the body be alive though it be never so full of ill humours if it be lively nature will work them out but if the pangs of death be upon a man every disease and distemper gets the victory his nature cannot work it out now so it is with a man that hath a dead heart he cannot work out the corruption that daily bubbles up in his heart as Eli though he had never so many corruptions he had no heart to root them out 't is true he reproved his sons but it was to no purpose as good never a whit as never the better so when Solomon was grown dead and had lost his former life of grace afterwards when corruption grew in his heart he could not work it out for when God had chosen Jeroboam to be put in his room though Solomon knew that it was of God and he set him up to be King yet he could not work out this corruption but his heart to his dying day rose up against Jeroboam and he sought to kill him he wanted the life of grace he had before and sin got

children for ever is the habits of grace they shall ever have these though the acts of grace may be asleep and cease working yet the habits of grace shall ever remain as a man though through violent sickness he may run mad and frantick and lose the act of reason and be like a mad man yet the habit of reason is in him still because he hath a reasonable soule and let the distemper be gone and he will put forth the acts of reason So a childe of God though for the present he be horribly distempered and all the acts of grace are asleep yet he hath the spirit of God in him and therefore hath the habits of grace although no grace were shining in Davids heart in the act of them when he fell into the sins of murder and adultery yet he had all graces in the habit of them in the root of them as a tree though it seem to be quite dead yet life is in the root so a childe of God will have the habit and life of grace ever remaining in him and this appeares by two things First A childe of God in the midst of all his carelesness and negligence there is a miraculous preserving of that man that though that man hath been very careless and wonderful unwatchful and exposing himself to the temptations of Satan yet he shall be strangely kept that he shall not fall in a wonderful manner though it be no thank to himselfe 1 Sam. 2.9 This is an evident sign of Gods spirit in him that though he let him get abundance of knocks yet he will not let him get that fatal knock but he carrieth him along from day to day Secondly It appeares by this that this man shall never be to be converted again but he shall for ever be a new creature though the spirit of God hide himselfe and withhold his former operations yet he will not goe quite away because a childe of God shall never need to be converted again 'T is true the rising up of a childe of God out of sin into which he is fallen is called conversion sometimes as our Saviour Christ saith to Peter When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Nay a childe of God may think he hath need of new conversion and that he must begin all anew again as David said Create in me O Lord a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51.10 as though he were to begin anew again But a childe of God is never to begin anew no regeneration is an incorruptible thing 1 Pet. 2.23 Psalm 11● 5 His righteousness remaineth for ever he shall never have quite lost it so as that he shall be to seek again as if he had never had it for if regeneration were to be renewed a man should be reprobated again but there is but one Faith one Baptism one Lord Eph. 4. Therefore if there be but one Baptism there is but one Regeneration The faith is but once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. God delivers his vertues and graces but once to the soul and is never to deliver them again indeed they may be smothered and choaked sometimes and lie under the ashes as coals under the embers but they shall never be quite extinguished there needs nothing but a stirring up and provoking of the gift of God that is in them and this is a signe that they never fell totally away for if they fell totally away they must have new repentance as if they had never had it and they must be converted again and regenerated againe with a second regeneration which was never heard of The first Use may serve for the confutation of those that hold that a childe of God may fall totally away here you see he cannot though he may fall never so grievously into foul sins and grievous distempers yet he shall never fall totally but some good things shall remain in him Psal 37.28 The Lord preserveth his Saints And Jude 1. they are called a people sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ And as the Apostle speaks 1 Pet. 2.10 He that doth these things shall never fall A childe of God shall never fall totally it is everlasting life that he hath that faith which he hath is an eternal grace he that believeth hath everlasting life so the fear of God is an everlasting grace The fear of God endureth for ever Psal 19.9 And therefore those that totally fall away shew plainly that they were never the children of God as the Apostle saith If after they have been enlightned c. they fall away it is impossible they should be renewed by repentance Heb. 6. Because they were never right there was never any true grace in that mans heart but saith he I hope better things of you and things that accompany salvation Heb. 6.19 As who should say they that have things accompanying salvation can never fall totally away The second Use is for comfort to Gods children Hast thou true faith or any good things wrought in thy soule thou shalt never lose it though thou mayst suffer a great deal of sickness and fall into many decayes of grace and goodness yet thou shalt never lose all there shall be some good things remaining in thee the Lord will not suffer thy righteousnesse to fall for ever he will have thee in everlasting remembrance therefore what a comfort ought this to be to every true beleeving soule Again This is a great comfort against all fears Art thou afraid thou hast no grace I beseech thee believe the Word of God rather then thine own sense and feeling thou hast heard the Word of God say a childe of God can never be without grace he can never fall totally away therefore though sense and feeling tell thee thou hast none yet believe the Word that saith thou hast 2 Cor. 5.10 We walk by faith and not by feeling saith the Apostle The best of Gods children sometimes are put to this to live by faith and not by sense at all though God help thee not in prayer nor quicken thee in good duties and though thy sense and feeling tell thee thou hast no grace believe it not but believe the Word of God that tells thee a childe of God shall never be without grace to the worlds end but something shall remain in him for evermore therefore be of good comfort though thou see nothing and thy neighbours see nothing yet believe neither thy selfe nor thy neighbours but rather believe the Word of God then a thousand witnesses for it is certain a childe of God shall never fall totally away Again It may be a comfort against all manner of temptations God knows how thou mayst be tempted assaulted the Devil may be let loose upon thee but still remember and think with thy selfe I was told a child of God can never fall totally away one whose heart God hath once inclined one whose soul God hath once sanctified one whom God hath

therefore it is possible to do it for the law commands things not possible to be done by reason of the weakness of the flesh but this is an evangelical precept now when a man is effectually called of God and is commanded to make his calling sure he may do it the thing is possible and it may be performed and it is a mans own fault if he do it not if a man that is effectually called of God do not know it it is his own fault and negligence and carelesness when God bids his people that are called make their calling sure it implyeth they may do it the Lord laies no impossibility upon his own servants that he hath called to his Kingdome and glory but together with his precepts he sheweth them where grace is and the throne of grace is open for them and they have an interest in God that quickens the dead and have an open highway to the throne of grace to have any thing that they are required to do Thirdly Because the knowledge of our effectual calling is the ground of thanksgiving for it God requires that they that are effectually called to have such mercies should be thankful to God for it now how can a man be thankful for that which he is ignorant of whether he have it or no that is but a mockery as carnal people in their thanks will put in things they know not we returne unto thee O Lord all possible praise and thanks for election vocation justification c. Carnal people put these things into their graces blessing God for these things now if a man come to them do you know that you are elected and called and justified and have a true ground and hope of glory nay that we cannot tell say they this is a foolish thanksgiving this is to make a mock of God and to lie before him the Lord will have no such thanks but sing praises with understanding as the Scripture speaks he will have real and reasonable service now unlesse a man know this he cannot be thankful to God aright The Apostle willing the Corinths to be thankful for their calling the poore Corinths that were despised and ignoble and mean and of the lower rank of all the Town he wisheth them to glory in Gods goodness and in nothing of their own how doth he urge it you know your calling not many wise men after the flesh not many noble c. but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise c.. 1 Cor. 1.26 you see it many there are that God hath called among you and you see what manner of persons they are it is palpable and you cannot deny it therefore I would not have you glory in your selves but in God so Col. 1.12 13. giving thanks unto God the Father saith he that hath made us meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son the Lord expects thanks for this effectual calling when God hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdome of his dear Son that is when he hath effectually called us we should give thanks to God for it now how can we give thanks to God for it when we are uncertain and ignorant of it surely the Spirit of Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ loveth the glory of God and that God should have praise from his people for every mercy therefore without doubt they may come to know it because otherwise God should require that of them which they are not able to performe Fourthly Because this is the very end of the word of God it is one of the ends why the word of God is written to us indeed there are other ends besids this it is to convert to strengthen to direct to comfort to counsel it is to build up and to pull down the end of the word is to pull and hew some down to be cast into the fire but one end is to acquaint the people of God with the mercies of God and with graces and mercies and kindnesses he hath laid up for them in Jesus Christ and how they are called to these things this is one end of the word that they may know these things that God hath vouchsafed 1 Joh. 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life c. I have written to you that do believe to you that are effectually called that you may know that you have eternal life you have it but I would faine have you know that you have it Now the Word is a sure Word that will not faile us Fiftly Because the soul of a man it hath the power of reflection in it and it is able to reflect upon it self and know what it self doth and what it self hath the soul of a man is a reflective being and reflects upon its own bosom whereby it is privy to what it thinks and what it saith and what passages there be therein 1 Cor. 2.11 What man saith he knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man the spirit of a man that is in him knows the things that be in a man it is privy to its own affaires as it is with wickedness so it is with good actions and thoughts now for wicked courses we see that the conscience is privy to what sins and corruptions are in a man as Solomon told Shimei thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to that thou didst to David my Father thou knowest it thy heart is privy to it thou canst reflect upon thine own bosome and canst tell what wretched speeches thou didst speak thou art able to utter them in order as thou art privy to it as Solomon saith Eccl. 7 22. oftentimes thine own heart knoweth that thou thy self likewise hast cursed others he speaks of one that hath cursed thy own heart knows that thou hast done it saith he so it is in good actions and things that are in a man a mans heart is privy to it if a man obey the call of God how can a man do it but he must know that he is effectually called If a man do mourn for his sins and grieve for his iniquities the heart knows its own bitterness it is able to reflect upon what it self doth so if a man do desire grace and hunger and thirst after righteousness and pant after the living God he is able to say I do this Psal 42.1 As the hart pants after the rivers of water so doth my soul pant after thee O God his own heart shall be able to reflect upon it if thou humble thy soul and set thy self to prayer and approve thy self to God from day to day look into thy bosom and there thou mayst see it But it may be

they cannot come they have no strength of their own to come therefore he saith he must bring them unto him Againe there must be application of Christ unto a man now effectual calling is the first step to the application of the Lord Jesus Christ to a man we know the Lord Jesus is the Redeemer of the world he hath taken away the sinnes of the world satisfied the wrath of God wrought righteousness for Gods elect he hath overcome death and sinne and Satan and hath expiated for us and wrought an everlasting salvation by his own death and passion in the daies of his flesh Christ hath done this now except this be applied to a man what is a man the nearer now the first step of the application of the redemption of Christ is wrought by this effectual calling of a man unto him then the Lord begins to make a man have union with Jesus Christ before a man was like a branch out of the vine a dead branch that could do nothing he could not repent or serve God or please God or do any thing he was estranged in minde and heart and will but when God doth effectually call a man he doth first work this application of Christ that a man may have union with him and effectual calling is the first putting of a man into the estate of grace the first estating of a man into eternal life it is the first ingraffing of a man into the Son of God it is the putting on of Christ the Saints of God after they are called weare Christ and walke in Christ but at a mans first effectual calling there is the putting of him on it is the first notice that a man hath of salvation the first tydings that comes to the soul of eternal redemption by Jesus Christ people heare it with their outward ears before but never do they come to heare this in their souls and spirits till now this is the first notice and inkling of it when God doth effectually call them then he begins this work as Col. 1.6 which Word is come unto you speaking of the Gospel it is come unto you and bringeth forth fruit since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth that is since the day you were effectually called then was the first time of hearing this blessed Gospel your ears were deaf till then your hearts were dead in sins and trespasses till then but when you were effectually called then was the first knowing of the grace of God in truth therefore it is called in Scripture the first beginning of God to do a man good it is the first beginning of all the goodness of God towards a man as Phil. 1.6 being confident in this that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ that is he that did effectually call you as he did begin a good work in you and did begin to put forth his eternal good will and pleasure in you and powred forth the beginning of his mercy and grace and favour into your souls now he that hath done this will never leave it till he hath brought it to perfection So againe it is called the first building of a man for heaven this is done in effectual calling Acts 15.14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles saith the text to take out of them a people for his name that is the Word had effectually called the Gentiles and this ver 16. is called the first building of the Gentiles and the first plucking of them out of the other people of the world to be a people of God This is the first day of a child of Gods consecration it is called the forming of Christ in a mans heart when a man comes to be formed in the womb of the Church before he was a non ens he had no being in the world he was but a natural man but this new workmanship never came into the world till now when a man is effectually called So againe it is called a mans first entring into Christ enter in at the straight-gate as who should say obey the call of God come in a mans effectual calling is a mans first entring into the estate of grace I speak the more largely of it because I would have you understand the Scripture that speaks of it in these phrases I say effectual calling is the first step to the application of Jesus Christ the first step of putting a man into the estate of grace the first bringing of a man to Christ The first reason of this is because before effectual calling a man was without Christ and had no interest in Christ no communion or fellowship with Christ he was altogether dead in trespasses and sinnes a cursed creature a damned creature in the estate of sinne and condemnation whatever parts or gifts he had all were no better then may be in a reprobate Eph. 2.12 before that time you were without Christ aliens and strangers from the commonwealth of Israel may be you were civil but you had no union with Christ though you were constant hearers of the Word which is a laudable thing yet you had no union with Christ may be you were decked with admirable qualities and jewels as the Prophet shews a man may be decked with golden vertues and afterwards turne to drosse a man may have admirable things in him before he hath this but there was nothing of God in a man nothing of Christ in a man no saving operation of Gods Spirit at all in a man no union with Christ this is the first passage of a man from death to life from nature to grace from the devil to God we are passed from death to life saith the Apostle this is an allusion to a mans effectual calling afterwards a man brings forth the fruits of life and is alive to God but when a man is first effectually called there is his passage from death to life he was a dead man before Now this effectual calling therefore is the first work that is wrought in a man because it is the first passage of a man from death to life it is a transition from sinne hell and damnation to be in Christ therefore marke how Peter speaks when he had a hope that his hearers were effectually called Acts 8.40 Save your selves saith he from this untoward generation as who should say this is your first parting from the world the first shaking of hands and bidding them farewell if you be effectually called as you seem to be come out from among them and save your selves from this untoward generation this is the first bursting of the bonds between you and sin the first breaking of the league between you and carnal company now save your selves from this untoward generation and make it appeare that you are called this the Apostle sheweth Gal. 1.13 that before he was called he had nothing in him

great matter is not this a great matter for a man to be sure never to fall away but he shall stand and hold out for ever what a mercy is this yet this is not all for saith he so shall an entrance be made unto you into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ as who should say your effectual calling is the very entrance into the Kingdom and glory of Jesus Christ it is the very first entring into the way of eternal life if you are assured of this you are in a faire way you are in the gates of heaven you are in an excellent way if you have made this sure therefore make that pastlal peradventure that you were called indeed of God to partake of Jesus Christ Reas 1. The reason to urge this is first because effectual calling is such a first work that as God doth it at first so it stands for all a man shall never be called more God doth it once and will never do it againe look what God gives a man at first he gives him once for all you may see it Jud 1. saith he I would have you earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints when God did effectually call his Saints he delivered to them faith and he delivered it to them then once for all never to give it to them againe but then they had it once for all as it is said of Christ he was once offered for all Heb 9. So when God doth effectually call a man he doth give him this call once for all he gives him faith once for all and grace once for all but you will say when God gives grace he reneweth it every day and affoards new helps and new assistances 't is true and without this no man can stand without supply from God continually the very elect could not persevere unto the end but yet God gives them no new graces he gives them more of the same love to God and more of the same faith and more of the same desires and endeavours after goodness but the thing is never to do againe as Christ saith to the woman of Samaria 1 Joh. 4.14 Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst when Christ brings a man to this well and gives him the first draught he shall never thirst more he shall never have it to do againe God doth it once for all that is that man that is once effectually called is never uncalled if he hath once faith given him he is never totally deprived of it it is once delivered to him for all times afterwards now this shews us that it concerns us nearly to be assured of this when a man hath done a thing that can be but once done it must stand for all and the thing is good and necessary would he not be sure of it such a thing is effectual calling Secondly Because all the promises meet here as all the streams meet where the fountaine opens its self so all the promises of God meet in a mans effectual calling when God effectually calls a man he saith take my Son come unto me cast thy self upon me and be ruled by me he doth this effectually and saith thus to him thou shalt have my Son and with him all things pardon of thy sins the peace of a good conscience I will give thee power against all thy lusts the gates of hell shall not prevaile against thee I will keep thee here in this world through faith unto salvation take my yoak upon thee and learne of me and thou shalt have all these things and therefore Rev. 19.9 Blessed is he that is called to the supper of the Lamb these are the true sayings of God as who should say though you may question it and doubt it and call it into controversy I tell you it is true these are the true sayings of God and you may build your self upon it you are blessed if you be once effectually called of God all the promises of God belong unto you Acts 2.39 the promises belong to you and to your children to as many as God shall call all that are called of God all the promises of God belong unto them as soon as ever Christ hath effectually called a man he opens his liver-veine and le ts out all his heart blood upon him all belongs to that man it is like the first joyning of hands between man and wife with all my goods I thee endow when God first takes a man out of the world to live unto him and seek his Kingdom and labour to please him and from this time forward to believe in his name with all his goods he him endows he gives him title to eternal life to all the helps and furtherances that ever he shall need for this life or eternal life he shall have all now what a needful thing is it when all the promises meet here as at a fountaine head here is the spring let forth how needful is it I say that a man should labour that he be effectually called of God we should look for it every day and pray to God to have it and strive to have it appeare unto us that our calling is sound here is the very in-let of all the comforts of the holy Ghost and all the hope that the soul can have here is all the satisfaction and content of the soul of man they are bestowed upon a man when he is effectually called there is a way set open unto him that he may have the same Thirdly Because this is the first of all obedience a man cannot obey God till he be effectually called nay it is not obedience till he be called if a man should heare Sermons come to the Sacraments give to the poore it is no obedience till a man be effectually called when once a man is bound apprentice and his indentures are drawn his running of errands and all he doth is service to his Master when thou art bound apprentice to Christ and thy indentures are sealed and thou art called to be a servant unto him now all thy works are obedience to him Come saith Christ learne of me c. Mat. 11.28 first he would have them come to him and beare his yoak and then learn of me then be meek as I am meek and humble as I am humble and then bear my burthen then it is obedience and you are able to go through Faithful is he that hath called you who will also do it effectual calling is the fill-horse of the cart that bears up the cart this is the first draught a Painter cannot lay any colour till the first draught be made this is the very ground of a mans workings this is the ground of all obedience of all prayer and hearing here is the ground of doing all aright otherwise God will say what hast thou to do to take my name into thy mouth unlesse thou wilt submit to my Covenant and be bound

were his enemy and would slay him and now he was willing to do it so the Lord deals with a stubborne soul if it belongs to him he will overcome his heart and make him let fall his sinnes he will make as though he would slay him he will make him a weary of keeping his lusts before he hath done with him The Lord deales in this case as he dealt with the Philistins they would not send home the Arke what course did he take to make them send it home and send it home in pomp and great respect God did fling down Dagon which was their chief Idoll and the Lord smote them with Emerods And now they think with themselves let us send home the Arke of the Lord and how shall we send it home Let us provide golden Mice and Emerods they sent it home with cost and offerings So the Lord deals with those that belong to him he tires them in their own ways and makes them willing to come out at last Lastly the Lord doth it to knock his people quite and cleane off from all every man naturally hangs upon something and above all hangs upon his good works and good prayers and performances and this keeps his heart from seeing what a miserable creature he is this keeps him from mourning and zeal and fervency and all this while that he hangs upon these his heart is hard'ned he will never stoop and yield to God now when the Lord means to do a man good he knocks him quite off and plucks out of his hands all his works and makes him let all go not that he ceaseth to work but as the Apostle speaks Rom 4.14 He makes him as a man that worketh not not as though he worketh not for there is no carnal man works more then this poor soul in this estate he keeps a great deal of stir to find out mercy and obtaine grace from God there is none that mournes and laments more and goes to Sermons more but yet he is no worker now he is faine to go to his father to him that justifies the ungodly all his wayes are loathsome and abominable he seeth nothing to trust upon but is driven to him that justifies the ungodly he sees he is a vile wretched creature he sees no worth no reason why God should look upon him he is now pennilesse and worthlesse and miserable in himself the Lord makes him a very bankrout he thought he was a rich Merchant but now he makes him a very bankrout and makes him appeare to be naked First here all Dawbers are to be reproved that preach nothing but mercy and the promises of the Gospel many love alife to be upon such theames O say they the promises are best to humble a man and bring him out of his sins whom shall we believe God or man This not the way Ezek. 13.22 the text saith Ye have strengthened the hands of the wicked that he should not turne from his wicked wayes by promising him life When a man preacheth the promise of God before wicked and ungodly men this hardens their hearts and strengthens them that they will not returne from their wicked wayes because the promises are propounded to them and the Minister makes no distinction between the precious and the vile this strengthens them in their sinnes and makes them think they are not so vile but they hope they are in a good case for all this therefore Saint Austine calls such men desolatores not consolatores such work desolation in their hearers and no sound consolation such Ministers as make their Sermons to be pillowes under peoples elbowes they make themselves guilty of the peoples blood and their souls shall be required at their hands they are the cause of peoples miscarriage when a Minister thinks to do people good by crying peace peace when the Prophet saith there is no peace to the wicked this rather drives people further off from God may be it may make them seeme outward professors but it will never make them sound in the faith rebuke them sharply saith the Apostle that they may be sound in the faith Tit. 1.13 sharp rebuking the powerful delivering of the Law and Gospel is the meanes to mahe men sound in the faith the more humble a man is made to be the more faith he comes to have our Saviour saith of the Centurion he had not found the like faith in Israel how came this the text shewes plainly that we shall hardly heare of a man so humble in an age as he was he did even grudge to think that Christ should come into his house he thought he was unworthy that Christ should come under his roofe though he were in the dayes of his humiliation in the forme of a servant his heart was employed and brought low he had no hope in himself all the worth he saw was in Christ this helps a man to the more faith the more a man is emplyed the more may be poured in Wherefore serve all those texts in Scripture The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousnesse tribulation and anguish shall be upon the soul of every one that doth evill flesh and blood can never enter into the Kingdome of God that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and such a one can never please God while the world stands Wherefore serve all these texts of Scripture when Gods flings balls of fire upon men that live in their wicked wayes Why do we not open them and presse them upon mens consciences Why do we not apply them to those to whom they belong are they not in the Bible were the Prophets fooles were the Holy Pen-men of the Scripture mistaken in putting such texts into the Bible If they be there they ought to be ut●●red and applied and if they be to be applied to whom but to those to whom they belong Then such persons had need to look to themselves and we that are Ministers woe unto us if we do not preach terrour to whom terrour belongs as well as mercy to whom mercy belongs but you will say are not we Ministers of the Gospel 't is true and so was Christ yet mark what he saith repent and then believe first he discovers their miserable conditions and breaks their hearts and then bids them lay hold upon the Gospel of peace this is the Method that we that are the Ministers of God should take first wound and then heale first lance and then bind up first detect mens sinnes and shew them their miseries and then shew them a remedy first let them see what they are and then see how they may be better Then you must be content to let us go up upon Mount Eball and pronounce the curses of God upon those that go on in their sinnes you must be content to have your estates and conditions ripped up be not ready to be snappish and murmuring against the revelation of the Law and the

person rather then to any body else and now the soul begins to think seriously this proposition is to me this tender is to me I hunger and thirst and long and therefore this belongs to me and the effectualnesse of this call is to make the soul come to Christ and cast himselfe upon him by faith these are the parts of propounding of Christ and both these are twofold the first is the external part of it by the Word the other the internal part of it by the Spirit Now we are to speak of the first of these how the Word works this general call and for this I have chosen this text Whereunto he hath called you by our Gospel c. For the coherence of these words in the former verses the Apostle had told the Thessalonians of a woful falling away that should he among all visible Churches in the whole world almost that there should be a general defection unlesse of Gods Elect and they should have fearful declinings and he sheweth that the power of the Devil and his instruments should be the cause of this falling away he should come with strong delusions and then the just cause why God doth suffer the Devil and his imps to bring this about that all they might be damned that had pleasure in unrighteousnesse the Lord would have them damned and this made the Lord suffer the Devil to work Apostacy and declining to them Now this is a fearful thing and therefore in the next place he comes to comfort the Th●ssalonians for they for their part the godly amongst them need not to be dismayed for fear of falling away as if they should not hold out but he would have them encouraged that they shall stand out for ever and he comforts them by two Arguments First by Gods predestination of them to life from all eternity God hath chosen you to Salvation from the beginning and then he laies down the meanes God had appointed for the attaining this salvation and that was through Sanctification in the Spirit as who should say 't is true there shall be such a falling away but you that are godly need not be dejected for God hath chosen you from all eternity and therefore will sanctifie you and keep you through his mighty power unto salvation that you shall not fall away The second Argument is their Effectual Calling that is in the text Whereunto he hath called you by our Gospel c. as who should say the Lord hath given you a pledge that you shall never fall away finally for it is plaine that God hath chosen you and he hath given a pledge of his Election for he hath called you therefore be of good cheare Well then in the words of the text you may consider these four things First Effectual Calling he called you Secondly the meanes whereby he hath wrought this in you namely the Gospel Thirdly the tearme whereunto he called them noted in this word hereunto which if you look into the former verse was unto Salvation Fourthly what this salvation is it is a most admirable incomparable thing no tongue is able to speak it Oh saith he It is to the attaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ the very same glory that the Lord Jesus Christ was advanced to you have part and communion therein Now three of these points I lay aside the point that serves our turn is the second he called you by our Gospell That the thing that calls Gods people home it is the General tender of grace indifferently to any man without exception whosoever will have it that is the Gospel When Christ should call Nicodemus after he had convinced him of his blindnesse and cursed estate and made him see he was a fool in all the things of God now he gives him a call and how doth he call him it was even this general tender John 3.14 15. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernesse so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life As who should say I bring an indifferent doctrine I propound it to all creatures and thou maist have a part in it as well as any other Whosoever believes shall not perish if thou hast a heart to believe and come unto me thou shalt not perish but have salvation So when our Saviour sent his Disciples to call his Elect throughout the world mark what directions he gave them he calls people with a general call Whosoever will let him take of the water life whosoever hath a mind to be saved to know God and have Communion with him and be united to him whosoever hath a minde to these things tell him I am for him he proclaimes it over the whole world tell every creature in the whole world He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved here is no exception put in but preach the Gospel to every creature tell every creature what I have done for the sins of the world and how I have opened the Kingdome to whomsoever will enter thus God calls his people his Ministers go up and down and tell them they may have pardon and grace and righteousnesse for nothing come and buy without money though you cannot give a farthing token for it but be poor and miserable and cursed creatures Come here it is wine and milk and bread and all without money you shall have it for taking and carrying away so Rev. 22.7 Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely it is a quicunquae vult there is none exempted if any man will he may be saved if he have a will a minde a heart to it he may have salvation Now here be three things I would shew unto you first what this general tender is whereby God effectually calls his people Secondly why it is by a general tender Thirdly the uses First what is this general tender of Christ and grace to every creature that hath a minde to it and it is this that Christ is the only alsufficient meanes to make a man happy that whereas he is out with his Maker he alone can set him in again though he be under a thousand miseries in this life and under a thousand eternal miseries in the life to come there is in Christ an alsufficiency to make a man happy God is the fountaine of all goodnesse and till his goodnesse is opened in Chrst Jesus this is that same general thing as Paul saith 1 Cor 1.23 24. We preach Christ crucified unto those that are called the power and wisdome of God as who should say this is the thing we go up and down every where preaching that Christ was crucified for the sinnes of the world and hath power to save any man that comes to him it was the wisdome of God he found out this meanes it was an impossibility in the wisdome of men and Angels how man should be saved the Wisdome of God hath

to the sonnes of men to as many as would have it though indeed all men would have none of him if they were left to themselves yet notwithstanding the Gospel is offered to all every man might have him but that he will not have him But there be two Objections against this doctrine 1. Because this seems to be the contrary to the doctrine of many godly and religious Divines heretofore who seem to say that the Gospel is only for the Elects sake it is the doctrine of many Divines if I knew who were elected and who were not I would not deliver it to them this is a dangerous doctrine yet the ground of the doctrine is true that the Gospel is properly bestowed upon the Elect To us a child is born to us a child is given that is to the Elect but yet this is not contradictory to that which I now deliver I deny not that Christ is given intentionally to Gods Elect upon beleeving yet he is tendred to others to and intended too upon that condition God cannot mock people and make as though they might have eternal life and cannot have it though never so faine it is not so but God deales seriously with people for every man shall have Christ that hath a true and sincere heart now it is true this heart is only given of God because otherwise a man is stubborn and stiff-necked and will not give over his sins and deny himself but will rather have his own courses then Christ though he may have eternal life by him yet the proposition of the Gospel is general to every man that will believe and will have Christ and this is necessary and this is the very self-same doctrine that all Divines have preached heretofore only it is delivered otherwise and the reason why there is a necessity of delivering it thus is because this is the form of preaching set down in the Scripture and this is the way to fish out Gods Elect and the best way to settle their mindes and establish their consciences and this is the best way to feel and groap in Congregations who are of God Wilt thou have Christ and eternal life and be delivered from thy sinnes thou mayest then have the pardon of thy sinnes and the favour of God now if a man be of God he will hear us if he be not he will not hear us this is the way Scripture sets down as you may see John 1.11 He came to his own and his own received him not Christ came and offered himself to his own he calls all his own people the very reprobates are his own in respect of the offer but in respect of receiving it so the Elect onely are his own ver 12. To as many as received him he gave power to be the Sonnes of God So Acts 8.37 The Eunuch would faine have Christ by baptisme what hinders me but I may be baptized let me enter into Covenant with Christ what should let me Mark what Philip saith if thou beleevest thou mayest could he tell whether he were Elect or no no but he feels him with the general tender of the Gospel what lets me he saith nothing lets thee if thou canst beleeve he could not tell whether he were elected or no but saith he if thou canst beleeve with all thy heart thou mayest have Christ and all the benefits of the Covenant of grace if thou hast a heart and minde unto it thou mayest have it and after he professed he had he baptized him So Paul dealt with the Jaylor Acts 16.30 31. when Paul saw the Jaylor ready to stab himself how could he tell whether he were elected or no yea when he cried out What shall I do to be saved he might speak out of horror and conscience how did Paul know that he was elected but he feels him with the general tender beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ saith he and thou mayest be saved whatsoever thou art he doth not stand upon his election but beleeve in Christ and his Gospel and believe eternal life is in him and rest upon him for it let this be a means to pull thee out of thy sins and to seek after righteousnesse and communion with him if thou hast faith thou shalt be saved Obj. The second Objection is this that this doctrine seems to favour our adversaries our adversaries say that Christ died for one as well as for another and the Gospel is to be propounded to one as well as to another and it is as much for one as for another now if we say so too we shake hands with them Answ 1. I answer First there is a great deal of difference between that which the Pelagians speak concerning this thing they say that Christ intended his death no more to one then to another no more to Abraham then Pharaoh no more to Peter then Judas look what minde God bare to one à parte ante he bare as good a minde towards the other now this we peremptorily deny and it is an horrible blaspheming of the grace of God towards his people for he will have one rather then another Acts 13.48 as many as was ordained to eternal life beleeved as who should say as many as God had chosen they took Christ and none else God did intend Christ to them especially more then to the rest he gave them a heart and let the rest go on in the stubbornnesse of their hearts Secondly they say that Christ came to bring nothing but a possibility of salvation into the world now that any man is saved is through the ability of a mans will that one man will be saved another will not this man will beleeve in Christ another will not This we peremptorily deny too for this is to blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ to say so for 't is true Christ hath wrought a possibility for others they might have been saved but would not the rebellion of their hearts damned them their unbelief sent them to hell but yet he first brought an actuality of Salvation for some for he had his name for this Mat. 1.21 Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sinnes nay the Father and he did indent one with another that he dying upon the crosse should see his seed Esay 53.10 Thirdly they say that Christ might have died and none have been saved which is an horrible impiety for a man once to speak whereas certainly Christs death could never have been frustrated if Christ did die for his people he will save them the gates of hell shall not prevaile against them he will gather up all that do belong to his election Lastly the adversaries say that as there is a generality in the offer so there is an universality in the grace now this we deny too that there is an universal grace God gives more mercy to his own people then to others to you it is given saith Christ c. Mat. 13.10 11. so

to you it is given saith the Apostle not only to beleeve in him but to die for him Phil. 1.29 so that God gives more grace to his people then to others he gives onely common grace to the wicked 't is true God is not wanting to the wicked God will ever be aforehand with them and they shall have more then they make use of now wicked men the Lord leaves them without excuse for they stick not at an impossibility but at a will they will not come in that they might be saved they will not do that which God hath put into the power of their hands to do God gives them knowledge and they will not practise it God shews them their sinnes and they will not leave their sins may be God makes them leave their sinnes and then they return to them againe it may be God makes them that they never return to their sins again but then they take up onely a kinde of forme and there they stick and go no further thus they stick at the will they will not have the Gospel upon Christs termes The first use of the point is this it is a great comfort and encouragement to the faith of all Gods people what an excellent and sure word is this when they shall finde that they have such an excellent warrant to lay hold upon Christ when he is so publickly tendred in the Scripture there is a common salvation in Jesus Christ Jude 3. Christ hath made it to be common for any man that will have it upon the tearms thereof it is as common as Adam was As in Adam all died so in Christ shall all be made alive 1 Cor. 15.22 not as though all men simply shall be made alive for all men possibly are not alive as all men possibly are not dead in Adam for there might be millions of men after the world is ended but only those that are in the loynes of Adam all men that came out of the loyns of Adam shall die so all they that ever are in the loyns of Christ as all they are that will have him they shall be made alive it is as general as Adam as many as were in the loyns of Adam and lived and died so shall die so all that are in the loyns of Christ and have a will to come to Christ shall be saved for it is the will that carrieth all the soul when a man will do or suffer any thing for Christ whatsoever sin Christ will have him leave he will leave it whatsoever duty Christ will have him take up he will assume it he will break through all hindrances and use all means he will have it the righteousnesse of Christ is for every one that will have it I will have it saith the soul therefore it belongs to me the Gospel of salvation is tendred to every one that hath a minde to it I have a mind to it upon the Gospels tearms and therefore it belongs to me The second use is of confutation to confute those that desire faith by the full assurance of the pardon of a mans sins and the salvation of his soul this is a dangerous doctrine and condemns the half of the generation of God nay all of them at one time or other you see how the Gospel calls a man to believe concerning justification and salvation it calls to beleeve in the record of his Son that he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world that he is eternal life that he is the way the truth and the light that he is the hope of glory that he is the way of coming to God the Father now when a man hath this faith in a lively manner and this pulls a man out of the world draws him to Christ this is the true faith this is the faith of the Gospel faith is not defined by assurance in Scripture but by beleeving in Christ John 3.18 by trusting upon Christ Ephes 1.12 by resting upon God 2 Chr. ●4 11 by relying upon God 2 Chr. 19.8 by adhering and cleaving to God in Christ Acts 11.23 this is true faith when a man relies upon God when he believes this same blessed record and throws himself and casts himself upon it and will obey God I may say to you all that have this faith as the Prophet Esay saith to such as you are Who is there among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servants though he sit in darknesse and seeth no light yet let him rest upon the Lord and stay himself upon the God of his salvation Esay 50.10 as who should say though you be in the dark and have no light no assurance no sense and feeling no inkling of Gods mercy though you be in darkness and know not where you are yet if you have a heart to fear God and obey the voice of his servants and hearken to the tender of the Gospel trust in the Lord your God relie upon him for all want of sense and feeling for all darknesse for all want of light in you for all want of comfort and stay your souls that way yet trust in the name of the Lord relie upon him for all his mercies though you be at this passe Object But the soul will say I am afraid I have nothing I have no interest in Christ but what of that Answ If thou be never so much afraid mark what David saith Psalme 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee as who should say though I be in the middest of fears and doubts and terrors of conscience what time this fear comes upon me I will cast my self upon thee so that this is that which the soul is to do that beleeves the tender of the Gospel and this draws him and works upon him it is not a dead faith but an operative faith it pulls him and draws him to Christ he must have Christ and he must have righteousnesse is there such a faith then relie upon God though thy fears come upon thee yet urge thy self to trust in God Obj. And againe it may be objected I have hardly any hope that ever I shal have the pardon of my sins that ever God will hear my prayers and accept my duties and performances What of that if thou hast this faith Answ Mark how it was with Abrahams faith when God told him he should have a sonne though it were above hope besides hope against hope yet he believes in hope so though thou hast hardly any hope yet above hope believe under hope and though thou art put besides all hope and art even ready to be at the brink of despaire yet through thy self upon God if I perish I perish go on in the ways of God and seek after the ways of Jesus Christ and rest upon him from day to day and strive to draw neerer to him to have communion with him and though thou beest put

besides hope yet believe under hope Obj. Again it may be objected again if I have any faith it is such a weak faith that I can hardly perceive it is any at al God will never receive me surely Answ I answer it is not the strength of faith that justifies but it is faith that justifies the plaister may heal the wound though the hand be weak that lays it on faith is the hand that lays hold on Christ and Christ is the plaister that is applied to the soul now though the hand be never so weak yet it will do the deed as well as a stronger so it was with the Father of the child that came to Christ he could hardly see he had any faith he could not simply deny he had faith but Lord saith he I believe help my unbelief he cried and spake with tears he saw such a deal of unbelief that the tears trickled down her cheeks Matthew 9.24 yet notwithing that faith got mercy from Christ Mark what Christ saith Mat. 18.10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones if Christ will not have his little ones despised of men then certainly he will not despise them himselfe Object But you will say weak faith will save indeed but I question whether I have any faith or no therefore how can I lay hold and embrace this same mercy then Answ I answer though thou beest put to this at any time do as the servants of God have done for it may be the case of the very servants of God yea of the best of Gods servants now you may see what they do in such a case how they run to God and pray to him Psalme 61.2 When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher then I. The Prophet Davids heart sometimes was overwhelemed but he now went to the rock Christ when I am in this case saith he lead me to the rock shew me Christ guide me to him set me upon him Object But then it may be objected I cannot pray if I could pray it were something but I can hardly pray I go to pray and when I am down upon my knees I can say nothing this may be the case of Gods choisest servants Romans 8.26 Paul puts himself into the number We know not what to pray as we ought we know not what to speak as we should but yet God hath appointed his Spirit to help us in such a case though Hezekiah Esay 38.14 could not speak a word but chatter like a Crane or Swallow and mourne as a dove yet he had experience that God heard him at that time So Psalme 77.4 The Prophet there confesseth he was in this case that he could not pray I am so distressed saith he that I cannot speak he meanes to God and it seemes he found by experience that he could not pray nor tell how to poure out a request to God he was was even stopped and stifled in his prayer yet in the first verse he could speak it that God heard him for all this Well then here you see is the ground of the faith of any poore soul though he have not any assurance yet if he hath this faith to relie and rest upon God if the Gospel calls him and he comes at this gracious tender if he casts himself upon this and this draws him to Christ and if he love God and labour to please him and obey him and throw away all whatsoever displeaseth him if this makes him heavenly minded and long after the knowledge of God and the revelation of it this deads his heart to worldly things and makes him spiritual if it be thus this is true and saving faith and not dead faith This is encouragement to those that are without How many are there among you that are yet in your sinnes and were never yet brought home to Christ Consider what an excellent invitation here for you the Gospel is sent to every Creature under Heaven as you may see Col. 1.23 You may have Christ if you have a will you may have righteousnesse if you have a will to it you may have redemption if you have a wil to it you may be delivered from sin and Satan if you have a will to it you may have the favour of God if you have a will to it you may have Christ if you will have all Christ he will come to you and will receive you as you may see an excellent place for this 1 Cor. 6.11 The Apostle there saith that drunkards and adulterers and covetous persons shall never inherit the Kingdome of God such were some of you but you are justified in the Name of Christ as who should say there is no limitation in the Gospel of God as none in the tender of it so none in the execution of it for all you were drunkards and prophane and covetous yet you have found mercy with God by entertaining of this this methinks should envite people and draw people to come to Christ whosoever hath a minde not to perish not to go in a hard heart not to be worldly and without God in the world here Christ doth envite them all to come Matthew 22.9 Go into the high-wayes saith Christ and whomsoever you finde bid them to the Marriage God knows who we may finde here at Church to day may be some of you are drunkards some enemies to God some hardned in your lusts some relapsed and fallen back into your carnal courses after profession of Religion some mockers and despisers God knows whom we finde we are bid to go into the high-wayes and bid all we finde therefore in the Name of Christ let me speak to you come to Christ will you let your sinnes damne you rather then receive Christ to save you think of this and if you will but follow Christ in all his Ordinances He hath shewed thee O man what the Lord requires of thee that thou shouldest be humbled and see what a wretched creature thou art that thou shouldest see what is amisse in thy soule and use all courses to reforme thy selfe he hath shewed thee how he would have thee pray what company he would have thee keep what kinde of carriage he would have thee use he hath shewed thee O man what he hath required hast thou a heart now to come to Christ he can help thee to all this and though thou hast not power to do all this yet if thou hast but a heart to do it to walk aright and ●live aright and spend thy dayes well in this world Though thou canst do none of all these things if though hast but an heart to do them and dost beleeve that eternal life is in Christ and this draws thee to Christ if thou doest but beleeve that in him is acceptance with God and he can bring thee to God for pardon and peace and hope and glory if thou doest beleeve this and the faith of this doth draw

thee to come unto God I tell thee all thy sinnes shall not damne thee never a one of thy sinnes shall rise up in judgement against thee whatsoever thy conscience whatsoever the devil hath against thee whatsoever feares terrours discouragements are upon thee they shall never withhold thee from eternal life do but come to Christ and lay hold upon him and here he offers himself unto thee thou art not excepted or excluded unlesse thou exclude thy selfe If thou beleeve not thou shalt be damned but whosoever beleeves shall not perish but have everlasting life Vse 4. In the last place this is for use to those that are obstinate namely to be as hell fire and the flames of Tophet in their soules and consciences You have heard the tender of Christ that salvation is in Christ and none other What a miserable taking are you then in that will not have him if we should carry the Gospel up and down into any place would not every one make it welcome If we should carry it into Innes and Taverns and amongst the basest wretches in the Countrey would they not say we will have Christ a man would think so as God saith Matthew 21.37 Certainly they will reverence my Sonne not as if God were deceived in his expectation but he speaks of the probability of the thing in all reason one would think if they may have eternal life and Gods good will and pleasure toward them that they may have acquittance from all damnation that they may be happy for ever certainly they will receive my Sonne gladly they will take him and receive him in all reason one would think it were so but we see it is otherwise they will not take up Christ and abandon their own courses they will be vaine they will be company keepers they will be worldly and will neglect the best things they will have their pleasures and they will have their fopperies and fooleries they will not have Christ there be many things in Christ that every man would have the very devils in hell would have it namely to be redeemed from hell to have some peace in their consciences but the Regiment of Christ the dominion of Christ to have all Christ this they will not this therefore is no comfort to stubborne sinners but hell and damnation is the portion of all that refuse him Ezechiel 34.16 See what the Lord there saith I will destroy the fat and the strong and feed them with judgement you that have fat hearts and strong your hearts are strong and your consciences are strong and all our Sermons are not able to make you shake those that are fat and strong saith the Lord I will feed them with judgements none of the mercies and comforts of the Gospel belong to such And assure your selves if you care not for Christ Christ cares as little for you as the Prophet speaks Esay 49.5 Though Israel be not gathered I shall have glory in his eyes so though you be not called and brought home though you be not saved I shall have glory saith Christ I shall be known to all eternity to be a Saviour to be a Prince to be the glory of the world I shall be glorious in heaven and in earth and in hell to all the world to all eternity Though Israel be not gathered if you be obstinate and will have your sinnes take them and perish with them I shall never rue your absence in heaven therefore Christ is at a point if you will have him here he is if you will not assure your selves you shall die in your sinnes except you beleeve in him you shall die in your sins COL 1.23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven whereof I Paul am made a Minister WE have spoken of a Christians call by the general indifferent propounding of the Gospel to every creature without exception now the effectualnesse of this call lieth here that the Lord doth put in a little hope into the soul though the man be one of Gods chosen he doth not presently give him faith but doth open a little door of hope to the soul First the Lord brings his Law to a man and layeth him dead in Law utterly undone past all hope of recovery in himself he is a lost creature a miserable wretched creature having no hold to stay upon but a fearful looking for of vengeance he seeth nothing but wrath now when God hath a minde to call a man home at the hearing of the Gospel of peace the Lord lets in a little hope into the soul whereby he doth draw the soul to seek out unto him and makes it look out with hope of salvation the soul seeth now that there is mercy in Christ and grace in Christ and eternal life in Christ and he seeth this is generally and freely tendred to all that will have it and out of these two branches of general faith spirings this hope now thinks the soul I may have it as well as another the dole is free the mercy is free and why may not I be saved why may not I finde mercy and forgiveness and be ingraffed into the Lord Jesus Christ before this the soul was groaping for hope if it could have told where to have had it as Acts 2.37 they were there groaping where to have it Men and brethren say they what shall we do they do not say there is nothing to be done there is no hope but what shall we do as who should say there is something to be done some course to be taken you that are Ministers of God is there no way whereby we may be pardoned whereby we may be saved whereby we may have a new heart and the favour of God and be delivered from the wrath to come but when the Gospel comes they see now a possibility and this breeds this hope so that this is the next point That when God doth effectually call a soul by his Gospel at the hearing of this gracious tender of eternal life and grace in Jesus Christ the Lord doth let in a possibility of mercy and every grace into the soule and this doth help the soul with hope and this doth make the soul to trace God in all his wayes and he hath some encouragement that God will be found of him and that he may attaine salvation this the first thing the Lord puts in hope attaining of it the Lord deales with his people in this kinde as he dealt with his people in delivering them out of Babylon Zech. 9.12 they were prisoners in Babylon now when God would deliver them out of Babylon he did first put in hope into their souls he made them prisoners of hope there was first a pouring of hope into their souls and then he opened the prison doors So the Lord makes his people prisoners of hope

that though they be in the captivity of sinne and Satan yet they are prisoners of hope and the Lord gives some hope that the prison doores shall be opened and this we have here in the text for though the Apostle means here by hope the things hoped for yet we call it hope because as soone as ever they dawn in the soul they breed hope if they be the servants of God so that this Gospel breeds hope in a mans bosom Now here be five things I would shew unto you First what this hope is Secondly how it agreeth with that hope that follows justifying faith Thirdly how it disagrees with it Fourthly the Reasons of the point And fifthly the Uses For the first what this hope is and it is an hope that ariseth out of the faith of possibility when the Lord lets in a possibility of faith and makes the soul believe that his sinnes may be forgiven and he may attaine everlasting life and he may come to be a Saint and one of Gods dear and faithful children he lets in such a possibility into the heart and this hope flows out of this faith of possibility and this faith of possibility is another-gesse thing then people take it for every drunkard will say he beleeves that it is possible to be saved and to finde mercy with God but you will finde it is a greater matter then so it is spoken as a great commendation of Abraham that he did beleeve that God was able to raise up his sonne Isaac Heb. 11.19 so our Saviour Christ speaking to the blinde man asks him this question do you believe that I am able to do this for you Mat. 9.23 it was a great matter for him to believe that he was able to do this for him Sarah though an excellent woman for faith otherwise yet she stuck mightily here and thought it was impossible for her to have a childe nay Moses as faithful a man as he was he could not believe that all the people could be fed in the wildernesse it is a greater matter then you think for for every sinful wretch thinks it is an easie matter to believe that Christ died for sinners and that they may be saved it is an easie matter for the faith of presumption but if a mans eyes be opened and his conscience awakened and he comes to have a sight of his sins now Cain will say his sinnes are greater then can be forgiven and Judas is not able to flie unto Christ to believe a possibility of pardon but goes and hangs himself and despairs totally of the businesse this faith of possibility it comes within the compasse of a definition of faith it is the evidence of things not seen it is far above our nature and flesh blood cannot reveal it that there is salvation in Christ and that there is such a thing as a pardon to be had at Gods hands let a man have his understanding enlightned to see what a wretch he is and how fearfully he hath provoked Gods wrath against him and it is not in his power to beleeve that there is a possibility for him to finde mercy or any hope of pardon it cannot be attained to without the work of God a weak shelfe is able to hold when a man lays but a book upon it but if a man lay a great weight upon a weak shelf it will break under it so it is with the faith of men when there is no weight laid upon it the burthen of the Lord is not laid upon them then they may think it is an easie matter to have salvation and their sinnes pardoned but if this weight should be laid upon them their faith would burst unlesse the Lord should be pleased to put in a better faith then this it is not in a mans power to look beyond the power of justice for a man to beleeve that there is mercy in God contrary to the sentence of his own Law and contrary to the sense and feeling of a mans own soul and therefore when the Lord is pleased effectually to call a man though he lay a bleeding bleeding before in the sight and sense of his misery he opens a door of hope to the soul he lets in a light of possibility that he may yet come to be quickened and be a new creature and obtaine mercy at the hands of the Lord as the Lord dealt with his people Hos 2.14 there saith the text I will give them the valley of Achor for the door of hope so when the Lord doth cast a man into the valley of Achor of stoning and astonishment then he opens a door of hope that he may look in and see at a crevis some hope for him to speed though yet I have an hard heart yet such a thing may be if I come to Christ I see God may afford mercy to whom he will and hath propounded it to every man that will have it therefore I may have mercy the Lord begins to stir and move the heart and now the soul begins to have a door of hope you see then what this hope is it is such a thing as flowes from the faith of possibility I do not say that it is a justifying faith but it is the forerunner of it to make way for it The second thing is how this hope agrees with that which proceeds from a justifying faith I answer it agrees in five things First both are of God all the hope a creature hath if it be a true hope it is of God therefore the Apostle saith the God of all hope c. Rom. 15.13 God is the God of all hope I do not say that all hope absolutely is of God for the vaine hope of wicked men is of the Devil and is not of God but I speak of a true hope and courage that the soul gets to seek God in his wayes and fear him Secondly they are both wrought by the Gospel Rom. 15.4 All things were written for our learning saith the Apostle that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Thus it is with a believer though he hath nothing in present possession though he be persecuted and afflicted and forsaken in the world though he hath never so many miseries here below yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what promises God hath made he comes to have some hope it is thus with a man that is not yet a believer but is in the way to be a believer the Lord works with him this way though he see himself a miserable and wretched sinner and undone man cast off and there is no hope in himself yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what a gracious tender of mercy there is to any man that will have mercy it is not the wretchednesse of a mans heart that casts him off but the not coming to Christ and receiving of him that damnes him for the fountaine of mercy is

what is this particular word which the Lord speaks to the soul is there any such particular word to be found in all the Scripture Thomas or Richard do you come to me I answer there is a general word in the Scripture and this particular word is in the general so that though there be not a particular word expressively yet there is equivalently and this I will make appear in three or four particulars First what particular place of Scripture saith that Thomas or James or such a one is a childe of wrath by nature is here any Scripture saith so of him I answer yes this particular is in the general we are all the children of wrath by nature Eph. 2.3 and cursed is every one that continues not in all the things written in the Law to do them Gal. 3.10 now though a mans name be not named William such a one is accursed by nature yet notwithstanding he findes his particular in the general that he is a cursed creature Again what place of Scripture saith that Robert or John must love God and is bound to love God is there any such place of Scripture no why will you say then that you are bound to love God and obey him if there be no such place of Scripture yes for this particular is in the general Thou shalt love the Lard thy God c. That Commandment is delivered to all men in the whole world So Thou shalt do no murther thou shalt not commit adultery c. this Commandment lies upon the whole world therefore if thou beest a man though thou canst not finde thy name set down that the Lord speaks to thee yet thy particular is in those generals so though it cannot be shewn in all the Scripture that such a particular man shall rise againe yet when the Scripture saith that all men shall rise againe as John 5.28 Marvel not for the houre shall come that all flesh that is in the grave shall come forth if all that are dead shall rise again then every man shall rise again though his name be not named in Scripture so it is hear we read in Scripture that Christ saith John 7.37 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink now the Lord includes a particular in it and brings it to the soul thou thirstest thou wouldest faine have Christ here are the promises here is all mercy in my Sonne believe in him come and receive him take him and thou shalt have them so if Christ saith whosoever beleeves shall be saved then Saint Paul might safely conclude a particular word to the Jaylor beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Acts 16.31 so that you see here is a particular word though not particular directly yet equivalent to a particular namely a particular in the general and the Spirit of God doth speak this to the soul and makes the soul hear it Every man therefore that hath heard it c. When God calls the soul home he makes the soul hear his voice here a particular voice and word to him believe in the Lord come unto me for salvation relie upon me for eternal life the sinnes that trouble thy soule cast thy self upon me for the forgiving of them the diseases miseries distempers thou art subject unto lay hold upon me and rest upon me for the delivering thee from them the Lord when he calls a man effectually he speaks it not onely the Minister and the Word speaks it but the Lord speaks it and so the soul hearing of the Father comes to Christ thus you may see the Lord holds the free promises of the Gospel before the soul and bids a man relie upon them as Peter dealt with his contrite hearers the Spirit of the Lord going along with his word Acts 2.39 believe saith he for the promise belongs to you and to your children c. as who should say when God calls a man effectually he holds forth his promises and propounds them to the soul beleeve this promise and rest upon me for it thus the Lord doth call a man home he sends his promise before him he sets up hope before him he sends the gracious invitation of the Gospel before him and bids him relie upon it thus God dealt with his Elect Corinths 1 Cor. 1.9 God is faithful saith the Apostle by whom ye are called to the fellowship of his Sonne Jesus Christ as who should say when God called you he spake to every one of you in particular come and be fellow heirs with my Son come and have every good thing with my Sonne come and be a sonne with him come and be an heir of grace with him and have title to eternal life and salvation God calls you saith he to beleeve that he is faithful So I might instance in many more though there be never so many in the Congregation yet the Lord doth not speak to them all they do not all hear his voice they all hear the Minister but that makes them not to come that doth not the deed but when the Lord calls a man he comes he joyns with the Word and speaks to this or that man and takes him alone and whispers him in the ear and tells him where mercy is and bids him rely upon him and though sense and feeling be against him though all fears and objections be against him he bids him believe and be of good cheere he shall have all these mercies if he will believe in him as he saith Esay 51.20 Look unto Abraham your father for I called him alone and blessed him mark it the Lord took him alone and spake to his heart between him and himself so when the Lord speaks to a soul and calls him by his grace he calls him alone and takes him alone though all the Congregation hears the same Sermon yet he takes him alone and speaks to his heart and bids him beleeve in him for I will never faile thee it is a sure foundation he may build upon it for ever and ever Because no man could come unto Christ else for we see daily though Ministers call all the Congregation and assembly yet people do not stir they are dead in their sins they cannot hear the Minister no it must be a louder voice and one that is more powerful and effectual unlesse the Lord come and bid a man beleeve he can never do it therefore John 5.26 See what Christ saith Verily I say unto you that the hour shall come when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God here comes an Almighty voice that speaks to the raising of a man out of the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse and faith and he shews that there is a voice of Christ that speaks to the soul that though the soul be dead yet it shall heare and live so Ephesians 5.14 and were it not for this call no man could beleeve That so they may have a ground

for their faith the soul cannot first beleeve and then come to the promise but the Lord brings the promise first and then makes the soul to beleeve he lets in the promise first and then causeth the soul to lay hold upon it the soul doth not first come and then look to the promise but the soul first looks upon the promise and then beleeves as you may see Psal 119.49 it is the speech of the Prophet David Remember thy Word O Lord wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust the Lord lets in a word of promise into Davids heart then caused him to hope in it and made him look upon it as a thing tendred and propounded to him and so made him relie upon it if it were not for this call of God who were able to beleeve for without this call the soul when it seeth its dulnesse and deadnesse and untowardnesse and unworthinesse it would go away it would say I cannot look to the promise I cannot do this and that and I have no faith and what have I to do with the promise therefore the Lord when he effectually calls a man he lets in the sight of his promises he holds forth his free and gracious promises so that now the soul can say the Lord calls me by his grace and though I be never so wretched and my heart be stark naught though I be as reprobate to every good word and work as the vilest in the world yet here is a free offer and I will relie upon it it is tendred unto me otherwise why should God propound it so freely why should he hold it forth so indifferently why should he confirm it with the blood of his own Son why should there be the Sacraments and so many Seals to establish the truth of it and why doth he propound it so freely to me when he looks upon the promise the promise makes him believe the freenesse of it the universality of it the indifferency of it to as many as will have it the Lord puts power into the promise to affect the heart fire the heart there is so much truth and goodness in the promise as is able to make the soul beleeve when God speaks it to the heart it is such a good promise and such a free promise and so Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus to all that do but rest upon it the Lord holds the promise before a mans eyes and saith here is a promise for thee beleeve here is mercy here is favour here is pardon here is peace here is Christ here is strength here is wisdome thou art a fool here is wisdome for thee to direct thee thou art weak here is strength for thee to enable thee do but rely upon me and thou shalt have it the soul doth not first believe the promise and then take it but the Lord first propounds the promise to the soul and makes the soul look up to God in his promise I am a vile sinner but with the Lord there is mercy and I have a cursed spirit within me but with the Lord there is power to subdue it the truth of the promise and the power of God going with it makes the soul beleeve it and this is the reason when God would renew the faith of his people he gives them as it were a new call and holds the promise afresh before them as Gen. 17.1 I am God alsufficient walk before me and be upright as who should say Abraham go not away from me go not any where else thou mayest have any thing in me I am God Almighty beleeve in me keep by me go not from me but walk before me all the dayes of thy life and I will be a God unto thee and in blessing I will blesse thee therefore Rom. 9.8 the people of God are called the children of promise because the promise breeds them and converts them and is the ground of all unto them they are the very children of the promise now here be three things I would shew unto you First why this act is attributed to the Father the Father speaks to the soul the soul hears it and so comes Secondly what speech this is which the soul hears and so comes to God by faith Thirdly how a man may know whither he hath heard this voice or no. First why this act is attributed to the Father Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father c. the Father speaks and the soul hears from the Father I answer First not as though Christ did not speak but he came to send them to to the Father go to him and hear him that is not the meaning of it no Christ cuts off all such thoughts in the next verse Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father c. not that any man hath seen the Father c. as who should say I do not mean that you should runne to the Father as though I were not able to teach you no man can go to the Father he dwells in light that is unaproachable no man can come to the Father but by me Mat. 11.27 All things are delivered to me of my Father c. you see here that is not the meaning of it Christ is a sufficient Doctor he is the great Prophet of his Church and is able to instruct his people therefore that is not the meaning of it Secondly not as though we should set up a conceited distinction of works in the Trinity as though a man should say now a man is under the work of the Father and then under the work of the Sonne and then under the work of the holy Ghost as some imagine sometimes the soul is under the work of the Father as when the soul doth not beleeve the Father draws it and pulls it and when it beleeves then it is under the work of the Sonne and he works upon the conscience and justifies and sanctifies it and afterwards it is under the work of the holy Ghost when it is sealed with the Spirit of promise these things are true yet this is not the meaning neither doth our Saviour Christ intend any such construction neither have we any warrant for any such distinction of works for as this act of drawing is here given to the Father so John 11. it is given to the Sonne When I am lifted up I will draw all men unto me and as we say the soul hears the Father so it heares the Son also John 5.25 so that these are but conceits and as the seal is given to the Spirit so it is given to the Father and the Son sometimes therefore to say that the soul is now under the work of the Father and now under the work of the Sonne and now under the work of the holy Ghost these things are not warrantable in Scripture but the meaning is this our Saviour meeting with the stubbornnesse of the Jews that would not believe but murmured and

great and convincing manner it speaks in a prevailing manner it speaks over and above all it speaks in a ravishing manner it makes the soule see a cornucopia of all good an abundant treasury of all mercy in the ways of God and in the promises of the Gospel it makes a man see that whatsoever the heart can wish and desire that is good it is there to be had and no where else to be attained it speaks in an uncontroulable manner to the soul that the soul can stand out no longer but must come off JOHN 6.35 He that cometh unto me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst WE have finished the first part of Effectual Calling and now we come to the second Namely the answer to this Call for this is the difference between effectual calling and that which is not effectual the one makes a man come and the other doth not now this coming is by faith and this we have here in the text He that cometh unto me c. Now before I come to handle this point I must premise something concerning faith Namely that it is not only a bare assent of the minde that all good things are in Christ but it is a confidence for the having of all the good things that are in him it is not only the first act of faith Namely an assent to the truths of the Gospel that God hath put all treasures of eternal life in his Son this I will not speak of because all both Papists and Protestants agree in this that faith is an assent of the minde this is a controversie on neither side therefore I will omit it But it is the second part or act of faith which is the believing that in the Lord Jesus Christ he shall have eternal life which is an act of the heart and this is that which I will stand upon it is a confidence in God and Christ for all good things when a man doth not only believe that all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ but when a man doth fiducially and confidencially bear himself and rest upon Christ for all these things he comes to Christ for all good he looks for this I will prove to be an act of a justifying faith and that I may not be mistaken I will distinguish There is a confidence in the power of God a natural man may believe the power of God and yet not have a justifying faith all that had miraculous faith did believe the power of God but the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13.2 If I had all faith that is all miraculous faith even to the removing of mountaines without charity it were nothing Secondly there is an unrooted confidence of the will which may be in a natural man as a natural man may believe that Christ is the only hope of Glory the only way the Truth and the Life the only one for whose sake he shall be accepted as he may assent to this so he may have a kinde of unrooted confidence in these things which may procure a great deal of peace to his conscience this is that which Divines call a temporary faith Mat. 13. for a time they do believe c. A natural man may not only believe Christ but believe in Christ in some sense truly he cannot but in an unrooted manner there may be such an act put forth though it be not rooted in the heart this you may see John 2.23 24. Many believed on Christ saith the text yet he would not commit himself unto them he would not trust them with mercy and grace and favour he would not trust them in regard of his own body and safety they were not right for all that and yet they did not only believe Christ but in some sense and in an unrooted manner they believed on Christ therefore there is not only a firme assent to the truth which may be in a natural man but also some kind of confidence Thirdly there is a presumptuous confidence in God and Christ for salvation which the workers of iniquity may have they may not only believe the general truths of the Gospel but have some kind of confidence in Christ though not so good as the former for that reformes a man and makes him follow Christ till persecution come and may be in persecution too till he be weary but this is not so good you shall have a drunkard a prophane person he hath confidence in Christ that God heares his prayers accepts his duties and will provide for him our Saviour Christ speaks of such Matth. 7.22 He tells us of many that shall be confident in him how they have done wonderful works in his Name and eate and drank in his presence and have heard him preach in their streets and yet are but workers of iniquity I do not mean this neither these are but false confidences Now there are two godly confidences gracious ones such as are only in Gods Elect and not in all Gods Elect neither but only in such as are effectually called and yet come not within this definition of faith The first is that full special perswasion of the heart a man may have true justifying faith though he never attaine to this for justifying faith is a confidence in Christ for justification now this special and full perswasion of the heart is not only an affiance in Christ for justification it doth not only apprehend Christ for justification but it apprehends justification it self now this must needs be after justifying a man must needs be justified before he can confidently apprehend justification he must first be justified before he can say he is justified the object must be before the act Thus it goeth justifying faith must needs be before justification and justification must be before the sense and feeling of justification before a man can feel and apprehend he is justified the cause goeth before the effect in order of nature for a man is justified by faith Now if a man know he is justified then the thing must be true before he knows it is so now here they differ that faith is a confident apprehending of Christ for justification and this full special perswasion of the heart is not only a confident apprehending of Christ for justification but an apprehending of justification it self Now true justifying faith may be without this Job 13.15 Though he kill me yet I will trust in him That is suppose that I were at an utter losse that I knew not whether God will slay me yet slay me or not slay me perish or not perish I will trust in him Imagine God deliver me up and will none of me yet though he kill me I will trust in him I do not say I am at this losse that he will kill me blessed be God I am not in this case but if I were at this losse that he would kill me for ought I knew yet I would trust in

him so that we see this confidence may be without this full perswasion of heart Secondly there is another good confidence that comes not within this definition of faith and that is a constant expectation and this is the daughter of faith Ephes 3.12 This confidence whereby the soul hopes in God differs from the confidence of faith for this confidence is an effect of faith it is by faith Now these two differ thus the confidence of hope is that which a man hath for the future having of those things that for the present a man believes now the confidence of faith is the confident apprehending of Christ for the having of them John 3.36 He that believeth in Christ hath eternal life he that believes in Christ hath a present possession of that he believes in Christ for eternal life is his for the present he hath present justification and acceptance with God and hath a title to all good and all the mercies of the Covenant of grace Now we come to prove this that this confidence is a true justifying faith and the Arguments to prove it are these and the first is taken from the several expressions of faith in Scripture Psal 78.22 it is called a trusting they believed not in God Why They trusted not in his salvation so that faith is a trusting in God when a man hath confidence in God and can fiducially leane upon God for all good things As Alexander trusted his Physician when his Physician gave him a Potion before he took it a friend of his wrote unto him do not take the Potion the man is set to poyson you if you take it you are a dead man he read the letter and then took the Potion and then gave the letter to the Physician and said I have trusted to your faithfulness and cast my self upon you if you have given me poyson you have killed me you see by the letter I have witness of it but I trust you and suppose you have not done it So faith is a trusting upon God when the soul resolves to follow God in all wayes and when the world and the flesh come in and object if you be so strict and follow these courses you will undo your self and be laughed at and loose your friends your very living depends upon such a course and you will be a begger and will never have any delight you are given to pleasure and laughter but all these must be gone farewell all carnal pleasure Well but the soul now believes in God God bids him come to him for comfort for friends for delight for pleasure for the satisfaction of all his desires and he shall want no manner of good he trusts upon this and he will never leave God never leave his wayes this is rooted in him and now he can go to God and say the Devil told me I should loose my friends and I should never have comfort never be able to live my flesh and my own heart said so but I have trusted thee and if friends go so farewell friends if means go so farewell them I am told so flesh and blood say so but I believe in thee is eternal life and in thee is all peace and happinesse and comfort and this is that which drawes me to thee and keeps me to thee and I rest upon thee for all good thus you see that faith must be an affiance in God because it is a trusting in God Secondly it is called a relying upon God as Asa when the Aethiopians and Lubims came against him the Scriptures shewes that he believed in God now mark how the Scripture expresseth his faith 2 Chro. 16.8 Because thou didst relie upon the Lord therefore he delivered them into their hands May be the world might tell him what do you think to overcome these enemies with strictness and fasting and praying You had more need make a league with the King of Syria and take some other course but he relied upon God and if he failed him he failed him he would relie upon him and therefore faith must needs be an affiance in God Thirdly faith is called a staying upon God when a man stayes himself upon God Isa 50.10 there faith is expressed by staying a mans self upon God He that sitteth in darkness and seeth no light let him trust in the Lord and stay himself upon his God It is a similitude taken from a staffe and old man that dares not trust to his own legs but thinks I shall fall and get some mischiefe he takes a staffe and stayes himself upon it now is this all that he looks upon that he conceives the staffe is able to bear him so a man that hath no staffe knows that such a staffe is able to beare him that is not the thing but this man doth not only believe the staffe is able to beare him but he commits himself unto it and leanes upon it and if he falls he is content he laies the bulk of his body upon the staffe and dares leane upon it so it is with faith it is not only an assent to this that God is wise and omnipotent and gracious and an hearer of prayers and that he comforts them that mourne for sinne and satisfies them that hunger for righteousnesse he not only believes there is a Christ and salvation in him he not only assents to these things but he staies upon them and commits himself to them Fourthly it is expressed by a mans rolling himself upon God Psal 37.5 We translate the words Commit thy way unto the Lord but in the Originall it signifieth to roll a mans way upon God so Psal 22.8 He trusted God would deliver him it is the same word is used here he rolled himself upon God this is a similitude taken from a Cart-wheele that rolls it self about the Axeltree and staies it self upon it and helps it self in its motion it could not move but for that and by vertue of that it moves to and fro So this is true faith not only when a man assents to the promises of God but rolls himself upon God moves his soul upon Christ and commits himself unto Christ in all his wayes Fifthly faith is expressed by adherence and sticking unto God Psal 119.31 I have stuck unto thy Commandements Lord put me not unto confusion as who should say Lord here I hang here I hold here I will stick fast I will ever fear thee I will ever obey thee here I hang and hold and will keep my hold Lord put me not to confusion that is Lord I hope thou wilt do as thou hast spoken Lord let me not be confounded let me not be scoffed at in the world if I be put to shame I am confounded doth this man now only believe the promises in general No but he relieth upon these promises he dares go and take this Bear by the tooth and dares venter upon those harsh duties that are crosse to

of union it is such a faith as unites a man to God and Christ and in him to God the Apostle saith 1 John 5.20 We know that we are in him that is true his meaning is we are in him by faith that is we have such a kinde of faith whereby we do not only assent to him that he is the Sonne of God and all things are true that are spoken of him but we are in him we are in him that is true that is we are united to him and 2 Cor. 17.5 Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature and Paul saith of Andronicus and Junia they were in Christ before him Rom. 16 7. So Christ is said to be in them Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you except you be reprobates it is the faith of union He that hath the Sonne hath life 1 John 5.12 That is he that believes in the Sonne of God that is so believes that he hath him and is united to him that man hath life and none else so that it is a faith of union that justifies a man not as though faith of it self doth this for its own worthinesse as though it were able to unite a man to Christ it is only by vertue of Gods Ordinance that faith unites a man to Christ God of his infinite mercy and goodnesse hath appointed faith to be such a thing that upon putting forth of that act he shall presently have relation to Christ and Communion with him by grace are we saved through faith saith the Apostle we are saved through faith but not for any worthinesse of faith but by grace this is the thing the Lord hath appointed such a kinde of faith shall justifie as shall unite a man to Jesus Christ Nay if faith did not do this faith could not justifie and sanctifie and purifie and intitle a man to Heaven for it doth all these by vertue of union first it unites a man to Christ and makes Christ one with him and him one with Christ and so he comes to have right and title to all the merits and all the good things that come by Christ so then if thou hast not this faith of union though thou hast all faiths besides historical faith temporary faith and if it were possible miraculous faith Nay if thou hadst ten thousand thousand faiths more if it were possible yet if thou hast not such a faith as to be united to Christ thou art in thy sins and art under the law and under the curse of the law and under Gods justice if thou shouldest pray never so much and give thy body to be burned yet if thou do not dwell in Christ and Christ in thee if thou be not one with Christ and Christ one with thee thou art nothing but as sounding Brasse and as a tinkling Cymball though thou hast been a professor these twenty yeares together and hast been taken for a godly man through Town and Countrey yet if thou art not in Christ thou art● still in thy sins faith doth unite a man to Christ through the Ordinance of God by the Grace of God it doth unite a man to Christ 1 John 4.15 wha● confession doth the Apostle meane there Only a confession of historica faith when a man believes that God is so and so and confesseth him No the Apostle expounds himself 1 John 3.24 as who should say it is such a faith as wholly resignes a man unto God to be ruled and guided by him as well as saved by him it is such a faith as makes a man with minde and heart and will and all that is in a man to cast himself upon Christ so that all obedience and all conformity to the Sonne of God will follow he that hath this faith to keep his Commandements dwelleth in God and God in him Now what kinde of faith can this be can it be only the act of the minde whereby a man believes all the truths concerning Christ doth this unite a man to Christ It were blasphemy to say so for by this Argument the union between Christ and a true believer were no better then the union between a true believer and the Devil because a true believer believes all the truths and assents unto them that God hath spoken concerning the Devil as well as concerning Christ this doth not unite a man there is a kinde of union indeed in the minde but that union is only notional and intentional and rational as for example when I think of an horse or a tree there is an union of the tree with my minde for the tree is in my minde in the notion of it but this is a bare intentional and simple union the maine union of all is in the heart when the heart is united to a thing an heavenly minded man he may have an union of his understanding with the things of this world he may understand carnal men understand their courses and wayes and there is a notional intentional union with these things in his understanding but he is not truly united to those courses except his heart be set upon those courses then he takes them up so untill the heart is set upon Christ a man is never heavenly never godly never a true Christian till he is thus united into Christ Nay I will tell you more and I will prove it and it is a thing to be considered that were it possible Suppose God should reveal he might if he would to any man that he is elected before he is converted Suppose this I do not say God doth thus to any of his Elect but suppose an Elect man that is yet unconverted and yet out of Christ he is a natural man and yet an elected man Suppose I say God should reveal to this man thou art elected to eternal life I have intended from all eternity to give my Son to thee all his merits and death and passion I have intended them to thee and I have intended thou shalt have fellowship with him God reveales this and the man firmly assents to the authority of the speaker that he is elected to eternal life doth this faith justifie a man A man is in his sins yet for all this though he knoweth and God hath revealed such a thing to him that he hath intended Christ to him as long as he hath not revealed that he is in Christ this doth not put him into Christ this sheweth him that he shall be in Christ but this act of believing doth not put him into Christ therefore the children of God that are converted and are believers and can believe that God hath elected them and eternally intended Christ to them this act of their faith doth not justifie them this only is an act to know that they are justified already and converted already I will shew you an excellent place for this 2 Tim. 1.12 For which cause saith the Apostle I also suffer these things for I know in whom I have believed and that

he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Mark here I know in whom I have believed there is the act of faith I have believed in him he expounds himself there he means I have commited my self to him all I have all I am this was the act of justification and intitling him unto him but now saith he I know this this is an act of assurance whereby he reflects upon himself that God was his God and intended to save him but this was not the thing that justified him No I believe on him and committed my self unto him and I know this this act is but the knowledge of a mans justifying faith and not the thing it self For the use of the point here First we see that it is no absurdity to say that true justifying faith is in the heart as well as in the minde many good Divines as Master Perkins say that faith is only in the minde and this is the opinion of the Papists also the reason why good Divines say so is because they do make faith to be the full perswasion of a man that God hath intended Christ to him particularly but this is not an act of a justifying faith but comes after it it is a consequent of it The reason why the Papists say so is this because they hold that a justifying faith is nothing else but a firme assent of the minde to the general promises of the Gospel and in particular the promise of the forgivenesse of sinnes in and through the Lord Jesus Christ generally taken they say this is a true faith now when we say this may be a dead faith 't is true say they therefore a man is quickened and enlivened by charity and good works so that this faith and good works will justifie a man but this is Antichristian leaven but I say that true justifying faith is not in the mind only but in the heart also Object But you will say is it not absur'd that one grace should be in two powers of the soul that it should stand stradling like a colosse with one foot in the minde and another in the heart Answ 1. I answer it is but a conceit for ought we know we can have no Answ 1 firme ground for it that the understanding and will are two several powers of the soul really and distinct many good Divines both Protestants and Papists deny it as Scaliger and others But they are two several offices of one and the self-same soul the self-same soul able to understand is called the understanding and the self-same soul able to will is called the will the self-same soul is able to understand and will 2. But suppose that the understanding and the will were really different one from another yet I say it is not properly to be said that faith is either in the understanding or in the will but it is properly in the soul of a man the reason is because faith is an act of the new nature a believer is born of God 1 Joh. 5.1 and regeneration or the new nature is not in the understanding or will only but the whole soul is regenerate the very soul hath a new nature I do not remember that Aquinas speaks of regeneration but only in this place and he saith that regeneration is in the soul and the soul is regenerated not as though the substance of the soul were altered but this new nature is as deeply rooted in the soul as the understanding and will it self as it is with the old nature in a man unconverted this old nature moves the understanding to think of worldly things and savour them and moves the will and affections to love worldly things and go after them the old nature moves both minde and will to go this way the old nature is the inclination of a man to the world to the creature to the things of this life now when the new nature comes in and a man is renewed this new nature inclines the minde to minde Jesus Christ and inclines the will to affect Jesus Christ and moves all the soul to go that way so that the very soul is renewed and faith is as deeply rooted in the soul as any thing else Nay as low as the very faculties themselves in some sence for it reacheth so far forth as to move them after Christ and this faith puts forth the mind to assent to the truths of the Gospel and puts forth the will to relie upon Christ Thirdly the Scripture plainly seates faith in the heart as well as in the minde Rom. 10.10 With the heart a man believeth unto righteousnesse neither may a man say that the heart is put for the whole soul of a man it is not put for the will the text plainly shewes he meanes the will because the Apostle puts the believing with the heart to distinguish this faith from all other to exclude hypocrisie and all counterfeit faith for an hypocrite may confesse with his tongue he may have braine faith and notional faith so much as to work upon the outward man but with the heart a man believeth unto righteousnesse if it be a sincere cordial faith as he notionally believes these truths so his heart runnes after them and is set upon them and this is unto righteousnesse so when the Ennuch had asked Philip for baptisme I am a believer and what lets but I may be baptized saith he if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest As who should say thou saiest thou art a believer but take heed do not deceive thy soul may be thou hast an intellectual faith but is it an heart faith Nay thou maiest have some kinde of cordial faith a temporary faith but doest thou believe with all thine heart Doest thou place all thine heart upon Christ Doest thou place all thy ends and aimes upon Christ Doest thou so reach thy self forth to Christ that in all things Christ have the preheminence Doest thou wholly resigne thy self up unto Christ minde and heart and all that is in thee If thou believest with all thine heart I dare be bold to baptize thee and seale thee up unto eternal life so that the Scripture makes faith to be not only an assent of the mind but an affiance of the heart in Christ Fourthly it is no absurdity to say that faith is in the heart and in severall powers of the soul because faith is such a thing as must purifie the whole man and all the powers of the soul it justifies and sanctifies the whole man it is faith that reneweth the whole man therefore no wonder it is such a thing that the whole man must put forth it self in it is like leaven Matth. 13.33 That leaveneth the whole lump so faith is such a thing that he which hath it purifieth himself himself is the agent all himself is the patient all himself is set to strive against sin and to please God and to draw the whole

man to God his whole self is both the agent and the patient faith comes in to justifie the whole man and sanctifie the whole man and renew the whole man therefore no wonder it is such an act as the whole man doth put forth not only the mind by assenting but the heart by relying and the affections by placing themselves upon God Fifthly there be abundance of graces besides faith that are in all the powers of the soul as livelihood is in the whole and unblameablenesse 1 Thess 5.23 and perseverance is in the whole man so that the mind must not only persevere in saving knowledge but the heart also in saving confidence perseverance runs through all the soul and why not faith many graces have a complext and compounded nature in one regard they may be said to be in the minde in another in the heart in another in the memory in another in the affections in another in the body so it is with faith in one regard in regard of assent it is in the mind in regard of confidence and affiance it is in the will Here we see that though faith be sure of salvation and justification in regard of the event yet it is not alwayes sure of it in regard of sense and feeling for true faith is not the apprehending of salvation it self but the apprehending of Christ for salvation when a man placeth all his affiance in Christ and all the good he looks for spiritual good temporal good help comfort meanes and maintenance and particularly the pardon of his sinnes this is justifying faith though for sense and feeling there is much uncertainty faith is certaine for the event the man that believes is justified and shall be sanctified and saved but in regard of sense and feeling it is not alwayes certaine Joh. 3.15 He doth not say whosoever believes he shall have eternal life hath it but whosoever believes in me he shall have it though he be afraid he shall not have it yet if he believes in me he shall have it certainly if with heart and minde and soul and all he resigne up himself to me to be guided and ruled by me in all his wayes if he commits himself to me he shall have eternal life may be he is afraid he shall not have it a man hath that affiance in Christ that is confident in Christ for salvation and commits himself to Christ for all his comfort and hope and stay and is fully resolved by the Grace of God never to leave him he is inwardly purposed never to forsake him he will ever set himself to please him he will ever follow his Commandements and ever strive against his corruptions and whereas he may be tempted to be carried from him he hath an inward principle in his soul for a rule which he goeth by that he must please God and not man there is an inward rule rooted in his soul that thus it is and this man commits himself to Christ for audience in his prayers for acceptance in his duties for the resisting of his corruptions and for the salvation of his soul when he dieth and for the comfortable resurrection of his body at the last day yet notwithstanding this man would give a world to be assured of Gods favour though he casts himself upon God for it and commits himself and betrusts himself with Jesus Christ he doth so believe in him that he dares follow him in all his wayes and he dares cast himself upon him whatsoever it will cost me I will follow Christ may be it may cost me the ill will of my friends may be of my husband may be it may cost me the ill will of all the Countrey yet that way I will walk though it cost me fire and faggot may be I shall be persecuted and imprisoned it is no matter here is eternal life and no where else here I come for it and here I trust that Christ will give it to me it is he only that can help me he only that can give me audience in prayer he only can bring me to acceptance in heaven here I come to him for it and cast my self upon him in all my wayes yet may be this man would give a world for this favour that he hath committed himself to Christ for he would give all the world to the shirt upon his back that he had the sense and feeling of it many times between hope and despaire he even staggers and knows not what to think yet he will cast himself upon Christ and trust to him yet he hath much ado to believe certainly there is a great deal of feares and doubtings in his faith the reason is when a man hath trusted in Christ and lookes upon his faith he shall finde may be such strength of worldly allurements such yieldings to the assents of the flesh and himself sometimes foiled with a paultry and petty lust he shall finde such a deal of deadnesse and so much untowardnesse and such a company of corruptions marching before him that he is afraid 't is true I have cast my self upon Christ but I doubt my faith is not of the right stamp not as though a man can believe in hugger mugger and a man knows not what he doth for a man sees it and knows it for the spirit of a man knows what is in him ask the man Sir do you not do thus and thus Yes have you not these and these workings in you he cannot deny it do you not hate your self for every sinne you know and do you not know your own sinnes and do you not grieve to see what a vile creature you are do you not labour after more sincerity in your wayes and more quickning in good duties He cannot deny but he hungers after these things and do you not still follow Christ and cleave still to Christ and do you not still labour to deny your selfe He cannot but confesse it why then you have faith 't is true saith he I go out of my self but it is I know not how I am at this passe if I perish I perish here I stick and here I wil adhere but yet I fear I am not right the Scripture saith true faith doth thus and thus and thus but here I see such a corruption so strong and such a lust so mighty I say true faith may be without sense and feeling of it there may be much feare and trembling in regard of assurance of salvation though a man do truly and confidently cast himself upon Christ and I will prove this unto you by five Arguments First the event is not the object of a justifying faith that a man shall be justified sanctified and saved this is the event of a justifying faith that he lookes for Now the object of a justifying faith is not the event that it shall fall out thus with him he commits this to God he believes in the general that all that believe shall be saved and

committed against this made sin appear unto him in the very life of it therefore in the 13. vers of this Chapter the Apostle saith Sin that it might appear sin wrough● death in me that sin might be out of measure sinful by the commandment that is when the commandment comes and is manifested to the soul it makes the life of sin appear the life of sin is then manifested the Law of God like a glasse doth shew the life of the Commandment and the very nature of all sinning and transgressing Now before the Law came thus home unto him he could not thus see sin he could say he was a sinner and had committed these and these sins But what these sins were and the exceeding sinfulnesse of these sins he did not see that He had a dead kind of picture of his sins before but the life thereof was not manifested but the Law of God did make his sin revive and made him see his sins in the life of them 2. Secondly There is the life of Irritation as I may so call it or of itching and egging a man This is another life of sin whereby it is full of Operation and Working in the Soul The Operation of a thing is the life of a thing Now before the Commandment came sin seemed dead it wrought indeed many evils in him but he did not think his heart had been so full of life and so full of activity against Gods Law and commandments Sin seemed to lye dead before but now when the Commandment came and set upon his heart and began to charge him with better Obedience now his heart grew itching and marvellous full of life unto lust Hereupon sin egged him the more on to lust It is like water when a man goes about to stop it it runs the more violently So it is with sin in the heart the more the Law of God goes about to stop it and hinder it the more eager it is and the more full of life and working as the Apostle speaks vers 8. Without the Law sin was dead there was no such working of sin in my mortal body then but vvhen the Commandment came vvhen the Lavv vvas charged upon my heart then sin took occasion hereby to be the more violent and vvork in me all manner of Concupiscence before I committed sin vvithout any check I had vain thoughts and foolish courses and many a lust in my soul and I vvent to it as if it had been a good thing not as if it had been evil But vvhen the Lavv of God came to shevv me the slacknesse of my Obedience and to controle me and convince me and to stop the course of sin it vvrought all manner of Concupiscence in me it vvrought before in Paul for it vvrought all his security and all his hardnesse of heart and all his vain thoughts and imaginations but this vvas but a dead kind vvorking in comparison of that which it wrought after the commandment came There are none that have such active Rebellions against the Law and Commandment of God as those to whom the Law comes it eggs a man forward and makes him itch unto Rebellion If a man had asked Paul before whether he had such a divelish heart against God he saw no such matter he never meant God any hurt when he went on in his course he thought not that he was so stubborn and Rebellious he did not feel this stubbornnesse and rebellion But when the Law came once it shewed him the venome and cursed nature of his sins 3. The Third life of sin is the worst of all and that is the life of Imputation for here sin is so full of life that it is not only able to discover unto him that he is a sinful wretch and an abominable creature but to bind him over to wrath and send him to Hell and everlasting destruction Now it is the Law of God that discovers this life of sin before the Law comes a man hath many vain hopes that God is merciful and Christ died for sinners and that God will forgive him his sins he doth not see the imputation of sin the imputation of sin lying upon the Soul is not clearly discovered before the Law come for where there is no Law there is no imputation of sin Rom. 5.13 there saith the Apostle Vnto the time of the Law was sin in the world but sin is not imputed while there is no Law Before the Law is charged upon the heart the heart never dreams of the imputation of sin as if he should answer for sin and be damned for sin for ever He thought the contrary before but now the Law discovers the life of sin unto him and sin revives and appears to have life to damn him for evermore Sin now appears to have life to cast him off from God and to bind him over to Everlasting vengeance Thus it was with Paul when the Commandment came sin revived I saw sin was alive indeed and I saw the life of Aggravation I saw the hellish nature of sin it was painted out to the full I saw the life of Irritation I saw the infinite egging and itching of sin how it did work in me I saw the life of imputation how all my sins were imputed unto me and did all lye upon my conscience and so sin revived that is the meaning Now for the meaning of the Second word I dyed that is I saw I was a dead man I saw plainly and clearly that I was but a dead man I thought I was alive before because I did good duties and walked in the Ordinances of God and I thought that I might go for a Christian and Servant of God as well as another I did not think I was a dead man I thought I had some goodnesse in me some hope of eternal life in me I did not conclude that I was a dead man But when the Law of God humbled me and discovered my estate plainly unto me then I saw I was a dead man indeed my heart failed me and the livelyness that was in me before departed from me I saw I was a dead man and had not the Spirit of Christ come and quickned me I had been a dead man to all eternity I now saw that sin began to revive in me and I began to be a dead man Thus we see the meaning of the words Now the Theame I propounded to you was this namely how the Lord converts the will and the first work that prepares a man hereunto is the work of pulling down the vvill and the pulling down of a mans heart for the will of a man is full of obstinacy full of livelinesse against the truth and commandment of God full of livelinesse in sin and conceives it self to be in a better estate and condition and so the will is obstinate still Now when it pleaseth God to convert a man first he pulls down the will of a man and pulls down his spirit now here is

and hath made him a begger it seems that Christ is anointed to preach mercy to such a one it seems that such a one is the formal Object of the Gospel See Psal 147.2 He gathers the out-casts of Israel when the Law hath made a man an out-cast it seems he is the formal Object of mercy The Gospel undertakes to gather such people so far lost The Son of man is come to save that which is lost Mat. 18.11 he is come for that purpose it is his Commission he is sent to save that which is lost when the Law hath made a man to be a lost man that he seeth he is utterly undone without mercy Christ is come to save such people and to look upon them as the formal Object of mercy So for death it self when a man is made dead by the Law The houre shall come saith our Saviour and now is that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that do hear it shall live Joh. 5.25 It seems that the Scripture makes such as are made dead by the Law and poor and blind and naked and wretched and miserable by reason of the Law being pressed upon them and pulling them down with terrour and conviction it seems such a one is the formal Object of mercy such a one to whom mercy is promised I do not mean that he is the formal Object of the invitations of the Gospel that is most certain there is no question of that Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and you shall find rest to your souls Come unto me all you that are poor and blind and naked and dead and I will give you life have you a hard heart that you cannot free your selves from come unto me and I will free you from it have you no power to repent and believe come unto me and take mercy upon my terms and believe in me whatsoever weaknesse is in you I will strengthen you whatever discomforts and wants lye upon you I will relieve and chear you This is certain the more a man seeth himself a dead man the more he is the formal Object of the invitation of the Gospel But the Question is Whether he is the formal Object of the promises of the Gospel I Answer No There is a great deal of difference between legal Privations and these Privations as they are Evangelical as the Gospel makes them before it quickens a man there is a great deal of difference between a man that is dead and poor and blind and naked and miserable by reason of the Law and a man that hath these privations wrought in him by the power of the Gospel when a man is made dead by the Law and sees himself a lost creature by reason that the Law plainly shews him his estate and condition this man may be a Reprobate for all this and go to hell there is no promise in the Word that God will quicken him and raise him up Christ is free from any promise in this kind he may quicken him if he will and not quicken him if he please I may say in this sense as Christ himself saith Joh. 5. The Son of man quickens whom he will He is free to quicken whom he will though a man be made a dead man by the Law and cry out he is a dead man and a damned man though he hath the works of the Law and be terrified and gastered and humbled by the Law yet Christ is free from any promise he hath made to these people there is never a Promise in all the Word that Christ hath bound himself by to these people to quicken them they cannot say there is such a Promise in the Word that Christ shall quicken them There are plain places in the Scripture wherein the Lord invites such people upon condition they will come and believe and submit to the Gospel there is a conditional invitation upon these terms But that these People shall be quickned and shall have eternal Life given them there in no such Promise the Lord is free the Lord hath not bound himself to it but when a man is dead according as the Gospel makes a man dead before it quickens him and when a man is poor according as the Gospel makes him poor and when a man is blind according as the Gospel makes him blind now a man is within the compasse of Gods Promises he is one that is the formal Object of Mercy he is one that shall have Mercy and shall have Salvation and Redemption by Jesus Christ these dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall live the tongue of these stammerers shall speak plain the eyes of these blind shall see these out-casts shall be gathered these naked shall be cloathed these lost shall be found these poor shall be enriched when a man is dead so as the Gospel deads a man before it quickens a man for the Lord damns a man before he saves a man and kills a man before he quickens him like a good Surgeon that cuts before he cures or like a good Physician that kills a man almost with Physick so the Lord doth bring a man to deaths door before he quickens him it is the Gospel that truly humbles him and works these Privations and now he is within the compasse of the Promise now he hath a Promise that he shall be quickned and have supply in regard of all these Privations but so long as these Privations are only legal he hath no Promise that he shall be quickned for many are humbled and made dead as it were by the Law and yet shake it off again and go to their profits and pleasures and delights and hardnesse of heart again many a man hath been gastered by the Law and cryed out of his damned estate and condition and yet hath got up again and recovered himself by the world and the things of the world and it was ever so of old as we may see in Cain the Law had discovered him to himself to be a dead man and a damned man I see my sins are greater then can be forgiven or are forgiven or shall be forgiven he saw his punishment was intolerable his condemnation was more then he was able to bear From thy presence am I cast out and a Vagabond shall I be upon the face of the earth Gen. 4.14 Yet he was not the formal Object of Mercy the Gospel did not quicken him nor convert him he was not the formal Object of Mercy for he shook off these terrours again as we may see in the very same Chapter and went to building of Cities and inventing of Musick and other Arts and Sciences and this quickned and revived him again but he never came to true Life So it is with many men though they be terrified and gastered and humbled and cast down by the Law yet they get up again and run after the world and after security and

similitude and makes them like to himself Fifthly This is the Image of God in Jesus Christ who is the express image of his Father he is the pattern after which this frame is made nay God did order it should be so from eternity Rom. 8.29 Whom he did fore know he did predestinate that they should be conformed to the image of his Son 'T is true this similitude is not presently made out it is but by halves as it were it is but a poor first draught and never perfect in this life but it shall be made perfect 1 Joh. 3.2 3. We know when he appears we shall be like him and shall see him as he is then we shall be perfectly like him and see him as he is and know him as he is as Paul saith Col. 3.2 3. You are dead and your life is hid in Christ c. Here the work is hardly come to its glory there is a great deal of basenesse and old rubbish still but it shall be glorious before God hath done it shall come to be perfect then in the mean time it is but by degrees but the work of regeneration puts a man to go to Christ and believe in Christ You that follow me in Regeneration c. saith our Saviour Matth. 19.28 When a man is regenerate regeneration puts a frame into a mans heart to be like unto Christ and to follow his steps and his example that as he hath done so he may do more and more this is the work of regeneration That the Spirit of God works in Gods people conforming them to the Image of Christ Yea Regeneration doth more than repair a man more than reduce a man to that estate wherein he was in Adam's loins before the Fall it is the ingrafting of a man into Christ and the estating a man into the Merits and Priviledges of the Lord Jesus Christ it is a greater matter then the bare restoring of a man to that which he lost it is the restoring of a man to a better estate this differences it from Sanctification Thus we see what Regeneration is Now the Second Thing is Why it is so called Why this same blessed work of the renewing of the whole man after the Image of God in Christ Jesus is called Regeneration There be Two Reasons of it First To shew us how marvellously we are corrupt by Nature Until the Spirit of God take us in hand a man is quite rotten there is no soundnesse left there is nothing in him will serve it is not a little melting will serve the turn it is not a little plaistering or patching or piecing will do the deed though there be a thousand changes in a man yet if a man be not another man if he be not a new creature it is to no effect it will never bring a man into the kingdom of God what saith Christ Joh. 3.3 Verily verily I say unto thee Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God As who should say Verily verily I say unto thee a man is all to shatters all to pieces all rotten and unlesse he be born again and made a new creature it is impossible he should enter into the kingdom of God though a man be never so much altered he is not in the estate of Grace till he be a new man till the Lord hath given him a new frame and a new inclination except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God he cannot see the kingdom of Grace that is the first dowry of the kingdom of Grace to give a man a new Being that he never had before a natural man is just like an old rotten house that hath not one piece that will serve the turn but a man that will make it an habitable house must take it all down to the ground and build it up from the ground so it is here there is not one piece will serve the turn though ye see admirable things in men though they seem excellent in the eyes of men yet they will not serve the turn they are rotten and stark naught there is an absence of all Good Rom. 7.18 Nay besides there is an universal indisposition in a man like to a thing that is all rotten and marred and can never be made up again except it be made spick and span new and so it is with a man he is altogether corrupt as the Prophet speaks Isa 1. from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head nothing but bruises and putrified soars take a man that is never so civil and of fair carriage so long as he is not a new creature this is nothing for the entring into the kingdom of God and being amiable in his sight Nay Gen. 6.5 the Text saith The thoughts of the heart of man are only evil continually there is nothing sound in a man though he daily think of Grace and think of God his thoughts cannot be said to be good for the mind whereby he thinks of these things is rotten and unsavory though he speaks of never so good things the same things the Saints of God speak of though he doth the same actions the people of God do though he hears the same VVord and receives the same Sacraments he cannot do them aright they are abomination in Gods sight therefore when God regenerates a man he must make him another man then he was before This speaks natures corruption Secondly Because the things of Regeneration are admirably set out by way of this similitude Natural Generation is generally sweetly answered in this VVork of Regeneration First As a man cannot come into the World without Parents but he must have a Father to beget him so it is in this new Birth as in the other there was an earthly Father so here is an heavenly Father as the Author to the Hebrews speaks Heb. 12.9 How much rather shall we be subjected to the Father of Spirits There are two Fathers an earthly Father the Father of the natural and corrupt man and God the Father of our Spirits that is the Father of our spiritual Nature as many excellent Divines do expound it though it may be expounded the Father of our Souls yet this is more likely because here is an opposition between the Father of the Flesh and the Father of the Spirits God himself is the Father of this new work Secondly Here is a Mother too That Jerusalem which is from above is the Mother of them all they are all Zions Children here is the Womb that these new creatures lye in Christs Spouse the Lambs wife is their Mother though the world hate them and her too yet they love her nay though the woman be thrown out into the wilderness yet their hearts run after her the Regenerate only are the true born this is their Mother Thirdly As it is in the Natural Birth There is a shaping in the Womb before

there is a coming into life so it is here as the Apostle saith there is a conceiving of a man in the womb before he is Gal. 4.19 My little Children of whom I travel in Birth till Christ be formed in you There is the Conception 't is true wicked men have many Conceptions but they do not bring forth Christ is not formed in them they may have many stirrings that way but they perish in the Birth but Zion travels and brings forth Children Isa 66.8 Fourthly Again As it is in the Natural Birth None is brought forth without the pains of travel So there be pains in this new Birth legal terrours which the Reprobate are killed with and die under but the godly come forth from under them safe and bettered Fifthly Again As it is in the first Birth the Child that is born and comes into the world he comes from no Being to a Being from no Existency to an Existency so it is here in this new Birth those which were no people are now made the people of God those that had no being in Christ now have a being in him they are come into a new world into a new heaven and a new earth others live in this world but they live in a new world Sixthly Again As it is in the first Birth A man comes to have Children to have Brothers and Sisters so in this Birth a man comes to have new Kindred all the Godly in the world are of his Consanguinity though they be counted the Puritans of the Parish yet they are of his bloud and Christ himself is their Brother and Abraham is their Father under God and Sarah is their Mother there is a new Kindred Indeed here is the difference that the Children of the first Birth they are visible and their lives and courses are visible and their alliance and kindred is visible and all that they are and do is visible but the Children of the second Birth are not visible indeed their persons are visible as well as others but their life is an invisible thing their excellency their glory this new creature in them this is invisible it is like that River in Spain which runs fourteen miles under ground whence they have a Proverb That the Bridge over the River is fourteen miles long So there is a River in Surry that is just the like it runs under the ground invisible they cannot see it so these new creatures they cannot be seen their lives run under ground their lives are hidden with God indeed their persons and outward actions and courses may be seen nay wicked men may do those very outward actions which they do they may Pray together with them and come to Church together with them but this new workmanship they cannot see that runs along under ground the world seeth it not neither can they know it because they know not Christ the Author of it Thus we see the second thing namely Why it is so called Now the Third Thing is Wherein this blessed Work doth consist and it consists in Two Things Joh. 1.12 The Evangelist saith To as many as received him he gave power to become the Sons of God Here be Two Things and both these Regeneration consists of First A Passive receiving of Christ Whosoever receives him Secondly An Active Title to God as to a Father They have power to become the Sons of God First A Passive receiving of Christ To as many as received him for he came to his own and they received him not his own even his own Elect would not receive him till he made them receive him but as many as received him as many as were made passively to receive him did receive him also actively so that this word implyes the Passive receiving of Christ for there is none can receive any thing except it be given him from above Joh. 3.27 That is except there be first a passive reception of it It is a strange phrase N● man can receive Christ till Christ is first received of him he can never take Christ till Christ come into him till Christ ingraft himself into him and him into Christ this is an act of God it is a passive receiving of Christ the reason is because all the Graces and all the Activity of Gods people flowes from this their Faith and all for Faith is an act which receives from the passive receiving of Christ as Paul speaks to the Colossians ●s you have received Christ so walk in him Faith receives Christ that is an active receiving of Christ but there was a passive receiving of Christ first for a man is in Christ first in a passive manner before he is in him in an active manner Christ hath taken him already before he can take Christ actually This is the first Thing wherein this work of Regeneration consists The Passive receiving of Christ Secondly It consists in having an active power and title to become a Son of God together with Jesus Christ These are the Two Things wherein Regeneration consists I know many Divines branch it otherwise and make Regeneration to consist otherw●●e First Of Mortification Secondly Of Vivification First Of Mortification Whereby the Spirit kills the Lusts of the Flesh more as Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but ●● ye through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the Flesh ye shall live Mark here is Mortification and it is done by the Spirit if you through the spirit mortifie the deeds of the body Secondly There is Vivification that is when a man doth not only die unto sin but rise up again to a new life Rom. 6.11 Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the other work of Vivification when a man is made alive unto God and is made able by the spirit of God to be alive unto God and to wind himself out of death into life by the spirit of the holy One. These be the Two Parts whereof many Divines make Regeneration to consist of but though they beat at the same thing yet I rather make them the Effects and Consequents of Regeneration as flowing from Regeneration this passive work goeth before a man never goeth on in mortifying the works of the Flesh and never raiseth himself up to this heavenly life till he be Regenerated so that regeneration is the first ingrafting of a man into Christ whereby he is alive that he may do all these things it is a power put into him whereby he may believe and repent so that Believing and Repentance and Mortification and Vivification are acts of the new creature a man must therefore be a new creature first now this is by Regeneration so that Regeneration consists only of these Two Things First Of a passive receiving of Christ the Son of God Secondly In having a title to be the Son of God and Regeneration doth not only bring a relative

the living God the celestial Jerusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first born which are written in heaven You are come he speaks of a spiritual coming by Faith So that this putting into the Body of Christ is by Faith Then in the Third place It makes a man have a common life with all the rest of the Members of Jesus Christ As you may see Col. 3.4 When Christ which is our life shall appear ye also shall appear with him in glory Christ who is our life We that are the people of God Christ is our life we have one and the self-same life all one and the self-same minde in the wayes of God As it is said Act. 4.32 The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul all the people of God in the whole world would quickly be acquainted if they were brought together for they are all of one and the self-same disposition and mind As our Saviour speaks to his Father Joh. 17.21 That they all may be one as thou art in me and I in thee so that all they may be one in us As the Three Persons in the blessed Trinity are three distinct Persons and yet are all one so in some sense the Members of the Body of Christ though they be of several callings and conditions in the world yet they are all one that they may be all one as we are one vers 21. They all live by the same rule and walk by the same rule they are all guided by the same Word and swayed by the same Commandment they all walk in one Way they all Pray by one and the self-same Spirit they have a life that is common look as one lives so lives another look as one repents so another repents look as one believes so another believes and look as one apprehends of God and comes before him with affection and fear and trembling so doth another though they never saw one another yet they all meet in the same life for they have the same root of life the same cause of life In the Fourth place It makes a man to be of one consent with all the people of God every where As you may see Zeph. 3.9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent The Lord helps them all to Pray after one pure language and gives them all one pure consent in the Service of God though it is in different degrees indeed one ariseth to an higher pitch than another therefore the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1.10 Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that ye speak all the same things that there be no divisions among you As who should say All the Members of Christ are so I beseech you endeavour to have this sign of being Members of Christ be all joyned together in the same mind it is true that this union and consent and agreement and oneness of heart and mind as I may call it is very imperfect but in some it is more imperfect then it is in other some have attained to a further degree there is a great deal of unlikeness of affections a great deal of unlikeness in Prayer a great deal of unlikeness in Obedience there is a great deal of jarrings now and then through weakness but as the Apostle saith As far as we have attained let us be thus minded Phil. 3.15 16. Let us walk by the same rule and mind the same things the Children of God throughout the whole world they are of one mind as far as they have attained though in Faith in Repentance in new Obedience they differ gradually in their attainments yet they all agree in this consent of judgment That sin must be hated that a man must live in no sin that a man must yield Obedience to all Gods commandments that a man must deny himself in all things that in all things God must be glorified they all agree that we are Members one of another and that we must love one another and forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us they all agree in this They are all of one mind and as one is mortified so is the other and as one is meek and gentle so is the other It is true indeed one hath attained further then another but whereunto they have attained they are all alike minded Now whereunto we have not attained God will reveal it in his good time unto us saith the Apostle May be one seeth such a thing is a duty which another doth not yet all see that it is their duty to fear God and obey him in all their wayes and they all set themselves to hate and oppose all manner of known sins As far as they have attained they are all of one minde Fifthly All this is for mutual profit and help and care and sympathy as you may see delivered by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. That it must be for mutual profit see the seventh vers The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal that is when the Spirit of God doth manifest himself in one man one way and in another man another way he gives one man may be the gift of Teaching to another man the gift of Knowledge some have excellent gifts in one kind some in another but all have the gifts of new Obedience Now look whatsoever gifts they are whensoever the Spirit doth manifest it self to any Member of the Body of Christ it is to be helpful and useful to others so that the Members of Christ need one another that you may see vers 21.22 The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head to the foot I have no need of thee c. We cannot be without the poorest and vilest and contemptiblest Member in the Body nay the very life of the Body may depend upon the vilest Members So again That they are to care for one another That you may see in the 25. verse Lest there should be any division in the Body but that the Members should have the same care one for another You see how it is in the Body of a man the head hath care of the feet it guides the feet and the foot hath care of the head to hold it up and carry it up and down and the hand is useful for the relieving of any part they have all the same care one of another so it is in the Body of Christ And for a Sympathy see it in the 26. verse Wherefore if one Member suffer all suffer with it and if one Member rejoyce all rejoyce with it all have a fellow-feeling of one anothers necessities and comforts Therefore when the Spirit of God doth implant a man into the Body of Christ it is all one with the implanting a man into Christ

set themselves apart to honor and worship their Images and Idols according to their manner Now I will make this good by many Arguments that God will have a set day besides the every day Sabbath he will have a set particular Sabbath for his Worship and Service Reas 1 The First Reason is Because he will have a little emblem and picture of the kingdom of heaven among his Saints and Children in this life in the kingdom of heaven there is no buying and selling no eating and drinking no worldly businesse there is nothing but praysing and glorifying of God and speaking of God and singing of Halelujah unto his holy Name there is nothing but enjoying communion with the Lord and feeding upon him continually there is nothing but this in the kingdom of heaven Now God will have a little picture of this among his Saints here upon earth You know there remains a rest for the people of God Heb. 4.9 It is an express place the word in the Original is There remains a Sabbath for the people of God As who should say There is a glorious Sabbath that all the Elect of God shall have and they are preserved for it and that is reserved for them and they shall enter into it when this body of death is laid down and they shall enjoy God face to face to all eternity they shall behold him as he is and have communion with him now the Lord will have a little picture of this here in this life we cannot have it altogether in this life for we have mortal bodies that must be fed and cloathed and stand in need of the creature for mans sin is not yet purged away but there is a great deal of rubbish still left therefore this cannot be complete here but yet God will have a little picture or this even in this life and that is the Sabbath day wherein they are to lay aside all the works of their ordinary callings and rest from all servil labours this is Gods day and we must now call upon him and hear what he saith and wholly employ and occupy our selves about him as neer as we possibly can but now this we cannot do every day for we have Children to look after and Families to provide for and there be an hundred occasions to call a man away it may be a man thinks to go into his Closet and seek God in private and one occasion or other calls him aside that he cannot go on but the Lord will have a little emblem and expression of the kingdom of heaven upon the Sabbath day therefore the Apostle saith It remains for us scil in the life to come The Second Reason why the Lord will have a set day for his Worship and Reas 2 Service besides the every day Sabbath is because the honour of God doth so require it doth require that there should be a solemn day for Gods Service as Kings though their subjects are to obey them every day and keep their Laws every day and if a subject transgress the Laws at any time he is in danger of the displeasure of the King but he will have one day of solemnity to his Majesty So God Almighty though every day we are to tremble before him and stand in aw of his Word and take heed we do not err from his Commandments yet he will have one solemn day for the honour of his Name he will have a solemn day wherein his people shall have nothing else to do but to set themselves apart for his Worship therefore this set day is called The honourable of the Lord Isa 58.13 that is we must count the Sabbath day an honourable day a day of honour wherein Gods Servants should from morning to evening fall down before him and confess that great is the Lord God We should wholly dedicate it unto him seeking of him in Publick and in Private that we may store up holy affections for all the week following Thirdly Because God sometimes calls for an extraordinary day and an Reas 3 extraordinary day hath ever relation to an ordinary if I say this is my extraordinary food and diet I imply that I have ordinary diet so if the Scripture tells us that God calls for extraordinary dayes it is an evident Argument that there be ordinary dayes which he calls for Now that God calls for extraordinary dayes it is plain 1. First He calls for extraordinary dayes of rejoycing when God compasseth us about with songs of Deliverance and works wonderful Mercies for us we ought to set a part a day for rejoycing and delighting in his goodness and favour towards us and this day is to be an holy day as Nehemiah 8.9 This day is holy unto the Lord your God mourn not nor weep So that when we are to rejoyce towards God for any spiritual favour towards us we ought to keep this day an holy day we ought to employ the hours of the day in labouring to affect our hearts with his kindnesse and labouring to make his goodness to have impression upon us that we may with cheerfulness run over all our dayes afterwards that we may adhere unto him the better all our life time 2. Secondly As he calls for extraordinary dayes of rejoycing so he calls for extraordinary dayes of Fasting and Humiliation and that in Four Cases 1. First When we fear some heavie judgement to come upon us or else when some judgement is already upon us may be some heavie judgement is upon us or else we fear it to come upon us and now we are to set an extraordinary day apart to seek the Lord as 2 Chron. 20. Jehosaphat proclaimed a Fast when the Land was in danger Suppose the Lord should take away the Gospel and the feet of those that bring glad tydings should be turned from us then should we Fast in those dayes we should grieve before God and bewail the loss of his Mercies and Favours that we may have his Goodnesse to quicken us and keep us and uphold us in the want of them 2. Secondly In case that we want some Mercy that we cannot well be without in such a case as this if ordinary seeking will not do the deed we ought to set apart an extraordinary time to prevail with God as Ezra he was in danger of the enemy and if he should go to Jerusalem the enemy would set upon him now thought he if I should go to the King though he were very great with the King of Persia at that time yet thought he if I should go to the Kigng for a Band of Souldiers he would think our God were a weak God I have told him what a strong God we have and that he is ready to help all those that trust in him now if I should go to him for a Band of Souldiers he might think that our God were not able to deliver us and it would be a great dishonour to God therefore he set a day apart for a

The Law shewed him what a wretched estate and condition he was in for all his self-conceitednesse sin revived and I died Though I thought before I was alive yet when the Commandment came sin revived and I died I saw I was a dead man when the Lord took me in hand to deal with me and let me see how my case stood before him Howsoever I thought my self to be in a good case before now I saw I was but a dead man I did not see such evil and such a masse of corruption before but when the Lord discovered my self unto my self and when I saw the Spiritualnesse of the Law then I saw that sin was alive in me and I died when I saw how I ought to behave my self in my affections and in my inward man then sin revived and I for my part was a dead man I was fain to come down from those high conceits and imaginations I had before Secondly We have here the Cause why he was thus brought down it was because of the Commandment of God which came home unto him the Law of God came home unto his Conscience and discovered unto him how it was with him and it made him to shake in the apprehensions of his own estate that he was but a dead man and that he had gone to Hell and perished everlastingly if he had continued in that estate and condition I intend at this time to treat of the former part Without the Law I was once alive And here Two things must be opened First what doth the Apostle mean by without the Law Secondly What doth he mean when he saith I was once alive 1. For the First When the Apostle saith he was without the Law he doth not mean simply that he did think himself without the Law that is without the binding Authority of the Law for so no reasonuble creature is yea indeed no creature at all is without the Law of God for there is a Law of Obedience imposed upon all the Creatures and the unreasonable Creatures do keep the Law that is imposed upon them by God and howsoever reasonable Creatures depart from this Law and break it yet they are under the binding power of this Law therefore the Apostle doth not thus mean that he was without the Law therefore we must know that to be without the Law is taken Four wayes First To be without the Law is meant to be without the promulgation and publishing of the Law and so the Heathen only are said to be without the Law as we may see Rom. 2.12 there the Heathen are said to be without the Law that is without the promulgation of the Law it was published only to the Jewes upon Mount Sinai and so Paul was not without the Law Secondly It is taken in regard of the literal knowledge of the Law and so ignorant people are said to be without the Law of God they know not the Law of God and in this sense Paul was not without the Law he was trained up in the Law he was learned in the Law for he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel Acts 22.3 so that he had the logical meaning of the Law and was able to speak of the points of Religion better then a thousand millions of carnal men he had the literal knowledge of the Law Thirdly It is taken in regard of the moral Obedience to the Law and so wicked men are said to be without the Law as we may see 1 Tim. 1.9 The Law is not given to a Righteous man but to the Lawless and Disobedient wicked men are lawless they live as if there were no Law Drunkards and Prophane persons as they are said to live without God in the world so they are said to live without the Law as if there were no Law to bind them they are people that are not to be held within any compass they take notice of no command to rule in their hearts and rectifie their lives and in this sense Paul was not without the Law neither for he lived after the most strict and exact Sect of the Pharisees Phil. 3.4 5. If any man think he hath whereof he may trust in the flesh I much more circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the Law a Pharisee He was one that fasted and curbed himself yea he kept two Fasts a week as those Pharisees did that were of the better rank he Prayed daily and performed the duties of Religion and there was no outward Ordinance of the Law which he performed not he was one that was conformable to the letter of the Law according as he understood the Law he was Morally Obedient to the Law he was no extortioner nor unjust person no he did the works of the Law and those things contained in the Law nay there was no body that could challenge him with any blame none that were familiar with him could say any thing to tax him withal when he was in his ignorance and blindness therefore in this sense he was not without the Law Fourthly Therefore in the Fourth place we are said to be without the Law in regard of the spiritual sense of the Law and so Paul was without the Law he did not clearly understand the divine and spiritual sense of the law he did not see the glory and the beauty of the Law of God how it did discover all the breaches of Righteousness how it reached to all the inward parts how contrary the Law of God was to all his nature thus Paul understood not the spiritual nature of the Law he had not the spiritual understanding of the Law and thus he was without the Law 2. Now for the other words I was alive once 1. It is meant here spiritually towards God he doth not mean naturally for he was alive naturally both before and after the commandment came but the meaning is he did not think himself to be such a wretched cursed creature as he was he thought he had the fear of God in him and true Obedience in him he thought he had a spiritual kind of life as we may see Rom. 6.11 Ye are dead saith the Apostle to sin but are alive to God in Jesus Christ And Rom. 7.13 Give not your members as weapons unto sin but give your selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead i.e. As those that have the pure and spiritual life of grace in them So Luke 15.24 This my son was dead and is alive again that is spiritually alive again he was a dead creature he was departed from his Father which is the fountain of life he was dead in sins and trespasses he was a dead man but now he is alive again he hath spiritual life again 2. To be alive is taken to be conceitedly so alive in his own conceit he hath no true life in him yet he doth imagine that he hath life in him he