repentance and regeneration is and then think they have it themselvs 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 goodnesse vertue sweetnesse of what it knows It transforms the soul into the image of what is known 2 Cor. 3. last It is spirituall and it makes the heart the affections spirituall 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 holinesse And that he loves All every one whereas much envy and malice reigns in the hearts 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 9. So is patience humility meeknesse mistaken some natural dispositions are more patient and meek and these poor Creatures are apt to mistake for grace when 't is nothing but mere nature and more candid disposition And such Souls from naturall temper can bear much and it hath an appearance of grace But yet here may be no work of the Spirit all this while humbling meekning the soul in its own vilenesse no mortification of contrary lusts No humbling for pride of heart without which no true gracious humility No meekning by the Gospell and the power of Christs love upon their Spirits And yet upon this account you shall have poor carnall souls pretend much as I have often heard it urged by them to the fruits of Spirit mention'd Gal. 5.22 of love joy peace goodnesse patience temperance when t is nothing but disposition ingenuity or from civil education 10. As great a deceit there is about the fear of God many poor souls do fear the punishment and wrath of God which is all they do and then they think this is the fear of his servants The fear of the Lord which God promiseth to put in the hearts of his own people Jer. 32.40 is a fear of God because he is holy because he is gracious because he hath pardoned iniquity They shall fear the Lord and his goodnesse Hos 3. last which fear is mixt with a sweet and blessed love to God and consolation of the Spirit 11. A misapprehension of good workes causeth a mistake of the New-Creature many are convinc'd that workes of mercy and charity and Justice are to be done and so from a pittifull nature or from vain-glory or from a secrer thought to appease God or from Legall conviction at least they will be ready to do Charitable works things good in themselves and this they think discovers their Faith And herein lyes a common deceit in the vulgar professours of the people of England Now all the good works falsly so call'd done out of Christ are fleshly and not accepted with God A papist and many a carnall protestant even also for the sin of his soul doth much this way But good works properly so called do flow from a living faith from love to Jesus Christ and designe not a self-justification but the glory of God And gracious souls do find it very hard to performe them with holy ends 12. Mistake of a good conversation which may onely be a morall conversation civill sober righteous as to men but mindes not holinesse to God which is the speciall part of a Gospel-Conversation And yet the most of people go away with this that they are believers and in a good estate for heaven because they have a good conversation which they greatly mistake That which the word of God calls a good conversation as an evidence of faith is not onely a mere outward blamelesnesse which the Pharisees had but to walk with God from a Gospel-principle from Gospel-Grace and the love of God in the heart chiefly respecting holinesse to the Lord and the fear of the Lord upon the heart now a soul that hath nothing of this may be outwardly blamelesse a Jew and heathen may be so and nothing of the grace of God upon them Vse Now the Lord make this to be a convincing searching word to you you that have left some grosse sins from the word upon your consciences from afflictions from worldly advantages from age be it known unto you this you may do and more and be still the Children of wrath in an unpardoned condition and not the New-Creatures we are speaking of yea though thou hast taken up to new duties and makest conscience of many sins and many duties thou mayst still be out of Jesus Christ And you that call your daily sins which have dominion over you your infirmities when not humbled nor mourn for them nor cry for strength against them this your way is your folly and the Devil and your own hearts greatly deceive you yea you call such sins your infirmities meaning as if they were the infirmities of the Children of God that cannot consist with truth of grace such as common lying and common profaning the Lords name in your mouths and neglecting to sanctifie his Sabbaths and living in the neglect of secret spirituall prayer And such of you that have some striving in your consciences before and after the sin know it it may be so and yet not a drop of saving grace in you no regenerate part wrought forth in you And yet how many bear up themselves upon this score and think thence they allow not themselves in the sins they commit in Paul's sense look to this or you may for ever perish in this snare I have given some markes how you may know it Take you heed also that you take not that which is called Common-Grace which is Common to Reprobates for true grace There 's is a false faith a false Repentance a false Hope and so of the rest in which you may assuredly go to Hell you may have a harmelesse conversation and do some good works of Charity and yet perish for ever you may have nothing of the New-Creature in you and yet give all your goods to the poor In a word you may leave outward grosse sins have convictions of wrath to come have purposes such as they are to be better take up to New-Duties have common grace think you have faith repentance hope that you are humble patient have a good conversation and do good works and yet not be New-Creatures in Jesus Christ as we shall further evince I have yet one more deceit to discover and that is the mistake of a Scripture good conscience It is true that the Apostle in 1 Tim. 1.5 19. puts faith and a good conscience as
full of dead mens bones rottenness and of all uncleanness But now when the new creature is forming up then the Heart is after purifying Purifie your hearts ye double-minded Jam. 4.8 Then what a blessedness would a pure heart be saith a poor Creature Oh! that my heart were cleansed Wash thine heart saith God Jer. 4.14 Oh! that it were washed saith the new creature And this is one of the most special Works a new Creature will be after as he is more formed up in Holiness to keep the Heart pure as a Temple for God 6. The Heart naturally is dead as already hinted and feels not its own deadness but when renewed then the heart doth live that seeks God Psal 22.26 It feels and mourns over its own deadness and cries out Quicken Oh quicken me oh God! No Duty is well performed then but as the Heart lives in some measure in that Duty Now it feels its own burdens pollutions lusts corruptions carnality earthiness and bewails it before the Lord. 7. The Heart is naturally divided between Christ and the World Christ and Lusts Hos 10.2 Their heart is divided But under its renewings the heart as to the main bent of it makes a whole close with Christ the great business of a soul then is to give the whole heart up to Christ and fears he can never do it fully and singly enough and when the heart lusteth after other things so far as it is renewed it is fetcht in again to Jesus Christ 8. The Heart of it self is unbelieving Take heed least there be in you a 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 finde 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 Use 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 wilfull obstinacy 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 hypocritiall hearts and see it not full of a Hell of Uncleanness dead in sin and without feeling the 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 shew'd 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 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 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 price hypocrisie pollution unbelief which yet thou hast not reacht to and therefore as thou must ascribe all to Grace for what the Lord hath done upon thee and remembers to thy greater humbling how much a do 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 onely least 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 distemper it can say he hath some joy that he is deliver'd from the dominion and thraldome 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 doest 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 carnall joy of the heart when it breaks forth leaves the soul but more in heavinesse and the New-Creature would have his joy run spirituall 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 carnall wayes 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 Psal 18.1 116.1 Yea the soul is brought to Love Jesus Christ for himself He is the Beloved of the Soul and not onely the grace and peace and blessing and heaven that he gives And to Love Jesus Christ and to expresse it to the utmost is the frame of soul that a convert presseth most after and he would get the heart more purged mortified spiritualized 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 reall 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 distemper and darknesse is not upon it of seeing Jesus Christ as he is Living with Him for ever of being perfectly sinlesse and holy of joyes that shall be endlesse of being swallowed up with divine glory when the spirit of the Father doth breathe most sweetly and mostly raises the heart to glimpses of Heaven Use As we go along we would put things to tryall therefore say in good earnest Soul Hast thou had new fears upon thy Soul as to an eternall condition and is the fear of sin and of the living God upon thy heart and doth this fear keep thy heart owfull and watchfull say Hast thou had new sorrows for sin and 't is thy trouble they are no more abundant Canst thou joy in going to God and in the word of his grace and are spirituall things thy delight Doest thou find a heart-closing Love to Jesus Christ above all and canst thou Love God because he is holly and thou wouldst be like unto him and hast thou new experienc'd of hopes Heaven Say soul Do all thy affections run in a new channell and the stream of them in the main turned from world and vanity to the Ocean of God in Christ his fulnesse goodnesse 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 carnall and worldly in any measure If this be not thy case but the affections of thy heart are wholly fleshly worldly thy fears thy sorrows are about worldly things thy joyes thy delights about carnall pleasures and worldly encrease thy Love goeth after the world in an interrupted unmortified course thy hopes going forth about great things for thy self and thy hopes for Heaven lye at all uncertainly and thou doest suffer it to be so verily thou art unchanged and hast no part as yet in New-Creature blessednesse Onely let me add this Caution that in this matter of the New-Creature you take the whole frame together And therefore do not rest onely 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 world which affections may sometime stirr in a soul whose heart is not subdued and changed and so it weares 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 in you 3. And so also for reall 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 losse of your consolation neither do you alwayes measure your selves by the stirring and overflow of affections but rather by the abasement of your spirits hearts purity and sincerity and the holinesse 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 desireable 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 alter'd where there is a new and divine work and power in the Soul To this the Prophet speakes as to saving conversion Esay 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 Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love To shew a little why the thoughts of
a word of Exhortation to you to look to your Thoughts saith the Wisdome of God Prov. 23.7 As he thinketh in his heart so is he A Soul is before the Lord according to the thoughts of his heart Oh take heed of giving way to and feeding vain unclean unholy Thoughts of any kind and let me press it upon you with these Motives 1. Consider that such thoughts are your sins lay that to heart God may justly damn a Soul for unholy Thoughts Know thou mayst commit Adultery or Murder in thy Heart though it break not forth actually If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thy self or if thou hast thought evil lay thine hand upon thy mouth Prov. 30.32 This will help to keep thy Heart in awe 2. That God's Eye is strictly and continually upon the Thoughts of thine Heart Psal 139.2 and therefore David cryes out to God to search his Heart for them Oh did a gracious Soul still consider this that the jealous Eye of God is upon every Thought and Motion of his Heart to sinne it would make him look closely to the Thoughts of his Heart 3. Consider that evil Thoughts and Musings of sin are the beginning of all open wickedness Jam. 1.15 Then when Lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sinne and such Thoughts are usually set on fire by the Devil 4. They do defile the soul Mat. 15.20 Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts c. These are the things which defile a man Which defilement 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 shipwrack 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 checkt 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 waste 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 onely in Publique Hearing but Daily Reading and not onely 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 be thinking of it and so it did tu n into the sweet and wholesome nourishment of the New-Creature Oh how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Blessed and holy practise worthy a gracious Saint indeed you have one word specially that David had much on his heart out of the Books of Moses for we know not whether any other Scriptures were then extant '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 Psal 103.8 Psal 86.15 145.8 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 powring 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 stirre 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 cryes 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 then the sand 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 God's thoughts to him from all Eternity and in the ways of his Covenant towards him If God's 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 Soules 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 finde 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 Psal 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 freenesse of the grace of God in Jesus Christ towards poor sinners to be taken up withall 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 heart 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 onely believing but humble and holy and heavenly all their days specially 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 bloud 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 sinnes What a blessed state a state of forgiveness in the bloud 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 Thess 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 dayes 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 bare Dunghill hearts have such that pore upon nothing but earth and filth Let it not be so with such that have tasted the good and sweetnesse of those things that have a reall substanstiall soul-filling goodnesse in them What matter of Complaint to Gods poor Children whose hearts are too too apt to sink earth-wards poys'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 sinfull 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 idlenesse 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 suddain 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 speciall evidence of the New-Creature in the newnesse 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 Mat. 12.35 Good and wholsome 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 the knowledge are a precious Jewell 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 alwayes 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 Math. 12.25 8. 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 goodnesse grace and the wonders of the Love of God to poor sinfull Creatures And hereby God is much glorified Come and hear all he that fear God and I will tell what he hath done for my soul Psal 66.16 3. Gracious hearts do hereby stirr up the grace of Christ in them t is like the blowing of a spark and makes the heart to glow ere 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
dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ for by grace ye are saved so ver 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. Effectuall 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 Reasons of the Design of the Blessed God in this may be gathered from the Scriptures The Free-grace of God is the Fountain of all in any sinners salvation 1. Because There is nothing in the Creature that may move God to save him Nothing at all All we know or do could not move God to mercy Deut. 7.7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you because you were more in number then any people but because he freely loved you c. Not for your sake do I do this c. Ezek. 36.32 2. As God saw nothing in him so the sinner is able to bring nothing to God to draw out mercy of his own Therefore saith the Lord Isa 55.1 let him come without his price As the sinner lost all his good so he can procure none a new to bring to God that may in the least move the heart of God to give out more to him 3. If it were not all of grace then the Creature would have occasion of boasting but the Lord in infinite wisdome so laid the Project of a sinners Salvation that no Creature should have the least ground of boasting So the Apostle having given out the Doctrine of grace in this Scripture we are upon draws this conclusion ver 27. Where is boasting then It is excluded c. So in the 1 of Cor. 1.29 the Holy Ghost lays down this as the main scope of God in the Gospel That No Flesh should glory in his presence Therefore Salvation is all of grace of Free-grace 4. If it were not so The glory of God would not be so great in the Salvation of a sinner 'T is now so laid that all might be to the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1.6 It being the highest piece of glory that the Wise and Blessed God did ever design unto himself that his free rich abundant infinite grace might be made known in the Salvation of a Sinner That he might make known the riches of his glory on the Vessels of Mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 Vse 1. If Gods Free-grace be the Fountain of all in a poor sinners Salvation then let it establish our judgments in this Doctrine Therefore God had no respect to any fore-sight of Faith or Works in the Creature God had no respect to the freenesse of his Will for he knew he had none God had no respect to any conditions to be wrought in us but all he did and doth was from absolute Independing-grace Nothing moved him but his own Free-grace The same Free-grace that pardons gives and workes all in us All from the same Fountain 2. If all be of Free-grace then there is no meritorious-procuring Cause in us that moves the Lord to mercy Now the contrary is naturally rooted in our hearts poor Soules are most apt to conceive that if they can grieve for their sins repent and reform this will sure move God to mercy and pardon A most dangerous snare from which a Soul after much conviction is hardly wrought off Now though God in the way of a Sinners Salvation hath promised to give Repentance Act. 5.31 and a Spirit of mourning for sinne yet a poor Soul must take heed that he make not this a procuring cause of Pardon Many a Soul sticks here before emptyed of himself even of his very repenting and so come for grace and mercy upon the account of the Free-promise onely How many a Sinner might have been saved if he would have been saved freely 3. If God hath so laid the Design to save a Sinner freely then how great how just is the Condemnation of guilty sinners that will not hasten in unto it how could the Lord have laid it more freely then he hath Oh that any sinner for ever condemned to Hell without it should withstand it Why sinner Shall the Blessed God that might have much glory in condemning thee to all Eternity be willing to save thee freely and wilt thou not come and bow unto him accept of it All the contempt of God in all his Holy Commands is not like this to turn the back upon Free-Mercy Free-Salvation This will be the Worm that never dyes to any of your Soules that shall not come into and rightly accept of Gospel-salvation that you might have been saved freely have had grace remission of sins Jesus Christ the Spirit Eternal Life freely and yet turned your backs upon it But you may demand How is it that any sinner doth so What is it that causeth any Soul to forego Free-grace and mercy when held out unto him that we may beware of such hinderances I will therefore shew you such Hinderances that keep Soules from accepting of Gods free grace in Jesus Christ when held out unto them 1. Wilful Obstinacy Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come unto me that you might have life Ye will not such is the stubbornness rebellion of the heart of a sinner that he will not as we speak because he will not to such a height hath sinne raised the heart of the rebellious children of men for every natural man till made sensible of unbelief thinks he hath Power of himself though he hath not but his Rebellion lyes in his Will I would have gathered you and ye would not Mat. 23. last 2. A sinner doth not accept of Free-grace because he stands upon his self-justification as we use to speak he will not be perswaded he hath so much need of all Free-grace as the Gospel discovers as hath been shewed at large though he hath sinned yet also he hath obeyed and so he puts one against the other his obedience against his sin and so hopes to get that mercy he hath need of And upon this ground more sinners even that profess the Name of God do miss of Heaven then any other in the World 'T is not so easie a matter to submit to Gods Free-grace alone as many do imagine Upon
verse in the removal of that Objection which the Heart puts up against this blessed Truth ROM 3. last Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law THE former Verses intermitted might have afforded us much choise matter in the opening the Doctrine of Grace and the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ namely that God is just in the remission of a Believer upon Faith in the bloud of Jesus from verse 26. And that the Doctrine of Grace excludes all boasting from the Creature from v. 27. That Jew and Gentile all that are saved must come to God and be justified in this way and no other from v. 29 30. But I must contract my self I come now to the Objection that the Heart so far as it is carnal doth naturally make against this Doctrine namely If a Soul be onely justified by grace through the righteousness of Jesus Christ doth not this then make void the Law and all obedience to it What need then of our Obedience God forbid saith Paul we establish it that is the Doctrine of justification by Faith doth rather establish it The Law doth stand establisht in a three-fold sense First Jesus Christ hath establisht it by fulfilling it whereby the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled 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 meanes 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 though Jesus Christ in justifying by his bloud 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 Luk. 1.74 75. That we might serve him without fear a fear of bondage in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of our life God had not onely 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 Soveraign 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 Commandements 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 constrains us because we thus judge that if one dyed 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 dyed for them 6. Called and justified Believers have blessed sight 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 Joh. 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 Soules 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 justifyed 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 sinne unto Death or of obedience unto Righteousness And Ye know that every one that doth righteousness is born of him 1 Ioh. 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 sleights 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
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 Holinesse Patience Meeknesse Wisdome 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 Holinesse and Glory which it shall have and not till then at the appearing of Jesus Christ Ephes 4.22 That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the Old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed c. Knowing this that our Old Man is crucified with Him that the body of sinne might be destroyed Rom. 6.6 This is the main Work of the New-Creature where it is really formed in Christ to destroy and purge out the Defilements and Dregs of the Old Man of Sin Self Corruption that it may be as a new Lump as a Vessel made meet for the Lord's use as formed up set apart anointed sanctifyed for God and his Use here and for ever AMEN To the Blessed God Alone be all the Glory FINIS A Catalogue of some Books Printed for and sold by Edward Brewster at the Crane in Paul's Church-yard 1 DR William's Right-way to the best Religion wherein at large is explained the principal Heads of the Gospel in Fol. 2 Dr. Jermin on the Proverbs Fol. 3 Mr. Stock upon Malachy Fol. 4 Mr. Elton on the 7th 8th 9th Romans Fol. 5 Mr. Hildersham on the 4th of John Fol. 6 Mr. Edward Leigh's Annotations on Job Psalms Proverbs Eccles and Cant. Fol. 7 The Largest Church-Bible Fol. 8 Consilia Decreta Leges Constitutiones in re Eccles Orbis Britannnici opera Studio Henrici Spelman Eq. Aur. Fol. 9 Briggs Trigonometria Brittannica Fol. 10 Mr. Birckbeck his Protestants Evidence taken out of good Records Shewing that for 1500 years next after Christ divers worthy Guides of God's Church have in sundry weighty Points of Religion taught as the Church of England now doth A most learned and judicious Work Fol. 11 Johnson's History of Birds and Fishes Fol. 12 Mr. Bentham's Christian Conflict Quarto 13 Mr. Calamy's Sermons quarto 14 Mr. Cawdrey his Inconsistency of the Independent way with Scripture and it self quar 15 His Answer to G. Firmin about Baptism quar 16 Canaans Calamity or The Destruction of Jerusalem quar 17 Mr. Cook of Infants Baptism quar 18 Mr. Dod on the Commandements quar 19 Mr. Elton on the Commandements and Lords Prayer quar 20 Mr. Collier's Treatise of the Sabbath and against free admission to the Sacrament quar 21 A Collection of several Sermons preached before the Parliament quar 22 The English Presbyterian and Independent reconciled quar 23 Several Sermons of Mr. Paul Bayn quar 24 Mr. Negus of Faith and Obedience quar 25 Mr. Newcomens Sermons preached before the Parliament quar 26 Mr. Jenkins his Sermons quar 27 Against John Goodwin in two Books quar 28 Galeni Opuscula varia Annot. D. Gulstoni Gr. Lat. quar 29 Spelmani Psalterium Saxonicum quar 30 Mr. Geer against Bishops quar 31 Against the Anabaptists c. quar 32 Mr. Randal on the 8th of Romans quar 33 On the Church quar 34 A short History of the Anabaptists of Germany quar 35 Mr. Rutherford of Church-government and Excommunication Quarto 36 Dr. Potter on the Number 666. quar 37 Mr. Stalham against Universal Redemption quar 38 Against the Anabaptists quar 39 Against the Quakers quar 40 Dr. Slater on Malachy quar 41 On the 4th of Romans quar 42 Mr. Udal on the Lamentations quar 43 The Vindication of the Presbyterian Government and Ministery quar 44 Mr. Whitaker's Sermons quar 45 Mr. Wheatly's New-Birth quar 46 Motives to a good life in Ten Sermons By Barton Holiday D.D. quar 47 Mr. Abbot against Brownists Octavo 48 Ball 's Catechism Octav. 49 Doctrine of the Bible Octav. 50 Masterson's Arithmetick Octav. 51 Baker's Arithmetick Octav. 52 Wingat's Logarithms Octav. School-Books 53 Danesii Grammat Lat. Quarto 54 Herodiani Historiae Gr. Lat. Octav. 55 Dux Grammaticas Duodecimo 56 Helvicus Colloques Duodecimo 57 Brinsley 's Translation of Corderius in Eng. Octav. 58 His Puerilis Confab Eng. Octav. 59 Farnaby on Marshal's Epig. Octav. 60 On Ovid Metamorph. Octav. 61 On Juvenal Octav. 62 Epigrammata Selecta Gr. Lat. Octav. 63 Geer's Troposchematologia Octav.