but desire he should carry you away out of this vale of misery that mortality might be swallowed up of life If you would doe all this in earnest you would be so farre from feare of death that you would if you were put to your choice with the Apostle choose to hee dissolved and to bee with Christ which is best of all and so farre from fearing the day of Iudgement that you would love and long for Christs appearing waiting with patience and chearfulnesse when your change shall be Indevour to follow these directions then suppose that you cannot keepe downe these fears and conquer them as you would yet be not discouraged for fears and doubts in this kinde doe flow many times from strength of temptation rather than from weakenesse of Faith Moreover what if you cannot attaine to so high a pitch in your Faith as S. Paul had are you so ambitious that no other degrees of Faith shall satisfie you Orare you so foolish as thence to conclude that you have no Faith Thirdly Whereas you say you are without feeling therefore you feare you have no faith I acknowledge that want of feeling and want of sense of Gods favour is that which doth more trouble GODS tender-hearted Children and make them more doubt of Gods love and of their iustification than any thing else whereas I know nothing that giveth them losse cause For first What meane you by feeling If you meane the enioyment of the things promised and hoped for by inward sense This is to overthrow the nature and to put an end to the use of faith and hope For Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene And the Apostle faith Hope that is seene is not hope Indeede faith giveth a present being of the thing promised to the beleever but it is a being not in sense but in hope and assured expectation of the thing promised Wherefore the Apostle speaking of our spirituall conversation on earth saith We walke by faith not by sight These two faith and feeling are opposite one to the other in this sense For when wee shall live by sight and feeling then we shall cease to live by faith Secondly If by feeling you meane a ioyous and comfortable assurance that you are in Gods savour and that you shall be saved and therefore because you want this joyous assurance you think you have no Faith you must know this conclusion will not follow For Faith whereby you are saved and set into state of grace and this comfortable assurance that you are in state of grace and shall be saved doe differ and are not the same It is true Assurance is an effect of faith in al that have this assurance yet it is not such a proper and necessary effect which is inseparable from the very being of faith in man at all times For you may have saving Faith yet at sometime be without the comfortable assurance of Salvation To beleeve in Christ to Salvation is one thing and to know assuredly that you shall be saved is another For Faith is a direct act of the reasonable soule receiving Christ and Salvation offered by God with him Assurance riseth from a reflect act of the soule namely when the soule by discourse returneth upon it selfe and can witnesse that it hath the afore-mentioned grace of faith whereby a man can say I know that I beleeve that Christ Iesus is mine and I know that I beleeve that the promises of the Gospell belong unto mee The holy Scriptures are written for both these ends that first Faith and then assurance of faith and hope should be wrought in men These things are written saith S. Iohn in his Gospell that you may beleeve that Iesus is the Christ the Sonne of God and that beleeving you might have life through his name Againe these things have I written saith the same Apostle in his Epistles to you that beleeve on the name of the Sonne of GOD that yee may know that you have eternall life and that you may beleeve that is continue to beleeve and increase in beleeving on the name of the Sonne of God A man is saved by faith but hath comfort in hope of Salvation by Assurance So that the being of spirituall life in respect of us doth subsist in Faith not in Assurance Feeling And that is the strongest and most approved faith which cleaveth to Christ and to his promises and which holdeth his owne without the helpe of feeling For albeit Assurance giveth unto us a more evident certainety of our good estate yet faith even without this will hold us certaine in this good estate whether we be assured or not Wherefore some Divines have well conceived of a double certaintie of things apprehended by mans judgment The first is Certaintie of Adherence and cleaving fast to the thing it beleeveth causing a man from the bare assent and consent to the truth and goodnesse of the promise and from the Commandement of God in his Word which bids him beleeve and rest on his promise for to cleave to the promise and to relie on it and to obey that Commandement which commādeth him to beleeve in Christ Iesus yea though this truth bee not otherwise so evident and cleare to the understanding as to satisfie mans natural reason For though Faith in its minority cannot alwayes comprehend to the full how and by what meanes or why in reason the thing promised should be fulfilled yet because it conceiveth thus much that the things of God are not fully comprehended by humane reason and that the truths of God are infallible whether it comprehend them or not will first beleeve and rest on the promise and then afterward consider how it may be so farre as is fit to be understood by reason Hence it is that albeit reason as it is now corrupt will still be obiecting and will be satisfied with nothing but what it may know by sense and by demonstration from Artificiall Arguments yet Faith even above and against sense and all naturall reasoning will give credit unto and rest upon the bare naked divine witnesse of the Word of truth for his sake that doth speake it Secondly there is a certaintie of Evidence namely when the thing beleeved is not onely said to be true and good but a man doth finde it so to be by sense and experience and is so evident to mans reason convincing it by force of Argument taken from the Causes Effects Properties Signes Contraries and the like that it hath nothing to object against the thing propounded to be beleeved The certaintie of Adherence is the certaintie of Faith The certaintie of Evidence is the certaintie of Assurance The certainty of Assurance and evidence is of excellent use for it maketh a man fruitfull in good workes and doth fill him ful of joy and comfort therefore it must by all meanes be gotten yet it
with God out of Phil. 4 5. Now out of those Sermons and from fresh meditations and collections I have compiled into a short sum so much as I thinke may be sufficient to satisfie your desire touching these demands The best way to please God and the nearest readiest way to heaven also to get a chearefull and quiet heart in the mean time till you come thither is To walke with God in vprightnes being carefull in nothing but in every thing by prayers and supplications with thankesgiving to make your requests knowne unto God Whiâ—â— if you doe The peace of God â—â—ich passeth all understanding shall so establish and guard your heart and mind in and through Christ Iesus that you may live in an Heaven upon earth and may bee ioyous and comfortable in all estates and conditions of life whatsoeuer That you should walke with God in vprightnes is commended to you in the cloud of Examples of Enoch Noah Iob David Zacharias and Elizabeth with many other renowned in Scripture And is commanded to Abraham and in him to all the faithfull Gen. 17. 1. To live by faith which is to frame your life according to the will of GOD revealed in his Word the obiect of faith and to walke with God are all one Enoch was said to have walked with GOD what was this else but to beleeve and rest on God whereby he pleased him For according to what we live according to that we are said to walke The morall actions of mans life are aptly resembled by the Metaphor of Walking which is a moving from one place to another No man while â—e liveth here is at home in the â—lace where he shall be There â—â—e two coÌ„trary homes to which every man is alwaies going either to Heaven or to Hell Every â—…ction of man is one pace or step whereby he goeth to the one place or the other The holinesse or wickednesse of the action is the â—everal way to the place of happinesse or place of Torment So that Gods owne children while they live in this world as pilgrims and strangers are but in the way not in the Countrey which they seeke which is heavenly This life of saith and holinesse what is it but a going out of a mans selfe and a continuall returning to God from the way of â—in and death and a setled going forward in all those acts of obedience which God hath ordained to be the way for al his children to walk in vnto eternal life A godly life is said to be a walking with God in respect of foure things that concur thereunto First whereas by sinne we naturally are departed from God and have gone away from his waies which he hath appointed for us we by the new and living way of Christs death and resurrection and by the new and living workâ— of Christs spirit are brought neare to God and are set in the wayes of God by Repentance from dead works and by faith towards God in Christ Iesus which are the first principles of true Religion necessarily to be presupposed to be the first steps in this walking with God Now to beleeue to continue in the faith is to walke in Christ therefore to walke with God Secondly the revealed will of God is called Gods way because in it God doth as it were come forth of the secret of his holy Maiesty to shew his people their 〈…〉 to him so takes them aâ—… to himselfe according to â—…t in the Ps Righteousnes shall before him and shall set us in the 〈…〉 of his steps Now this way of righteousnesse revealed in the â—…ord is the rule of a godly life â—ee which walketh according â—â— God 's law is said to walk beâ—â—re God compare 1 King 8. 25. with 2 Chr. 6. 16. So that he which walketh according to Gods wil in the passages turâ—ings of his life keeping himselfe to this rule walketh with God Thirdly he that liveth a godly life walketh after the Spirit not after the flesh Hee is led by the Spirit of God having him for his guide wherfore in this respect â—he is said to walke with God Fourthly that a man may live godly it is requisite that by the eye of saith he see God present before him in all his actions thinking of him oft vpon al occasions remembring him in his wayes Setting the Lord alwayes before him as David did Seeing him that is invisible as Moses did Doing all things as S. Paul did preach as of God in the sight of God Now hee that so walketh that hee alwayes observeth Gods presence and keepeth him stil in his eye in the course of his life and that not only with a generall habitual but as much as he can with an actual inteÌ„tion to please and glorifie God this man must needs be said to walke with God Would you in a word know when you walke with GOD 1 When you daily goe on to repent of sinnes past beleeve in Christ Iesus for pardon and beleeve his Word for direction 2 When you walk not according to the will of man but of God 3 When you walke not after the flesh but after the spirit 4 When you set God before you walk as in his sight â—…en you walke with before afâ—â—r and according to God That â—ou may walke with God conâ—â—der these arguments farther convince and induce you First you are commanded to â—alke as Christ walked and it concernes you so to doe if you would approve your selfe to be member of his body for it is nonstrous nay impossible that â—he head should go one way and â—he body another Now our Savior observed al the three later â—â—quisiâ—es of walking with God The former namely justifying â—aith and repentance belonging â—ot to him because hee was without Sinne. Secondly it is all which the â—ord requireth of you for al his â—ove goodnesse shewed unto â—on in creating preserving reâ—eeming and saâ—ing you For what doth the Lord require of â—ou but to doe iustly and to love â—ercy and to walke humbly with our God Thirdly if you walke with God and keepe close to him you shall bee sure to goe in the right way in that good old way which is called the way of holinesse in a most streight most neere and to a spirituall man most pleasant way whose paths are peace which endeth in the rest of your soule For God teacheth his children to chuse this way And if they happen to erre or to doubt of their way they shall heare the voyce of Gods Spirit behinde them saying This is the way walke in it Fourthly if you walke with God you shall walke safely you shall not need to feare though ten thousands set themselves against you For his presence is with you and for you His holy Angels encampe about you
way and affoordeth meanes to attain both through the commands and promises thereof in the doctrine of faith and repentance Now therefore bring your self to the Gospell Try your selfe thereby first whether your first faith and repentance were sound then set upon reforming getting pardon of particular and later offences But learne to put a difference betweene the Commandements of the Gospell and of the Law the Law exacteth absolute obedience The gracious Gospell doth through CHRIST accept of the truth of Faith and Repentance so that there be an endevour after their perfection It would be too long to shew you at large the signes of unfained Faith and Repentance I will for the present onely say this Have you been humbled heretofore and through the promises and commandement of the Gospell which biddeth you beleeue have you conceived hope of mercy relying on Christ for it and thereupon have had a â—â—ue change in your whole man so that you make God your utmost end and out of hatred oâ—… and love unto Christ and â—is wayes have had a will in all things to live honestly and to â—…devour in all things to keepe alwayes a good conscience to wards God and man desiring the sincere milke of the Word to grow by it loving the brethren desiring and delighting in communion with them then be you confident that your first faith repentance and new obedience was sound If upon tryall you finde that they were not sound then you must begin now to repent and beleeve it is not yet too late Touching reformation and obtaining of pardon and power of your particular sinnes doe thus Consider the Commandement which biddeth you to repent and amend Consider the Commandements which bid you to come unto Christ when you are weary and beavie laden with your sin beleeving that through him they shall be pardoned and subdued to this end Consider that Christ hath fully satisfied for such and such a sinne yea for all sinne and that you have many promises of grace and forgivenesse yea a promise that God will give you grace to beleeve in him that you may have your sinnes forgiven Consider that there is vertue and power in Christs death and resurrection appliable by faith through his holy Spirit for the mortifying the old man of sinne and quickning the new man in grace as well as merit to take away the guilt and punishment of your sinne Improve this power of Christ in you unto an actuall breaking off your sinnes and living according to the wil of Christ which is done by mortifying the old man of sinne and by strengthning the new and inner man of grace In mortifying your sinne doe thus Take all your sinnes especially your bosome sins those to which the disposition of your nature and condition of your place doth most incline you your strongest and Captaine sinnes and with them the body of corruption in you the originall and mother-sinne smite at them strike at the very roote arraigne them condemne them in your selfe dragge them all to the Crosse of Christ and nayle them thereunto that is by Faith see them all nayled with Christ to the Crosse whereon he was crucified and beleeve that not onelyin respect of their guilt but also of their raigning power they are al crucified with him dead and buried as is signified to you lively in your Baptisme When you see that your old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne should be destroyed you will take courage against sinne and will refuse to serve it sith by Christ you are freed from the dominion of it When you thus by faith put on the Lord Iesus Christ you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Grieve heartily for your sinnes conceive deadly hatred against them displeasure against your selfe for them These like a corrasiue will eate out the core and heart of sinne Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it but be sober in the use of all earthly things this by little and little will starve sinne Avoid all obiects and occasions of sinne yea abstaine from the appearance of it this wil disarme sinne When you feele any motion unto sinne whether it rose from within or came from without resist it speedily and earnestly by the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God as your Saviour did and as Ioseph did for which cause it must dwell plentifully in you Thus you shall kill sinne That you may strengthen the inner man by the Spirit whereby you may not onely mortifie the deeds of the flesh but bring forth the fruits of the Spirit doe thus First Apply Christ risen from the dead for you particularly beleeving that God by the same power quickneth you and raiseth you together with Christ to walke in newnes of life reckoning your selfe now to be alive unto God being dead unto sinne become the servant of righteousnesse This beleeving in Christ embracing and relying upon the precious promises of the Gospell doth draw downe Christ into your heart and doth more and more incorporate you into him by it he by his Spirit dwelleth in you wherby of his life grace you receive life and grace and so as the Apostle saith are made partaker of the divine nature flying the corruption which is in the world through lust Affect your heart with ioy unspeakeable and with peace in beleeving considering that you are iustified through our Lord Iesus Christ this Ioy of the Lord as a cordiall will exceedingly strengthen grace in the inner man Take heed of quenching or grieving the Spirit but nourish it by the frequent use of holy meditation prayer hearing and reading of the Word receiving the Sacraments by a Christian Communion with such as feare God and by following the motions of the Spirit of God which you shall know to be from it when the thing wherunto it mooveth is both for matter circumstance according to the Scripture the Word of the Spirit This is to be led of the Spirit and this will be to walke in the Spirit and then you shal not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Vpon your fasting day you shal doe well to renew your Covenant with God and in some cases so that it be done advisedly to enter into a particular vow to leave some grosse sinne with the occasions of it and to doe some necessary neglected dutie and to embrace all furtherances thereof This also will much strengthen your resolution against sinne and for holinesse There remaineth yet one principall work wherein a chiefe busines of the day of your fast lyeth for which all formerly spoken to maketh way and by which with the former meanes you may attaine to true reformation of your selfe reconciliation with your
but chiefly considering that by this his passion he hath made full satisfaction for you and withall seeing God and Christ himself by the hand of his Minister truely giving Christs â—…ery body and bloud sacramentally to signifie and seale it unto you it should raise your heart â—o an holy admiration of the love of God and of Christ and it â—hould stirre you up in the very â—ct of taking the bread and wine 〈…〉 a reverend and thankefull reâ—â—iving of this his body and bloud 〈…〉 faith discerning the Lords boâ—…e gathering assurance hereby â—…at now all enmitie betweene â—…od and you is done away and â—…at you by this as by spirituall â—…od and life shall grow up in â—…m with the rest of his mystiâ—…ll body unto everlasting life After that you have received untill you bee to joyue in pubâ—…ke prayse and prayers affect â—…ur heart with ioy and thankefulness in the assurance of the pardon of all your sinnes and of salvation by Christ yea more than if you being a bankrupt should receive an acquittance sealed of the Release of all your debts and with it a Wil and Testament wherein you should have a Legacie of no lâ—sse than a Kingdome sâ—aled with such a seale as doth give cleare proofe of the fidelitie ability and death of the Testator or then it having been a traitour you should receive a free and sulâ— pardon from the King seaâ—ed with his own seale together with an Assurance that â—â—â—aâ—h adopted you to bee his câ—ild to be married to his sonne the hâ—ire of the Crowne This is your case when by faith you receive the bread wine the body and bloud of the Lord. Thinkâ— thus therefore with joy and rejoycing in God oh how happiâ—… am I in Christ my Saviour Gâ—… who hath given him to death foâ—… me and also given him to me how shal he not with him give me all things also even whatsoever may pertaine to life godlinesse and glory Who shall lay any thing to my charge c Who or what can separate me from the love of CHRIST c Resolve withall upon a constant and an unfained endevour to performe all duties becomming one thus acquitted thus redeemed pardoned and advanced and this in token of thankfulnesse even to keepe covenants required to be performed on your part undoubtedly expecting whatsoever God hath covenanted and sealed on his part Ioyne in publike prayse and prayer heartily and in a liberall contribution to the poore if there be a Collection After the Sacrament If you feele your faith strengthned and your soule comforted nourish it with all thankfulnesse If not yet if your Conscience can witnesse that you endevoâ—ed to prepare as you ought and to receive as you ought be not discouraged but wait for strength and comfort in due time Wee doe not alwaies feele the benefit of bodily food presently but stirring of humors and sense of disease is sometimes rather occasioned yet in the end being well digested it strengthnetâ—â— so â—â— is oft with spirituaâ—l food corruption may stirre and temptations may arise more upon the receiving then before especially sith Satan if it be but to vexe a tender-hearted Christian will â—ereupon take occasioÌ„ to tempt with more violence But if you resist these and stand resolved to obey and to rely upon Gods mercy in Christ this is rather a signe of receiving worthily so long as your desires and resolutions are strengthned and you thereby are made more carefully to stand upon your Watch. Endeavour in this case to digest this spirituall food by further meditation improving that strength you have praying for more strength remembring the Commandement which biddeth you to be strong and you shall be strengthned Lastly If you finde your selfe worse indeed or doe feele Gods heavy hand in speciall sort upon you following upon your receiving and your Conscience can witnesse truly that you came not prepared or that you did wittingly and carelesly faile in such or such a particular in receiving it is evident you did receive unworthily In which case you must heartily bewaile your sin confesse it to God aske and beleeve that he will pardon it and take heed that you offend not in that kinde another time Vpon the Lords day you must likewise bee readie to visit and relieve the distressed Take some time also this day to looke into your by past life and chiefly to your walking with God the last weeke asbeing in freshest memory and bee sure to set all straight betweene God and you Last of all on every opportunitie take good time to consider Gods workes what they are in themselves what they are against the wicked what they are to the Church and to your selfe and to yours And in parricular take occasion from the Day it selfe to thinke fruitfully of the Creation of your Redemption Sanctification and of your eternall Rest and glory to come For God in his holy wisedome hath sâ—t such a divine print upon this our Lords day that at once it doth minde us of the greatest workes of God which either make for his glory or his Churches good As of the Creation of the World in six dayes hee resting the seventh which specially isattributed to the Father And of mans redemption by Christ of whose resurrection this Day is a remembrance which is specially attributed to the Sonne Also of our sanctification by the Spirit for that the observation of the Sabbath is a signe and meanes of holinesse which worke is specially attributed to the holy Ghost Lastly of your and the Churches glorification which shall be the joynt work of the blessed Trinity when we shal ceasefrom al our works and shall rest and bee glorious with the same glory which our Head Christ hath with the Father to whom be glorie for ever and ever Amen Doe all these with delight raising up your selfe hereby to a greater measure of holinesse and heavenly mâ—naeâ—nesse Doe all this the rather because there is not a clearer signe to distinguish you from one that is prophane than this of conscionable keeping holy the Lords Day Neither is there any ordinarie means of gaining strength and growth of grace in the inward man like this of due observing the Sabbath For this is Gods great Mart or Faire day for the soule on which you may buy of Christ wine milke bread marrow and fatnesse gold white raiment eye-soelve even all things which are necessary and which will satisfie and cause the soule to live It is the speciall day of Gods hearing of suites and receiving petitions It is his speciall day of proclaiming and sealing of Pardons to penitent sinners It is Gods speciall day of publishing and sealing your Patent of eternall life It is a blessed day sanctified for all these blessed purposes Now lest this urging of the moralitie of the Sabbath and so strict an observation of the Lords day in spending the whole day in holy
your selfe in Covetous Adulterous Revengefull Ambitious or other wicked thoughts you act that in your minde and phantasie which either for feare or shame you dare not or for want of opportunity or meanes you cannot act otherwise 4. When you are alone be sure that you ordinarily be well and fully exercised about something that is good either in the works of your calling or in reading or in holy meditation or prayer For whensoever Satan doth find you idle and out of imployment in some or other of those works which God hath appointed he will â—ake that as an opportunity to garnish you for himselfe and to imploy you in some of his works But if you keepe alwaies in your place and â—o some or other good worke of your place you are under Gods speciall protection as the Bird in the Law was while she face upon heregs or yong ones keeping her owne nest in which case no man might hurt her I have already shewed how you should behave your selfe as in Gods sight both in prayer and in the works of your calling I wil write some thing for your direction touching reading and Meditation SECTION 2. Of Reading BEsides your set-times of reading the holy Scriptures you shall doe well to gaine some time from you vacant houres that you may read in GODS Booke and in the good bookes of men First when you read any part of the word of God you must put a difference betweene it and the best writings of men preferring it farre before them To this end 1 Consider it in its properties and excellencies No word is of like absolute authority holinesse equity truth wisedome true elegancie power and eternity 2 Consider this Word in its ends and good effects No booke that aimeth at Gods glory and the salvation of mans soule like this none that concerneth you like to this It discovereth your misery by sinne together with the perfect remedie It propoundeth perfect happinesse unto you affordeth means to worke it out in you for you It is mighty through GOD to prepare you for grace It is the immortall seed to beget you unto Christ It is the milke and stronger meate to nourish you up in Christ It is the onely soulephysicke to recover you and to rid you of all spirituall evils By it Christ giveth spiritual sight to the blind hearing to the deafe speech to the dumbe strength to the weake health to the sicke yea by it he doth cast out Divels and raise men from the death of sinne they beleeving it as certainly as he did all those for the bodies of men by the word of his power while he lived on the earth This Book of Goâ— doth containe those many rich Legacies be queathed to you in that last Will and Testament of God sealed with the bloud of Iesus Christ our Lord. It is the Magna Charta and Statute-booke of the Kingdome of heaven It is the booke of Priviledges and Immunities of Gods children It is the word of grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified For it will make you wise to salvation through Faith in Christ â—esus making you perfect throughly furnished unto all good workes Wherefore as when you heare this Word preached so when at any time you read it you must receive it not as the word of man but as it is in truth the Word of God then it wil worke effectually in you that beleeve Secondly when you read this Word lift up the heart in prayer to God for the Spirit of understanding wisedome that your minde may be more and more enlightned and your heart more more strengthned with grace by it For this Word is spiritual containing the secrets hidden things of GOD in a mysterie which as the bare letter doth signifie is as a booke sealed up in respect of discovery of the things of God in it to al that have not the helpe of Gods Spirit so that none can know the inward and spirituall meaning thereof powerfully and savingly but by the Spirit of God Thirdly read the Word with an hunger and thirst after knowledge and growth of grace by it with a reverent humble teachable and honest heart beleeving all that you reade trembling at the threats judgements against sinners reioycing in the promises made unto and the favours bestowed upon the penitent and vpon the godly willing and resolving to obey al the Commandements Thus if you read blessed shall you be in your reading and blessed shall you be in your deede The holy Scriptures are thus to be read of all of every sort and condition and of each sex for all are commanded to search the Scriptures as well the Laytie as the Cleargie women as well as men yong as well as old all sorts of all Nations For though the Spirit of GOD is able to worke conversion and holinesse immediately without the Word as he doth in all those infants that are saved yet in men of yeares the holy Ghost will not where the Word may be had worke without it as his instrument using it as the hammer plow seed fire water sword or as any other instrument to pull downe build up plant purge cleanse For it is by the Word both read and preached that Christ doth sanctifie all that are his that he may present them to himselfe and so to his Father without spot or wrinkle a Church most glorious And whereas it is most true that those which are unlearned and unstable doe wrest not onely hard Scriptures but all other also to their destruction Yet let not this as Papists would inferre cause you to forbeare to read no more then because many surfeit and are drunke by the best meats and drinkes you doe forbeare to eate and drinke But to prevent misse-understanding and wresting of Scriptures to your hurt doe thus 1 Get and cherish an humble and honest heart resolved to obey when you know Gods will If any man will doe his will saith Christ he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God 2 Get a cleare knowledge of the first Principles of Christian Religion beleeve them stedfastly And indevor to frame your life according â—nto those more easie known â—criptures where on these prinâ—iples and first Oracles of God â—â—e grounded For these give â—ight even by the first entrance â—nto the very simple This doe â—â—d you shall never be unlearned 〈…〉 the mysteries of Christ nor â—et unstable in his wayes 3 Be â—uch in hearing the Word inâ—â—preted by learned and faithfull â—inisters 4 If you meet with place of Scripture too hard for 〈…〉 presume not to frame a sense it of your owne head but take â—tice of yourignorance admire â—e depth of Gods wisdome susâ—nd your opinion
and take the first opportunity to ask the meaning of some or other whose lips should preserve knowledge Let no colourable pretence keepe you from diligent reading of Gods Booke for hereby you shall be better prepared to heare the Word preached For it layeth a ground-worke to preaching making way to a better understanding thereof and to â—…ter â—eeping it in memory â— also to enaâ—le you to try the Spirits and Doctrines delivered even to try all things and to keepe what is good 1. In reading mens writings reade the best or at least those by which you can profit most 2. Reade a good booke thorowly and with due consideration 3. Reject not hastily any thing you reade because of the mean opinion you have of the authoâ— Beleeve not every thing yoâ— reade because of the great opinâ— on you have of him that wrote it But in all bookes of faith and manners try all things by the Scriptures Receive nothing upon the bare testimony or judgement of any man any further then hee can confirme it by the Canon of the word or by evidence of reason or by undoubted experience alwayes provided that what you call reason and experience be according unto not against the Word If the meanest speake according to it then receive and regard it but if the most judicious in your esteeme yea if he were an Angell of GOD should speake or write otherwise refuse and reject it Thus much for privat reading Onely take this Caution You must not thinke it to be sufficient that you read the Scriptures and other good Bookes at home in private when you shall by so doing neglect the hearing of the Word read and preached in publike For God hath not appointed that reading alone or preaching alone or prayer or Sacraments should singly and alone save any man where all or more then one of them may be had but he requireth the joynt use of them all in their place and time And in this variety of means of salvation God hath in his holy wisedome ordained them to be such that the excellency and sufficiencie of the one shall nâ—t in its right use keepe any from but leade him unto a due performance of the other each serving to make the other more effectuall to produce their common effect namely the Salvation of mans soule Indeed when a man is necessarily hindred by persecution sicknesse or otherwise that he cannot heare the Word preached then God doth blesse reading with an humble honest heart without hearing the Word preached But where hearing the Word preached is either contemned or neglected for reading sake or for prayer sake or for any other good private dutie there no man can looke to bee blessed in his reading or in any other private dutie but cursed rather Witnesse the evill effects which by experience we see doe issue thence viz. Selfe-conceitednesse Singularity in some dangerous opinions many times a rending away from the Church by Schisme yea too oft a falling away into damnable Heresies and Apostacie SECTION 3. Of meditation VVHen you are alone then also is a fit season for you to be taken up in holy meditation For according to a mans meditations such is the man The liberall man deviseth liberall things the Churle the contrary The godly man studieth how to please God the wicked how to please himselfe In meditation the minde or reason of the soule stayeth it selfe upon some thing conceived or thought upon for the better understanding thereof and for the better application of it to a mans selfe for use In meditating a right the mind of man exerciseth two kind of acts the one direct upon the thing meditated the other reflect upon himselfe the person meditating The first is an act of the contemplative part of the undâ—rstanding the second is an act of Conscience The end of the first is to enlighten the mind with knowledge the end of the second is to fil the heart with goodnesse The first serveth I speake of morall actions to finde out the rule whereby you may know more clearely distinctly what is truth what is falshood what is good what is bad whom you should obey what manner of person you should be and what you should doe and the like The second serveth to direct you how to make a right and profitable application of your selfe and of your actions to the Rule In this latter are these two acts First an examination whether you and your actions bee according to the Rule or whether you come short or are severed from it giving true judgment of you according as it doth finde you The second is a perswasive and commanding act charging the soule in every faculty understanding will affections yea the whole man to reforme and conforme themselves to the Rule that is to the will of God if that you finde your selfe not to be according to it which is done by confessing the fault to God with remorse praying for forgivenes returning to God by repentance reforming the fault through new obedience This must be the resolution of the soule And all this a man must charge upon his soule peremptorily commanding himselfe to endevour the doing of them When you meditate joyne all these three acts else you shall never bring your meditation unto a profitable issue For if you onely muse and studie to finde out what is true what is false what is good what is bad you may gaine much knowledge of the head but little goodnesse to your heart If you onely apply to your selfe that wheron you have mused and no more you may by finding your selfe to bee a transgressour lay guilt upon your conscience and terrour upon your heart without fruit or comfort but if to these two you lay a charge upon your selfe to follow GODS counsell touching what you should beleeve doe when you have offended him if you with all bring your heart to a resolution through GODS grace to be such an one as you ought to be and to live such a life for hereafter as you ought to live then unto science you shall adde conscience and to knowledge you shall joyne practice and shall fill your selfe full of comfort Observe Davids meditations you shall finde they come to this issue His thoughts of God and of his wayes made him turne his feete unto Gods testimonies The meditation of Gods benefits made him resolve to take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord and to pay his vowes When he considered what God had done for him and thence inferred what he should be to God againe he saith to his soule My soule and all that is in mee prayse his holy Name When hee in his meditation found that it was his fault to have his soule disquieted in him through distrust he chargeth it to wait on GOD and raiseth up himselfe unto confidence I will meditate on thy precepts saith
for joy before ever they have made a legge and shewn any signe of thankfulnes you will easily be overtaken in this kinde and neglect God that gave it The furtherances of thankfulnesse are most of them directly contrary to the former hindrances of many take these First Get sound knowledge of God and of his infinite excellencies and absolutenesse every way of his independency on man or any other creature whence it is that he needeth not any thing that man hath or can doe neither can he be beholding to man But know that you stand in need of God and must be beholding to him for al things Know also that whatsoever God doth by whatsoever meanes it be hee doth it from himselfe induced by nothing out of himselfe being free in all that he doth Know likewise that whatsoever was the instrument of your good God was the Author both of the good and of the instrument Next Fill your selfe with a due knowledge of the full worth and excellent use of Gods gifts both common and speciall Wealth honour libertie health life senses limmes wit and reason c. considered in themselves and in their use wil be held to be great benefits but if you coÌ„sider them in their absence when you are sensible of poverty sicknesse and the rest or if you be so blessed that you know not the want of them then if you shall advisedly and humbly looke vpon the poore base imprisoned captives sicke deafe blind dumbe distracted c. Putting your selfe in their case you will â—ay that you are unspeakeably beholding to God for these corporal and temporall blessings But chiefely learne to know aâ—d consider well the worth of spirituall blessings One of them the peace of God passeth all understanding To enjoy the Gospell upon any tearmes to have â—â—â—vation such a salvation offered by Christ to have faith hope love and other the manifold saving graces of the Spirit though but in the least measure in the very first seed of the Spirit though no bigger then a grain of Mustard-seed with never so much outward affliction is of such value and consequent that it is more then eye hath seene eare hath heard or ever entred into the heart of man For besides that the least grace is invaluable in it selfe it doth give proof of better gifts namely that God hath given his Spirit hath given Christ and in him hath given himselfe a propitious and gracious God hath given all things also When you know God aright his gifts aright knowing all things in God and God in all things then you will be full of praises and thankes Secondly Be low and base in your owne eyes Let all things be base in your eyes in comparison of God account them worthlesse and helpelesse things without him Iudge your selfe to be as indeed you are lesse then the least of Gods mercies For what are you of your selfe but a compound of dust and sinne unworthy any good worthy of all misery You stand in need of God â—he not of you It is his mercy that you are not consumed When you can be thus sensible of your owne neede and that helpe can come onely from God and that you are worthy of no good thing then you will be glad and thankefull at heart to God for any thing An humble man will be more thankfull for a peny then a proud man will for a pound Thirdly Call all the forementioned knowledge of God and of his gifts into fresh memory Commune with your soule and cause it to represeÌ„t lively to your thoughts what God is in himselfe what to his Church and to you how precious his thoughts are to you-ward Tell your selfe oft what God hath done and what he will doe for your soule Call to minde with what varietie of good gifts he doth store his Church blesse you you will find that they will passe all account and number When withal you call to minde that God is free in all his gifts to you who are unworthy the least of them If you would cause your selfe to dwell upon these and the like thoughts they would worke in you an holy rapture and admiration out of which you shall with David break out into these or the like prayses Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth I thanke thee I praise thee I devote my selfe as my best sacrifice to thee I will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Fourthly Be perswaded of Gods love to you in these good things which he giveth unto you First he loveth you as his creature and if onely in that regard he doth preserve you and doe you good you are bound to thanke him Secondly you cannot know but that he loveth you with a speciall love to Salvation Gods revealed will professeth as much you must not meddle with that which is secret I am sure he maketh proffer of his love and you daily receive tokens of his love both in means of this life and that which is to come Did not he love you when out of his free and everlasting good will towards you He gave his Sonne to die for you that you beleeving in him should not dye but have everlasting life What though yet you be in your sinnes Doth hee not bid you turne and hath hee not said â—hee will love you freely What though you cannot turn to him nor love him as you would yet endevour these in the use of all good meanes to be and doe as God will have you then doubt noâ— but that GOD doth love you and you must wait till you see it in the performance of his gracious promises unto you But if you would consider things aright you may know certainly that the good things you have received of God are bestowed in love to you I will onely aske these Questions Hath Gods mercie made you to bethinke your selfe of your dutie and obedience to God have you had a will to be thankefull upon the thoughts thereof or if you finde a defect and barrennesse herein hath not this unfruitfull and unthankefull receiving of good things from God beene a great burden and griefe of heart to you If yea this is an evident signe that God gave those good things to you in love because this holy and good effect is wrought in you by them Againe Dâ—â— you love God would you love God and his wayes and Ordinances yet more This provetâ— that God loveth you for 〈…〉 man can love God till God have first loved him Likewise doe you love the children of God Theâ— certainly you are Gods childe and are loved of God By these you have proofe of your calling and election how that you are now translated from death to life after which time though God may give you many things in anger as a father giveth correction yet he never giveth any thing
worldly griefe must be avoided in all sorts of crosses For by it you repine against GOD fret against men and doe make your selfe unfit for naturall civill and spiritual duties and if it be continued it worketh death The best remedy against worldly sorrow for any crosse is to turn it into godly sorrow for sin which is the cause of the crosse This will cause repentance to salvation never to be repented of and will drive you to Christ in whom if you beleeve you shall have joy and comfort even such ioy unspeakeable which will dispell and drie up both this and all other griefes whatsoever For godly sorrow doth alwaies in due time end in spirituall joy SECTION 2. Of bearing all crosses patiently IN the third place I told you that you must beare all your afflictions and crosses patiently By Patience I doe not meane a Stoicall sensclesnesse or blockish stupiditie like that of Isachar Nor yet a counterseit patience like Esau's and Absaloms Nor a meere civill and morall patience which wise Heathen to free themselves from vexation and for-vaine-glorie and other ends attained unto Nor yet a prophane patience of men insensible of GODS hishonour Nor a patience-perforce when the sufferer is meerely passive But a Christ an holy patience wherein you must be sensible of Gods hand and when you cannot but feele an unwillingnesse in nature to beare it yet for conscience to Gods Commandement you doe submit to his will and that voluntarily with an active patience causing your selfe to be willing to beare it so long as God shall please like the patience of Christ Not my will but thine be done The excellencie of Christs suffering was not in that he suffered but in that he was obedient in his suffering He was obedient to the death So likewise no mans suffering is acceptable if he be not active and obedient in suffering This Patience is a grace of the Spirit of God wrought in the heart and will of man through beleeving and applying the Commandement and promises of God to himselfe whereby for conscience sake towards God he doth submit his will to Gods will willing quietly to beare without bitternesse and vexation all the labours changes and evill occurrents which shall be fall him in the whole course of his life whether from God immediately or from man as also to wait quietly for all such good things which God hath promised but yet are delayed and unfulfilled To induce you to get and to shew forth this holy Patience know that you have need of it and that in these respects 1. You are but halfe a Christian you are imperfect in your parts you want a principall part if you want patience thus S. Iames argueth implying that hee that will be entire and want nothing to make him a Christian man he must have patience This passive obedience is greater than active it is more rare and more difficult to obey in suffering than to obey in doing 2. You have not a sure possession of your soule without patience In your patience possesse yee your soules saith our Saviour A man without patience is not his own man hee hath not power nor rule over his owne spirit nor yet of his own body The tongue hand and feet of an impatient man will not bee held in by reason But he that is patient enjoyeth himselfe and hath rule over his spirit no crosse can put him out of possession of himselfe Thirdly There are so many oppositions and lets in your race and growth of Christianity that without patience to suffer and to wait you cannot possibly bring forth good fruit to God nor hold out your profession of Christianitie to the end but shall give off before you have enjoyed the promise Therefore you are bid to runne with patience the race which is set before you And the good ground is said to bring forth fruie with patience And the faithfull are said through Faith and Patience to inherite the Promises Fourthly Patience worketh experience without which no man can be an expert Christian this experieÌ„ce being of the greatest use to confirme a Christian soule in greatest difficulties This be said of the necessitie together with the benefit of patience that you may love it and may desire to have and shew it By what meanes you may attaine it followeth First you must be after a sort impatient and must spend your passion on your lusts which war in your members fall out with them mortifie them for nothing maketh a man impatient so much as his lusts doe both because they wil never be satisfied it is death to a man to be crossed in them and because the fulfilling of lusts doth cause a guilty conscience whence followeth impatience troublesome vexation upon every occasion like unto the raging Sea which with every wind dothâ—ome and rage and cast up nothing but filth and dirt And as Saint Iames saith Whence are warres and brawlings So I say of all other fruits of impatiencie But from your lusts that warre in your members Take away the causes of impatiency then you have made a good way for patience Secondly Lay a good soundation of patience you must be humble and low in your owne eyes through an appreâ—eÌ„sion that you are lesse then the least of GODS mercies and that your greatest punishments are lesse than your iniquities have deserved As any man hath abounded in humility so hath â—ee abounded in patience witnesse the examples of Abraham Moses Iob David and others Thirdly Store your heart with faith hope and love all these and either of these do calm â—he heart and keepe it â—eadie For besides that they quiet the heart in the maine giving assurance of Gods love in Christ For being iusâ—â—fied by faith we have peace with God reiâ—yce in hope whence joy and patience in tribulation And who can be impatient with him whom hee loveth with all his heart and strength These graces also doe furnish a man with an ability of spiritual reasoning and disputing with a disquieted soule whereby it may be quieted in any particular disquietment Wherefore the fourth meane of patience is to doe as Davâ— did whensoever you finde your heart begin to boyle and to be impatient you must before passion hath got the bit in the teeth and carried you out of your selfe into height of impatience aske your soule what is the matter and why it is so disquieted within you This do seriously and your heart will quickly represent to your thoughts such and such crosse or crosses stretched out upon the tenters of manifold aggravations All which you must answer by the spirituall reasoning of your faith grounded on the word of God whereby you may quiet your heart and put it to siâ—ence Whatsoever the affliction be that may trouble you you may â—e furnished with reasons why you
hath not said that all men without exception shal be saved by Christs death albeit he saith Christ died for all but Salvation is promised to all onely under the Condition of Repenting and Beleeving in Christ that dyed I call them conditions not for which GOD ordained men to life but conditions to which they were ordained by which as by the fittest way man being a reasonable and voluntary agent God might glorifie himselfe in bringing them to eternall life Wherefore notwithstanding Christs infinite merit whereby he satisfied for mankinde and notwithstanding the universalitie of the offer of salvation to all to whom the Gospell is preached both Scripture and experience shew that not all nor yet the most shall be saved and that because the number of them which repent and unfainedly beleeve whereby they make particular and actuall application of Christ and his merits to themselves are fewest For of those many that are called few are chosen Wherfore let none ignorantly dreame of an absolute universall redemption as many simple people do Not yet let any think that because of the large extent of Christs Redēption they may be saved when they wil. For thogh Christ bee said to suffer to take away the sinnes of the whole world yet the Scripture saith that the whole world of unbeleevers and of ungodly men shall perish eternally Many wil yeeld that they must have faith and repentance and that they must be ingrafted into Christ and become new creatures else they cannot looke to be saved but they thinke they are all this already whence followeth quiet of Conscience Whereas when it commeth to the tryall their faith and repentance are sound not to be sound As shall thus appeare They thinke they have faith nay more they presume further that they have true faith and that they are truly religious and in state of grace It is not enough for a man to seeme to himselfe to bee religious for he may deceive his owne heart a close hypocrite may thinke himselfe to be something when yet he is nothing deceiving himselfe as no doubt the foolish Virgins did But many will think that they have good reason to judge that they have true faith c. and that 1 Because they beleeve the whole Scripture to bee the good Word of God 2 They beleeve not onely that there is a GOD but that Iesus Christis the Sonne of God and Saviour of the world yea according to the letter they beleeve all the Articles of the Christian faith 3 They thinke they are beleevers because they have beene Baptized and have given their names unto Christ they professe the onely true Religion they have the very true forme of godlinesse in all the externall exercises of Religion so that it may be said of many of them as it was said of the lewes They seeke God daily and delight to know his waies as a Nation that did righteousnesse c. Whereas if they beleeve no more nor no better they may know that their faith is onely an historicall and generall faith or onely a temporary faith at the best necessary indeed to Salvation but not sufficient to save The Devils beleeve as much as the first and very hypocrites may and doe professe and doe as much as the second and third The Apostle Paul having to doe with hypocriticall Iewes who because of the Sacraments and forme of knowledge and profession though without practice did nourish in themselves a vaine perswasion that they should be saved he removeth this false ground of their hope thus saying He is not a Iew which is one outwardly but he is a Iew which is one inwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but that which is of the heart in the Spirit and not in the letter whose prayse is not of men but of God In like manner Saint Peter doth give all Christians to know that that Baptisme which is only a putting away of the filth of the flesh doth not save but that Baptisme which giveth proofe that the heart is sprinkled from an evill conscience as well as the body washed with pure water shewing it selfe by the answer which a good conscience maketh in beleeving in truth consenting unto and imbracing the new Covenant whereof Baptisme is a seale of which anciently men of yeares made profession when they were Baptized Neither is it any thing worth to have the forme of godlinesse in profession when the power thereof is denyed by an evill conversation as you may see by the exceptions which God taketh against the Iewes albeit they seemed to love Sacrifices and Sacraments Prayers Fastings and Sermons For howsoever such as these are most apt to claime an interest in Christ yet so long as their faith is not a particular faith drawing with it affiance sole reliance on Christ for Saluation declaring its truth and life by indevouring to performe the new Covenant on their part by new obedience in an endeavour unto all manner of good workes Our Saviour professeth that hee knoweth them not but biddeth them depart from him because they were workers of iniquity But secondly many of these presume that their faith is a lively saving faith that because as they thinke they have repented and are become new creatures And all because they have had such an inlightning as by nature man cannot attaine unto nay the Word hath affected them much and somwhat altered them from what they were namely 1 when they were hearing a Sermon or when Gods rod was over them they have mourned wept and shewed some kinde of humiliation 2 At the hearing of Gods precious promises in the Gospel in the glad tydings of Salvation they have felt a taste of the heavenly gift and of the good Word of God and of the powers of the world to come And 3 they finde that they doe not commit many of those sinnes which they were wont to commit and that they doe many good duties towards GOD and man which they were wont not to doe 4 They desire that Gods people should pray for them 5 They desire to dye the death of the righteous and to goe to heaven when they dye And 6 which is more some can say that sometimes they have wished that they could leave sinne and that they had grace to doe well Besides 7 They see that the best of them that truly feare God both Ministers and others are well perswaded of them But what of all this These men as neere as they come yet going no farther are farre from Salvation For the Common gifts of Gods Spirit given unto men in the Ministery of the Gospell may elevate a man higher and carry him farther towards heaven than nature art or meere humane industry can doe and yet if the saving graces of the same Spirit be not added hee will be left farre short of
finite his sinne being the erring act of a creature cannot every way be infinite Wherefore such an act or transgression cannot in it selfe be unpardonable by a Creator a God who is every way infinite SecoÌ„ndly Consider that the price to satisfie GODS justice namely the death of CHRIST even the precious bloud of God the onely begotten Sonne of God doth exceed all sinne in infinitenesse of satisfaction of GODS justice and wrath due for sinne For if Christs death be a sufficient ransome for the sinnes of all Gods Elect in generall then much more of thine in particular whosoever thou be and how great and how many sins soever thou hast committed Thirdly Know that the mercy of God the forgiver of sinnes is absolutely and every way infinite For mercy in God is not a qualitie but is his very nature as is cleare by the description of his Name proclaimed Exod. 34. Which rightly understood and beleeved taketh away all the objections which a fearefull heart can make against himselfe from the consideration of his sinnes First He is mercifull that is he is compassionate and to speake after the manner of man is one that hath bowels of pittie which yerne within him at the beholding of thy miseries not willing to punish and put thee to paine but ready to succor and doe thee good But I am so vile and so ill deserving that there is nothing in mee to move him to pittie mee and doe me good 2. Hee is Gracious whom he loveth hee loveth freely of his owne gracious disposition who saith I even I am hee that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes And when God saith hee would sprinkle cleare water upon sinners and that hee would give them a new heart c. hee saith not for your sakes doe I this saith the Lord God That you should be sensible of your owne misery and then in the sense thereof that God may be enquired after and sought unto for mercy is al which he looketh for in you to move him to pitty and mercy and such is his graciousnes that he will worke this sense and this desire in you that he may have mercy But I have a long time prouoked him 3. He is long-suffering to you-wards nÌ„ot willing that you should perish but that you should come to repentance but waiteth still for your repentance and reformation that you may be saved Yea But I am destitute of all goodnesse and grace to turne unto him or doe any thing that may please him 4. He is abundant in goodnesse and kindnesse he that hath beene abundant towards others heretofore in giving them grace and making them good his store is no whit diminished but he hath all grace and goodnesse to communicate to you also to make you good Yea but I feare though God can yet God will not forgive me and give me grace 5. Hee is abundant in truth not onely the goodnesse of his gracious disposition maketh him willing but the abundance of his truth bindeth him to bee willing and doth give proofe unto you that he is willing He hath made sure promises to take away your sinne and to forgive it and not yours onely but reserveth mercie for thousands Beleeve therefore that God both can and will forgive you Yea but my sinnes are such and such and such bred at the bone â—â—numerable hainous and most â—â—ominable I am guilty of sins 〈…〉 all sorts 6. He forgiveth iniquity transâ—ession and sinne He is the God â—hat will subdue all your iniâ—uities and cast all your sinnes â—â—to the bottome of the Sea Yea but I renew my sins daily 7. I answer out of the Psalm His mercy is an everlasting mercie his mercy endureth for ever He biddeth you to aske forgivenesse of sinne daily therefore hâ— can and will forgive sinne daily yea if you sinne Seventie time seven in a day and shall confess it to God with a penitent heart he will forgive for he that biddeth you be so mercifull to you brother will himselfe forgive much more when you seeke unto him I But I have not onely committed open and grosse sinnes both before since I had knowledge of GOD but I have been a very Hypocrite making profession of GOD and yet daily commit grievous sinnes against him 8. What then Will you say your sinnes are unpardonable God forbid But say I will follow the Counsell which GOD gave to such abominable Hypocrites I will wash mee and make me cleane I will by Gods grace wash my heart from iniquitie and my hands from wickednesse by washing my selfe in the Laver of regeneration bathing myselfe in Christs bloud and in the pure water of the Word of truth applying my selfe to them and them to me by faith Say in this case I will heare what God will speake And know that if you will follow his counsell Isa 1 18. If you wil hearken to his reasoning and embrace his gracious offer made to you in Christ Iesus the issue will be this though your sins have beene most grosse reiterated double dyed even as crimson and sear let they shall be as wooll even as white as snow God will then speak peace unto you as unto other his Saints onely he will forbid you to returne to folly For not onely those which committed grosse sins through ignorance before their conversion as did Abraham in Idolatry and S. Paul in persecuting noâ— yet onely those which committed grosse sinnes through infirmitie after their conversion as did Noah by drunkennesse and Lot by incest also and Peter by denying and forswearing his Master Christ Iesus obtained mercy because they sinned ignorantly and of infirmity But also those that sinned against Knowledge and Conscience both before after conversion sinning with an high hand as Manasses before and in the matter of Vriah David after conversion they obtained like mercy and had all their sinnes forgiven Why are these examples recorded in Scripture but for patterns to sinners yea to most notorious sinners of all sorts Which should in after times beleeve in Christ Iesus unto eternall life Be willing therfore to be beholholding to God for forgivenes beleeve in Christ for forgivenes which when you doe you may be assured that you never yet committed any sin which is not and which shal not be forgiven For was it not the end why Christ came into the world that he might save sinners yea chiefe of sinners as well as others Was he not wounded for transgressions viz. of all sorts Is it not the end of his comming in his Gospell to call sinners to repentance What sinners doth hee meane there but such as you are who are laden and burdened with your sinne Doth hee not say if any man sinne marke if any man we have an advocate
that God will not call you before you dye It were a farre wiser and better course for you that will bee thus hasty in judging your selves to be Reprobates to busie your selves first with other things Acquaint your selves with Gods revealed will in his Word Learne to know what God hath commanded you to doe and do that also what he hath threatned and feare that and what hee hath promised and beleeve and rest on that After you haue done this you may looke into your selves and you shall reade your Election written in golden and great Letters For God never intended that the first lesson which a Christian should learne should be the hardest and highest lesson that can be learned taken out of the book of his eternall counsell decree and so to descend to the A. B. C. of Christianity Which were a course most perplexed and preposterous But his wil is that his schollers children should learn out of his written Word here on earth first that God made all things and that hee made man good and how that man hearkening to Sathan they found out evill devices and so fell from grace and from God and so both they and the whole world that came of their loynes became guilty of eternal dānation Next God would have you to learne that hee in is infinite wisdome goodnesse and mercy thought of and concluded a new covenant of Grace for the effecting whereof hee found out and appointed a way and meanes to pacifie his wrath by satisfying his justice punishing sin in mans nature by which he opened away unto his mercie to shew it to whom he would namely Hee gave his onely Sonne very God to become very man and being made a common person and surety in mans stead dyed and endured the punishment due to the sinne of man and rose againe and was exalted to sit at Gods right hand to raigne having all authority committed vnto him Thus he made the new covenant of grace established in his Sonne Iesus Christ the tenour and condition whereof required on mans part is that man accept of enter into this covenant beleeving in Christ in whom it is established then whosoever beleeveth in him shall not dye but have everlasting life This God did in his wisedome justice mercy and love to man that hee himselfe might be inst and yet a iustifier of him that is of the faith of Iesus And hath therefore given his Word and Sacraments and hath called and hath given gifts to his Ministers thereby to beget and increase faith in men by publishing this good newes and by commanding them as in Christs stead in Gods name to beleeve and to be reconciled to God and to live no longer according to the will of their old Masters the Divell the World and the Flesh under whom they were in cursed bondage but according to the will of him that redeemed them in holinesse and righteousnesse whose service is a perfect blessed freedome Now when you have learned these lessons first and by looking into your selves can finde faith and new obedience then by this your effectuall calling you may as by safe stayres ascend to that high point of your Predestination which will give you comfort through assurance that you shall never fall away When you observe this order in learning your Election to life it will not minister vnto you matter of curious and dangerous dispute either with God or man thereabout but of high admiration thankesgiving and unspeakeable comfort causing you to cry out with the Apostle O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God c. And Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should bee holy and without blame before him in love having Predestinated us unto the Adoption of children by Iesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the prayse of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in his well-beloved c. There are yet some who having heard that there is a sinne against the holy Ghost and that it is unpardonable are full of feares that they have committed that sinne thence conclude that they are Reprobates for they say that they have sinned willingly against knowledge conscience since they received the knowledge of the truth and tasted of the heavenly gift and of the good Word of God If you who thus object have sinned against knowledge and conscience you have much cause of griefe complaint against your selfe and have much cause of humbling your selfe before God confessing it to him asking pardon of him and grace to beleeve and repent both which you must endevour by all means Yet I see no cause why you should conclude so desperately that you have sinned against the holy Ghost and are a Reprobate For as few in comparison though too many commit this sinne so few know what it is All sinne against knowledge and conscience is not this sinne Nor yet all wilfull sinning It is not any one sinne against the law nor yet the direct breach of the whole law nor every malicious opposing of the Gospell if it be of ignorance neither is it every blasphemie or persecution of the Gospell and of those that professe the truth if these be done out of ignorance or passion Nor yet is it every Apostacie and falling into grosse sinnes of diverssorts though done against knowledge and conscience yet this sinne against the holy Ghost containeth all these and more It is a sinne against the Gospell and free offer and dispensation of grace and salvation by CHRIST through the Spirit Yet it is not any particular sinne against the Gospell nor yet a rejecting of the whole Gospell if in ignorance nor yet every denying of Christ or sudden revolting from the outward profession of the Gospell when it is of infirmitie through feare such like temptation Neither is it called the sinne against the holy Ghost and is unpardonable because it is committed against the Essence or Person of the holy Ghost for the essence of the three persons in Trinitie is all one And the person of the holy Ghost is not more excellent than the person of the Father and the Sonne but it is called the sinne against the holy Ghost and becommeth unpardonable because it is against the Office of the holy Ghost and against the gracious operations of the holy Ghost and therein against the whole blessed Trinitie all whose works out of themselves are consummate and perfected in the worke of the holy Ghost Moreover know that it is unpardonable not in respect of GODS power but in respect of his will Hee having in his holy wisedome determined never to pardon it And good reason why he should will not to pardon it in respect of the
kinde of the sinne if you wel observe it it being a wilfull and malicious refusing of pardon upon such tearmes as the Gospell doth offer it scorning to be beholding unto God for it You may perceive what it is by this description The sinne against the holy Ghost is an utter wilfull and spitefull reiecting of the Gospell of Salvation by Christ together with an advised and absolute falling away from the profession of it so farre that against former knowledge and conscience a man doth maliciously oppose and blaspheme the Spirit of Christ in the Word and Ordinances of the Gospel and motions of the Spirit in them having resisted reiected and utterly quenched all those common and more inward gifts and motions wrought upon their hearts and affections which sometimes were intertained by them in so much that out of hatred of the Spirit of life in Christ they crucifie to themselves a-fresh the Sonne of God and doe put him both in his Ordinances of Religion and in his members to open shame â—reading underfoot the Sonne of God counting the bloud of the Covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing doing despight to the spirit of grace If you shall heedfu'ly looke into these places of the Scripture which speake of this sinne and withall doe observe the opposition which the Apostle maketh betweene sinning against the Law and sinning against the Gospell you shall clearely finde out the nature of this sinne But to resolve you of this doubt if you be not overcome with Melancholy for then you will answer you know not what which is to be pittied rather than regarded I would aske you that thinke you have committed the sinne against the holy Ghost these Questions Doth it grieve you that you have committed it Could you wish that you had not committed it If it were to be committed would you not forbeare if you could choose Would you take your selfe beholding to God if hee would make you partakers of the bloud and Spirit of his Sonne thereby to pardon and purge your sinne and to give you grace to repent Nay are you troubled that you cannot bring your heart unto a sense of desire of pardon and grace If you can say yea then albeit the sinne or sinnes which trouble you may be some fearefull sinne of which you must be exhorted speedily to repent yet certainly it is not the sinne against the holy Ghost It is not that unpardonable sinne it is not that sinne unto death For he that committeth this sinne cannot relent neither will he be beholding to GOD for pardon and grace by Christs bloud and spirit he cannot desire to repent But he is given over in Gods just judgement unto such a reprobacy of minde pollution and deadnesse of conscience perversnesse and rebellion of will and to such an height of hatred and malice that he is so blasphemously despitâ—fully bent against the Spirit of holinesse that â—t much pleaseth him rather than any way troubles him that hee hath so maliciously and blasphemously rejected or fallen from persecuted and spoken blasphemously against the good way of Salvation by Christ and against â—he gracious operations of the Spirit and against the members â—f Christ although he was once convinced clearly that this is the â—nely way of Salvation and that those graces and gifts were from God that they were the deare children of God whom he doth â—â—w despight Others if not the same object â—â—us God will certainely conâ—â—mne them because S. Iohn â—â—th said if their hearts condemne â—em God is greater than their â—arts hence they in ferre God will condemn them much more For they say their hearts doe condemne them There is a double judgement by the heart and conscience It â—â—â—gâ—â—h a mans state or person â—â—â—theâ—â—e be in state of grace â—â—â—â—â—â—o Also it judgeth a mans â—…lar actions whether they be good oâ— no. I take it that thâ—i place of Iohn is not to be understood of judging or condemning the person For God in his finall judgement doth not judge according to what a mans weaâ— and erroneous conscience judgeth for so it cannot choose buâ— be more or lesse in this life making it the square of his judgement to condemne or absolve any For many a man in his presumption iustifieth himselfe iâ— this life when yet God will condemne him in the world to comâ— and many a distressed soule liâ—â— the Prodigall and humble Puâ—â— liâ—an coÌ„demneth himselfe wheâ— yet God will absolve him For a man may have peace with God yet God for reasons best known to his wisedome doth not presently speake peace to his conscience as it was with David in which case man doth judge otherwise of his estate than God doth This place is to be understood of iudging of particular actions namely whether a man love his brother not in word and tongue onely but in deed and truth according to the exhortation ver 18. Which if his Conscience could testifie for him then it might assure his heart before God and give it boldnesse to pray unto him in confidence to receive whatsoever hee did aske according to his will But if his owne conscience could condemne him of not loving his brother in deed and truth then God who is greater thaÌ„ his hart but wherein greater greater in knowing mans heart and the truth of his love knowing all things must needs condemn him therein much more Even as Peter in the question whether hee loveth Christ or no he appeales to Christs omniscience whereby he proveth his love towards him saying Thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee This is the full scope of the place Yet this I must needs say that the holy Ghost hath instanced in such an act namely of hearty loving the brethren which is an infallible signe of being in state of grace whereby except in case of extreame melancholy or phrensie and in the brunt of a violent temptation a man may judge whether at that present he be translated from death to life yea or â—o If any shall think the place to be understood of judging the person he must distinguish between that judgement which the heart doth give rightly and de iure and that which it giveth erroneously But suppose that you trying your selves by this your hearts doe condemne you of not loving the brethren can you conclude hence that you shall be finally damned God forbid All that you can inferre is this you cannot have boldnesse to pray unto him untill you love them nor can you assure your selves that you shal have your petitioÌ„s granted And the worst you can conclude is that now for the present you are not in state of grace or at the least you want proofe of being in state of grace You must then use all Gods meanes of being ingrafted into Christ and must love the children of GOD that you may have proofe thereof Did Paul love
and strive to be obedient to his will as well as to beleeve his promises to hope for happinesse this iâ— to strive Now never any did thus strive in seeking to enter though it were but the last day of their life that was put backe and not received Wherefore say not it is to late But say the more time I have lost the more cause there is why now I should presently set to Religion in earnest not loose time in questioning whether I shal be accepted or no. And whereas you said you are afraid to use the meanes of Salvation for the reasons before objected hereby you may see that all this is but the malice and craft of the Divell by keeping you from the meanes to keepe you from Salvation For it is most false to say that to pray heare the Word c. is to increase your sin because you cannot performe these as you should and as you would I am sure it is a greateâ— sinne in you to for beare these necessary duties out of despaire that they shall ever profit you or that you shall be accepted oâ— God You should thinke thus if â—â— doe not use the meanes of salvation I shal certainly perish everlastingly but if I do pray heare c. I may be saved therefore in obedience to God I will doe as well as I can But little doth a man know how well hee may doe if he would indevour neither can a man conceive how acceptable a little indevour shall be if he doe but desire to be true in his indevour For as GODS power is seene in mans weakenesse so is Gods grace seene in manâ—insufficiencie When wee are weake then God in us can be strong And when wee in humilty like our services worst then through Christ God may be best pleased with them But whatsoever you doe Doe not neglect nor absent your selves from exercises of Religion for weakest observances where is truth are farre more acceptable than whole emissions Wherefore if as you say you would not increase your sinne and thereby your damnation be willing to use and to joyne with others in the use of all good meanes of Salvation then if you be not saved yet you shall have the lesse punishment But you may be assured that if in obedience to Gods Commandement you shall pray heare the Word receive the Sacrament and have communion and conversation with those that feare God you shall be saved in the end What if you doe not yet feele benefit and comfort when you use these meanes of salvation according to your desire yet you must waile the good houre both of grace and comfort even as the impotent folke did who lay waiting for the Angels comming to move the waters that they might be healed of their diseases at the â—oole of Bethesda For if when God hideth his face you will waite and looke for him then God will waite his time to be gracious and blessed shall you be that waite for him It may be it commeth justly upon you that God should make you waite his leasure and cause you to buy wisdome wise deare experience because you did once account it an easier matter to beleeve and repent and therefore you did not take the first offers but made God wait If it were thus yet despaire not of grace onely be humbled For God doth not deale with us after our sinnes nor reward us after our iniquities but according to his rich mercie and promise made to us in Christ Iesus SECTION 4. A removall of feares rising from doubts of Gods love THere are very many who have true proofes that they are the Elect of God and have reason to thinke that God not onely can but will doe them good yet because they will deny that to bee bestowed upon them and to be in them which indeed is therefore they feare and are causelesly disquieted I would have such to consider first whether they have not in them already evident proofes and sigues of GODS effectuall love towards them in Christ These will acknowledge that it is most true that if they were sure that GOD did love them they should not feare but this is all their doubt that GOD doth not love them Some give this reason of their doubt God hath afflicted them and still doth Plague them yea albeit they have professed the name of Christ they are in some thing or other chastened daily in so much that they seeme to bee in the condition of those whom GOD hath threatned to curse in every thing they put their handes unto Therefore say they GOD doth not love them Such weake and inconsiderate reasonings are incident to those whom GOD truely loveth Did not the holy men of GOD reason and conclude thus But when doe Gods Children thus It is in their haste before they be well advised what they think or say And whence is it Is it not from their ignorance and brutishnesse being carried away by sense So foolish was I and ignorant saith the Prophet c. But when they come to themselves and doe come to learne what is truth by the Word then they learn that it is not outward prosperitie will make wicked men happie neither is it outward affliction that can make a good man miserable Then they will neither applaud nor envie the prosperity of the wicked nor yet misconstrue nor repine at their own afflictions For they learne that no man can know Gods love or hatred by any outward thing that doth befall the sonnes of men in this life They learne that God doth oft smile on his enemies and that he doth oft frowne upon is angry with and doth correct those whom he dearely loveth even as a Father doth his Children They learne by the Word likewise that GOD hath excellent ends in all this even in respect of them and all for their good namely for tryall of their graces for prevention of sinne for to remove sinne bringing them to repenrance and that they might be made partakers of his Holinesse Besides herein he doth much glorifie himselfe shewing that he is wonderfull in Counsell excellent in Working causing the affliction to worke for his glory in his peoples good Yea you may learne by the Word and by your owne experience that although the childe of God in his infirmitie and passion when he is under the rod may let goe his hold of God yet that God in his love and compassion towards his childe will hold him fast by his right hand and will not leave him but will guide him with his Counsell that he may afterward receive him unto Glorie This is the way of GOD with his Children wherefore none from hence hath cause to question GODS love but to conclude it rather But I have brought afflictions upon my selfe by mine owne sin and folly I am impatient under them and am little or no whit better for
they renew their griefe and repentance yet they doe not fall into an allowed course of sinne any more Thus much in answer to the first doubt of Sanctification Secondly There are many which doubt they are not sanctified because of those swarmes and multitude of evill thoughts which are in them some whereof which is fearefull for them to thinke or speake are blasphemous unnaturall and inhumane calling Gods being truth power and providence into question doubting whether the Scripture be the word of God and many moe of this nature having also thoughts of laying violent hands upon themselves and others with many moe of that and other sorts such as they never felt at all or not so much in their knowne state of unregeneracy before they made a more strict profession of godlinesse such as they thinke none that are truly sanctified are troubled withall To resolve this doubt know that evill thoughts are either put into men from without as when Satan doth suggest or men doe solicite evill thus Iobs wife Curse God and dye Or they doe arise from within out of the evill concupiscence of a mans owne heart And sometimes they are mixt comming both from within and without Those which come onely from Satan may usually be knowne from them that arise out of mans heart by their sodainenesse and uncessantnesse namely when they are repelled they wil somtimes returne againe an hundred times in a day Also they are unreasonable and unnaturall and withall are strange and violent in their motions taking no nay but by violent resistance Wheras those which altogether or in great part are from mans owne corrupt heart they usually arise by occasion of some externall object or from some naturall cause and are not so sudden and incessant nor are so unnaturall inhumane and violent Now all those evill thoughts or thoughts of evill rather which are from Satan or from mans putting them into you if you consent not unto them but doe abhorre and resist them with detestation they are not your sinnes but Satans and theirs that did put them into you They are your crosses because they are matter of trouble to you but they are not your sinnes because they leave no guilt upon you They are no more your sinnes then these thoughts Cast thy selfe downe headlong and fall downe and worship me viz. the Divell were Christs sinnes if you consent not but resist them as CHRIST did You should heedfully observe this For if the Divell was so malicious and presumptuous as to assault our blessed Saviour with such divellish temptations casting into his head such vile blasphemous notions and thoughts should you thinke it strange that he doth pester you with the like And if for all this you have no cause to doubt whether Christ were the Sonne of GOD or no though the Divell made an if of it and it was the thing the Divel aimed at why then should it be doubted that any of Christs members may be thus assaulted and yet have no cause for this to question whether they be sanctified or in state of grace For these in them are so far from being abhominable evils that being not consented to they as I said are not their sinnes It is a peece of the Divels cunning first to fill a man full of thoughts for matter abhominable and then to be the first that shall put in this accusation and doubt viz. Is it possible for any childe of God for any that is sanctified with Gods holy Spirit to have such thoughts But consider well that an innocent Beniamin may have Iosephs cup put into his sacks mouth without his privity or fault by him who for his owne ends intended to make matter thereof wherby to accuse Beniamin of theft and ingratitude Was Beniamin any whit the more dishonest or ingrateful for all this A malicious Cutpurse having tempted a neighbour to jayn with him in cutting of purses being denyed by him doth craftily plot how to doe him a mischiefe and meeting the said neighbor in a throng of people cutteth another mans purse and closely conveigheth it into his neighbours pocket and presently asketh if none have lost their pâ—â—se which being missed hee poâ—â—â—eth at his neighbour saying that â—e suspecteth him who being taken and searched the purse is found about him yet you will judge this neighbour to be innocent Sathan doth not want malice or craft in this kinde to play his â—â—ates Where he cannot corrupt men yet there he wil veâ— and perplexe them But let it be granted that these blasphemous and abhominable thoughts which trouble you are indeede your sinnes either because they arise from your owne evill heart or because you did consent to them they being cast in by others If so then you have much cause to grieve and to repent but not to despaire or to say you are not Gods childe For it is possible for a sanctified man to be made guilty either by outward act or by consent and approbation or by some meanes or other of any one sinne except that against the holy Ghost yea of any blasphemy except that now albeit a man be guilty of these vile or blasphemous thoughts and doubtings yet if he confesse and bewaile his sinne even his blasphemy if his heart ake at the thoughts thereof if hee repent beleeve and aske mercy it shall be forgiven him For he hath our Saviours word for it And whereas you say you were not troubled with such abominable thoughts before that you made profession of an holy life I answer this is not to be woÌ„dred at For before that time the Devil and you were friends then hee thought it enough to suffer you to be proud of your civill honesty or it may bee to content your selfe with a meere forme of godlinesse suppose that you were free from notorious crimes as adultery lying swearing c. For when hee could by these more plausible wayes lead you captive at his will he saw you were his sure enough already what need was there then that hee should solicite you any further or to disturbe your quiet But now that you have renounced him in earnest and that hee and you bee two you may bee sure that he will attempt by all meanes to reduce you into your old state or if he faile of that yet as long as you live so farre as God shall permit hee will doe what hee can to disturbe your peace by vexing and molesting you Moreover GOD doth permit this for divers holy purposes 1. To discover the Devils malice 2. To chastise his children and to humble them because they were too well conceited of the goodnesse of their nature in their unregeneracy or might be too uncharitable and censorious of others and too presumptuous of their owne strength since they were regenerate 3. God likewise permitteth these buffetings and winnowings of Satan as to prevent pride and other sinnes so to exercise and make
them runne not long and in time may quite be dryed up But the saving graces of the regenerate receive their light warmth and life from the Sunne of righteousnesse therefore can never be totally or finally Eclipsed And they doe rise from that Well and Spring of living water which cannot be drawn dry orâ—o dammed up or stopt but that it will runne more or lesse unto eternall life As the regenetate man doth not sinne in such sort as the unregenerate with all his heart so neither is hee when he hath sinned in the same state and condition which the unregenerate is in Hee is in the Condition of a Sonne who notwithstanding his failings abideth in the house for ever but not as the other who being no sonne but a servant is for his misdemeanor turned out and abideth not in the house for ever Although the regenerate as well as the unregenerate doe draw upon themselves by their sinnes the simple guilt of eternall death yet this guilt is not accounted neither doth it redound to the person of the truly regenerate as it doth to the other because Christ Iesus hath so satisfied and doth make intercession for his owne that his death is made effectuall for them but not for the other Their Iustification and Adoption by Christ remaine unaltered although many benefits flowing from thence are for a while justly suspended they remaine children still though under their Fathers anger as Absolom remained a sonne uncast off not dis-inherited by David when yet his Father would not let him come into his presence This spirituall Leprosie of sinne into which Gods Children fall may cause them to bee suspended from the use and comfortable possession of the Kingdome of God and from the enjoyment of the privileges thereof untill they bee cleansed of their sinne by renewed faith and repentance Yet as the Leoper in the Law had still right to his house and goods albeit he was shut out of the City for his Leprosie so the truly regenerate never loose their right to the Kingdome of heaven by their sinnes For every true member of Christ is knit unto Christ by such everlasting bonds whether we respect the relative union of Christ with his members by faith to Iustification which after it is once made by the spirit of Adoption admitteth of no breach or alteration by any meanes oâ— whether we respect the reall union of the Spirit whence floweth Sanctification which though it may suffer decay and admitteth of some alteration of degrees being not so strong at one time as at another yet can never quite be broken off as hath beene proved these bands â— say are so strong and lasting that all the powers of sinne Satan and Hell it selfe cannot sever the weakest true member from Christ or from his love oâ— from Gods love towards him in Christ This strength of grace that keepeth men from falling totally or finally from CHRIST doth not depend upon the strength or will of him that standeth but on the Election and determination of him that calleth And whereas it may bee demanded why a man being at his highest degree of holinesse that ever he attained at which time hee had most strength did yet fall backe more than halfe way may not as well or rather fall quite away I answer It is not in respect of the nature of inherent holinesse in him for Adam had holinesse in perfection yet fell quite from it There is nothing in the nature of this grace and holinesse excepting onely in the root whence it springeth but that a man may now also fall wholly from it But it is because grace is now setled in man upon better termes For the little strength we receive in regeneration is in point of perseverance stronger then the great strength which the first Adam received in his Creation Adam was perfectly but changeably holy Gods children inregeneration are made imperfectly but unchangeably holy This stability of grace now consisteth in this for that all that by faith and by the holy Spirit are ingrafted and incorporated into Christ the second Adam have the spring and root of their grace founded in him and not in themselves as the first Adam had They are stablished with their brethren in Christ Wherefore all that are actuall members of CHRIST cannot fal from grace altogether For as Christ dyed to sinne once and being raised from the dead dyeth no more so every true member of Christ having part with him in the first resurrection dye no more but live for ever with Christ For all that are once begotten againe unto a lively faith and hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible are kept not by their owne power unto Salvation but by the power of God through faith in Christ Iesus Now that a man effectually called can never fall wholly or for ever from state of grace I in few words reason thus If Gods Counsell on which mans Salvation is founded be sure and unchangeable and if his calling be without repentance If Gods love be unchangeable and altereth not but whom God once loveth actually him he loveth to the end If Christs office of Prophet Priest and King in his teaching satisfying and making intercession for and in his governing his people bee after the order of Melchisedecke unchangeable and everlasting he everliving to make intercession for them and if his undertaking in all these respects with his Father not to lose any whom he giveth him cannot be frustrate If the Seale and earnest of the Spirit be a constant Seale which cannot be razed but sealeth all in whom it dwelleth unto the day of Redemption If the Word of truth wherewith the regenerate are begotten be an immortall seed which when once it hath taken a conception and hath taken roote doth live for ever If God be constant and faithfull in his promise and omnipotent in his power to make good this his word and promise saying I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turne away from my people and children to doe them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Then from all and from each of these propositions I conclude that a man once indeede a member of Christ and indeede in state of grace shall never totally or finally fall away The patrons of the doctrine of falling from grace when they cannot answer the invincible arguments which are brought to prove the certainetie of a mans standing in state of Salvation they make a loud cry in casting in certaine popular obiections such as are very apt to take with simple and unstable people They first come with suppositions and aske this and like questiona If David and Peter had dyed in the act of their grosse sinnes whether should they have beene saved