God with good Josiah This is that most poor sinful Creatures do bolster up themselves with in their Ignorance and Security that they do all to God and Men with good hearts whereas a renewed Soul doubts of the goodness of his heart and hath matter of humbling for it in every duty 2. Another mistake of poor souls is as to the Gospel-New-Creature from a misprision of sins of infirmities for such as are indeed reigning damning sins As to instance to lye for advantage to swear petty Oaths sometimes by Faith and Troth by the Mass to mention God's Name frequently as a by-word crying Oh Lord Oh God slightly vainly or sometimes to drink to excess or the like evils 'T is common to hear wretched Souls when convinc'd of them to excuse the matter Why 't is their infirmity whereas it proceeds from a heart wholly unregenerate and under the power and reign of sin Infirmities of the Children of God are not allowed by them but humbled mourned for every day watch'd against the root of them they endeavour to mortifie through the Spirit which the common professor that calls all his sins his infirmities doth not Oh! Souls there 's a vast difference between the infirmities of such as are indeed New-Creatures and between the reigning sins of natural men sin reigns in its peace power habit in the heart no subduing crucifying purging which a New-Creature doth and hath 3. This mistake of the New-Creature doth arise from a misconcieving of the reluctancy of a natural conscience before or in the committing of sin taking it for the Conflict that is in a truly regenerate Soul between the Regenerate and Carnal part which mistake usually is bottomed upon a misunderstanding of that place of Paul Rom. 7.15 For that which I do I allow not c. Hence say many unregenerate graceless persons Why though they do break out into such and such things and omit such and such duties yet they do not allow themselves in it that is their Conscience is not wholly seared and so make some resistance and this they take to be saving grace a gross and most dangerous mistake now take such a person and he hath not a delight in the Law of God in the inward man as Paul had verse 22. doth not cry out as inwardly burthen'd wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death No such daily complaints and groanings under the weight of it No eying God through Jesus Christ for deliverance from it No serving the Law of God with a Renewed inward Man No walking after the Spirit so that unless it be so with you that no allowance in the conscience and yet do it it comes to nothing and an Hypocrite may and doth as much till given up to a seared conscience past feeling 4. From a mistake of Faith taking that for sound and saving which is common to a Reprobate such as James describes in his Epistle speaking of Men who say they have faith and have not really a Faith that believes God is the Scriptures the dying and rising of Jesus Christ and all other Gospel truths as it pretends yea that he believes on Jesus Christ and hopes to be saved by him as well as the holiest and upon this they have a kind of peace I have spoken before of justifying Faith only a word as to the New-Creature know therefore that Faith that doth not teach a soul to deny it self that doth not purifie the heart that doth not live upon Jesus Christ and so created into him is not the faith of the New-Creature but a common dead putrifying faith that suffers the soul to putrifie in sin and works not to the cleansing of it 5. To instance in some other graces as namely Repentance which souls do take to be only a wishing the sin had not been committed with a little fear and sorrow after it and this they think to be true repentance which when true is accompanied with loathing of the sin and our selves and our corrupt natures brokenness of heart for it and from it and turning to God by Jesus Christ and eyes the honour patience holiness love of God in its sorrowing more than his wrath and hath for its effects carefulness indignation against it self vehement desire after more holiness by Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 7.11 6. A false and carnal hope of Heaven mistaken for a gracious saving hope deceives the soul in this matter Many poor souls yea it may be feared the most think they shall go to Heaven because they hope so and think they ought to hope Now a saving hope of pardon and Heaven is rightly bottom'd namely upon the riches of Gods Grace Titus 3.7 Upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ Gal. 5.5 Upon some special promise of God Upon experience of God Rom. 5. And purifying the soul 1 John 3.3 as I may have occasion more at large to speak Oh! this false and carnal cursed hope that is not thus bottom'd serves only to shut up the heart against the power of the Word and a saving closing with Jesus Christ till a Soul is dasht in this hope it will never get a better 7. A form of knowledge especially if increas'd under the Ministry of the Word may much deceive a soul in this great and weighty concernment so Paul speaks of the Jews Rom. 2.20 having a form of knowledge and of the truth of the law Many have a Catechistical form of Knowledge they can describe what Faith and Repentance and Regeneration is and then think they have it themselves because they can tell what it is and do believe it to be such There may be much knowledge in the head and yet no renewing grace in the heart That knowledge that is saving brings with it a power upon the Soul to love delight in to experience the goodness vertue sweetness of what it knows It transforms the soul into the image of what is known 2 Cor. 3. last It is spiritual and it makes the heart the affections spiritual 8. A Misconceit of the grace of love is also a false ground in this matter As that a poor soul will think that he loves God when he hath no knowledge of him nor delight in him nor communion with him nor doth love his Image which is holiness and that he loves all every one whereas much envy and malice reigns in the heart if but a little provoked and for the people of God truly so called they hate them for Hypocrites Schismaticks and what not or if a little better thoughts of them 't is not love to Christ and his Image in them that acts them which is the nature of the grace of love But yet are justified in their conscience to be the people of God 9. So is patience humility meekness mistaken some natural dispositions are most patient and meek and these poor Creatures are apt to mistake for grace when 't is nothing but meer nature and more candid disposition and such Souls
it is renewed it is fetcht in again to Jesus Christ 8. The heart of it self is unbelieving Take heed lest there be in you an heart of unbelief Hebr. 3. Now when the heart is made New there is a Work of Faith with power 2 Thess 1.11 And then the soul is made sensible of that bitter root of Unbelief that is naturally in their hearts and they find it the hardest work in the world to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to fix on Promises and that a believing heart is a special gift of God and a work of the Spirit which while a poor sinner was shut up under Unbelief he felt not Vse 1. To unchanged persons who are the same in heart as ever they were Oh learn by what hath been opened what is the natural make and frame of them There is in you a Rebellious heart against the Lord and wilful obstidacy against his Word and Spirit and therefore 't is that you cast the Word of the Lord from you and in your hearts despise it and say This is not the Word of the Lord and we will not obey it You have hard and impenitent hearts and therefore you do not mourn for sin you have proud hearts and are well-conceited of your condition though damnable and therefore you do not humble your selves to God you have Hypocritical Hearts and see it not full of Hell of Uncleanness dead in sin and without feeling a heart divided between Christ and the World unbelieving and yet say you have Faith If thou canst not make out a Newness upon thy heart as we have shewed thou hast still thine old heart with its lusts and thy estate is as yet damnable let thy Knowledge Profession Outward-blamelessness be what it will 2. Oh therefore let this Word be yet for further Tryal of your Estate Can you say to the praise of free and rich Grace that God hath in some measure taken away your Rebellious Heart from you and you can stoop and yield to the power of Truth and rejoyce in it that God hath made your heart soft in some measure and the Pride of your hearts in the false conceit you had of your selves hath a stroak from God upon it that God hath shewed you your deep and cursed Hypocrisie and how your heart was divided and was wholly unbelieving and that the Remnants of these wickednesses in you of heart rebellion hardness pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief are your greatest burden and you mourn over them daily If this be not your Experience let that man or woman know he or she is a Hypocrite and Unbeliever and sees it not c. 3. Therefore let it convince you and exhort you to go and fall down before the Lord and beg him to open your hearts which naturally are shut up in Darkness and to abase you in the sense of your Rebellion and that he would even do this for you in much Mercy to take away a rebellious hard proud heart from you and would make your hearts pliable to the Word and make them soft and humble before him and to close with the whole heart with Jesus Christ through a work of Faith upon you Do this in the fear of the Lord and through his Grace coming upon you and see what God will do for you and you will be your own wonders that ever such abominations should lye hid in your hearts and yet you not be confounded in your selves in the sense of them 4. Let Souls that are through infinite grace under some heart-renewings know that they have never done with this Work till they come to Glory Yea Soul thou hast depths of rebellion pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief which yet thou hast not reach'd to and therefore as thou must ascribe all to Grace for what the Lord hath done upon thee and remember to thy greater humbling how much adoe the Lord had with thee to bring thy heart under so much as it is so to consider that the Candle of the Lord must more and more search thy dark and deep heart and 't is to be thy daily work or else all these evils will again much prevail upon thee Love therefore a searching Word from the Servants of Christ that are over you 6. The next Discovery of the Gospel New-Creature is this namely The Gospel New-Creature hath New Affections Briefly to instance in some of the chief 1. The New-Creature hath new fear The fear of an eternal Condition that first usually seizeth upon a convinced sinner the fear of a just and angry God against sin and at last upon its renewing a holy awful fear of God as great and holy and good a fear of sinning against him and that because he is gracious Naturally this affection of fear in a carnal heart is conversant about the loss of outward things about shame in the World and the like and so far as it respects God his Soul 't is a slavish fear of breaking out of some grosser sins only lest God should damn him but not fearing the Lord with a gracious Son-like fear a fear that purifies the Heart a fear that is mixt with a blessed love of God and delight in his ways 2. The Heart is exercised with new Sorrow A godly sorrowing for sin such sins which were once the delight of the Heart such a sorrowing that works an Indignation against the Darling sins a taking of a kind of Revenge of our selves for it a vehement desire after pleasing of God and Holiness 2 Cor. 7.11 There is a sorrowing over a crucified Christ and a sorrowing after him and well is a poor soul when it can go in secret and have this affection most exercised with sighs and groans and tears and sad complaints against it self 3. There is a new joy by degrees instilled in the Soul of which though there are various measures to the Children of God yet every New-Creature can go thus far though not in that vigour of Spirit he would do that when the Spirit is free from great distempers it can say he hath some joy that he is deliver'd from the dominion and thraldom of lusts that 't is its joy to go before God I will go unto God my exceeding joy Psal 43.4 Even when under some disquietness of Spirit as verse 2. Why dost thou cast me off Yea will a poor soul say God and Communion with him could I see his face would be my greatest joy And the carnal joy of the heart when it breaks forth leaves the soul but more in heaviness and the New-Creature would have his joy run spiritual 4. Upon this the New-Creature hath New delights The Word of God becomes his delight seeking the face of God and the People of God Delight thy self in God Psal 37. And his chief delight is in the Saints Psal 16.3 The heart cannot as it could formerly delight it self in folly and in vanity and in vain carnal ways and people but is rather burthened with
them 5. The Soul is raised and engaged in a new Love The Heart is taken with Jesus Christ above all things and loves him most and loves God because he is Holy loves his Word and loves those that love him most Every New-Creature can say as David I love the Lord Psalm 18.1 and 116.1 Yea the soul is brought to love Jesus Christ for himself He is the beloved of the Soul and not only the grace and peace and blessing and Heaven that he gives And to Love Jesus Christ and to express it to the utmost is the frame of soul that a Convert presseth most after and he would get the heart more purged mortified spirituallized that it might go forth in Love to Christ more strongly and sweetly and enjoy the precious perfumes of his Love more constantly 6. The Soul is raised to a New hope a new hope of Heaven and Glory which before was feigned and deceitful Now the Soul is after a well-bottom'd real lively hope of Heaven Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope c. Oh! the new and blessed hopes that a soul doth more and more reach to when distempers and darkness is not upon it of seeing Jesus Christ as he is living with him for ever of being perfectly sinless and holy of Joys that shall be endless of being swallowed up with divine Glory when the Spirit of the Father doth breath most sweetly and mostly raises the heart to glimpses of Heaven Vse As we go along we would put things to tryal therefore say in good earnest Soul Hast thou had new fears upon thy Soul as to an eternal condition and is the fear of sin and of the living God upon thy heart and doth this fear keep thy Heart awful and watchful say hast thou had new sorrows for sin and 't is thy Trouble they are no more abundant Can'st thou joy in going to God and in the Word of his grace and are spiritual things thy delight Doest thou find a heart-closing Love to Jesus Christ above all and canst thou love God because he is Holy and thou wouldst be like unto him and hast thou new experienc'd hopes of Heaven Say soul Do all thy affections run in a new Channel and the stream of them in the main turned from world and vanity to the Ocean of God in Christ his fulness goodness love grace and glory and that when thy affections or any one of them are diverted and turned aside thou canst and doest go to God to have them fetcht in again and thou wouldst have all the affections of thy Soul run freely clearly spiritually fully strongly upon Jesus Christ and thou art humbled that they are carnal and worldly in any measure If this be not thy case but the affections of thy heart are wholly fleshly and worldly thy fears thy sorrows are about worldly things thy joys thy delights about carnal pleasures and worldly increase thy love goeth after the world in an uninterrupted unmortified course thy hopes going forth about great things for thy self and thy hopes for Heaven lye at all uncertainty and thou dost suffer it to be so verily thou art unchanged and hast no part as yet in New-Creature-blessedness Only let me add this Caution that in this matter of the New creature you take the whole frame together and therefore do not rest only in this that you have had your affections something stirred in hearing the Gospel some fears and sometimes the heart a little melted and some joy for a time in the Word which affections may sometime stir in a soul whose heart is not subdued and changed and so it wears off again but carry your selves back to what I have said that you mainly look to the Rebellion Pollution Hypocrisie Unbelief of the heart that these be in good earnest still a subduing you 3. And so also for real Converts though you should labour to preserve your affections lively savoury yet look mostly to the sincerity and spirituality of them or else when they wax faint again as that may be you be at a great loss of your Consolation neither do you always measure your selves by the stirring and overflowing of affections but rather by the abasement of your spirits hearts purity and sincerity and the holiness of your affections and your acting faith in all your duties which will procure a more lasting way of peace and comfort though when thus rectified the going out of strong and tender affections is exceeding sweet and precious and most desirable by all Saints 7. The next discovery of the New-Creature is this which I may consider with some distinction from the former The Gospel New-Creature hath new thoughts By the Thoughts I understand the pondering musing part of the Mind that I may speak plainly to all the imaginations fancies purposes meditatings musings of the Mind of man which are very much altered where there is a new and divine work and power in the Soul To this the Prophet speaks as to saving conversion Isa 55.7 Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord c. So that a Soul returning to the Lord forsakes his vile thoughts and doth not give way to them and feed them as before So Jer. 4.14 How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee And Psalm 119.113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love To shew a little why the thoughts of the heart shall be changed and then more particularly how In a natural heart All the imaginations of it are evil continually Gen. 5.6 They became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Rom. 1.21 Where the thoughts as issues of the lusts do rove to and fro at full liberty without any effectual controul 1. As first Atheistical thoughts secretly denying God his Justice Holiness Word or that God will not judge sinners according to the rigour of his Word Thou thoughtest saith God I was altogether such a one as thy self and Psalm 50.21 The Fool hath said in his heart there is no God Psalm 14.1 For when he sins against him presumptuously he doth strike at his very Being Justice and Holiness and either saith in his heart There is no God to judge him or secretly wisheth there were none 2. Prophane thoughts according to the most predominant lustings of the heart do act a natural heart as vain unclean proud worldly thoughts which are in contrivance to make provision for the lusts of it the heart even continually exercis'd with unclean proud wrathful revengful or covetous practices therefore saith the Wisdom of God Prov. 15.26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts Adulteries Murders Thefts c. Matth. 15.19 The evil thoughts get up and act over wickedness and then they purpose and contrive for the acting of it and
which defile a man Which defilements unfits the soul for communion with God they make a filthy puddle in the Soul and what a case is a poor Creature in to come to God in Duty in such a pickle 5. Evil Thoughts do pervert the Heart from God which should be fixed upon him they draw away the strength of the heart from God they suck up the juice and marrow of the heart which should be spent in spiritual things in Jesus Christ 6. Such Thoughts do grieve the Spirit Nothing more the Spirit cannot delight to teach and comfort when the heart is mostly acted by foolish and unholy Thoughts 7. When such Thoughts are acted in the Soul God may leave you to the power of them to break out to some grievous fall and so may ship-wrack your peace and comforts for a great while and go with broken bones and it may cost you much bitterness before you are healed 8. If vain carnal Thoughts are not resisted at first but given way to they are hardly check't and subdued and turned upon other Objects and therefore to watch the first Risings of them Now not one of these Considerations but may make a Child of God to tremble how he lets forth his heart into vain carnal idle defiling thoughts and musings which do so much wast a gracious Spirit and lay him open to such woful dangers as these are To help a Child of God in this spiritual Work of looking to and a holy ordering the Thoughts of his Heart 1. Be deeply humbled to God with abhorring and loathing for Atheistical unclean proud vain foolish worldly thoughts that croud in upon you when you make them your Burden you will be the sooner eased 2. Delight thy self much in the Word of God not only in Publick Hearing but Daily Reading and not only Reading but getting some good word upon thy heart that may season thy thoughts and affections Saith David I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love Psal 119.113 The love of the Word of God made him be so far from cherishing vain Thoughts that he did hate them It doth appear this was a special part of David's exercise of Spirit to get some blessed Word upon his heart and he thinking of it and so it did turn into the sweet and wholesom nourishment of the New-creature Oh how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Blessed and holy practice worthy a gracious Saint indeed you have one word especially that David had much on his heart out of the Books of Moses for we know not whether any other Scripture were then exant 't is that of Exod. 34.6 where the Lord saith he will proclaim his Name and Glory The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth which you have in Psalm 103.8 Psal 86.15 and 145.8 Happily one of those sweet words which he often magnifies How hath a single word dwelt upon the heart of a Child of God and hath kept the heart savoury for Christ 3. The next Remedy against such Thoughts is Much Prayer diligence fervency pouring out the heart to God till the heart melts and runs forth sweetly spiritually and is engaged with God and hath a sight of him and a divine impression of God's Majesty left upon the soul 4. Get more and more brokenness of heart for sin when the Heart hath been broken 't will not so easily get into Vanity again At least a Child of God should take care that it should not when the heart is broken and mourning the Spirit doth wonderfully in that work refine the heart All the sleightness vanity defilement distraction that comes upon the New-Creature is mostly for want of this 5. Mortification of that Corruption that is most apt to stir doth much cure our thoughts Inordinate Affections are the Saints greatest Evils and do bespeak an unmortified heart as to what a Child of God should still be pressing after even to be dead and crucified with Christ Those that are Christs have crucified their Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.22 6. Contending for a Spiritual Heart So far as the Heart is spiritual it acts spiritually 'T is the carnality of Heart that works up all those frothy distempers that defile us Paul's corruption was much let out upon him when he cries out of the carnality of his Heart Rom. 7. which should be the daily complaint of God's poor Children 7. A great help to the preserving the Thoughts of the Heart according to the New-Creature will be to consider How precious the thoughts of God are to his people Psal 139.17 How precious also are thy thoughts O God unto me How great is the sum of them If I should count them they are more in number than the sands c. David in v. 2. was considering how God's Eye was upon his Thoughts and 't was a means to rectifie them and then David's Thoughts run forth in the sweet and blessed apprehension of the preciousness of Gods thoughts in him from all Eternity and in the ways of his Covenant towards him If Gods thoughts to us be holy and precious and ever towards us the thoughts of his Servants should be so also and as little common and unsavoury as may be More particularly let us yet consider what blessed and excellent and glorious things such as are New-Creatures in Christ have to exercise their thoughts about 1. Gracious Souls have the Attributes of God to exercise the thoughts of their Hearts in the Infiniteness of God his Greatness Holiness Glory c. A blessed Exercise for Saints indeed So we find the Scripture-Saints sweetly taken up with contemplation and admiration of the Excellencies of God himself Thou art glorious in Holiness Exod. 15.11 saith Moses But Thou art holy saith David Psal 22. Oh how great is thy Goodness Psalm 8.31 as might be abundantly shewed and the exercise of the thoughts this way hath a powerful influence upon the Heart as to its abasement purity sincerity 2. Saints have the riches and freeness of the grace of God in Jesus Christ towards poor sinners to be taken up withal Oh the free rich distinguishing Grace of God to a poor Creature that was posting to Hell that was a Rebellious Wretch a vile Hypocrite the worst of sinners the most unlikely to be converted of any sinner in the world We have David and Paul's hearts swallowed up in this above any other as David in many Psalms is in the admiration of grace and Paul in most of his Epistles makes it his great scope as the great Argument to be not only believing but humble and holy and heavenly all their days especially Col. 1. and Ephes 1st 2d and 3d. Chapters 3. Saints have the unsearchable Riches of Jesus Christ to take up their thoughts with the Excellencies and Dignities of his Person the Beauty and Glory that is in him the depths of his love the matchless price of his blood his bowels to sinners his care of his Churches Oh
these are things worthy the thoughts of Saints indeed 4. They have to take up their thoughts the glorious blessedness of the forgiveness of their sins What a blessed state a state of forgiveness in the blood of Jesus Christ is Blessed Oh blessed for ever are they whose iniquities are forgiven Bless the Lord O my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities c. Psal 103. God hath not appointed me to wrath but to obtain salvation through my Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5. Oh blessed extasie for a poor called pardoned Believer to be in 5. Such as are New-Creatures in Christ they have the Mystery of the New-Covenant the everlastingness of it to bring their hearts to and to work the Promises thereof upon their hearts to muse on the returns of their Prayers to behold the continual Providences of God towards them and his ways of mercy and kindness to them 6. They have the shortness of their time the vanity of their lives the certainty of Death to muse on Lord make me to know the number of my days that I may know how frail I am Yea they have a future and eternal state of Blessedness and Glory to have their thoughts swallowed up into That they shall one day see Jesus Christ as he is in all his glory and never look off him any more They shall do nothing else but love him enjoy perpetual communion of Saints be praising admiring adoring the blessed Majesty of God for ever and ever Oh! If there are such excellent and blessed things for the thoughts of the holy-ones of God to be exercised in Oh! what base Dunghil hearts have such that pore upon nothing but earth and filth Let it not be so with such that have tasted the good and sweetness of those things that have real substantial soul-filling goodness in them What matter of Complaint to God's poor Children whose hearts are too too apt to sink earthwards pois'd with weights that they cannot keep them up in the vision of God his Christ and what ever is blessed in him Oh! when the thoughts of your hearts must be taken up with your Callings which cannot be done without it keep a Watch over them let them not run forth to sinful distempers but that you may be fit to go to God and converse with him and get the blessed savour of these things upon your hearts and do not let out your thoughts to idleness and soul-defiling vanity and feed upon vanity when there are such solid glorious things to feed upon which you expect to be taken up with in an infinite unwearied delight to all eternity And do not suffer the Devil to take up his abode by his subtle and sudden suggestions or more close insinuations upon you If he make his Inroads resist check defie with abhorrency his first Attempts before he work up corruption in you And remember still your spirits and bodies are the Temples of God and the Temple of God must be holy 1 Cor. 6.19 20. What know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost that is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God with your spirits and bodies which are Gods And thus much of this special evidence of the New-Creature in the newness of his thoughts and the acting of them 8. The Eighth Discovery of the New-Creature is this The New-Creature hath a new Lip a new Tongue let loose to speak of God and for God And this also I shall a little insist upon Saith our blessed Lord A good man out of the good Treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things Matthew 12.35 Good and wholsom and savoury Words To this we find the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures often pressing saith the wise man Prov. 20.15 The Lips of knowledge are a precious Jewel The mouth of a righteous man is a well of Life The lips of the righteous feed many Prov. 10.11 12. So the Apostle Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your Mouth but that which is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers Ephes 4.29 Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt c. Col. 4.6 By which places 't is evident that a special discovery of the New-Creature is herein manifested 1. The New-Creature hath a New Tongue to speak Savourly and Experimentally of the things of Christ and the work of the Spirit Because that which the heart is exercised with it will be bringing forth Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh an evil man out of the abundance of evil in his heart bringeth forth evil things as a good man doth good things Matth. 12.25 28. If the heart and affections be spiritually exercised the Tongue will be speaking forth 2. Because thereby a New-Created Soul doth give glory to God they speak of the Testimonies works goodness grace and the wonders of the Love of God to poor sinful Creatures And hereby God is much glorified Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will tell what he hath done for my Soul Psal 66.16 3. Gracious hearts do hereby stir up the Grace of Christ in them 't is like the blowing of a spark and makes the heart to glow e're it is aware gracious Conference is the very breath of the Spirit which kindles all our Graces afresh as it was with the Disciples going to Emaus Luke 24.32 Did not our hearts burn within while he talked with us by the way 4. Good Souls do not only profit themselves in receiving good but they profit others one of the best ways that we do good is in profiting weak Saints or Sinners how hath a word spoken from a savoury person humbly and wisely dropt in upon the Soul of a sinner which hath been its first awakening And so upon a poor weak tempted Child of God how seasonably hath God ordered a word for a poor soul from conference with another Vse If a New-Creature in Christ hath a New Tongue as well as a new heart then let it be for Conviction of sinners whose Tongues as well as hearts are exercised in vanity altogether in prophane or vain or carnal or worldly Discourses this shews there is no good treasure in the heart The Apostle James follows this Conviction very closely and makes it the Character of a carnal pretending Believer or false and dead Faith James 1.26 If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans religion is vain 'T is but a seeming to be religious a vain Religion where the tongue hath a carnal Liberty and he calleth the Tongue a world of iniquity set on fire of Hell Jam. 3.6 an unruly evil full of deadly poison ver 8. The evils of the Tongue that bespeak a sinner unregenerate are these and they are frequent among this generation 1. Speaking evil of the Spirit of God and
vilest sinner in order to my acceptance with Jesus Christ Nay if this Conviction take upon thee thou wilt say to the glory of God and thy own Confusion If there be any difference 't is that thou art the greatest sinner having mock'd the Lord rested in out-side service dealt hypocritically with the jealous God offered him abominable sacrifice and therefore fit to be abhorred of the Lord for ever Oh! that this might be the posture of thy Soul and so thou may'st come and lye prostrate at the feet of Jesus Christ crying Oh! no more no more a righteous person but a sinner a guilty sinner a condemned sinner a poor blind naked sinner nothing else but a sinner Away with all my former confidences tear them from my heart Lord. Now Lord Jesus I cast my self upon thee Oh! let me creep unto thy blessed feet Oh! I come to thee not because I am righteous for I would abhor my self for ever in the thought of it but as a poor perishing sinner the worst of sinners an hypocritical sinner Oh! that I could take hold of thy righteousness to cover my naked Soul I expect it only upon the account of thy Free-Grace Oh Lord I come unto thee do not do not reject me And thus I have been endeavouring to lay the sinner before Jesus Christ in such a posture having proved him under the Law excuseless in his transgressing of it guilty before God under an impossibility of reaching to an acceptance with God by the best keeping of the Law laboured to beat him off such props and confidences that the Heart naturally cleaves to and stript him of all naked as Adam when he had sinned before the Lord as nothing else but a Sinner which is that I have driven at I now come to speak of the way of a poor Souls justification and acceptance with God by Jesus Christ as the Lord shall assist to the capacity of the weakest ROM 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ c. I Am now come to open the Gospel-righteousness wherein a poor sinner finds acceptance with God which in ver 21. of this third of the Romans is said to be now manifested that is more fully manifested by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Gospel being witnessed before by the Law and the Prophets Even the righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe ver 22. called the righteousness of God namely that whereby God doth only justifie and accept of a Sinner wrought forth by the obedience of Jesus Christ and made over and imputed to a poor Soul that doth embrace it by Faith whether Jew or Gentile outwardly righteous or profane All that ever come to God must come this way and stand before him in this Righteousness or perish for ever which I shall begin to open from ver 24 25. 1. Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Cheist 2. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood c. We have endeavoured in the former Discourse to go along with the Apostle in proving that by all the Deeds of the Law all the best Obedience that a sinner can reach unto he cannot be justified before God neither in part nor in whole that your good deeds will not procure pardon nor poise down your sins but all by the Law equally under condemnation Of what importance then is it for poor condemned souls to be well acquainted with and really and practically invested in that way of justification that God in infinite wisdom mercy and love hath set forth in the Gospel which is that I now design The Apostles arguing is thus If all fall short of righteousness and acceptance with God by their own obedience if all have sinned and come short of the glory of God then are all and that equally condemned If so condemned then acceptance with God and justification and remission of sins must come in another way The Rise and Fountain of which must necessarily be Gods free mercy and grace If made righteous it must be in the righteousness of another wrought forth by another Justice must be satisfied by another a price paid to God for a sinners redemption by another which is Jesus Christ blessed for ever From the words then I shall first lay down this plain Observation viz. Observ Gods free mercy and grace is the first Fountain of any sinners salvation or 'T is upon the account of Gods free grace that any sinner is saved Thus runs the current of the whole Gospel the main design of the Gospel being to glorifie the riches of Gods Free-grace by Jesus Christ Among many other Scriptures the Apostle doth most convincingly discourse in Rom. 5. from the 15th to the end setting the Free-grace of God unto Justification in opposition to a sinners condemnation But not as the offence so also is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many To the same import runs the rest of the verses The free gift of many unto Justification much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ All of Grace and of Free-gift abundance of Grace from first to last That as sin reigned unto death so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord verse last So the Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians wherein the Doctrine of Grace is blessedly given forth drives all the spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ mentioned Chap. 1.3 c. to this blessed Fountain Chap. 2.4 c. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ for by Grace ye are saved so verse 7. That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his Grace and ver 8. For by grace ye are saved it is the gift of God Therefore the invitation of the Gospel to sinners runs upon this score Ho Every one that thirsteth come to the Waters of Life Isa 55.1 And Whosoever will let him come to the Water of life freely Revel 22.17 I might illustrate this in all the particulars of a sinners salvation God's fore-ordaining and choosing any to salvation 't was to the praise of the glory of his grace Eph. 1 5 6. The gift of his Eternal Son Jesus Christ from free love and grace John 3.16 The New Covenant and all the Promises of it freely given out for his own Names sake Ezek. 36. Effectual Calling from free grace 2 Tim. 1.9 The gift of Faith actual Justification Tit. 3.7 Sanctification Perseverance Eternal Life and Glory all flowing from the same fountain of Free-grace Some
it by fulfilling it whereby the righteousness of the Law is fufilled upon us Rom. 8.4 Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the Law and kept it and so makes over the righteousness of it to Believers as hath been shewed and so the Law stands establisht Secondly The Law stands establisht as a means through the Spirit to convince of sin and of our shortness of the righteousness of it as ver 20. And so Christ often made use of it for such ends Thirdly The Law stands establisht as an Everlasting Rule of righteousness and holiness promised in the New Covenant to be written in the Heart Heb. 8. So that through Jesus Christ in justifying by his blood hath quit the sinner from all guilt and condemnation by the Law yet he hath not given the Believer a discharge from all obedience of it And therefore to evince this I shall lay down this Position that Observ Though all a Believer hath done or can do cannot justifie him before God yet there are other blessed ends why he should obey God and delight in his Law 1. Obedience to God is placed as the great End of our redemption Luke 1.74 75. That we might serve him without fear a sear of bondage in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life God hath not only in his purpose the remission and salvation of the Sinner but that thereby he would have all that are called into this grace to serve him in Holiness And this end is to be upon the heart of the Believer when justified by Faith The purpose of God in this is that I should serve him in holiness 1 Tim. 1.9 That I should live to God Rom. 6.11 as hath been shewed 2. From the Sovereign Command of God who saith Be ye holy 1 Pet. 1.15 16. This is enough to a Believer that God hath commanded it though there should be no other end in it 3. Holiness and Righteousness is the Soul's conformity unto God it is a Beam of God an Image of God which he designs to be renewed upon all that shall be saved as shall be further shewed 4. Justified Believers do see an equity goodness and blessedness in the Law of God in all his holy and righteous Precepts though they were not commanded The Law is holy just and good Rom. 7. saith Paul speaking after the regenerate part So David Psal 119. often Thy Commandmeats which I have loved They give God his due and the Creature his due and therefore to be walkt in though not thereby justified 5. There is a principle of love to God shed abroad in the heart of every justified Believer from the sense of his rich pardoning grace the freeness of his love which acts and constrains a Soul to take delight so far as it is regenerated in every Command of God Rom. 5.5 2 Cor. 5.14 15. For the Love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not live to themselves but to him that died for them 6. Called and justified Believers have blessed sights of Jesus Christ that wonderfully take their hearts They have glimpses of the Beauty of his Holiness and would therefore be made like unto him 1 John 3.2 3. They would obey the Will of the Father as Jesus Christ did They would be holy and righteous and wise and patient and Heavenly as Jesus Christ was 7. Believers in the way of their Duty and Obedience have blessed Fellowship and Communion with God Saith God of his Ordinances Exod. 25.22 There will I meet thee and commune with thee And Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my Name there will I come unto thee and bless thee They are everlasting Promises to all the ways of obedience wherein the people of God do walk before him in They pray they read hear they partake of the Supper in Christs way and there they have life and blessing to their Souls and many a sweet intimation of love and mercy they have whispered into them they set themselves to walk with God in his fear and counsel and God walks with them and their lives if they keep close to God are sweet and comfortable to them And this is even as much to them as if they were thereby justified They would not miss the sweetness they meet with in such ways of Duty for all the World 8. By their Sanctification and Obedience their justification is comfortably evidenced to them Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto Death or of obedience unto Righteousness And Ye know that every one that doth righteousness is born of him 1 John 2.29 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren So that no doubt Believers may come to a sweet and blessed Evidence of their good estate and of their justification by the work of Sanctification in them and their willing obedience to God though a Believer doth not always and at all times fetch in his evidence of Believing and of comfort this way but sometimes from the Promise and from the more immediate Testimony of the Spirit But though a Believer doth not and it may be cannot always fetch in his consolation and peace from Sanctification and Obedience Yet that soul that wholly neglects it and slights Evidences from Humiliation Sanctification and Obedience had best timely look to it that the Witness in himself he pretends to be not from imagination of his own heart from the wicked ones delusion and from some overly notions of grace that may affect his heart but leave him on this side Regeneration 9. Believers do perform their Duties as returns to God Every called Believer saith in his heart as David Psal 116.12 Oh! What shall I render to thee How gracious hath God been and now how holy should I be Who shall love the Lord and fear before him and praise him If I shall not To whom shall his Name Laws Ordinances be precious if not unto me Who is more bound to love the blessed God than I and how shall I love him but by obeying him Thus doth a Believer perform his obedience as a Testimony of a thankful return to God though I do not say that this is all his motive 10. By the Obedience and Holiness of Believers God is much glorified in the World 't is the greatest glory that God designs to himself in the World even by the holiness and willing gracious obedience of his people to him When the World lies in wickedness and makes war against the great and Holy God this is that which honours God that he hath a people called by his grace that set forth the glory of holiness in the world that are witnesses to the holiness of God the holiness of his Worship and all his ways and profess and endeavour to walk
in the Strength of Christ in the wisdom and patience of Christ and so in all This 't is to have fellowship with Jesus Christ and to walk in him to do all in Christ and through Christ is the main work of the New-Creature as 't was hinted in discovering the necessity of the New-Creature's being in Christ 4. The Walk of the New-Creature is to walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit There 's no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 To walk in the Spirit is 1. Not to fulfill the Lusts of the Flesh Gal. 5.16 Not to be under the power of them or to make provision for them not to feed them but to crucifie them They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.14 which is put as an evidence of walking after the Spirit 2. 'T is to be led by the Spirit Gal. 5.18 to give up our selves to the leadings and teachings of the Spirit Psal 143.10 Teach me to do thy will for thou art my God thy spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightness is the cry of every true Convert in Christ who would not be led by his own Spirit in any thing nor by any other mens spirits but waits for the Leading of the spirit in every work and way wherein he would walk before God 5. The New-Creature walks after the revealed will of God And as many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them Gal. 5.16 speaking of the New-Creature who walks after a rule Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord Psal 119.1 He sets himself to walk in all the precepts of God and esteemed them all holy and righteous 6. The New-Creature walks in his integrity Let integrity and uprightness preserve me Psal 25.21 As for me I will walk in mine integrity Psal 26.11 And as for me thou upholdest me in mine integrity and settest me before thy face for ever Psal 41.12 This is the gracious resolution of every Convert to walk in his integrity through which God will preserve and uphold him in all his ways and when the World reproacheth him God will set him before his face and that for ever 7. The New-Creature so far as he is a New-Creature walks humbly This is that the Lord doth require of thee walk humbly with thy God Micah 6.8 To walk humbly before the Lord toward sinners and towards Saints The soul that walks most with God walks most humbly towards men 8. The New-Creature walks in love And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us Ephes 5.2 In love to all Saints as Saints a special part of the Gospel-walk Not in love to such or such a party of Saints which is but self-love but in love to all that walk with God 9. More Particulars might I mention as walking honestly towards all men not oppressing defrauding but righteously charitably compassionately So far I say as he is a New-Creature he walks thus Only let me add this that the New-Creature walks by Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 and not by sight He is ever learning a life of dependency lives upon the All-sufficiency of God the Righteousness of Christ the fulness of his Grace the word of his Promise and so lives out of himself upon the fulness of God in Christ and his truth in his Promise even when he feels not his presence And herein briefly consists the Life of Faith to live out of our selves upon another even the fulness of an infinite God manifested in Jesus Christ In a word The New-Creature in Christ as he is called of God through infinite Free-Grace So is he to walk in all things Worthy of his vocation Ephes 4.1 To walk worthy of the Lord even to walk as Jesus Christ himself walked 1 John 2.6 To walk in this present world how he might express the vertues of Christ the Grace and Love of Jesus Christ so freely revealed to him to walk self-denyingly holily patiently harmlesly profitably heavenly as one that is called from Darkness to Light from the power of Satan to God called out of the world to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thes 2.14 Vse 1. If this be the Walk of the New-Creature then such who walk not as in the Eye of God but after the Atheism of their Hearts consider not that God sees them in their most hidden ways that walk after their lusts to fulfil them that walk not in the Spirit that mind not Holiness so they keep a kind of Conscience to men Verily the Spirit of God dwelleth not in you you have no Evidence for Heaven as yet you are of the World and you walk after the course of the World Eph. 2.2 You walk Hell-ward and are held by the Cords of your Lusts and your Paths lead unto destruction And therefore turn in to Jesus Christ whose Paths are Wisdom and Safety and lead in the way of Life and Peace and Blessedness even all that choose them and delight in them 2. Let such as have the New-Creature formed in them approve themselves to God to Saints and to the World in this their New-Walk Oh see you are called to walk with God and therefore be as in his Eye continually make Communion with him your chiefest joy Walk in Jesus Christ in his Life Light Power Love Wisdom and fetch your daily supplies from him Walk in the Spirit after the Spirit as much as may be and see that you keep close to Rule to the revealed Will of God and not to Delusions be able to appeal to God Judge me Oh God according to mine integrity Psal 26.1 that you may have this Peace and Comfort in all your ways Thou upholdest me Oh Lord in mine Integrity And see you walk humbly before God and Men and in love to all that profess love to Christ and they do in some measure really express it and carry it justly and compassionately towards all men Learn above all the Experience of the Life of Faith live not in or upon what you have received but live out of it upon the Fulness of the Lord as if you had received nothing Oh ply the Throne of Grace that you may be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ and to walk in this present World as near as may be after the Holiness Patience Meekness Wisdom and Love of Jesus Christ which he shewed towards all men having your hearts and Conversations in Heaven where your treasure is 11. The New-Creature doth in all things labour its own perfection and is therefore still in conflicting with destroying crucifying purging out the old Creature the old man all of the old Adam till it sits down in Victory in a full perfection of Holiness and Glory which it shall have and not till then at the appearing of Jesus Christ Ephes 4.22