despicable in the eyes of the world which God hath designed in all Ages to honour Since he hath delivered his Son to death to preserve the honour of his Law it seems not to consist with his wisdom to let those who enjoy the fruits of his death walk in a customary contempt of his Law Neither can we think that God would permit that in a Believer which is against the very essence of grace though he may permit that which is against the beauty and accidental perfection of it 3. 'T is against the nature of the Covenant In the Covenant we are to take God for our God i. e. for our chief good and last end But a course of sin is an adoration of the sinful Object as the chief good and last end because a man prefers the creature before God and loves it supremely contrary to the will of God 'T is essential for one in Covenant with God to have an high valuation of God and his will But a custom of known sins evidenceth that there is not a worthy and practical esteem of God How can any condition of the covenant consist with a constant practice of sin How can there be faith where the precept is not believed How can there be love if the pleasure of God be not regarded How can there be fear if his authority be wilfully contemned How can there be a new heart when there is nothing but an old frame and a diabolical nature 'T is a renouncing those conditions upon which a right to heaven is founded For a worker of iniquity walks in those ways which are prohibited upon pain of not entring into that place of glory and so doth wilfully refuse the acceptance of the conditions on Gods part and the performance of the conditions on his own part which are necessary to Gods glory and his own interest 'T is an invasion of Gods right whereby he refuseth God for his God and Lord and sets up himself as his own governour an affecting vertually an equality with God and independency on him which in the common nature of sin is vertually the same with that of the Devil who sinned from the beginning and therefore a course in sin one that is born of God doth not continue in Perhaps the Apostle in the Text might have some such respect upon his opposing the Believers not committing sin to the sin of the Devil from the beginning viz. such a course of sin whereby a Man declares as the Devil did that he will be his own governour as indeed in every course of sin a Man doth practically declare 4. 'T is against the nature of our first repentance and conversion to God True repentance is a breaking off iniquity by righteousness Dan. 4.27 a turning from sin to holiness from our selves to God from our own Wills to the Will of God from every thing else as the chief good and last end to God as both these Now though a particular act of sin be against the watchfulness which attends repentance yet a course of sin is against the nature of it * Taylor of repentance pag. 188. the one is against the liveliness of Repentance the other against the life of it A delightful walking in any known sin though never so little is a defyance to God and therefore contrary to the nature of conversion and is a vertual embracing of all sin whatsoever because he that in his ordinary walk in sin hath no respect to the Will and pleasure of God though he knows it and will not be restrain'd from his delight by any such regard of God would be restrain'd from no other sin whatsoever if he did conceive them as pleasant advantageous and suitable to him as he doth that which is his darling As he that breaks one point of the Law is guilty of all James 2.10 because he shews thereby a Will and Disposition to break all if the same occasions were offer'd So he that commits one known sin wilfully much more he that walks in a course of sin is guilty of all sins vertually For he would boggle at no temptations upon a respect to God because if a regard to God doth not prevail upon him against a course in one kind it will not detain him from a course in all other kinds of sin if he come under the same circumstances for it Let me add this too If he that offends in one point of the Law be guilty of all i. e. as much delight and eagerness as he hath in the breach of that one it is to be supposed that he would have in the breach of all the rest upon the former reason can then such a disposition which is in every course of known sin be consistent with the nature of repentance and conversion 5. 'T is against the nature of habitual grace which is the principle and form of our Regeneration If he doth not commit sin because the seed of God remains in him then such a course of sin is against the nature of this seed inconsistent with the birth of God a crooked and perverse Spirit in sin is a sign of a putrified Soul a spot of a different nature from that of Gods Children Deut. 32.5 They have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his Children they are a perverse and crooked Generation 't is a stain peculiar to the Children of the Devil not the Sons of God A Trade in sin is an evidence of a Diabolical Nature 1 John 3.8 He that commits sin is of the Devil 'T is not therefore consistent with grace which is a Divine Nature The reign of sin is inconsistent with the reign of grace though the rebellion of sin be not 'T is against the nature of Regeneration for sin to guide our Wills though it be not against the nature of it for sin to reside in our flesh To walk after the flesh Rom. 8.1 is an inseparable Character of a natural Man The Apostle Rom. 7. ult had been complaining of the Law of his Members the serving sin with his Flesh he comforts himself with this that he obeyed it not and that they were in Christ whose ordinary walk was as the Spirit led not as the Flesh allured * Amyrant in Joh. 8.9 And indeed every Tree brings forth fruit suitable to its nature A Vine brings not forth Thorns and he that hath the seed of God is under an impossibility of bringing forth the fruits of sin with delight since he hath a Root of righteousness planted in him 1. 'T is against the nature of a renewed understanding A Regenerate Man hath a new light in his mind whereby he hath a fairer prospect of God and a fouler of sin He was an enemy to God in his mind before Col. 1.21 He had dishonourable opinions and conceits of God and goodness and honourable thoughts of sin above its merit he thought ill of the one and well of the other But now he is renewed in the Spirit of his
he did belye himself or else that he were the vilest Villain in the world He will study no excuses and present no pleas to God for his sin If he hath not strength to conquer it he hath a voice to cry against it Prayers are doubled one Messenger goes to Heaven upon the heels of another and so moderation which was in his requests before is turn'd to an unsatisfied importunity So that you see there is not a plenary consent of will but the dissent is habitual and actual if not antecedent or concomitant yet alwaies consequent What then doth the regenerate mans sin arise from It ariseth 1. Either from a strong passion which many times bears down the bars both of grace and reason That is not wholly voluntary which is done by the prevalency of passion which suspends the determination of the understanding and consequently the regular and free motion of the Will Such was the accusation of God in his Prophet which David was guilty of Psal 116.11 I said in my haste all men are liars I said 't is true all men are liars even the Prophet too but it was in my haste And in his haste he accuseth God of the breach of his promises Psal 31.22 I said in my haste I am cut off from before thy Eyes God hath either forgot his promise or changed his resolutions for not one of them will be made good unto me It was a passion in Moses which made him guilty of that act of unbelief that cost him his exclusion from the land of promise Num. 20.8 10 11 12. God commands him to use his Tongue not his Rod on the Rock but the passion the good man was in by the provocation of the people transported him beyond his bounds Peter's heart was not so full of courage as of Loyalty his Zeal was put out of countenance by his fear A strong fit of passion may make a man as good and meek as Moses fling away both the Tables of the Law which otherwise would be as dear to him as the Apple of his Eye 2. From inconsiderateness There cannot be a full consent of Will where a deliberate judgment doth not precede Many a man through an inconsiderate indulging his appetite eats that meat which foments his humors into some dangerous disease Sin creeps upon a good man when the liveliness and activity of his Spirit in former duties is in a slumber but another hath as great inclinations to sin when his understanding is in its strength Peter had the grace of faith but he fell into his sin for want of acting it upon his repentance it is said Luke 22.6 And Peter remembred the words of the Lord. He had forgot Christs words and that made him forget himself and his Master in that act of sin If our Saviour had cast his Eye upon Peter and excited his slumbering grace before the Maid had spoken to him he might have prevented Peter's fall as well as afterwards recovered him If God had sent Nathan with a message to David when his corruption began first to put on its Arms to have shewed him the vileness of his intentions and excited him to a stout resistance he might have prevented the loss of his innocency as well as restor'd him after it had lain in the dust so long David might have kept his standing and dismist those inclinations as he did his inconsiderate design of murdering Nabal and his family upon Abigail's admonition for which he blesseth God 1 Sam. 25.32 33. In short The motion of a regenerate man to sin is violent like a stone upward the motion of an unrenewed man is natural like a stone downwards The Godly are violently pursued but the wicked fottishly infatuated by a temptation * Greenham And certainly when the strength of the passion is abated and the free exercise of reason recovered there will be the exercise of grace again for it is not conceiveable that the habit of grace and repentance should be without the actual exercise of it when the impediments are removed and an occasion presented so that he that doth not recover himself to his former exercise never had this true seed of God infused into him 7 Proposition Though a regenerate man may fall and sin have a temporary dominion yet he recovers out of this state and for the most part returns to his former holiness and an increase of it though not always to his former comforts There are none whose sins are recorded in Scripture but there are some evidences of their repentance for it or the acting the contrary grace Davids sin was gross and his repentance remarkable he was more tender afterwards in point of Blood 2 Sam. 23.16 17. when he desired Water out of the Well of Bethlehem and it was brought him by three valiant men with the Jeopardy of their lives he would not drink it because it was the Blood of the men that ventured their lives to satisfy his curiosity Peters repentance is eminent his affection is hot for the truth of which he could appeal to his masters omnisciency John 21.17 Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee His courage is illustrious in asserting his Masters honour in the face of the greatest dangers in which exercise you find him the Foreman of that Jury of the 12 Apostles before every Assembly Acts 2.3.4.5 c. Though Abraham had discovered a distrust of God in Pharaohs and Abimelechs courts yet his faith afterward in his readiness to sacrifice Isaac was as glorious as his unbelief had been base which gave him the title of the Father of the faithful Noah who was drunk and thereby exposed to the derision of his Son could not so well have curst him had he not abhorred the sin as well as the reproach And Lot whose righteous Soul was vexed with the filthiness of others could not have a less vexation at his own when he came to know of it Those that affirm that mortal sins expel grace yet doubt whether they expel the gifts of the Spirit one end whereof say they is to render the Soul pliable and flexible to the motions of the Spirit * Suarez de Gratia lib. 11 c. 3. num 10 p. 415. If they do not expel the gifts I know not why they should expel the grace which is under the manutenency of the Spirit of God in a particular manner The Spirit lusts against the flesh as well as the flesh against the Spirit and the lusting of the Spirit will prevail as well as the lusting of the flesh and more Gal. 5.17 All natural things that are removed out of their proper place are restless till they are reduc'd to their right station A good man is as Water that though it be turned into a Mass of Ice wholly cold in the ways of God yet still there is a principle in him as there is in Ice to return to his former form figure and activity upon the warm eruptions of
of what kind a Page 75. ad 84. 126 235 6. a vital principle Page 84 5. a habit a Page 85. ad 96. a law in the heart a Page 96. ad 100. a likeness to God Page 100. its rarity and whence Page 105 237 242. its trial Page 53. 118. ad 124. 217 237 8. 't is excellent Page 125. 130 133 209 223 227 237. honourable and pleasant Page 133 4. attainable by all Page 135. man not the author of it proved in general a Page 140. ad 147. more particularly a Page 147. ad 175. what man by common grace can do towards it a Page 174. ad 187. why then God commands it c. a Page 187. 197. not by moral suasion only Page 200 1. God the efficient of it Page 205 6 7. necessary he should be a Page 207. ad 210. what attributes of God manifest in it a Page 211. ad 217. what kind of work and low wrought a Page 217. ad 222. 234 5. to be ascribed only to God Page 198 222. the circumstances of it to be considered Page 227. founded on Reconciliation by Christ Page 245. depends on Christs Resurrection Page 326. a means to divine knowledge Page 471. a means to raise good thoughts Page 11 †the Word the instrument of it Vid. Word Regenerate their duty a Page 125. ad 132. 20â— 2 3. a 225. ad 228. 238. to be esteemed Page 111. their sins great Page 111. cannot sin how understood Page 88 9. they only fit to come to the Sacrament a Page 780. ad 784. they may receive it unworthily Page 817. difference between their sins and other mens great a Page 89. ad 100 †Religion the Christian its excellency above all others a Page 343. ad 346 515 648 657 1116 1218. its wonderful propagation Page 209 507 517 614. not to own it to be from God very irrational Page 656 7 8. 699 734. not to act according to it a madness Page 743. Repentance whether Adam in innocence had a power of it Page 189. a very low condition Page 374. not without knowledge Page 407. kept in life how Page 843. can 't satisfie or expiate sin Page 932 951. not right without mourning for others sins Page 75 †Vid. Godly Sorrow Reproach the friendship of Christ a comfort under it Page 1219. Reproof a good man can't despise it Page 95 †Resistance of grace by men Page 146. of sin must be continued Page 17 †Resolutions not to be made in our own strength Page 202 3. not to be trusted in Page 222. necessary in approaches to the Supper Page 752 3. should be oft renewed Page 1375. to sin were it not for hindrances a good man can't have Page 93 †Restraints differ from Regeneration Page 109. and mortification how they differ Page 1318. Resurrection of Christ for us Page 67 326 7 promised him Page 282. necessary Page 324. the act of the Father Page 325 comfortable to Believers Page 327. how pardon depended on it Page 106 †of our Bodies certain Page 1105. Vid. Exaltation of Christ Revelation by the Gospel not insufficient Page 142. its clearness aggravates unbelief Page 614. of God belief due to it a dictate of nature Page 647 8. Vid. Reason Revenge the chief object of it within Page 1314. Riches a cause of unbelief Page 738. Righteousness our own not to be trusted in Page 599 907 951 1181 2 Vid. Justification exploded by the spirit in conviction Page 576. must vail to Christ Page 669. S. SAbbath a probable reason of its change Page 853. Sacraments efficacious by the word Page 233. always thought needful by God Page 316. Sacrifices how acceptable to God Page 316. instituted by God Page 232. 646 855. 948. typical of Christs death Page 856 948 9. 1174. answered by Christ Page 857. of themselves could not expiate sin Page 858 838 9. of what necessary for man Page 859 c. not from the light of nature Page 947. were not and could not be the object of the Israelites Faith Page 1167 1191. they apprehended some mystery in them Page 1167 8. Sacrifice Christ only fit to be one Page 861 940. 941 2. Christ one in his humane nature Page 862. of Christ his value whence Page 862 899. all his sacerdotal acts depend on this Page 863. Christ one for us not himself Page 855 865. this matter of comfort to believers Page 871. to be laid hold on Page 872. of Christ perfect Page 906 7. Saints their company a part of the happiness of heaven Page 42. admiration of their gifts and graces make men slight Christ Page 666. love to them Vid. Love Salvation of Believers certain Page 284 703. Vid. Believers ours and God's glory link'd together Page 285. the end of Christ's commission and Exaltation intercession Page 302 336 1147. all things necessary for it in Christs hands Page 673. to be sought of Christ Page 674. Christ hath done his part towards it Page 704 5. no want of evidence of the way of it Page 705. only by Christ Page 922. Sanctification and Regeneration how they differ Page 72. a sign of pardon Page 116 †Vid. Holiness Regeneration Satisfaction necessary for sin Page 868 a 9. 3 ad 883. 932. not possible to be by any creature a Page 932. ad 942. of Christ declared to be full by his Exaltation Page 1089. Vid. Death of Christ Sacrifice Justice Popish ones to be rejected Page 907. Scriptures studying them a means of divine knowledge Page 468 519. they that never look into them Unbelievers Page 726. men unwilling to be guided by them Page 1â—93 studying them a means to raise good thoughts Page 11 †to be read by Women Page 76 †Seal of the Covenant the Supper is Page 758. Seasons for duty the fittest to be chosen Page 62 63 †Secret sins discovered by the Law in the hand of the Spirit Page 573. Security of the Churches enemies the forerunner of their ruin Page 46 †Seed of Christ who Page 102 3. promised him a Page 278. ad 281. Christ to take care of them Page 281. spirit given him for their sakes Page 297 8. Vid. Believers Self the chief end of a natural man Page 66. Christ died to take men off from it ibid. necessary we should be and no Regeneration till we are Page 66 7. Self-love the principles of it contradicted by Unbelievers Page 648. Self-fulness a conceit of it a cause of unbelief Page 736 7. Sense of sin meditation on that Christ had a means of conviction Page 599. of original sin Vid. Fall should be great in a Communicant Page 752. the want of it reproved Page 72 3 †no argument of an unpardon'd state Page 115 †Vid. Corruptions Sensuality Vid. Pleasures Service of God evangelical not without a new nature a Page 21. ad 29. not accepted from an unregenerate man Page 33 4. Renewed men always disposed for it how Page 87 8. industry and affection must be in it Page 377. of a