the Kings Statute and Law if it vary in any thing from his intention it s not valid and binding I beseech you take the Scriptures for the Rule of your walking or else you will wander the Scripture is Regula regulans a ruling Rule If you be not acquainted with It you must follow the opinions or examples of other men and what if they lead you unto destruction Joh. 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for in them c. Eph. 2. 20. And are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles AS in darknesse there is need of a Lanthorn without and the light of the eyes within for neither can we see in darknesse without some Lamp though we have never so good eyes nor yet see without eyes though in never so clear a Sun-shine So there is absolute need for the guiding of our feet in the dangerous and dark paths to Eternall life that is full of pits and snares of the Lamp or Wood written or preached without us and the illumination of the holy Ghost within us These are conjoyned Isa. 56. 21. This is my Covenant the spirit that is upon thee and the words that I have put in thy mouth shal not depart out of thy mouth nor the mouth of thy seed c. There are words without and there must needs be a Spirit within which makes us to behold the truth and grace contained in these words There is a Law written without with pen and ink and there is a Law written within upon the heart with the Spirit of the living God The Law without is the Patern and exact copy the Law within is the Transcript or the Image of God upon the heart framed and fashioned according to the similitude of it 2 Cor. 3. 3. Heb. 8. 10. So then there needs be no more question about the Divine Authority of the Scriptures among those who have their senses exercised to descern between good and ill than among men who see and taste concerning light and darknesse sweet bitter The perswasion of a Christian is fetched deeper than the reasons of men their faith is the evidence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not seen it s an eye a supernaturall eye whereby a soul beholds that Majesty and excellency of God shinning in the word which though it shine about the rest of the World yet it 's not seen because they cannot know it nor descern it Wonder not that the multitude of men cannot believe the report that is made that there is so few who find any such excellency and sweetnesse in the Gospel as is reported because saith Isai. 53. 1. the arm of the Lord is not revealed to them the hand of God must first write on their heart ere they understand the Writtings of the Scriptures his arm must creat an eye in their souls an eternal light before it can behold that glorious brightnesse of Gods shinning in the word The word is Gods testimony of himself of his grace and mercy and good-will to mankind Now no man can receive this testimony unlesse it be sealed and confirmed by the holy Ghost into the heart saith Peter We are his witnesses of these things and so also is the holy Ghost whom God hath given to those that obey him Acts 5. 32. The word witnesses to the ear and the spirits testifieth to our spirits the truth and worth of that and therefore the spirit is a seal and a witnesse The word is the Lord's voice to his own Children Bastards cannot know it but my sheep hear my voice Joh. 10 4. 16. You know no difference between the bleeting of one sheep and another but the poor lambs know their mothers voice there is a secret instinct of nature that is more powerfull than many marks and signs Even so those that are begotten of God know his voice they descern that in it which all the world that hear it cannot descern there is a sympathy between their souls and that living Word that word is the immortall seed they are begotten of and there is a naturall instinct to love that and to mediate in it such an inclination to it as in new born babes to the breasts so the Children of God do desire the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby aâ—… they were born of it 1 Pet. 2. 2. In these Scriptures which we read in your audience you have something of their excellency and our duty there is a rich jewel in them a precious pearl in that field even Jesus Christ and in him eternall life and therefore we ought to search the Scriptures for this jewel to dig in the field for this pearl the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles is a sure foundation whereupon souls may build their eternall felicity and the hope of it Jesus Christ is the very chief stone in that foundation whereupon the weight of all the Saints and all their hope hangs And therefore we ought to lean the weight of our Souls only to this truth of God and build our faith only upon it and square our practice only by it We shal speak something of the first that it may be a spurre to the second The Jews had some respective opinion of the word of God they knew that in them waseternall life they thought it a Doctrine of life and happinesse and so cryed up Moses Writtings but they would not believe Christs words they erred not understanding the Scriptures and so set the Writtings of Moses Law at variance with the preaching of Christs Gospel What a pittyfull mistake was this they thought they had eternall life in the Scriptures and yet they did not receive nor acknowledge him whom to know was eternall life therefore our Lord Jesus sends them back again to the Scriptures go and search them you think and you think well that in then you may find the way to eternall life but while you seek it in them you mistake it These Scriptures testifie of me the end of the Law but you cannot behold the end of that Ministry because of the blindnesse of your hearts Rom. 10. 3. 2 Cor. 3. 14. Therefore search again unfold the ceremonies I am wrapt in them and life eternall with me dig up the Law till you find the bottome of Gods purpose in it till you find the end of the Ministration and you shal find me the way and truth and life and so you shal have that eternall life which now you do but think you have and are beguiled While you seek it out of me in vain you think you have it for it is not in the Scriptures but because they testifie of me the life and the light of men May not this now commend the word to us Eternall life is in it Other Writings and discourses may tickle the ears with some pleasing eloquence but that is vanishing it s but like a Musitians voice some may represent some petty momentary advantage but how soon shal an end be put till all that so that within
make our abode with him Ioh. 14. 23. Here now is an evidence that he likes it for he must needs like that place he chooses to dwell in he who hath such a glorious Mansion and Palace above he must needs love that soul dearly that he will prefer it to his high and holy place Now I know it will be the secret question and complaint of some souls How shal I get love to God I cannot love him my heart is so desperatly wicked I cannot say as Peter Lord thou knowest that I love thee I shal not insist upon the discovery of your love unto you by marks and signs only I say if thou indeed from thy heart desires to love him art grieved that there is not this love in thy soul to him which becomes so love-worthy a Saviour then thou indeed lovest him for he that loveth the love of God loveth God himself And wherefore aâ—…t thou sad for want of that love but because thou lovest him in some measure and withall finds him beyond all that thou canst think and love But I say that which most concerns thee is to love still more and that thou wouldest be more earnest to love him then to know that thou loves him Now I know no more effectuall way to encrease love to Jesus Christ then to believe his love Christ Jesus is the Author and Finisher both of Faith and Love and we love him because he first loved us Therefore the right discovery of Jesus Christ what he is and what he hath done for sinners is that which will of all things most prevail to engage the soul unto him But as long as ye suspend you Faith upon the being or encrease of your Love and obedience as the manner of too many is you take even such a course as he that will not plant the Tree till he see the fruit of it which is contrary to common sense reason Since this then is the sum of true Religion to believe in Christ and to love him and so live to him we shal wind up all that is spoken into that exhortation of the Apostles Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard You have this Doctrine of Faith and Love delivered unto you which may be able to save your souls Then I beseech you hold them fast salvation is in them they are sound words and wholesom words words of life spirit life as Christ speaks as well as words of truth But how will you hold them fast that have them not at all that know them not though you hear them You who are ignorant of the Gospel and hear nothing but a sound of words in stead of sound wholesome words how can you hold them fast Can a man hold the wind in the hollow of his hand or keep in a sound within it You know no more but a sound a wind that passeth by your ear without observing either truth or life in it But then again you who understand these sound words and have a form of knowledge of the Letter of the Law what will that avail you You cannot hold it fast except you have it within you and it is within you indeed when it is in your heart when the form of it is engraven upon the very soul in love Now thogh you understand the sound of these words the sound of truth in them yet you receive not the living Image of them which is Faith and Love Can you paint a sound Can you form it or engrave it on any thing Nay but these sound words are more substantial solid they must be engraven on the heart else you will never hold them they may bee easily plucked out of the mouth and hand by temptation unlesse they be enclosed and laid up in the secret of the heart as Mary laid them The truth must hold thee fast or thou canst not hold it fast it must captivate thee and bind thee with the Golden chains of affection which only is true freedom or certainly thou wilt let it go Nay you must not only have the truth received by love into your heart but as the Apostle speaks you must also hold fast the form of sound words Scripture words are sound words the Scriptures method of teaching is sound and wholesome There may be unsound words used in expressing true matter and if a man shal give liberty to his own luxuriant Imagination to expatiat in notions and expressions either to catch the ear of the Vulgar or to appear some new discoverer of light and Gospel-mysteries he may as readily fall into error and darknesse as into truth and light Some men do busk up old truths Scripture-truths into some new dresse of language and notions and then give them out for new discoveries new lights but in so doing they often hazard the loosing of the truth it self We should beware and take heed of strange words that have the least appearance of evil such as Christed Godded let us think it enough to be wise according to the Scripturs and suspect all that as vain empty unsound that tends not to the increase of faith in Christ and love and obedience unto him As ordinarily the Dialect of those called Antinomians is giving and no granting that they had no unsound mind yet I am sure they use unsound word to expresse sound matter the cloaths should be shaped to the person Truth is plain and simple let words of truth also be full of simplicity I say no more but leave that upon you that you hold fast even the very words of the Scriptures and be not bewitched by the vain pretentions of Spirit all Spirit pure and spiritual service and such like to the casting off of the word of truth as Letter as Flesh and such is the high attainment of some in these daies an high attainment indeed and a mighty progresse in the way to destruction the very last discovery of that Antichrist and Man of sin Oh make much of the Scripture for you shal neither read nor hear the like of it in the world Other books may have sound matter but there is still something in manner or words unsound no man can speak to you truth in such plainnesse and simplicity in such soundnesse also But here is both sound matter and sound words the truth holden out truly health and salvation holden out in as wholsome a manner as is possible Matter manner are both divine Exod. 3. 13 14. When they shal say unto me What is his Name What shal I say And God said I AM THAT I AM. WE are now about this question What God is But who can answer it Or if answered who can understand it It should astonish us in the very entry to think that we are about to speak and to hear of his Majesty Whom eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath it entered into the heart of any creature to consider what he is Think ye blind
searching we could find them out unto perfection but to believe what is spoken till the day break and the shadows flee away and the darknesse of ignorance be wholly dispelled by the rising of the Sun of Righteousnesse We are called then to receive this truth that God is one truly one and there are three in this one the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost This I say you must believe because the wisdom of God faith it though you know not how it is or how it can be though it seem a contradiction in reason a Trinity in Unity yet you must lead your reason captive to the obedience of faith silence it with this one answer The Lord hath said it If thou go on to dispute and to enquire how can these things be Thou art escaped from under the power of Faith and are fled unto the tents of humane wisedom where thou mayest learn artheism but no Religion for the world through wisedom knew not God 1 Cor. 1. And certainly who ever he be that will not quiet his conscience upon the bare word of truth in this particular but will call in for the help of reason and disputation how to understand and maintain it I think he shall be further from the true knowledge of God and satisfaction of mind than before There is no way here but to flee into Pauls Sanctuary Who art thou O man that disputes When ever thou thinks within thy self How may this be how can one be three and three one then withall let this of Pauls sound in thine ears Who art thou O man who disputes Think that thou art man think that he is God Believing ignorance is much better than rash presumptuous knowledge ask not a reason of these things but rather adore and tremble at the mysterie and Majesty of them Christianity is foolishnesse to the world upon this account because it 's an Implicite faith so to speak given to God but there is no fear of being deceived though he lead thee blind by a way thou know not yet he cannot lead thee wrong This holy simplicity in believing every word of God trusting without more trying by disputation is the very Character of Christianity and it will be found only true wisdome for if any will become wise he must be a fool in mens account that he may be wise he must quite his reason to learn true Religion which indeed is a more excellent and divine reason neither is it contrary to it though it be high above it In this place of Moses you have the Unity of God asserted The Lord thy God is one Lord And that is indeed engraven on the very hearts of men by nature That God is One for all may know that the common notion and apprehension of God is that he is a most perfect being the Originall of all things most wise most powerfull infinite in all perfections Now common reason may tell any man that there can bee but one thing most perfect Excellent there can be but one infinite one Almighty one beginning and end of all one first mover one first cause of whom are all things and who is of none Again in this place of Iohn ye have a Testimony of the blessed Trinitie of Persons Father Son and holy Ghost in that holy Unity of Essence The great point which Iohn hath in hand is this fundamentall of our Salvation that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Saviour of the World in whom all our confidence should be placed and upon whom we should lean the weight of our souls this he proves by a twofold testimony one out of Heaven another in the Earth There are three bearing witnesse to this truth in heaven The Father the word that is Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God whom this Apostle calls the word of God or wisdom of God Ioh. 1. 1. and the Holy Ghost The Father witnessed to this truth in an audible voice out of Heaven when Christ was baptized Mat. 3. 17. This is my wel-belovd Son hear him here 's the Fathers Testimony of the Son when he was baptized which was given very solemnly in a great congregation of people and divinely with great glory and Majesty from Heaven as if the heavens had opened upon him and the inaccessible light of God had shined down on him which was confirmed in the transfiguration Mat. 17. 5. VVhere the Lord gave a glorious evidence to the astonishment of the three Disciples how he did account of him how all Saints and Angels must serve him Him hath God the Father sealed saith Iohn Indeed the stamp of divinitie of the divine Image in such an excellent manner upon the man Christ was a Seal set on by God the Father signifying confirming his approbation of his well-beloved Son and of the work he was going about Then the Son himself did give ample Testimony of this this was the subject of his Preaching to the VVorld I am the light and life of men He that beleeveth on mee shall be saved and therefore he may be called the word of God and the wisedom of God Joh. 1. 1. Prov. 8. Because he hath revealed unto us the blessed mysterie of Wisdom concerning our Salvation He is the very expression and Character of the Fathers person and Glory Heb. 1. In his own Person and he hath revealed and expressed his Fathers mind and his own Office so fully to the World that there should be no more doubt of it Out of the mouth of these two witnesses this Word might be established But for superabundance behold a third the Holy Ghost witnessing at his baptisme in his Resurrection after his Ascension the Holy Ghost signifieth his presence and consent to that work in the similitude of a Dove the Holy Ghost testified it in the power that raised him from the dead the Holy Ghost put it beyond all question when he descended upon the Apostles according to Christs promise For the other three witnesses on earth we shal not stay upon it only know that the work of the regeneration of souls by the power of the word and spirit signified by water the justification of guilty souls signified by the blood of Jesus Christ the Testimony of the spirit in our Conscience bearing witnesse to our Spirits is an assured Testimony of this that Jesus Christ in whom we believe is the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth The changing pacifying and comforting of souls in such a wonderfull manner cryes aloud that he in whom the soul believes is the true and living God whom to know is eternal life But mark I pray you the accuracy of the Apostle in the change of the speech these three witnesses on earth saith he agree in one in giving one common testimony to the Son of God and Saviour of Sinners But as for the heavenly witnesses the Father the Word and Holy Ghost how ever they be three after an inconceivable manner
that God As his authority should imprint reverence so his goodnesse thus manifested should engrave confidence And thus the life of man vvas not only a life of obedience but a life of pleasure and delight not only a holy but a happy life yea happy in holinesse Now as it was Pauls great businesse in preaching to ride marches between the covenant of grace and the covenant of works to take men off that old broken ship to this sure plank of grace that is offered by Jesus Christ to drowning souls So it would be our great work to shew unto you the nature of this Covenant and the terms thereof that you may henceforth find and know that salvation to be now impossible by the Law which so many seek in it We have no errand to speak of the first Adam but the better to lead you to the second Our life was once in the first but he lost himself and us both but the second by losing himself saves both We have nothing to do to speak of the first Covenant but that we may lead you or pursue you rather to the second established upon better tearms and better promises The tearms of this covenant are Do this and live perfect obedience without one jot of failing or falling an intire and universall accomplishment of the whole will of God that is the duty required of Man there is no latitude left in the bargain to admit endeavours in stead of performance or desire in stead of duty there is no place for Repentance here if a Man fall in one point he falls from the whole promise by the tenour of this bargain there is no hope of recovery If you would have the duty in a word It s a love of God with all our heart and soul our Neighbour as our self that testified verified in all duties offices of obedience to God love to men without the least mixture of sin infirmity Now the promise on Gods part is indeed larger then that Duty not only because undeserved but even in the matter of it it 's so abundant Life eternal life continuance in a happy estate There is a threatning added In what day thou eatest thou shalt die that is thou shalt become a mortall and miserable creature subject to misery here and hereafter which is more pressingly set down in that Word Cursed is he that abides not in all things written in the law to do them It is very peremptory that men dream not of escaping wrath when they break but in one suppose they did abide in all the rest Cursed is every man from the highest to the lowest the Lord Almighty is engaged against him his countenance his Power is against him to destroy him make him miserable whoever doth fail but in one jot of the commands he shall not only fall from that blessed condition freely promised but lose all that he already possessed fall from that image of God dominion over the creatures and incur in stead of that possessed and expected happinesse misery here on soul body in pains sicknesses troubles griefs c. And Eternal misery on both without measure hereafter Eternall destruction from the presence of the Lord the glory of his power Now This Law is not of Faith saith the Apostle This opens up the nature of the bargain and the opposition between the present Covenant that which is made with lost sinners in a Mediator This Covenant is called of Works Do this and live To him that worketh is the promise made though freely too It is grace that once a reward should be promised to obedience but having once resolved to give it herein justice appears in an equall and uniform distribution of the reward according to Works So that where there is an equality of works there shall be an equality of reward and no difference put between persons equall Which is the very freedome of the Covenant of grace that it passes overall such considerations and deals equally in mercy with unequall sinners unequally it may be with them that are equall in nature You may ask was not Adam to believe in God did not the Law require faith I answer Christ distinguishes a twofold faith You believe in God believe also in me No question he was called to believe in God the Creator of the VVorld and that in a three-fold consideration First to depend on God the self-beeing and fountain-good his own goodnesse was but a fluxe and emanation from that Sun of righteousnesse so was to be perpetuated by constant abiding in his sight the interposition of mans self between him and God did soon bring on this eternal night of darknesse Nature might have taught him to live in him in whom he had life beeing and motion and to forget look over his own perfections as evanishing shadows But this quickly extinguished his life when he began to to live in himself Next he was obliged to believe in Gods word both threatning and promise to have these constantly in his view And certainly if he had kept in his serious consideration the inestimable blessing of life promised and the fearful curse of death threatned if he had not been induced first to doubt and then to deny the truth and reality of these he had not attempted such a desperate rebellion against the Lord. Then thirdly he was to believe and perswade himself of the Lords fatherly love and that the Lord was well pleased with his obedience and this faith would certainly beget much peace quietnesse in his mind and also constrain him to love him and live to him who loved him and gave him life and happinesse out of love yet this holds true that the Apostle saith the law is not of faith to wit in a Mediator and Redeemer it was a bond of immediate friendship there needed none to mediate between God and man there needed no reconciler where there was no ods nor distance But the Gospell is of Faith in a Mediator it s the souls plighting its hope upon Jesus Christ in its desperate necessity so supposes man sinfull and miserable in himself and in his own sense too and so putting over his weight burden upon one whom God hath made mighty to save The Law is not of Faith but of perfect works a watch-word brought in of purpose to bring men off their hankering after a broken and desperate Covenant It admits no repentance it speaks of no pardon it declares no Cautioner or Redeemer there is nothing to be expected according to the tenor of that Covenant but wrath from Heaven either personall obedience in all or personall punishment for ever that is the very tearms of it it knows no other thing Either bring compleat righteousnesse and holinesse to the promise of life or expect nothing but death This may be a sad meditation to us to stand and look back to our former estate compare it with that into which we
not his whole soul to God cannot truly ingage any part of it to him p. 23. SERMON III. 2 Tim. 3. 16. Of the Scriptures THat which most men seek is not true happiness p. 24 The principles of reason and light of nature are become so dark that they cannot direct us in the path-way to everlasting blessedness p. 25 The authority of the Scriptures divine p. 26 How the Apostles and Prophets knew that they spake truth and how men may be perswaded that the Scriptures are the Word of God ibid. The simplicity and plainness of the Scripture p. 27 The Spirit of God must open a mans eyes before he understand the Scriptures p. 28 The Utility of the Scriptures p. 29 The Scriptures a Doctrine of Eternal life p. 30 The sharpness of the Scripture mingled with sweetness p. 31 Some cannot hear the word of reproof others prefer their own vain imaginations to the Word of God p. 32 33 SERMON IV. Joh. 5. 39. Eph. 2. 20. Of the Scriptures THe Lamp of the Word without and the light of the Spirit within necessary for directing us in the way to eternal life p. 34 Why the multitude find no sweetnes in the Scriptures p. 35 How eternal life is to be found in the Scripture p. 36 It may commend the Scriptures to us that Eternal life is to be found in them p. 37 We are to lay this present perishing life in the ballance with eternal life and compare both the happiness and miseries of this life with eternal blessedness p. 38 Many groundlessely fancy that they have a right to everlasting life p. 39 Most of the Hearers of the Gospel have either to knowledge at all or nothing but knowledge p. 40 Life Eternal is no where to be found out but of Jesus Christ. p. 41 42 Some foolishly think that if they do all they can then God ought to be pleased p 43 Christ the only pacificatory sacrifice p. 44 Christ is either the subject or end of all that is in the Scriptures p. 45 The march which divides between heaven and hell is coming to Christ. p. 45 46 The necessity of searching the Scriptures and what search it must be p. 47 The Rule whereby to measure our profiting in the Scriptures p. 48 49 SERMON V. Eph. 2. 20. Of the Scriptures BElievers the Temple of the living God p. 50 Christ in the Scriptures a sure foundation to build upon all other foundations sandy and unsure p. 51 How firm and stable a foundation the Word of the Lord is p. 52 A Promise layes an obligation on the Promiser which a command doth not on the commander p. 53 All the Promises are Yea and Amen in Christ. ibid The chief point of Obedience is faith and what that is p 54 Christ is the Corner-stone as well as the foundation which should strongly perswade Christians to an union in Affection p. 55 What kind of foundation Christ is ibid. Some prefer their own imaginations to the Word of the Lord under the dark notion of new light p. 56 Many have nothing but the word of man for the foundation of their Faith p. 57. SERMON VI. 2 Tim. 1 13. Of the Scriptures ALL Religion may be reduced to these two what we are to believe and what we ough to do p. 58 God manifests himself differently to Man according to his different state p. 59 60 The marvellousness of mercy in saving of lost sinners p. 61 62 What manner of Persons Believers ought to be p. 63 64 â—…belief ruined man at first p. 65 A twofold mistake of the nature of Faith ibid. What course a soul is to take who questions its interest p. 66 67 The mistake of the nature of Faith leads many well-meaning persons into labyrinth p. 68 What Faith is p 69 What a soul ought to do that is sentenced by the law ibid. The faith of a Christian no fancy p. 70 71 Love is unitive and operative ibid. Love is put for all obedience and how it is the fulfilling of the. p. 72 God is pleased with no service that proceeds not from love and why p. 73 74 How to attain to the distinct knowledge of our love to God and the way to increase it p. 75 Who cannot hold fast the truth p. 76 When man lost his holiness he could not retain his happiness ibid. The necessity of holding fast the form of sound words and of forbearing strange words p. 77 SERMON VII and VIII Exod. 3. 13 14. Of the Name of God IT is impossible to declare what God is p. 78 How we may know that there is a God ibid. Naturall men are Atheists p. 79 God's Name a mystery that cannot be conceived or expressed p. 80 81 82 83. This name I AM THAT I AM imports his unsearchableness p. 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 His absolutness and soveraignity p. 94 His unchangeableness and Eternity p. 95 96 97 How impossible it is for a mortall creature to find out God to perfection yet so much may be known of him as is sufficient to teach us our duty and maâ—… us happy in obedience p. 98 99 The saving knowledge of God a self-emptying and self-abasing thing p. 100 101 Why God hath called himself by so many names ibid. SERMON IX Exod. 24. 5 6 7. What God is to us GOD is loath to depart even when he is provoked to go away p. 102 103 114 Infirmity and iniquity puts us into an incapacity of nearness with God p. 105 106 It is God himself who only can teach a soul to know what he is p. 107 One who considers how al-sufficient God is how empty and insufficient all other things are must needs cleave to him p. 108 God vents himself towards the creatures either in a way of Justice or Mercy p. 109 There is a Tribunall of Justice and a Throne of Mercy erected in the word so that every sentenced sinner may appeal from the Bar of Justice to Christ Jesus sitting on the Throne of Mercy p. 110 111. The Name of the Lord rightly considered is sufficient to answer all possible objections that a sinner can make against coming to Christ and what those objections are p. 112 113 114 115 116 117 Many souls suck delusion and destruction out of the sweet and saving Promises of life which are held forth in the Gospel p. 118 119. SERMON X. Joh. 4. 24. What God is THe knowledge of what God is presupposed to all true worship Christian walking p. 120 How mishapen apprehensions we have of God p. 121 That God is a spirit shews us that he is not like any visible thing p. 122 That he is invisible dwels in light inaccessible ib. That he is most perfect most powerful p. 123 124 That he cannot be circumscribed by any place p. 125 And there is no comprehension of his knowledge p. 126 127 It were of excellent use and advantage for us to be all the day in the faith of Gods infinite
by believing you do indeed honour him and he that honoureth the Son honoureth the Father Ioh. 5. 23. Here is a compendious way to glorifie God receive salvation of him freely righteousnesse and eternall life and this sets to a seal of Gods truth and grace and mercy and who so counts the Son worthy to be a Saviour to them and sets to their seal of approbation to him whom God the Father hath sent and sealed he also honours the Father and then he that honoureth the Father hath it not for nothing For them that honour me I will honour 1 Sam. 2. 30. saith the Lord And he that serves me him will my Father honour Joh. 12. 26. As the believing soul cares for no other and respects no other but God so he respects no other but such a soul I will dwel in the humble and look unto the contrite there is mutual respects and honours God is the delight of such a soul and such a soul is Gods delight that soul sets God on a high place in a throne in its heart and God sets that soul in a heavenly place with Christ Eph. 2. 6. yea he comes down to sit with us and dwell in us off his throne of Majesty Isa. 66. 1 2. 15 57 Psal. 73. 24. to the end Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel c. Whom have I in heaven but Thee c. It is good for me to draw near to God 1 John 1. 3. These things declare we to you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ. And John 17. 21 22 23. That they all may be one as we are one I in them and they in me that they may be perfect in one c. IT is a matter of great consolation that Gods glory and our happinesse are linked together so that whosoever sets his glory before them singly to aim at they take the most compendious and certain way to true blessednesse His glory is the ultimat end of man and should be our great and last scope But our happinesse which consists in the enjoyment of God is subordinate to this yet inseparable from it The end of our Creation is communion and fellowship with God therefore man was made with an immortal soul capable of it and this is the greatest dignity and eminency of man above the creatures He hath not only impressed from Gods finger in his first moulding some characters resembling God in righteousnesse and holinesse but is created with a capacity of receiving more of God by communion with him Other creatures have already all they will have all theycan have of conformity to him but man is made liker than all and is fitted and fashioned to aspire to more liknesse and conformity so that his soul may shine more and more to the perfect day There was an Union made already in his first moulding and communion was to grow as a fragrant and sweet fruit out of this blessed root Union and similitude is the ground of fellowship communion That union was gracious that communion would have been glorious for grace is the seed of glory There was a twofold Union between Adam and God an Union of state and an Union of nature He was like God and he was Gods friend All the creatures had some liknesse to God some engravings of his power and goodnesse and wisdome but man is said to be made according to Gods Image Let us make man like unto us Other creatures had similitudinem vestigii but man had similitudinem faciei Holinesse and righteousnesse is Gods face the very excellency and glory of all his Attributes and the Lord stamps the image of these upon Man Other Attributes are but like his back-parts he leaves the resemblance of his footsteps upon other creatures What can be so beautifull as the Image of God upon the soul Creatures the nearer they are to God the more pure and excellent We see in the Fabrick of the World bodies the higher they are the more pure and cleanly the more beautiful Now then What was man that was made a little lower than the Angels In the Hebrew a little lower than God tantum non Deus Seeing man is set next to God his glory and beauty certainly surpasses the glory of the Sun and Heavens Things contiguous and next other are like other The water is liker air than the earth therefore it is next the air The air is liker Heaven than water therefore it is next to it Omne contiguum spirituali est spirituale Angels and men next God are spirits as he is a Spirit Now similitude is the ground of friendship Pares paribus congregantur similitude necessitudinis vinculum It is that which conciliats affection among men so it is here by proportion God sees that all is very good and man the best of his works and he loves him and makes him his friend for his own Image which he beholds in him At length from these two roots this pleasant fragrant fruit of Communion with and enjoyment of God grows up this is the entertainment of friends to delight in one another and to enjoy one another Amicorum omnia communia Love makes all common it opens the treasure of Gods fulnesse and makes a vent of divine bounty towards man and it opens the heart of man and makes it large as the sand of the sea to receive of God Our receiving of his fulnesse is all the entertainment we can give him O what blessednesse is this for a soul to live in him and it lives in him when it loves him Anima est ubi amat non ubi animat and to taste of his sweetnesse and be satisfied with him this makes perfect onnenesse and perfect onnenesse with God who is the fountain of life and in whose favour is life is perfect blessednesse But we must stand a little here and consider our misery that hath fallen from such an excellency how are we come down from Heaven wonderfully Sin hath interposed between God and man and this dissolves the union and hinders the communion An enemy is come between two friends and puts them at odds and Oh! an eternall odds sin hath sown this discord and alineated our hearts from God Mans glory consisted in the irradiation of the soul from Gods shining countenance this made him light Gods face shined on him But sin interposing hath eclipsed that light and brought on an eternall night of darknesse over the soul And thus we are spoiled of the Image of God as when the earth comes betwixt the Sun and Moon Now then there can no beams of divine savour and love break through directly towards us because of the cloud of our sins that separates between God and us and because of the partition-wall of Ordinances and the hand-writing which was against us Gods holy Law and severe Justice Col. 3. 14. Then What shal we do How shal we
therefore there are many differences between us the brethren because we are not one perfectly in him therefore we are not one as he and the Father is one But when he shal be in us and we in him as the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father then shal we be one among our selves then shal we meet in the unity of the faith into a perfect man into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4. 13. Christ is the uniting Principle while the Saints are not wholly one uni tertio they cannot be perfectly one inter se among themselves Consider this I beseech you Christs union with the Father is the foundation of our union to God and our union among our selves this is comfortable the ground of it is laid already Now it is not simply the unity of the Father and the Son in essence that is here meant for what shadow resemblance can be in the world of such an incomprehensible mystery But it is certainly the Union and Communion of God with Christ Jesus as Mediator as the head of the Church which is his Body Therefore seeing the Father is so wonderfully well pleased and one with Christ his wel-beloved Son Messenger of the Covenant chief party contracting in our name he is by vertue of this one with us who are his seed and members And therefore the members should grow up in the head Christ from whom the whole body makes increase according to the effectuall working of the spirit in it Eph 5. 15 16. Now if the union between the Father and Christ our Head cannot be dissolved and cannot be barran and unfruitfull then certainly the spirit of the Father which is given to Christ beyond measure must effectually work in every member till it bring them to the unity of the Faith and to the measure of the perfect man which is the fulnesse of Christ. So then every believing soul is one with the Father as Christ is one because he is the Head and they his members the day is coming that all the members shal be perfectly united to the Head Christ grow up to the perfect man which is the stature of Christs fulnesse and then shal we all be made perfect in one we shal be one as he is one because he and we are one perfect man Head and Members Now to what purpose is all this spoken I fear it doth not stirre up in our souls a desire after such a blessed life whose heart would not be moved at the sound of such words Our fellowship is with the Father and his Son we are made perfect he in us and we in him Certainly that soul is void of the Life of God that doth not find some sparkle of holy ambition kindled within after such glorious and blessed condition But these things sevour not and taste not to the most part the naturall man knows them not for they are spiritually discerned How lamentable is it that Christ is come to restore us to our lost blessednesse and yet no man almost considers it or layes it to heart O how miserably twice miserable is that Soul that doth not draw near to God in Christ when God hath come so near to us in Christ that goes a whoring after the lust of the eyes and flesh and after the imaginations of their own heart and will not be guided by Christ the way and life to glory Thou shalt destroy them O Lord Psal. 73. 27. All men are far off from God from the womb Behold we may have accesse to God in Christ woe to them that are yet far off and will not draw near they shal all perish I exhort you to consider what you are doing The most part of you are going away from God you were born far off and you will yet go further know what you will meet with in that way Destruction Ye have never yet asked in earnest for what purpose you came into the World What wonder you wander and walk at randome seing you have not proposed to your selves any certain scope and aime It is great folly You would not be so foolish in any petty businesse But O how foolish men are in the main businesse The light of the body is the eye if that be not light the whole body is full of darknesse If your intention be once right established all your course will be orderly but if you be dark and blind in this point have not considered it you cannot walk in the light your whole way is darknesse The right consideration of the great End would shine unto you and direct your way but while you have not proposed this end unto your self the enjoyment of God you must spend your time either in doing nothing to that purpose or doing contrary to it All your other lawfull businesse your callings and occupations are but in the by they are not the end nor the way but you make them only your businesse they are altogether impertinent to this end And the rest of your walking in lust and ignorance is not only impertinent but inconsistant with it and contrary to it If you think that you have this before your eyes to enjoy God I pray you look upon the way you choose Is your drunkennesse your swearing your uncleannesse your contentions and railings and such works of the flesh are those the way to enjoy God Shal not these separate between God and you Is your eating and drinking sleeping as beasts and labouring in your callings are these all the means you use to enjoy God Be not deceived you who draw not near God by Prayer often in secret and by faith in his Son Christ as lost miserable sinners to be saved and reconciled by him you have no fellowship with him and you shal not enjoy him afterward You whose hearts are given to your covetousnesse who have many lovers and idols besides him you cannot say Whom have I besides thee in the earth No you have many other things beside God You can have nothing of God except you make him all to you unlesse you have him alone My undefiled is one Cant. 6. 9. He must be alone for his glory he will not give to another If you divide your affections and pretend to give him part your lusts other part you may be doing but he will not divide his glory so he will give no part of it to any other thing But as for those souls that come to him and see their misery without him O know how good it is It s not only good but best yea only good it is bonum it is optimum yea it is unicum there is none good save one even God and there is nothing good for us but this one to be near God and so near that we may be one one spirit with the Lord for he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit Rejoice in your portion and long for the
visions were indeed from the Lord And that they did not frame any imagination in their own hearts and taught it for his Word as many did I say you need no more ask that than ask How shal a man see light or know the Sun-shine light makes it self manifest and all other things it s seen by its own brightnesse even so the holy men of God needed not any mark or sign to know the Spirits voice his revelation needed not the light of any other thing it was light it self he would certainly over power the soul and mind and leave no place of doubting God who cannot be deceived and can deceive no man hath delivered us this Doctrine O with what reverence should we receive it as if we heard the Lord from heaven speak If you ask How you shal be perswaded that the Scriptures are the Word of God his very mind opened to men made legible Truly there are some things cannot be well proved not because they are doubtfull but because they are clear of themselves and beyond all doubt and exception Principles of Arts must not be proved but supposed till you find by triall and experience afterward that they were indeed really true There are no question such characters of Divinity and Majesty imprinted in the very Scriptures themselves that whosoever hath the eyes of his understanding opened though he run he may read them and find God in them What Majesty is in the very simplicity and plainnesse of the Scriptures They do not labour to please mens ears and adorn the matter with the curious garments of words and phrases but represent the very matter it self to the soul as that which in it self is worthy of all acceptation and needs no humane eloquence to commend it Painting doth spoil native beauty external ornamēts would disfigure some things that are of themselves proportioned and lovely therefore the Lord choses a plain and simple style which is foolishnesse to the world but in these swadling cloaths of the Scriptures and this poor Cottage the Child Jesus the Lord of Heaven and Earth is contained There is a jewel of the mysterious wisdom of God and mans eternal blessednesse in the Mineral What glorious and astonishing humility is here What humble and homly Glory and Majesty also He is most high and yet none so lowly What excellent consent and harmony of many writters in such distant times Wonder at it All speak one thing to one purpose to bring men to God to abase all glory and exalt him alone Must it not be one Spirit that hath quickned all these and breathes in them all this one heavenly Song of Glory to God on high and good will towards men Other Writers will reason these things with you to convince you and perswade you and many thinks them more profound and deep for that reason and do despise the basenesse of the Scriptures But to them vvhose eyes are opened the Majesty and authority of God commanding and asserting and testifying to them is more convincing from its own bare assertion then all humane reason Although there be much light in the Scriptures to guide mens vvay to Gods glory and their own happinesse yet certainly it vvill all be too smal purpose if the eyes of our understanding be darkned and blinded If you shal surround a man vvith day-light except he open his eyes he cannot see The Scriptures are a clear Sun of life and righteousnesse but the blind soul compassed vvith that light is nothing the vviser but thinks the lamp of the Word shines not because it sees not it hath its own dungeon vvithin it therefore the Spirit of God must open the eyes of the blind enlighten the eyes of the understanding that a soul may see vvonderfull things in Gods Law Psal. 119. 5. 8. Ioh. 1. 5. The light may shine in the darknesse but the darknesse cannot comprehend it I vvonder not that the most part of men can see no Beauty no Majesty no excellency in the holy Scriptures to allure them because they are natural and have not the spirit of God and so cannot know these things for they are spiritually discerned 2 Cor. 2. 14. c. Therefore as the inspiration of God did conceive this writting at first and preached this Doctrine unto the world so there can no soul understand it or profite by it but by the inspiration of the Almighty Verily there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding saith Iob. When the spirit comes into the soul to engrave the Characters of that Law and truth into the heart which were once engraven on Tables of Stone and not written with Pen and Ink then the spirit of Christ Jesus writes over and transcribes the Doctrine of the Gospel on fleshly Tables of the heart draws the lineaments of that faith and love preached in the word upon the soul then the soul is the Epistle of Christ written not with ink and pen but with the spirit of the living God 2 Cor. 3. 3. And then the soul is manifestly declared to be such when that which is impressed on the heart is expressed in the outward man in walking that it may be read of all men Now the soul having thus received the Image of the Scriptures on it understands the Spirits voice in them and sees the truth and divinity of them The eye must receive some species and likenesse of the object before it see it it must be made like to the object ere it can behold it Intelligens in actu fit ipsum intelligible So the soul must have some inspiration of the holy Ghost before it can believe with the heart the inspyred Scriptures Now for the utility and profit of the Scripture who can speak of it according to its worth Some things may be over-commanded nay all things but this one God speaking in his word to mankind Many Titles are given to humane writings some are called accurate some subtile some ingenious and quick some profound and deep some plain some learned But call them what they please the Scriptures may vindicate to it self these two Titles as its own prerogative Holy and profitable The best speaker in the world in many words cannot want sin The best Writer hath some drosse refuse but here all is holy all is profitable Many Books are to no purpose but to feed and inflame mens lusts many serve for nothing but to spend drive over the time without thought most part are good for nothing but to burden and over-weary the world to put them in a fancy of knowledge which they have not many serve for this only to nourish mens curiosity and vain imaginations and contentions about words and notions but here is a Book profitable all profitable If you do not yet profit by it you can have no pleasure in it it s only ordained for souls profiting not for pelasing your fancy not for matter of curious speculation not for
a little time the advantage of all the Books of the world shal be gone The statutes and Laws of Kings and Parliaments can reach no further then some temporall reward or punishment their highest pain is the killing of this body their highest reward is some evanishing and sading honour or perishing richest But he sheweth his word and judgements to us and hath not dealt so with every nation Psal. 147. 19. 20. And no nation under the whole heaven hath such Laws and Ordinances eternall life and eternall death is wrapt up in them these are rewards and punishments suitable to the Majesty and Magnificence of the eternall Law-giver Consider I beseech you what is folded up here the Scriptures shew the path of life life is of all beings most excellent and comes nearest the blessed being of God When we say life we understand a blessed life that only deserves the name Now this we have lost in Adam death is past upon all men but that death is not the worst it s but a consequence of a soul death the immortall soul whose life consisteth in Communion with God peace with him is seperated from him by sin and so killed when it s cut off from the fountain of life what life can it have any more than a beam that is cut off by the intervention of a dark body from the sun Now then what a blessed Doctrine must it be that brings to light life and immortality especially when we have so much miserably lost it and involved our souls into an eternall death Life is precious in it self but much more precious to one condemned to die to be caught out of the paws of the Lyon to be brought back from the Gibbet O how will that commend the favour of a little more time in the World But then if we knew what an eternall misery we are involved into and stand under a sentence binding us over to such an inconceivable and insupportable punishment as is the curse wrath of God O how precious an esteem would souls have of the Scriptures how would they be sweet unto their soul because they shew unto us a way of escaping that pit of misery and a way of attaining eternall blessednesse as satisfying and glorious as the misery would have been vexing and tormenting O that ye would once lay these in the ballance together this present life and eternall life Know ye not that your souls are created for eternity that they will eternally survive all these present things Now how do ye imagine they shal live after this life your thoughts and projects and designs are confined within the poor narrow bounds of your time when you die in that day your thoughts shal perish all your imaginations and purposes providences shal have an end then they reach no further then that time if you should wholly perish too it were not so much matter but for all your purposes and projects to come to an end when you are but beginning to live and enter eternity that is lamentable indeed Therefore I say consider what ye are doing weigh these in a ballance eternal life the present life if there were no more difference but the continuence of the one shortnesse of the other that this worlds standing is but as one day one moment to eternity that ought to preponderate in your souls do we not here flee away as a shadow upon the mountains are we not as a vapour that ascends and for a litle time appears a solid body and then presently vanisheth Do we not come all into the stage of the world as for an hour to act our part and be gone now then what is this to endless eternity When you have contained as long as since the World began you are no nearer the end of it ought not that estate then to be most in your eyes how to lay up a foundation for the time to come But then compare the misery and vexation of this life with the glory and felicity of this eternall life what are our dayes but few and full of trouble Or if you will take the most blessed estate you have seen or heard of in this world of Kings and rich men and help all the defects of it by your imaginations Suppose unto your selves the highth and pith of Glory and abundance and power that is attainable on earth and when your fancy hath busked up such a felicitie compare it with eternall life O how will that vanish out of your imaginations if so be you know any thing of the life to come you wil even think that an odious comparison you will think all that earthly felicitie but light as vanity every man at his best estate is altogether vanity Eernall life will weigh down eternally 2 Cor. 4. 17. 18. O but it hath an exceeding weight in it self one moment of it one hours possession and taste of it but then what shal the endlesse endurance of it add to its weight Now there are many that presume they have a right to eternall life as the Jews did you think saith he that you have it you think well that you think its only to be found in the Scriptures but you vainlie think that you have found it in them And there is this reason of it because you will not come to me that you may have life vers 40. If you did understand the true meaning of the Scriptures and did not rest on the outward Letter and Ordinances you would receive the testimonie that the Scriptures give of me But now you hear not me the Fathers substantiall Word therefore you have not his Word abiding in you vers 38. There was nothing more generall among that people than a vain carnall confidence and presumption of being Gods people having interest in the promise of life eternall as it is this day in the visible Church There is a multitude that are Christians onlie in the Letter not in the Spirit that would never admit any question concerning this great matter of having eternall life and so by not questioning it they come to think they have it and by degrees their conjectures and thoughts about this ariseth to the stabilitie of some faigned strong perswasion of it In the Old Testament the Lord strikes at the roots of their perswasions by discovering unto them how vain a thing it was and how abominable before him to have an externall profession of being his people and to glory in external Ordinances and Priviledges yet to neglect altogether the purging of their hearts consciences from lusts and Idollisâ—…s to make no conscience of walking righteously towards men Their profession was contradicted by their practice Will ye steal murther and commit adultery and yet come and stand in my house Jer. 7. 8. 9. doth not that say as much as if I had given you liberty to do all these abominations Even so it is this day the most part have no more of Christianitie
will not satisfie that promise therefore thou must be turned over from the promise of life to the curse and there thou shalt find thy name written Therefore it is absolutely necessary that Jesus Christ be made under the Law and give obedience in all things even to the death of the Crosse and so be made a curse for us and sin for us even he who knew no sin and thus in him you find the law fulfilled Justice satisfied and God pleased in him you find the promise of life indeed established in a better surer way than was first propounded you find life by his death you find life in his dying for you And again consider the Ceremonial Law What were all those Sacrifices and Ceremonies Did God delight in them Could he savour their incense and sweet smels and eat the fat of Lambs and be pacified No he detastes and abhorres such imaginations because that people did stay in the Letter and went no further then the Ceremony he declares that it was as great abomination to him as the offering up of a Dog while they were separated from Jesus Christ in whom his soul rested and was pacified they were not expiatious but provocatious they were not propitiations for sin but abominations in themselves But take these as the shadows of such a living substance take them as remembrances of him who was to come and behold Jesus Christ lying in these swadling cloaths of Ceremonies untill the fulnesse of time should come that he might be manifested in the flesh and so you shal find eternall life in those dead beasts in those dumb Ceremonies If you consider this Lamb of God slain in all these Sacrifices from the beginning of the world then you present a sweet smelling savour to God then you offer the true propitiation for the sins of the world then he will delight more in that sacrifice than all other personall obedience But what if I should say that the Gospel it self is a killing Letter ministration of death being severed from Christ I should say nothing amisse but what Paul speaketh that his Gospel was a savour of death to many take the most powerfull Preaching the most sweet discourse the most plain Writings of the free grace salvation in the Gospel take all the preachings of Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles you shal not find life in them unlesse ye be led by the Spirit of Christ unto himself who is the resurrection and the life It will no more save you than the Covenant of works unlesse that word abide and dwell in your hearts to make you believe in him and imbrace him with your souls whom God hath sent suppose you heard all and heard it gladly and learned it and could discourse well upon it and teach others yet if you be not driven out of your selves out of your own righteousnesse as well as sin and persued to this City of refuge Jesus Christ you have not eternal life Your knowledge of the truth of the Gospel and your obedience to Gods Law will certainly kill you and as certainly as your ignorance and disobedience unlesse you have imbraced in your soul that good thing Jesus Christ contained in these truths who is the Diamond of that Golden Ring of the Scriptures and unlesse your souls imbrace these promises as soul-saving as containing the chief good and worthy of all acceptation as well as your mind receive these as true and faithfull sayings 1 Tim. 1. 15. Thus ye see Christ Jesus is either the subject of all in the Scriptures or the end of it all he is the very proper subject of the Gospel Paul knew nothing but Christ crucified in his preaching and he is the very proper end and scope of the law for righteousness Rom. 10. 3. All the preaching of a covenant of works all the curses and threatnings of the Bible all the rigidexactions of obedience all come to this one great design not that we may set about such a walking to please God or do something to pacifie him but that we being concluded under sin and wrath on the one hand and an impossibility to save our selves on the other hand Gal. 3. 22. Rom 5. 20 21. may be pursued into Jesus Christ for righteousness life who is both able to save us and ready to welcome us Therefore the Gospel opens the door of salvation in Christ the Law is behind us with fire and sword and destruction pursuing us and all for this end that sinners may come to him and have life Thus the Law is made a Pedagogue of the soul to lead to Christ Christ is behind us cursing condemning threatning us and he is before us with stretched-out arms ready to receive us blesse us and save us inviting promising exhorting to come and have life Christ is on mount Sinai delivering the Law with thunders Act. 7. 38. and he is on mount Sion in the calm voice he is both upon the mountain of cursings and blessings and on both doing the part of a Mediator Gal. 3. 19 20. It is love that is in his heart which made him first cover his Countenance with frowns and threats and it is love that again displayes it self in his smilling countenance Thus souls are inclosed with love pursuing and love receiving And thus the Law which seems most contrary to the Gospel testifies of Christ it gives him this testimony that except salvation be in him it is no where else The Law sayes it is not in me seek it not in obedience I can do nothing but destroy you if you abide under my jurisdiction The Ceremonies and Sacrifices say if you can behold the end of this Ministery if a Vail be not on your hearts as it was on Moses face 2 Cor. 3 13 14 you may see where it is it s not in your obedience but in the death sufferings of the Son of God whom we represent Then the Gospel takes all these Coverings and Vails away and gives a plain and open testimony of him There is no Name under heaven to be saved but by Christ's The Old Testament speak by figures and signs as dumb men do but the New speaks in plain words and with open face Now I say for all this that there is no salvation but in him yet many souls not only those who live in their grosse sins and have no form of godlinesse but even the better sort of people that have some knowledge and civility and a kind of zeal for God yet they do not come to him that they may have life Rom. 10. 1 2 3. they do not submit to the righteousness of God Here is the march that divides the wayes of Heaven and Hell coming to Jesus Christ and forsaking our selves the confidence of these souls is chiefly or only in that little knowledge or zeal or profession they have they do not as really abhore themselves for their own righteousnesse as for their unrighteousnesse they make that the covering of
that Jesus Christ may be the only foundation of thy soul as God hath laid him in the Church for a sure foundation That who so believeth in him may not be ashamed What ever beside a soul be established on though it appear very solid and the soul be setled fixed upon it yet a day will come that will unsettle that soul and raze that foundation either it shal be now done in thy conscience or it must be done at length when that great tempest of Gods indignation shal blow from heaven against all unrighteousnesse of men in the day of accounts then shal thy house fall and the fall of it shal be great But a soul established upon the sure promises and upon Christ in whom they are Yea and Amen shal abide that storm and in that day have confidence before God have wherewith to answer in Jesus Christ all the challenges of divine justice and the accusations of conscience He that trusteth in him shal be as Mount Sion which cannot be moved You see all things else change and therefore mens hopes and joyes perish even here the tentations and revolutions of the times undermines their confidence and joy and the blasts of the Northern wind of affliction blows away their hopes Now as Christ is the Foundation so he is the Corner-stone of the building It is Christ who hath removed that Partition-wall between Jews and Gentiles even the Ceremonies of the one and the Atheism of the other He is our peace who hath made of two one The two sides of the House of God are united by this Corner-stone Jesus Christ. Thus we who were the Temples of Satan are made the Temples of God thus poor stranger-Gentiles who had no interest in the Covenant of Promises come to share with Abraham Isaac and Iacob and to be founded upon the Doctrine of the Prophets who taught the Jewish Church Christ is the bond of Christians this is the Head into which all the members should grow up into a Body Distance of Place difference of Nations distinction of Languages all these cannot separate the Members of Jesus Christ they are more one though consisting of diverse Nations Tongues and Customes and dispositions than the people of one Nation or Children of one Family for one Lord one Spirit unites all Alas that all are not united in affection judgement why do the sides of this House contend and wrestle one against another when here is such a Corner-stone joyning them together Are not there many Christians who cannot endure to look one upon another who are yet both placed in one building of the Temple of God Alace this is sad and shamefull But that which I would especially have observed in this is that Jesus Christ is such a foundation that reacheth throughout the whole building and immediatly toucheth every stone of the Building it 's such a Foundation as riseth from the bottom to the top and therefore Jesus Christ is both the Author and finisher of our Faith the beginning and the end the first stone the last 〈◊〉 of our building must rise upon him and by him the least degree of grace and the greatest perfection of it both are in him and therefore Christians should be most dependent creatures dependent in their first being and in after well-being in their being and growing wholly dependent upon Christ that out of his fulnesse they may receive grace and then more grace for grace that all may appear to be grace indeed Now I beseech you my beloved in the Lord to know whereupon ye are builded or ought to be builded There are two great errours in the time take heed of them one is the Doctrine of some and another is the practice of the most part Some do prefer their own fancies and night-dreams and the imaginations of their own heart to the Word of God and upon pretence of Revelation of new Light do cast a mist upon that Word of God which is a light that hath shined from the beginning Be not deceived but try the Spirits whether they be of God or not There are many pretend too much of the Spirit and therefore cry out against the Word as Letter as Flesh But my Brethren believe not every Doctrine that calls it self a Spirit that spirit is not of God that hears not Gods voice as Christ reasons against the Jews seek ye more of the Spirit of Christ which he promiseth who is a Spirit that teacheth all things and bringeth to remembrance these blessed sayings and leads us to all truth It shal be both safest and sweetest to you to meditate on the word of the Prophets and Apostles and the entrance into it shal give you light an old light which was from the beginning therefore a true light for all truth is eternall and yet a new light to your sense and feeling It 's both an old command and a new command an old word a new word if thou search by the Spirits inspiration that old word shal be made new that Letter made spirit and life Such are the words that Christ speaks But yet there are many who do not reject the Scriptures in judgement who notwithstanding do not build on them in practice Alas it may be said of the most part of professed Christians among us that they are not builded upon the foundation of the Prophets Apostles but upon the sayings of fallible and weak men What ground have many of you for your Faith but because the Minister saith so You believe so the most part live in an implicite faith and practice that in themselves which they condemne in the Papists You do not labour to search the Scriptures that upon that foundation you may build your faith in the questioned truths of this Age that so you may be able to answer to those that ask a reason of the Faith that is in you Alas simple souls you believe every thing and yet really believe nothing because you believe not the Word as the Word of the living God but take it from men upon their authority Therefore when a temptation cometh when any gainsayings of the truth you cannot stand against it because your Faith hath no foundation but the sayings of Men or Acts of Assemblies And therefore as men whom you trust with holding out light unto you hold out darknesse in stead of light you embrace that darknesse also But I beseech you be builded upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles not upon them but upon that whereon they were builded the infallible truths of God You have the Scriptures search them since you have reasonable souls search them other mens faith will not save you you cannot see to walk to heaven by other mens light more than you can see by their eyes You have eyes of your own souls of your own subordinate to none but the God of Spirits and Lord of Consciences Jesus Christ therefore examine all that is spoken to you from the Word
according to the Word and receive no more upon trust from men but as you find it upon triall to the truth of God 1 Tim. 〈◊〉 13. Hold fast that form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me in Faith and Love c. HEre is the sum of Religion here you have a compend of the Doctrine of the Scriptures All Divine Truths may be reduced to these two Heads Faith Love What we ought to believe and what we ought to do This is all the Scriptures teach and this is all we have to learn What have we to know but what God hath revealed of himself to us And what we have to do but what he commands us In a word what have we to learn in this world but to believe in Christ love him and so live to him This is the duty of man this is the dignity of man and the way to eternall life Therefore the Scriptures that are given to be a Lamp to our feet and a Guide to our paths contain an perfect and exact rule credendorum faciendorum of Faith and Manners or Doctrine and Practice We have in the Scriptures many truths revealed to us of God and of the works of his hands many precious truths but that which most of all concerns us is to know God our selves this is the special Excellency of the reasonable creature that it s made capable to know its Creator and to reflect upon its own being Now we have to know of our selves What we are now and what man once was and accordingly to know of God what he once revealed of himself and What he doth now reveal I say The Scâ—…iptures holds out to our consideration a twofold estate of Mankind according to these a twofold revelation of the Mystery of God We look on Man now and we find him another thing than he was once but we do not find God one thing at one time and another thing at another time for there is no shadow of change in him and He is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Therefore we ask not What he was and what he is now but how he manifests himself differently according to the different estates of Man as we find in the Scriptures man once righteous blessed Eccles. 7. 29. and God making him such according to his own Image Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 25. in righteousnesse and true holinesse we finde him in communion and friendship with God set next to the Divine Majesty and above the works of his hands all things under his feet How holy was he And how happy And happy he could not chuse but be since he was holy being conformed and like unto God in his will and affection chosing that same delight that same pleasure with God in his understanding knowing God and his will and likewise his own happinesse in such a conformity he could not but have much communion with him that had such conformity to him Union being the foundation of coÌ„munion great peace solid tranquility in him Now in this state of mankind God expresses his goodnesse and wisdom and power his holinesse and righteousnesse These are the Attributes that shine most brightly In the very morning of the Creation God revealed himself to man as a holy and just God whose eyes could behold no iniquity therefore he made him upright and made a Covenant of life and peace with him to give him immortall eternal life to continue him in his happy estate if so be he continued in well-doing Rom. 10. 5. Do this and live In which Covenant indeed there was some out-breakings of the glorious grace free condescendency of God for it was no lesse free grace and undeserved favour to promise life to his obedience than now to promise life to our Faith so that if the Lord had continued that Covenant with us we ought to have called it grace and would have been saved by grace as well as now though it be true that there is some more occasion given to mans nature to boast glory in that way yet not at all before God Rom. 4. 2. But we have scarcely found man in such an estate till we have found him sinfull miserable and fallen from his excellency That Sun shined in the dawning of the Creation but before ye can well know what it is it s eclipsed and darkned with sin and misery as if the Lord had only set up such a creature in the Firmament of Glory to let him know how blessed he could make him and wherein his blessednesse consists and then presently to throw him down from his excellency when ye find him mounting up to the Heavens and spreading himself thus in holiness and happinesse like a Bay-tree Behold again and you find him not though you seek him you shal not find him his place doth not know him He is like one that comes out with a great Majesty upon a Stage and personates some Monarch or Emperour in the World then ere you can well gather your thoughts to know what he is he is turn'd off the Stage and appears in some base despicable appearance so quickly is man stript of all these glorious ornaments of holinesse and puts on the vile rags of sin and wretchednesse and is cast down from the Throne of eminency above the creatures froÌ„ fellowship with God to be a slave and servant to the dust of his feet and to have communion with the devill and his angels And now ye have man holden out in Scripture as the onlie wretched Piece of the Creation as the very plague of the World The whole Creation groaning under him Rom. 8. and in pain to be delivered of such a burthen of such an Execration and Curse and Astonishment You find the testimony of the Word condemns him altogether concludes him under sin and then under a curse and makes all flesh guilty in Gods sight The Word speaks otherwise of us than we think of our selves Their imagination is only evil continually Gen. 6. 5. O then What must our affections be that are certainly more corrupt What then must our way be All flesh hath corrupted their way and done abominable works and none doth good Psal. 14. 1 2 3. But many flee in unto their good hearts as their last refuge when they are beaten from these out-works of their actions and wayes but the Scripture shal storm that also The heart is deceitful above all things who can know it Jer. â—…7 9. It is desperatly wicked In a word Man is become the most lamentable spectacle in the world acompend of all wickednesse and misery inclosed within the walls of inability and impossibility to help himself shut up within the prison of despair a stinking loathsome and irksome dungeon It is like the mytie pit that Ieremiah was cast into that there was no out-coming and no pleasant abode in it Now Mans estate being thus nay having made
himself thus and sought out to himself such sad inventions Eccles. 7. 29. and having destroyed himself Hos. 13. 9. What think ye Should any pity him If he had fallen in such a pit of miserie ignorantly and unwillingly he had been an object of compassion but having cast himself headlong into it who should have pity on him Or who should go aside to ask how he doth or bemoan him Ier. 15. 5. But behold the Lord pities man as a Father doth his Children Psal. 103. His compassions fail not He comes by such a loathsome and contemptible object and casts his skirts over it and saith Live Ezek. 16. And maketh it a time of love I say no flesh could have expected any more of God than to make man happy and holy to promise him life in well-doing But to repair that happinesse after it's wilfully lost and to give life to evil doers sinners O how far was it from Adams expectation when he fled from God Here then is the wonder that when men Angels were in expectation of the revelation of his wrath from heaveÌ„ against their wickednesse the execution of the curse man was concluded under that even then God is pursuing man pursues him with love and opens up to him his very heart and bowels of love in Jesus Christ Behold then the second revelation manifestation of God in a way of grace pure grace of mercy pity toward lost sinners The kindnesse of God hath appeared not by Works but according to his abundant mercy shewed in Christ Iesus Tit. 3. 4. 5. So then we have this purpose of Gods love unfolded to us in the Scriptures and this is the substance of them both Old and New Testament or the end of them Rom. 10. 4. Christ is the end of the Law to all sinners concluded under sin and a curse by it our Lord Jesus the good Ebedmelech comes and casts down a cord to us draws us up out of the pit of sin and misery he comes to this prison and opens the doors to let captives free so then we have holden out to us a Redeemer as a repairer of our breaches God in Christ reconciling the world O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy Help found Hos. 13. 9. He finds to himself a ransome to satisfie his justice Job 33. 24. He finds a propitiation to take away sin a sacrifice to pacifie and appease his wrath he finds one of our Brethren but his own Son in whom he is well pleased And then holds out all this to sinners that they may be satisfied in their own consciences as he is in his own mind God hath satisfied himself in Christ you have not that to do he is not now to be reconciled to us for he was never really at odds though he covered his countenance with frowns threats since the Fal hath appeared in fire and hunders and whirlwind which are terrible yet his heart had alwayes love in it to such persons and therefore he is come near in Christ about reconciling us to himself Here is the business then to have our souls reconciled to him to take away the enmity within us and as he is satisfied with his Son so to satisfie our selves with him be as wel pleased in his Redemption and purchase as 〈◊〉 â—…er is and then you believe indeed in him Now if this were accomplished what have wee more to do but to love him and to live to him when you have found in the Scripture and believed with the heart what Man once was and what he now is what God once appeared and what hee now manifests himself in the Gospel ye have no more to do but to search in the same Scriptures what ye henceforth ought to be Ye who find your estate recovered in Christ ask what manner of persons we ought to be And the Scripture shal also give you that form of sound words which may not only teach you to believe in him but to love him and obey his coÌ„mands The Law that before condemned you is now by Christ put in your hands to guide you and conduct you in the way teacheth you to live henceforth to his glory The grace of God that hath appeared to all men Tit. 2. 12. teacheth us that denying ungodlinesse and worldlie lusts we should live godly and righteously and soberly in this present world Here is the summe of the rule of your practise and conversation piety towards God equity towards men and sobriety towards our selves self-denyal and world-denyall and lust-denyal to give up with the world and our own lusts henceforth to have no more to do with them to resign them not for a time not in part but wholly and for ever in affection and by parts in practice and endeavour and then to resign and give up our selves to him to live to him and live in him Thus we have given you a summe of the Doctrine of the Scriptures of that which is to be believed and that which is to be done as our duty Now we shall speak a word of these two Cardinall Graces which are the compend of all Graces as the objects of them are the Abridgement of the Scriptures Faith Love these sound words can profite us nothing unlesse wee hold them fast with Faith and Love Faith is like the Fountain-grace streams come out of it that cleanseth the Conscience from the guilt of sin and purifieth the heart from the filth of sin because it is that which cometh to the Fountain opened up in the house of David draweth water out of these Wells of Salvation If you consider the fall and ruine of Mankind you will find infidelity unbelief the fountain of it as wel as the seal of it Unbelief of the Law of God of his promises and threatning This was first called in Question and when once called in Question it is half denied Hath God said so that you shal die It s not far off you shall not surely die Here then was the very beginning of mans ruine he did not retain in his knowledge and believe with his heart the truth and faithfulnesse and holinesse of God which unbelief was conjoyned intermingled with much pride you shal be as Gods he began to live out of God in himself not remembring that his life was a stream of that Divine Fountain that being cut off from it would dry up Now therefore our Lord Jesus Christ an expert Saviour and very learned and compleat for this work he brings man up out of this pit of misery by that same way he fell into it he fell down by unbelief and he brings him up out of it by faith This is the cord that is cast down to the poor Soul in the Dungeon or rather his Faith is the dead grip of the cord of Divine Promises which are sent unto the captive prisoners and by vertue thereof he is drawn out into the light
desired tasting of it only begets a kindly appetite after it the more tasted still the fresher and more recent But yet it is above both desire and fruition thou cannot see my face c. All our knowledge of God all our attainments of experience of him do reach but to some dark confused apprehension of what he is the clearest and nearest sight of God in the world is as if a man were not known but by his back which is a great point of estrangement It 's said in the heaven we shall see him face to face and fully as he is because then the soul is made capable of it Two things in us here puts us in an incapacity of nearnesse with God Infirmity and Iniquity Infirmity in us cannot behold his glory it 's of so weak eies that the brightnesse of the Sun would strike it blind and Iniquity in us he cannot behold it because he is of pure eyes that can look on no unclean thing it 's the only thing in the Creation that Gods holinesse hath antipathy at and therefore he is stil about the destroying of the body of sin in us about the purging of all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and till the soul be thus purged of all sin by the operation of the Holy Ghost it cannot be a Temple for an immediate vision of him an immediate exhibition of God to us Sin is the wall of partition and the thick cloud that eclipses his glory from us it is the opposite Hemesphere of darknesse contrary to light according to the accesse or recesse of Gods presence it is more or lesse dark the more sin reigns in thee the lesse of God is in thee and the more sin be subdued the readier nearer is Gods presence but let us comfort our selves That one day shal put off both Infirmity and Iniquity mortality shal put on immortality and corruption be cloathed with incorruption we shal leave the rags of mortall weaknesse in the grave and our menstruous cloaths of sin behind us then shal the weak eyes of flesh be made like Eagles eyes to behold the Sun and then shal the soul be cloathed with holinesse as with a Garment which God shal delight to look upon because he sees his own Image in that glasse We come to the Lords satisfying of Moses desire and proclaiming his Name before him it is himself only can tell you what he is it is not Ministers preaching or other discourse can proclaim that Name to you we may indeed speak over those words unto you but it is the Lord that must write that Name upon your heart he only can discover his glory to your spirit There is a spirit of life which cannot be inclosed in Letters and Syllables or transmitted through your ears into your hearts but he himself must create it inwardly and stir up the outward sense feeling of that Name of those Attributes Faith indeed comes by hearing and our knowledge in this life is thorow a glasse darkly thorow ordinances and senses but there must be an inward teaching and speaking to your souls to make that effectuall the anointing teacheth you all things 1 Ioh. 2. 27. Alas its the separation of that from the word that makes it so unprofitable if the spirit of God were inwardly writing what the word is teaching then should our souls be living Epistles that ye might read Gods Name on them O be much in imploying of depending on him that teacheth to profit who only can declare unto your souls what he is These names expresse his Essence or Being his Properties what he is in himself what he is to us in himself he is Jehovah or a self-being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we heard in the 3. Chap. I am that I am and EL a strong God or Almighty God which two hold out to us the absolute incomprehensible perfection of God eminently and infinitely enclosing within himself all perfections of the creatures the unchangeable and mutable being of God who was and is is to come without succession without variation or shadow of turning and then the Almighty power of God by which without difficulty by the inclination and beck of his will pleasure he can make or unmake all create or annihilate to whom nothing is impossible which three if they were pondered by us till our souls received the stamp of them they would certainly be powerfull to abstract and draw our hearts from the vain changeable and empty shadow of the creature gather our scattered affections that are parted among them because of their unsufficiency that all might unite in one and joyn with this self-sufficient and eternal God I say if a soul did indeed believe and consider how All sufficient he is how insufficient all things else are would it not cleave to him and draw near to him Psal. 73. ult It is the very torment and vexation of the soul to be thus racked distracted divided about many things therefore many because there is none of them can supply all our wants our wants are infinit our desires insatiable the good that is in any thing is limited bounded it can serve one but for one use and another for another use and when all are together they can but supply some wants but they leave much of the soul empty But often these outward things crosses one another and cannot consist together and hence ariseth much strife and debate in a soul his need requireth both and both will not agree But O that you could see this one universall good One for all and above all your souls would choose him certainly your souls would trust in him ye would say Ashur soal not save us we will not ride on horses Creatures shal not satisfie us we will seek our happinesse in thee and no where else since we have tasted this new wine away with the old the new is better I beseech you make God your friend for he is a great one whether he be a friend or an enemy he hath two properties that make him either most comfortable or most terrible according as he is at peace or war with souls Eternity and Omnipotency You were once all enemies to him O consider what a Party you have an Almighty Party and unchangeable Party if you will make peace with him and that in Christ then know he is the best friend in the world because he is unchangeable and Almighty if he be thy friend he will do all for thee he can do and thou hast need of But many friends willing to do yet have not ability but he hath power to do what he will and pleases Many friends are changeable their affections dry up of themselves die and therefore even Princes friendship is but a vain confidence for they shal die then their thoughts of favour perish with them but he abides the same for all Generations there is no end of his
duration no end of his affection He can still say I am that I am What I was I am and I will be what I am men cannot say so they are like the Brooks that the companies of Teman looked after thought to have found them in Summer as they left them in Winter but behold they were dried up the companies ashamed God cannot make thee ashamed of thy hope because he is faithfull able Ability and Fidelity is a sure Anchor to hold by in all storms and tempests Such is God in himself now there are two manner of wayes he vents himself toward the Creatures In a comfortable way or in a terrible way This glorious perfection and Almighty power hath an issue upon sinners and it runs in a twofold channell of mercy and justice Of mercy towards miserable sinners that finds themselves lost and flee unto him and take hold of his strength and justice towards all those that flatter themselves in their own eyes and continue in their sinnes and put the evill day far off There is no mercy for such as fear not justice and there is no Justice for such as flee from it unto mercy The Lord exhibites himself in a twofold appearance according to the condition of sinners He sits on a Throne and tribunal of Grace mercy to make accesse to the vil est sinner who isafraid of his wrath and would 〈◊〉 be at peace with him and he sits on a Throne of justice and wrath to seclude and debar presumptuous sinners from his Holinesse There were two mountains under the Law one of cursings another of blessings These are the Mountains God lets his Throne upon and from these he speaks and sentences mankind From the Mountain of cursings he hath pronounced a curse condemnatory sentence upon all flesh for all have sinned therefore he concludes all under sin that all flesh might stop their mouth and the whole world become guilty before God Now the Lord having thus condemned all Mankind because of disobedience he sits again upon the Mountain of Blessings and pronounces a sentence of absolution of as many as have taken with the sentence of condemnation and appealed to his grace and Mercy and those which do not so the sentence of condemnation stands above their heads unrepealed He erects his Tribunal of Justice in the Word for this end that all flesh might once be convicted before him and therefore he cites as it were and summons all men to fift themselves and compear before his Tribunall to be judged he layes out an accusation in the Word against them he takes their consciences witnesse of the truth of all that is charged on them and then pronounces that sentence on their conscience Cursed is he that abides not in all things which the conscience subsumes and concludes it self accursed and subscribes to the equity of the sentence and thus the man is guilty before God and his mouth stopped he hath no excuses no pretences he can see no way to escape from Justice and God is justified by this means in his speaking and judging Psal. 51. 4. The soul ratifies and confirms the truth justice of all our threatnings judgements Rom. 3. 4. Now for such souls as joyn with God in judging and condemning themselves the Lord hath erected a Throne of grace Tribunall of mercy in the word whereupon he hath set his Son Jesus Christ Psal. 2. 6. and 89. 14. and 45. 6. Heb. 1. 8. And O this Throne is a comfortable Throne mercy and truth goes before the face of the King to welcome entertain miserable sinners to make access to them And from this Throne Jesus Christ holds out the Scepter of the Gospel to invite sinners self-condemned sinners to come to him alone who hath gotten all finall judgement committed to him that he may give eternall life to whom he will Ioh. 5. 21 22. O that is a sweet and ample Commission given to our Friend Brother Jesus Christ power to repeal sentences past against us power to loose them whom Justice hath bound power and authority to absolve them whom justice hath condemned and to blesse them whom the Law hath cursed to open their mouth to praise whose mouth sin and guiltinesse hath stopped power to give the answer of a good conscience to thy evill self-tormenting conscience in a word he hath power to give life to make alive and heal those who are killed or wounded by the Commandement Now I say seeing God hath of purpose established this Throne of mercy in the Word thou mayest well after receiving and acknowledging of the justice of the curse of the Law appeal to divine mercy and grace sitting on another Throne of the Gospel thou may if thy conscience urge thee to despair and to conclude there is no hope thou may appeal I say from thy conscience from Satan from Justice unto Jesus Christ who is holding out the Scepter to thee the Minister calls thee Rise and come stand no longer before that Bar for it is a subordinate Judicatory there is a way to redresse thee by a higher court of Grace Thou may say to justice to Satan to thy own Conscience It is true I confesse that I deserve that sentence I am guilty and can say nothing against it while I stand alone but though I cannot satisfie and have not yet there is one Jesus Christ who gave his life a ransom for many and whom God hath given as a propitiation for sins he hath satisfied and paid the debt in my name go and apprehend the Cautioner since he hath undertaken it nay he hath done it and is absolved Thou had him in thy hands O justice Thou had him Prisoner under the power of death since you have let him go then he is acquited from all the charge of my sins therefore since I know that he is now a King hath a Throne to judge the world and plead the cause of his poor sheep I will appeal to him refer the cause to his decision I will make my supplication to him and certainly he will hear and interpole himself between wrath and me he will rescind this sentence of condemnation since he himself was condemned for us and is justified it is Christ that died nay rather is risen again who shal condemn me He is near that justifies me Rom. S. 33. 34. Now iâ—… thou do indeed flee into him for refuge that City is open for thee and nothing to prejudge thy entry but no curse no condemnation can enter in it Rom. 8. 1. He will justifie absolve thee from all things whereof the Law could not justifie thee but condemn thee there is forgivenness with him that he may be feared David may teach thee this manner of appellation Ps. 130. 142. 2. of appealing from the deserved curse to free undeserved blessing mercy in Christ. Let us consider this Name of the Lord and it shall answer all our suspicions
Ordinances but that Christians are now called to worship all Spirit pure Spirit c. This is one of the Spirits spiritual Doctrines that call themselves so which ye must not receive for it is neither spirit of God nor of Christ that teacheth this nor the spirit of God the Creator because he hath made the whole man body and soul and so must be worshipped of the whole man He hath created man in such a capacity as he may offer up external actions in a reasonable manner with the inward affections as the Lord hath created him so he should serve him every member every part in its own capacity the soul to preceed and the body to follow the soul to be the chief worshipper and the body its servant imployed in the worship True worship hath a body and a soul as well as a true man and as the soul separated is not a compleat man so neither is the soul separated a compleat worshipper without the body the external Ordinances of God is the body the inward soul-affection is the Spirit which being joyned together makes compleat worship Neither is it the Spirit of Christ which teacheth this because our Lord Jesus hath taught us to offer up our bodies and spirits both in a reasonable service Rom. 12. 1 2. The sacrifice of the bodily performance offered up by the spiritual affection and renewed mind is a living sacrifice holy acceptable and reasonable That spirit which dwelt in Christ above measure did not think it too base to vent it self in the way of externall Ordinances He was indeed above all above the Law yet did willingly come under them to teach us who have so much need and want to come under them He prayed much he preached he did sing and read to teach us how to worship and how much need we have of Prayer and Preaching This was not the Spirit Christ promised to his Disciples and Apostles which spirit did breath most lively in the use of the external Ordinances all their dayes and this is not the spirit which was at the hour in which Christ spoke The hour is come and now is ver 23. in which the true worship of God shal not be in the external and Jewish Ceremonies and rites void of all life and inward sense of Piety but the true worship of God shal be made up of a soul and body of spirit and truth of the external appointed Ordinances according to the word of truth and the spirit of truth and of the spirit and inward soul-affection and sincerity which shal quicken and actuate that external performance There were no such worshippers then as had no use of Ordinances Christ was not such his Disciples were not such therefore it is a new Gospel which if an Angel should bring from heaven ye ought not to receive it As it is certain then that both soul and body must be imployed in this businesse so it is sure that the soul spirit must be the first mover and chiefest agent in it because it is a spiritual businesse and hath relation to the fountain-spirit which hath the most perfect opposition to all false appearances and externall shews that part of man that commeth nearest God must draw near in worshipping of God if that be removed far away there is no real communion with God man judges according to the outward appearance and can reach no further than the outward man but God is an all-searching spirit who tryeth the heart and rins and therefore he will passe another judgement upon your worship then men can do because he observes all the secret wandrings and escapes of the heart out of his sight he misses the soul when you present attentive ears or eloquent tongues there is no dallying with his Majesty painting will not deceive him his very Nature is contrary to Hypocrisie dissimulation and what is it but dissimulation when you present your selves to Religious exercises as his people but within are nothing like it nothing awaking nothing present O consider my beloved what a one you have to do with It is not men but the Father of Spirits who will not be pleased with what pleases men of your own flesh but must have a spirit to serve him Alas what are we doing with such empty names and shews in Religion Busied in the outside of worship only as if we had none to do with but men who have eyes of flesh all that we do in this kind is lost labour and will never be reckoned up in the account of true worship I am sure you know and may reflect upon your selves that you make Religion but a matter of outward fashion and externall custome you have never almost taken to heart in earnest you may frequent the Ordinances you may have a form of godlinesse consisting in some outward performances priviledges and O! how void and destitute of all Spirit and Life and Power not to speak of the removall of affection and the imploying of the marrow of your soul upon base lusts and creatures or the scattering of your desires abroad amongst them for that is too palpable but even your very thoughts mindâ—… are removed from this busines you have nothing present but an ear or eye your minds is about other businesse your desires your fears your joyes and delights your affections never did run in the channel of religious exercises all your passion is vented in other things but here you are blockish stupid without any sensible apprehension of God his mercy or Justice or wrath or of your own misery and want You sorrow in other things but none here none for sin you joy for other things but none here you cannot rejoyce at the Gospel Prayer is a burthen not a delight if your spiriâ—…s were chiefly imployed in Religious duties Religion would be almost your Element your pleasure and Recreation but now it is wearisome to the flesh because the Spirit taketh not the chief weight upon it Oh be not deceived God is not mocked you do but mock your selves with external showes while you are satisfied with them I beseech you look inwardly and be not satisfied with the outward appearance but ask at thy Soul where it is and how it is Retire within and bring up thy spirit to this work I am sure you may observe that any thing goes more smoothly and sweetly with you then the Worship of God because your mind is more upon any thing else I fear the most part of us who endeavour to some measure to seek God have too much drosse of outward formality much scumof filthy hypocrisie and guile O pray that the present furnace may purge away this scum It is the great ground of Gods present controversie with Scotland but alas the Bellows are like to burn we not be purged our scum goes not from us we satisfie our selves with some outward exercises of Religion custome undoes us all it was never more
which he chiefly aims at Shal we not then conceive that the Lord who instructs every man to this discretion teaches him Isa. 28. 26. Is himself wise in his Counsel and hath some grand project before him in all this Fabrick of the World and the upholding of it since it was made Certainly he hath and if you ask what it is the wise man will teach you in the general He made all things for himself even the wicked for the evil day Pro. 16. 4. Here then is his great design and purpose to glorifie himself to manifest his own Name to men Angels Now his Name comprehends Wisdome Goodnesse Power Mercy and justice the first three he declares in all the works of his hands all are well done wisely done the excellency of the work shews the wonderfull Counsellour the wise Contriver the goodnesse of any creature in its kind declares the inexhausted spring of a selfe-being from whom it proceeds the bringing all these out of nothing and upholding them is a glorious declaration of his power But yet in all the works of his hands there is nothing found to manifest his glorious mercy and justice upon which are the flower and garland of his Attributes and unto which wisedom and power seems to be subservient Therefore his Majesty in that one entire purpose of his own glory resolves to manifest his wrath and his mercy upon men and Angels subjects capable of it which two Attributes are as the Poles about which all the Wheels of Election and Reprobation turns as you see in that place Rom. 9. 22. 23. Let this then be established as the end of all his works as it is designed in his Counsell and nothing else It is not the Creature nor any thing in the Creature which is first in his mind but himself and therefore of him and for him are all things Here they have their rise thither they return even to the Ocean of Gods eternall glory from whence all did spring The right establishing of this will help us to conceive aright of his Counsell of Predestination It is a common cavil of carnall reason How can the Lord reject so many persons foreordain them to destruction It seems most contrary to his goodnesse and wisedom to have such an end of eternall Predestination before him in the creating so many thousands to make men for nothing but to damn them Here carnall reason which enmity to God triumphs But consider I say that this is not the Lord's end and chief design to destroy men even as it is not his Majesties first look or furthest reach to give unto others eternal life so it is not his prime intent to sink them in eternal death as if that were his pleasure delight no indeed neither is the creatures happinesse nor its misery that which first moves him or is most desired of him but himself only and he cannot move out of himself to any businesse but he must return it unto himself therefore the wise Preacher expresses it well He made all for himself even the wicked for the day of evil It was not his great end of creating wicked men to damn them or creating righteous men to save them but both are for a further and higher end for himself and his own Glory All seem to agree about this That the great end of all the Lords Counsels and decrees is his own glory to be manifested on Men Angels and that this must be first in his mind not that there is first or last with him but to speak after the manner of men if he had many thoughts as we have this would be his first thought and in this one purpose this end is chiefly aimed at and all other things are by the Lords counsel subordinate to this as means to compasse that But as concerning the order of these means and consequently of his Majesties purpose about them men by examining his Majesty according to the creatures Rules or according to sense bring him down far below his own infinite greatnesse Some conceive that that was first as it were in his mind which is first done looking upon the execution of his purpose in the works of his power they imagine that as he first created man righteous so this was his first thought concerning man to creat man for the glory of his goodnesse power without any particular determination as yet of his end and I conceive this is the thoght of the multitude of people they think God was disapointed in his work when they hear he created such a glorious creature that is now become so miserable they cannot believe that his Majesty had all this sin and misery determinated with him when he purposed to create him but look upon the emergement of mans Fall into sin and misery as a surprisal of his Majesty as if he had meant another thing in creating him so was upon this occasion of man's sinne driven to a new consultation about the helping of the businesse making the best out of it that might be Thus through wisdome the world knows not God They think God altogether like themselves and so liken him to the builder of an house who let nothing before him in doing so but to build it after that manner for his own ends but thē being surprised with the fall and ruine of it takes a new advisement and builds it up again upon another surer foundation but because they cannot say that God takes any new advisements in time but must confesse that all his Counsels are everlasting concerning all the works of his hands therefore they bring in fore-knowledge to smooth their irreligious conceit of God as if the Lord upon his purpose of creating man had foreseen what should befall him and so purposed to permit it to be so that out of it he might erect some glorious Fabrick of mercy and justice upon the ruines of man And that little or nothing may be left to the absolute Soveraign will of God to which the Scripture ascribes all things they must again imagine that upō his purpose of sending Christ to save sinners he is yet undetermined about the particular end of particular men but watches on the tower of fore-knowledge to espie what they will do whether men will believe in his Son or not whether they will persevere in faith or not and according to his observation of their doings so he applies his own will to carve out their reward or portion of life or death These are even the thoughts which are imbred in your breasts by nature that which the learned call Arminianism is nothing else but the carnal reason of mens hearts which is enmity to God it is that very Disputation which Paul in this Chapter exclaims against Who art thou O man that disputes But certainly all this contrivance is nothing beseeming the wisdome of Soveraignity of God but reflects upon both upon his wisdome that he should have
he doth first and so some do rank his decrees that he had first a thought of glorifying men and to attain this end he purposed to give him grace and for this purpose to suffer him to fall for all to create him But we must not look thus upon it either it were a foolish rediculous counsell unbeseeming the poor wisdom of man to purpose the glorifying of man whom he had not yet determined to create therefore we should alwayes have in our mind that the great end and project of all is the glory of his mercy and justice upon men and this we may conceive is first in order neither mens life nor death but Gods glory to be manifested upon men Now to attain this glorious end with one inclination or determination of his will not to be distinguished or severed he condescends upon all that is done in time as one compleat and intire mean of glorifying himself so that one of them is not before another in his mind but all together for attaining this he purposes to create man he ordains the fall of all men into a state of sin and misery some of these upon whom he had resolved to shew his mercy he gives them to Christ to be redeemed restored by grace Others he fore-ordains them to destructions all this at once without any such order as we imagine Now though he intend all this at once and together yet it doth not hence follow that all these must be executed together as when a man intends to build a house for his own accommodation there are many things in the house upon which he hath not severall purposes But yet they must be severally and in some order done First the foundation laid then the Walls raised then the roof put on yet he did not intend the foundation to be for the walls or the walls for the roof but altogether for himself Even so the Lord purposes to glorifie his mercy and justice upon a certain number of persons and for this end to give them a being to govern their falling into misery to raise some out of it by a Mediator and to live some into it to destruction all this as one intire mean to illustrate his glorious mercy and justice but these things themselves must be done not all at once but one before another either as their own nature require or as he pleaseth the very nature of the thing requires that man be created before he sin that he sin and fall before a Mediator suffer for his sin and that he have a being before he have a glorious being and that he have a sinfull and miserable being before he have this glorious and gracious being which may manifest the grace and mercy of God But it is the pleasure of the Lord that determines in what time and order Christ shal suffer either before or after the conversion of sinners or whether sinners shal presently be instated in glory and perfectly delivered from all sin at their first conversion or only in part during this life Seeing then this was his Majesties purpose to make so many vessels of honour upon whom he might glorifie the riches of his grace end mercy And so many vessels of wrath upon whom he might shew the power of his anger You may think what needed all this businesse of mans redemption might not God have either preserved so many as he had appointed to glory from falling into sin and misery or at least have freely pardoned their sin without any satisfaction and out of the exceeding riches of his mercy and power have as well not imputed sin to them at all as imputed their sins to Christ who was not guilty What needed his giving so many to the Son and the Sons receiving them What needed these mysteries of Incarnation of Redemption seeing he might have done all this simply without so much pains and expence why did he choose this way Indeed that is the wonder and if there were no more end for it but to confound mortality that dare ask him what he doth it is enough Should he be call◅ down to the Bar of Humane Reason to give an account of his matters Who hath known the mind of the Lord or being his counsellour hath taught him That is in the depths of his unsearchable understāding that he chose to go this round to compasse his end by such a strange circuit of means when he might have done it simply and directly without so much pain yet it is not so hidden but he hath revealed as much as may satisfie or silence all flesh For we must consider that his great project is not simply to manifest the glory of his goodnesse but of his gracious and mercifull goodnesse the most tender and excellent of all therefore man must be miserable sinfull and vile that the riches of his grace may appear in choosing and saving such persons But that it may appear also how excellent he could make man and how vain all created perfections are being left to themselves therefore he first made man righteous and being fallen into sinne and misery he might straight way have restored him without more ado but his purpose was to give an exact demonstration of mercy tempered and mixed with justice and therefore he finds out the satisfaction in his eternall Counsell I have found a ransome and so he chooses Jesus Christ to be the head of these chosen souls in whom they might be again restored unto eternal life and these souls he in his everlasting purpose gives over to the Son to be redeemed and these the Son receives And thus the glory of mercy and justice shines most brightly yea more brightly than he had at first pardoned O how doth his love and mercy appear that he will transfer our sins upon his Holy Son and accept that Redemption for us and his Justice that a Redemption price he must have even from his Son when once he comes in the stead of sinners and in this point do the Songs of Eternity concenter Rom. 9. 22. and Eph. 1. 11. WE are now upon a high subject high indeed for an eminent Apostle much more above our reach the very consideration of Gods infinite wisdome might alone suffice to restrain our unlimited thoughts and serve to sober our minds with the challenge of our own ignorance and darknesse yet the vain and wicked mind of man will needs quarrell with God enter the lists of disputation with him about his righteousnesse and wisdome in the Counsel of Election and Reprobation But who art thou O man that replyest against God or desputes ver 20. This is a thing not to be disputed but believed and if ye will believe no more than ye can comprehend by sense or reason then ye give his Majesty no more credit than to weak mortall man Whatever secret thoughts do rise up in thy heart when thou hearest of Gods fore-ordaining men to Eternall life
are fallen that Image we spoke of is defaced and blotted out which was the glory of the Creation and now there is nothing so monstrous so deformed in the world as man the corruption of the best thing is alwayes worst the ruines of the most noble creature are most ruinous the spot of the soul most abominable we are nothing but a masse of darknesse ignorance errour inordinate lust nothing but confusion disorder and distempers in the soul and in the conversation of men in sum that blessed bond of friendship with God broken discord enmity entered upon our side separated us from God and so we can expect nothing from that first Covenant but the curse and wrath threatned By one mans disobedience sin entered upon all death by sin because in that agreement Adam was a common person representing us and thus are all men once subject to Gods judgement come short of the glory of God fallen from life into a state of death for any thing could be expected irrevocably But it hath pleased the Lord in his infinite mercy to make a better Covenant in Christ his Son that vvhat vvas impossible to the Law by reason of our vveakness and vvickedness his Son sent in the flesh condemned for sin might accomplish Rom. 8. 3. There is some comfort yet after this that Covenanâ—… vvas not last and that sentence vvas not irrevocable He maketh a new transaction layes the iniquity of his elect upon Christ and puts the curse upon his shoulders vvhich vvas due to them Justice cannot admit the abrogation of the Law but mercy pleads for a temperament of it and thus the Lord dispenses vvith personal satisfaction vvhich in rigour he might have craved and finds out a ransom admits another satisfaction in their name And in the Name of that Cautioner and Redeemer is salvation preached upon better terms Believe and thou shalt be saved Rom. 10. Thou lost and undone sinner vvhoever thou art that findest thy self guilty before God and that thou canst not stand in judgement by the former Covenant thou vvho hast no personal righteousness and trusts in none come here embrace the righteousness of thy Cautioner receive him and â—…est on him and thou shalt be saved Eccles. 7. 29. God made man upright but he sought out many inventions THe one half of true Religion consists in the knowledge of ourselves and the other half in the knowledge of God and vvhatever besides this men study to know and apply their hearts unto it 's vain and impertinent and like medling in other menâ—… matters neglecting our own if vve do not give our minds to the search of these All of us must needs grant this in the general that it is an idle and improfitable wandering abroad to be carried forth to the knowledge and use of other things and in the mean time to be strangers to our selves vvith vvhom vâ—… should be most acquainted If any man vvas diligenâ—… and earnest in the enquiry and use of the things of the vvorld Solomon vvas he applyed his heart to seek out vvisdom and vvhat satisfaction vvas in the knowledge of all things natural and in this he attained a great degree beyond all other men yet he pronounces of it all after experience and tryal that this also was vanity and vexation of spirit not only empty and unprofitable and not conducing to that true blessedness he sought after but hurtful and destructive nothing but grief and sorrow in it After he had proved all vvith a resolution to be vvise yet it vvas far from him I said I will be wise but it was far from me verse 23. And therefore after long vvandering abroad he returns at length home to himself to know the estate of mankind Lo this only have I sound c. ver 29. When I have searched all other things found many things by search yet saith he vvhat doth it all concern me vvhen I am ignorant of my self There is one thing concerns me more then all to know the original of Man vvhat he once vvas made and to know how far he is departed from his Original This only I have found profitable to men and as the entry and preparation to that blessedness I enquire for To have the true discovery of our misery There are two things then concerning man that you have to search to know that not in a triâ—…ing or curious manner as if you had no other end in it but to know it as men do in other things but in a serious earnest way as 〈◊〉 a matter of so much concernment to our eternal well-being In things that relate particularly to our selves vve labor to know them for ome advantage besides the knowing of them even though they be but â—…mal and lower things how much more should vve propose this unto our selves in the search and examination of our own estate not meeâ—…ly to â—…now such a thing but to know it that vve may be 〈◊〉 up and provoked in the sense of it to look after the remedy that God holds forth There are two things that you have to know What man once vvas made and how he is now unmade how happy once and how miserable now And answerable to these two are the branches of the Text God made manâ—…upright that he was once and they have fought out many inventions not being contented vvith that blessedness they vvere created into by catching at a higher estate of vvisdom have fallen down into a gulf of misery as the man that gazed on the stars above him and did not take notice of the pit under his feet till he fell into it and thus man is now So you have a short account of the two estates of men of the estate of grace and righteousness vvithout sin and the estate of sin and misery 〈◊〉 grace You havâ—… thâ—… 〈◊〉 story of man from the creation unto his present condition But all the matter is to have the lively sensâ—… of this upon our hearts I had rather that vve vvent home bewailing our loss and lamenting our misery and longing for the recovery of that 〈◊〉 then that vve vvent out vvith the exact memory of all 〈◊〉 is spoken and could repeat it again God made man upright At hiâ—…â—…st moulding the Lord shewed excellent Art and Wisdom and Goodness too Man did come forth from under his hand in the first edition very glorious to show vvhat he could do Upright that is all right very exactly conformed to the noble and high pattern endowed vvith divine vvisdom such 〈◊〉 might direct him to true happiness and furnished vvith a divine vvillingness to follow that direction The command was not above his head as a rod but within his heart as a natural instinct all that vvas vvithin him vvas comely beautiful for that glorious light that shined upon him having life and love vvith it produced a sweet harmony in the soul he knew his duty and loved it and vâ—…as
able to perform it O! how much is in this one word Upright Not only sincerity and integrity in the soul but perfection of all the degrees and parts no part of holiness wanting and no measure of these parts no mixture of darkness or ignorance no mixture of indisposition or unwillingness godliness vvas â—…weet and not laborious the love of God possessing the heart did conform all vvithin and vvithout to the vvill of God and O how beautiful vvas that conformity and that love of God! the fountain-being did send forth as a stream love and good-will to all things as they did partake of Gods Image and so holiness towards God did beget righteousness towards men and made men to partake of one anothers happiness This is a survey of him in his integrity as God â—…de him but there follows a sad but a sad and vvoâ—…l exception but they have sought out many inventions We cannot look upon that glorious estate vvhereinto mâ—…n was made but straightway we must turn our eyes upon thâ—… misery into which he hath plunged himself and be the more affected with it that it was once otherwise It is misery in a high degree to have been once happy this â—…ost of all agredges our misery and may encrease the sense of it that such Man once was and such we might have been if we had not destroyed our selves Who can look upon these ruins and refrain â—…ouring It 's said that those who saw the glory of the first Temple weâ—…t when they beheld the second because it was not answerable to it in magniâ—…ence and glory So I say it might occasion much â—…ness grief even to the children of God in whom that Image is in part repaired and that by a second Creation to think how much more happy and blessed Man once was who had grace and holiness without sin But certainly it should and must be at first before this Image be restored the bitter lamentation of a soul to look upon it self wholly ruinous and defaced in the view of that glorious stately fabrick which once was made How lamentable a sight is it to behold the first Temple demolished or the first Creation defaced and the second not yet begun in many souls the foundation-stone yet not laid It was a sad and dolâ—…ul invention which Satan inspired at first into mans heart to go about to find out another happiness to seek how to be wise as God an invention thaâ—… did proceed from hell how to know evil experimentally and practically by doing it that invention hath invented and found out all the sin and misery under which the world groans It is a poor invention to devise misery and torment to the creature this was the height of solly and madness for a happy creature to invent how to make it self miserable and all others Indeed he intended another thing to be more happy but pride and ambition got a deserved fall the result of all is sin and misery And now from this first devillish invention the heart of man is possessed with a multitude of vain imaginations Man is now become vain in his imaginations and his foolish heart is darkned that divine wisdom he was endowed withall is eclipsed for it was a ray of Gods countenance and now he is left wholly in the dark without a guide without a director or leader he is turned out of the path of holiness and so of happiness a night of gross darkness blindness is come on the way is full of pits and snares the end of it is at best eternal misery and there is no lamp no light to shine in it to show him either the misery that he is posting unto or the happinesse that he is flying from There is nothing within him sufficient to direct his way to blessednesse and nothing willing nor able to follow such a direction And thus Man is left to the invention and counsel of his own desperately wicked and dâ—…ful heart and that is above all plagues to be given up to a reprobate mind He is now left to such a tutor and guideâ—… and it is full of inventions indeed But they are all in vain that is all of them unsufficient for this great purpose all of them cannot make one hair that is black white much lesâ—… redeem the soul but besides they are destructive they pretend to deliver but they destroy a desperate wicked heart imagineth evil continually evil against God and evil to our own souls and a deceitful heart â—…mooths over the evil and presents it under another notion and so under pretence of a friend it 's the greatest enemy a man hath a bosome enemy Al mens inventions thoughts cogitations projects and endeavors what do they tend to but to the satisfaction of their lusts either the lusts of the mind as Ambition Pride Avarice Passion Revenge and such like or the lusts of the body as pleasure to the ears and to the eyes and to the flesh Man was made with an upright soul with a dominion over that brutish part more like Angels But now all his invention run upon that base and beastly part how to adorn it how to beautifie it how to satisfie it and for this his soul must be a drudge and slave And if men rise up to any thoughts of a higher life yet what is it for but to magnifie and exalt the flesh to seek an Excellency within which is lost and so to satisfie the pride and self-love of the heart If any man comes this length 〈◊〉 to apprehend some misery yet how vain are his inventions about the remedy of it not knowing how desperate the disease is men seek help in themselves think by industry and care art to raise themselves up in some measure please God by some expiations or sacrifices of their own works Now this tends to no other purpose but to satisfie the lust of mans pride and so it increases that which was mans first malady and keeps them from the true Physician In a word all mens inventions are to hasten misery on him or to blindfold himself till it come on all his invention cannot reach a delivery from this misery Let us therefore consider this which Solomon hath found out and if we carefully consider it and accurately ponder it in relation to our own souls theÌ„ have we also â—…ound it with him Consider I say what man once was and what you are now and bewaile your misery and the fountain of it our departure from the fountain of life and blessednesse know what you are not only weak but wicked whose art and power lyes only in wickednesse skilful and able only to make your self miserable and let this consideration make you cast away all your confidence in your selves and carry you forth to a Redeemer who hath â—…ound a ransome who hath found out an excellent invention to cure all our distempers and desperate diseases The counsel of the holy Trinity that met about