holiness and love hath predestinated us to be made conformable unto the Image of his Son Rom. 8.29 Who is the brightness of his glory and the express Image of his person Heb. 1.3 And the genuine Son of the Father in Truth and Love 2 Epist John 3. Secondly He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love Eph. 1.4 Thirdly This holiness in love is that whereunto we are called 1 Thes 4.7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness but unto holiness Col. 3.14 1 Pet. 4.8 Fourthly Holy love to God and men is that which we ow to him for his love unto us in Christ Psal 31.23 116.1 I love the Lord c. 2 Cor. 5.14 For the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judg that if one died for all then were all dead 1 John 3. to 16. Fifthly It is through holiness and love that all sin must be overcome and buried in us Rom. 12.21 Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good 1 Pet. 4.8 And above all things have fervent love among your selves for love shall cover the multitude of sins yea all sins whatsoever as Solomon testifieth in these words Prov. 10.12 Hatred stirreth up strife but love covereth all sin and that in a burying way first or in mortification Sixthly The Law of God whose fulfiling and accomplishment standeth in love is established in Heaven for ever Psal 78.5,6,7,8 119.89 insomuch That Heaven and Earth shall sooner pass away then one jot or tittle of the Law shall go unfulfilled Matth. 5.18 Which fulfilling must be accomplished not onely by Christ for us but by him and us joyntly Also Matth. 3.15 For he saith unto John Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness Seventhly There is no other way left unto us in Christ that leadeth to life but the keeping of the Commandments through his grace and help Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 19,17 But if thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life and enter through the Gates into the City Eightly God hath not left us destitute either of outward or inward means for the fulfilling and accomplishment of the Law and the love holiness and righteousness which it requireth For first as to outward means the Apostle speaks thus 2 Tim. 3.16,17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for redargution for correction and for instruction in righteousness That the man of God may be perfected and throughly furnished unto all good works Eph. 4.11,12,13 And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry and for the edifying of the Body of Christ Till we all come in the unity of the Faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ And for inward means Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness sake to every one that believeth Rom. 10.4 And that as otherwife so that through his Grace and Spirit the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8,4 Ninthly God hath not onely promised to put his Law into our inward parts and to write it in our hearts Jere. 31.33,34 Ezek 36.25,26,27 but hath expresly engaged himself to work so much love in us as the Law any where requireth Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God shall circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy Seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul that thou maist live Tenthly God is willing and ready to perfect his work unto the end Phil. 1.6,7 Eleventhly Christ hath not onely taught us to pray for a perfect obedience to Gods will in this Petition Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven but he himself who in all things was heard of his Father hath prayed for our perfection in love John 17.20,21,22,23 Neither pray I for these alone but for them also that shall believe on me through their word That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us That the world may believe that thou hast sent me and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Lastly The work which God hath given us to do must be perfected and finished in this life See Eccles 9.10 Tit. 2.12 That we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed Hope c. Much more might be alleadged upon this accompt Sed Vivitur exigno si quis bene noverit uti Come we then to the Transposition and Application of this Proposition where first by way of Information we may learn these Consequents 1. That as the Spiritual Promises aforesaid are precious and sweet-conditioned Covenants so they are to flesh and blood without assisting Grace difficult and hard-conditioned Promises But our blessed Saviour told us aforehand Matth. 7.14 That strait is the way and narrow is the Gate which leadeth unto life and that there be few that enter in thereat as did also his Apostle Peter who saith 1 Pet. 4.18 That the righteous shall scarcely that is with much difficulty be saved where then shall the ungodly and sinner appear 2. We may observe what need we have of a Saviour that should be God as well as Man and that as in other regards so to redeem us from all iniquity and purifie or renew us unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 See also the end for which he gave himself not onely to sanctifie and wash us with water through the Word but also that he might present us to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrincle but that we should be holy and without blemish Eph. 5.27 Hence it is that Moses speaks thus Deut. 33.29 Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved by the Lord the sheild of thine help and who is the sword of thine excellency Secondly By way of Redargution this first serves to controul their mistake who conceive that it is sufficient unto Salvation for us to be holy and religious with any kinde or in any degree of holiness For Paul speaks thus Gal. 3.3 Are ye so foolish having begun in the spirit are ye made perfect in
the flesh Heb. 12.10 He saith That the Lord chastneth us to make us partakers of his own holiness and the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.16 commanding us to be holy as the Lord is holy doth prescribe both the true kinde and right degree of holiness for which we should labor at which also the Apostle aims when he prayeth thus 1 Thes 3.12,13 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men even as we do towards you to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints Yea the eternal life it self to which we are chosen in Christ Jesus is principally the perfection of holy love as we heard before out of Ephes 1.4 Which thing also David affirms Psal 133.3 For there he commanded the blessing and life for evermore Secondly If any Athenians in our days should ask as those did in former times Acts 17.19 May we know what this new Doctrine whereof thou speakest is St John the Beloved Disciple will give them satisfaction therein 1 Joh. 2.7,8 Brethren I write no new Commandment unto you but an old Commandment which ye had from the beginning the old Commandment is the Word which ye have heard from the beginning Again a new Commandment I write unto you which is true in him and in you because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth 2 Joh. Vers 5 6. Now I beseech thee Lady not as though I wrote a new Commandment unto thee but that which we had from the beginning namely that we love one another And this is love that we walk after his Commandments This is the Commandment that as ye have heard from the beginning ye should walk in it Thirdly It serves to answer many Cavils and Objections made by scrupulous men As first Is not this Popery because the Papists hold Perfection Answer Though the Papists want no Errors yet they hold there is one God a Trinity of Persons Two Natures in Christ's own Person his Threefold Office his Twofold Estate of Humiliation and Exaltation and many more Orthodox and Primitive Heads of Doctrine But nothing ought to be called or accounted Popish which was taught by the Prophets the Apostles and Christ himself as this Doctrine was both clearly and frequently held forth by all of them But is it not Pelogian Doctrine Indeed Pelagius taught That man could of himself fulfil the Law of God to whom Augustine answereth Let him adde these words That he can do it by the Grace of God and we consent But is it not Arminianism No for Arminius held the contrary and herein are they Arminions who are otherwise minded Fourthly It serves to check and overthrow their Error who affirm the Law of God to be impossible to be fulfilled by the Saints in this life though assisted by the Grace and Spirit of Christ who also do usually for that end affix and attribute such a rigor to the Law as the Lord hath no where ascribed unto it For not onely the Apostles but Christ himself doth affirm That the whole requiring of the Law yea and of the Prophets also is fulfilled in the love aforesaid see Matth. 22.38,39 Rom. 13.8,9 Ow no man any thing but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law For this Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness Thou not covet and if there be any other Commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying Thou shalt love thy Neighbor as thy self Therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law See Gal. 5.13,14 Nor let any Reply that here the Apostle speaks onely of the Commandments of the second Table for the true love of our Neighbor is always founded in the love of God And as this last presupposeth the former so the love of God is accompanied with the love of our Neighbor 1 John 2.5 But whoso keepeth the Word of God in him is the love of God perfected 1 John 5.1,2 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him By this we know that we love the Children of God when we love God and keep his Commandments Now if this were imposble to be done the Law of God were eo nomine unjust and tyrannical For Pharaoh is condemned by God and man for laying such commands upon the Israelites as they could not possibly perform Exod 5.6,7 For the further refuting of this opinion we might produce the contrary judgment of all the Greek and Latin Fathers of which take these few for the present Justin Martyr in Quaest Respons ad Orthodoxos But what is the total Justice or Universal Righteousness according to the Law To love God above himself and his neighbor as himself which is not impossible to men who apply their hearts thereunto for that saying By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified The Apostle doth not therefore alleadge it because we cannot do impossible things but because we will not do that which is possible Do not blame the Lord for he demands nothing impossible saith Chrysost de Paenit Hom. 8 See Basil upon Psal 118. Hieronymus in Expos Symbol ad Damasum August in Psal 56. Nor would God command this if it were impossible to be done of man Idem de tempore Serm. 61. Neither could God command any thing which is impossible because he is just nor will he condemn any man for that he could not do because he is pious and good Idem de tempore Serm. 191. We detest their Blasphemy who say That God hath commanded any thing that is impossible to man Concilium Arausicanum according to the Catholick Faith we believe That all who are baptized having received Grace may and ought by the help and the co-operation of Christ to fulfil all things that belong to Salvation if they will faithfully endeavor or labor thereunto Thirdly By way of Correction this serves first to reprove all unbelief that is found in men to the contrary see what the Lord saith of the unbelieving Israelites who were rendred unbelieving persons who were indisposed to enter upon the holy Land of Promise being deterred by the pretenders of impossibility to overcome the Canaanites and scale and beat down their Cities Numbers 13 and 14 Chapters Unto whom sware the Lord that they should not enter into his rest but to them who believed not So then they could not enter in because of unbelief Heb. 3.18,19 Secondly This serves to reprehend them who look for Life and the blessing of the Promises and yet stand at a stay and make not progress towards perfection Revel 3.2 Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die for I have not sound thy works perfect before God Thirdly It rebukes