dead who was delivered to death for our sinnes to no other end than to abolish them from before his father Heb. 9. 26. whereby the blood of Iesus Christ the sonne of God doth make us clean from all sinne 1 Iohn 1. 7. And is risen againe for our full and perfect justification This is the true lively and justifying faith This faith makes us not bastardly children but the true kind proper and naturall children not of Abram but of Abraham This is the faith by which we are truly blessed and as truly saved as Abraham himself as Paul testifieth Gal. 3. 8. 9. saying The Scriptures that is the spirit of God speaking in the Scriptures foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith preached the joyfull newes unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed So that they which be of this faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham And what can we desire more than to be blessed Now because this free justification or the having on this wedding garment cannot be beleeved and enjoyed by this justifying faith but by looking into the gaping wounds of Christ bleeding out his blood and life to effect this free justification upon the beleever Therefore onely this justifying faith smites the heart of the beleever with the true love of Christ and of God in Christ which reflecteth back from God generally upon all men as they bear the image of God yet resteth principally upon the Church and houshold of faith and maketh the true beleevers to abound in every good work doing good unto all men but especially unto the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. and that not of constraint corruptly and hypocritically but cheerfully sincerely and ioyfully because both Christ and the Kingdome of God and the Kingdome of heaven by this true lively iustifying faith is within us Luke 17. 21. Into which Kingdome of heaven no unclean thing can enter Rev. 21. 27. Because this Kingdome of heaven is righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And the more this faith of free Justification and of having on this wedding garment encreaseth the more this peace and joy in the holy Ghost encreaseth For the which it is called the garment of ioy and gladnesse Esa 61. 3. And the more this peace and joy encreaseth the more the foresaid love encreaseth and enflameth the heart to walk freely cheerfully and zealously in all Gods will and commandements declaratively to manward and to doe our vocatious and all good workes freely of meere love without hope of reward or fear of punishment which is true sanctification which causeth us to live here among men as Christ himselfe lived that is not onely doing all things but also cheerfully suffering all things to edifie one another in our most holy faith that onely saves us Iude 20. And to the glory of God our reconciled and well pleased father in Christ as St. Iohn 1. Epist chap. 2. vers 6. testifieth saying He that saith he abideth in Christ ought even so to walke as hee hath walked Thus much of the true saving faith Thirdly of this justifying faith that worketh by love there followes inseparably a true right Evangelicall zeale of Gods glory whereby we feeling how by our originall corruption and by breaking the tenth commandement and thereby the first commandement and all the rest in our best good works whereby that saying of Saint Iames is true in our best good works That whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all we finde both our selves and all our works and best actions to be so shut up under sin Gal. 3. 22. that being truly humbled with a vile esteem of our selves and all our best good works we do grant not with lip and tongue only as many bastard Protestants do but do feele in our hearts in deed and truth that all our righteousnesse even of sanctification is as foule stained filthy rags Esay 64. 6. Whereupon our hearts are so inflamed with such an high prizing and onely esteeming of the wedding garment of Christs obedience and righteousnesse perfectly iustifying us and all our works That not onely every true Minister of the Gospel but also every true Christian ceaseth all contention about works and is carried with a zealous affection to know nothing among Gods people save Iesus Christ and him crucified to iustifie them 1. Cor. 2. 2. by which they are made such true burning coals of Gods Altar so enflamed with this holy fire of Christs love from heaven that they cannot chuse but enflame and kindle all others that come neare them caring for nothing but to be found our selves and to cause others to be found in Christ that is not having our owne righteousnesse in esteeme which at the best is but mans glory before men only Rom. 4. 2. but in the most precious robes of Christs righteousnesse making both us and all our workes perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in Gods sight freely by faith onely without workes and so do truely know Christ and grace and faith and works rightly as these and such like Scriptures teach Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and do count them but dung that I may win or gain Christ and bee found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3. 8 9. neither doe I passe of crosses and afflictions at all nor doe I count my life deare unto my selfe so that I may fulfill my course with ioy and the ministery which I have received of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospel that is the ioyfull newes of the grace of God Act. 20. 24. That I might be the Minister of Iesus Christ toward the Gentiles ministring as the worship of God the Gospell that is the ioyfull newes of God That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable being sanctified by the holy Ghost So that from Ierusalem and round about unto Illiricum I have by Christ working in me caused to abound the Gospel that is the ioyfull newes of Christ Rom. 15. 16 19. Yea so I forced my self to preach this ioyfull newes not where Christ was named lest I should build upon another mans foundation But as it is written to whom hee was not spoken of they shall see and they that have not heard they shall understand vers 20 21. All which againe is as briefly as notably expressed by the established Doctrine of our Church out of Saint Basil saying thus This is a perfect and whole reioycing in God when a man advanceth not himselfe for his owne righteousnesse but acknowledgeth himselfe to lack true iustice and righteousnesse and to be iustified by onely faith in Christ And the Apostle Saint Paul saith he
words nor deeds to the causes to the nature or to the effects of the things which they seeme to see grant and hold Because though they be great Doctors yet they know not what they speake nor whereof they affirme and even as it were confidently swear to 1 Tim. 1. 7. especially in the spirituall benefits and mysteries of the Gospell And so are Saint Iames his double-minded men tossed to and fro like a wave of the sea and are unstable in all their wayes of Religion and these obtaine nothing of the Lord Iames 1. 6 7 8. And all their seeming strong faith is indeed before God nothing else but meere unbeliefe as Christ testifieth of such saying There are some of you namely that professe by beleeving that you are my Disciples but ye beleeve not For Iesus knew from the beginning who they were that beleeved not and who should betray him John 6. 64. And this dead faith being like a dead man that cannot stay up himselfe to stand upon his owne feet nor rest upon his owne strength they goe about to set him up and to underprop this dead man that is this dead faith with the rotten staffe of their workes And hereupon giving but a flourish of praise now and then to faith in generall they being utterly ignorant and void of true justifying and saving faith doe dwell in rest upon and stay up themselves and their dead faith principally by workes And hereupon doe in their hearts dignifie and in their words magnifie extoll and extort with legal arguments a preposterous sanctification repentance mortification grace and graces Popishly and falsly understood new life holy and righteous walking universall obedience to all Gods commandements sincerity humiliation uprightnesse fastings regeneration Popishly also and falsly understood and such like workes extorted as I said with legall arguments of I hope of rewards and speedings well if wee doe them and with feare of punishments and speeding ill if we have them not which how much the more they are thus preposterously exacted and legally extorted so much the more under termes and titles of the Gospell such Preachers teach but the light of nature the pride of workes and the vain-glory of man and so do withdraw people from Christ to hang upon their owne workes and doings by resting upon the Popish rotten pillar that God accepts the will for the deed and so doe drown Christs glory free Justification doe destroy faith waste and consume the Church of Christ teach a false bastard sanctification and are those dangerous seducers of soules that the faithfull are commanded as they will continue chast Virgins to Christ and not to bee beguiled with Eve by the subtlety of the Serpent and seduced from the simplicity of their faith that is in Christ to discerne and take notice of as they are described 2 Cor. 11. 13 14 15. where the Apostle forewarneth and thereby sufficiently fore-armeth all the children of wisdome by thus plainly describing them They professe themselves Apostles that is sent forth of God But they are saith Paul false Apostles and they are great workers but saith hee deceitfull workers How deceitfull transforming themselves saith he into the Apostles of Christ that is as if they were the true Ministers of Christ and taught the true Gospel of Christ and no marvell for Satan himselfe is transformed into an Angel of light and therefore it is no great thing if his Ministers transform themselves as though they were the Ministers of ' righteousnesse that is calling earnestly for all works of righteousnesse But their end shall be according to their workes and righteousnesse that is though they see me to bee the principall men that shall bee saved yet the same Apostle threatens to them certaine destruction Which he warneth of purpose that wee may not beleeve every spirit but rather try the spirits by this description whether they bee of God 1 Joh. 4. 1. Seeing these are the wolves whereof Saint Paul gave warning Acts 20 29. 30. that should arise up out of the allowed Ministry and should teach not seeming false things but onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preposterous things or true things out of order setting the cart before the horse that is caring more to call for works and a good life than they care whether the people have assurance of the sound faith of their free and perfect Justification whereby although the people beare them record and applaud them that they have the zeal of God yet it is not according to the knowledge of free Justification Because by a carnall understanding of free Justification they being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God must needs goe about to stablish and set up the golden calf of their own and the peoples own righteousnesse of their supposed sanctification works and well doings and by thinking secretly in their heart with the Papist that free Justification is easily learned and is ready to open the gate to the people to live wickedly and loosely they seldome and slightly preach free Justification and thereby shew that they have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10. 2 3. And so are the Ministers of Satan as the true Protestants say and are white Devils that preach a secret Idolatry under the likenesse of the true Ministers of the Gospel and for darkning and giving a Iudas his kisse to free justification which onely makes the true Church of Christ and by which onely Christ reignes in his Church as a free and glorious Redeemer and Saviour doe stand ipso facto accursed of God and excommunicated by Saint Paul though in all other gifts and as they say graces they bee like Angels from heaven as Saint Paul testifieth Gal. 1. 8 9. And because the greatest multitude of holy religious ones in a cold love to Christ and a hot love to themselvs in their owne doings and vaine glory care not to try the spirits whether they bee of God or no 1 Iohn 4. 1. therefore God sends them these zealous and holy working Preachers in the dead faith as strong delusions Ezek. 14. 9. that they should beleeve lyes and bee damned because they receive not the love of the truth of the wedding garment being the onely saving truth Gal. 3. 1. to 8. that they might bee saved 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. and that onely makes us free John 8. 32. And being freed from the bondage and servile yoke of works that the children of God in the old Testament were under Gal. 3. 23 24 25. and chapter 4. 1 7. doth make us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and not to be entangled in the said yoke of bondage againe Gal. 5. 1. whereas contrariwise such zealous legall Professours are either seeming humble proud Pharisees confident in their owne well-doings Luk. 18. 11 12. or else ever wounded in their soules distracted into sects and troubled in their consciences about their life and doings And God in just judgment for the
in the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before this joyfull newes of the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all the Gentiles bee blessed So that they that bee of this faith of free justification are blessed with faithfull Abraham Gal. 3. 8 9. And can our hearts wish or desire any more This is the royalty of having on the wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse freely given us to cleanse us from our secret sinnes and breaches of the tenth commandement unknown unto our selves Psal 19. 12. And to make us and all our works both naturall civill and religious pure clean perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely without workes or our perfect working of them as Saint Paul testifieth saying to the pure all things that is our naturall works and our civill works and our religious workes and all things are pure Tit. 1. 15. Thus onely by free justification hath Christ delivered us from this present evill world according to the will of God even our father Gal. 1. 4. Thus hath God made us meet to bee partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Because he hath thus delivered us from the power or kingdome of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his deare sonne Col. 1. 12 13. Thus our righteousnesse exceeding the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees we are entred into the kingdom of heaven Matth. 5. 20. which kingdome of heaven is within us Luk. 17. 21. For the kingdome of heaven is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And thus if any man either Preacher or private Christian have some true touch first of the horrible filthinesse of the least sin in Gods sight and then of this glorious excellency of free justification thus perfectly healing us of it it will make us to say with Saint Paul Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledg sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may make my gain of Christ and be found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3. 8 9. which one Scripture I have now divers times alledged because it so fully describeth the markes or rather the very nature and essence of the true saving faith That whosoever doth in any measure of truth feele the same with Paul in his heart let him certainely know that he hath escaped out of the most dangerous dead Faith and hath Pauls faith that is the true lively and justifying faith which onely most certainly saveth him and glorifieth him For whom God justifieth them also hee glorifieth Rom. 8. 30. And thus much be spoken of the two main points of religion which being thus thorowly looked into and deeply considered are the effectuall means to deliver us out of the dead faith and to translate us into the true lively justifying and saving faith Now out of these two points thus thorowly looked into and deeply considered will infallibly flow a third thing which as St. Iohn teacheth in all his three Epistles is Love which Paul also very resolutely testifieth saying For in Christ Iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which is effectuall operative or workfull by love For the true beleever having by this true faith a feeling of the true love of Christ toward him it onely and infallibly inflames his heart with the true love of Christ againe and of God in Christ and of his whole Church of every child of God in particular which true love constraineth the beleever 2 Cor. 5. 14. Not onely to doe his vocation diligently and so with David to serve his generation faithfully Act. 13. 36. as S. Paul likewise teacheth Gal. 5. 13. saying Brethren ye have been called unto liberty that is Now after that faith is come ye are no longer under the whipping Schoole-master Gal. 3. 25. Wherein though ye were heires yet being as little children ye differed nothing from servants Gal. 4. 1. Onely use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another but also it constraineth him to break off from and to mortifie all sinne and ungodly conversation and to walke freely cheerfully sincerely and zealously in all Gods will and commandements declaratively to manward which is true sanctification And thus it is most true which the established doctrine of our Church largely teacheth saying That this true faith of free justification is a thing of perfect vertue and wonderfull operation strength and power to bring forth all good motions and good works or else it is not the true lively justifying faith but the blind dead faith that leaves men in sin death and double damnation as these and such like Scriptures teach Titus 2. 11. to 15. For that grace of God namely of free justification bringeth salvation for nothing brings salvation upon men but onely the grace of free justification and therefore it is called the iustification of life Rom. 5. 18. hath appeared to all men and teacheth us dictamine charitatis by the instructing power and force of love to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world What is the moving or effecting cause hereof Because Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all our iniquities and purge or purifie or make us clean to be a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works vers 14. Thus Paul pithily expresseth also to the Ephesians chap. 2. 10. saying For wee are Gods workmanship namely by free justification created in Christ Iesus that is made by free Justification new creatures to Godward 2 Cor. 5. 17. 21. that is formed anew in Christ Jesus Gal. 4. 19. unto good workes that is to Sanctification Repentance Mortification Sincerity and Vniversall declarative obedience to all Gods will and commandements declaratively to man-ward Which God hath fore-ordained that we should walk in them Hence it is that Saint Iohn also so vehemently testifieth 1 Iohn 3. 6 9. saying whosoever is borne of God that is whosoever is iustified sinneth not that is sinneth not wittingly and willingly with free stream running to sinne as before his free iustification For Gods seed that is some true sight of Gods pure and righteous nature infinitely hating the creature defiled with the least sinne in his sight and some feeling of the infinite love of Christ bleeding out his bloud and life to iustifie him this seed remaineth in him and hee cannot sinne that is hee cannot lead so dissolute a conversation in sinne as he did before Because he is born of God that is Because of a wilde crab-tree he by free iustification is made a perfect good tree to
new doctrine is this Mark 1. 27. Yea they count the same stark naught and meer foolishnesse as Saint Paul saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the naturall man or the man of a meere humane soul perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God but they are foolishnesse unto him neither can be perceive them 1 Cor. 2. 14. And because they are not truly humbled to tremble at every word of God to beleeve the same according as it is spoken agreeable to the greatnesse and majesty of God the speaker Rom. 4. 18. And because their foresaid legall zeale of their holy working is void of Christian love and charity therefore their feet are swift to picke quarrels to make a man an offender for a word and to turn aside the just for a thing of nought Esay 29. 21. And feeling their dead faith and corrupt worship of God to be as I said but touched then their blinde zeale calumniating as I said before the faith words and workes of true beleevers boyleth forth into our-cries of errours heresies and blasphemies And most innocent Christ himselfe shall among these not escape the black censure of being counted a seducer of the people and a blasphemer and troubler of the Church thus vilely speaking evill and blaspheming the things they know not as Iude saith verse 10. And being by their corrupt light of nature naturally born subtle sophisters against the light of grace and faith hereby out of the sweet flowers where the Bee sucketh honey they by the cunning art of malice do suck poyson And then cast the imputation thereof upon the truth with out-cries of errours heresies and blasphemies when all the heresie and blasphemie is the unbeliefe in their own hearts And thus being those truth-biting dogs mentioned in the Scripture Phil. 3. 2. that bark in the day-time at true men they stick not to charge the truth that it breaketh the peace of the Church and troubleth all Israel when it is not he as Gods word and the established doctrine of our Church largely teach that maintaineth the truth and holdeth fast the faithfull word Tit. 1. 9. But the unbeleevers in the dead faith that cavill and sophistrate and resist the truth These are they that trouble the Church that is make tumults because they can never with Nicodemus leave wrangling tumultuating deriding and scoffing at the truth of Christs mysteries as seeming errour and foolishnesse unto them untill their false bloody holy zeal of Gods glory proceed to the last marke of hypocrites even to smite Micaiah on the cheek saying When went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speake unto thee 1 King 22. 24. And so they run with speed to bitter accusations and bloody persecutions except they be either with Nicodemus and Paul truely enlightened and converted to the true faith or this seed of the serpent be for nibling at the heels of Gods faithfull children of God crushed in the head by the wise and godly Magistrate or as Cains brood be cast out of the house and Church of God as Ismaelites and so cut off by God himself as he saith Gal. 4. 30 Cast out the bond-woman and her sonne for the sonne of the bond-woman shall not be heire with the sonne of the free woman And then and not till then they cease to trouble the Church God at the last thus plainly manifesting to the world that although their foresaid holy and bloody blind zeale of Gods glory seem very beautifull and be highly esteemed before men and in their own account yet that it is most vile and horrible abomination in the sight of God as Christ himself testifieth of such saying ye are they that justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16. 15. All this description and discovery of this dead faith gilt over with the blind zeal and confidence of an universall obedience to all Gods commandements is as pithily as briefly expressed by the established doctrine of our Church saying thus That such men as make a goodly shew of all good works and many holy and godly ordinances whereby they appear to the world the most religious and holy of all men yet being blind and void of true justifying faith that onely makes the inside of the vessell clean and pure Act. 15. 9 Christ that saw their hearts knew that they were inwardly in the sight of God most unholy most abominable and farthest from God of all men Against which Sects and their pretended holinesse Christ cryeth out more vehemently than he did against any other persons But why are such holy and godly men so abominable before God Because saith the established doctrine of our Church although they seeme to the world most perfect men marke I pray both in life and doctrine why what can be wished more yet is their judgement preposterous their doctrine sowre leaven and their life hypocrisie Serm. of mans misery Sermon of free Iustification and Sermon of good works And thus much of the markes to discerne who be in this dead faith which as none can discern and discover but he that is in the true faith because such an one onely hath the mind of Christ by which he discerneth all things but is judged of no man 1 Cor. 2. 15 16. So is the matter so weighty and worthy to bee discovered that I heartily wish that some man of a farre greater measure and gift of faith than my self would so point out and plainly lay forth the vilenesse of the same as that the uglinesse of it might appear unto all men as it is in it self yea I wish that every Christian were a Preacher and writer against this most dangerous dead faith 3. Now thirdly on the contrary side Because contraria inter se opposit a magis elucent that is Contraries set one against another doe shine forth the brighter Let us therefore consider the parts likewise of the true lively and saving faith which are these three First the true humble spirituall knowledge for the true knowledge is an humble knowledge feeling through a true sight yet but a weak sight the things of the kingdome of heaven being ever ready and willing to learne further and more even of our inferiours that bring the true word of God and pure Gospel of Christ to the further edifiing of us in our most holy faith Iude 20. As learned Apollos that was mighty in the Scriptures being a zealous preacher was willing to admit conference with Aquila and Prescilla a woman being instructed by them in the way of the Lord more perfectly hee preached Christ with great efficacy Act. 18. 24. to 28. Yea this true humble knowledge is ever crying out with David O open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Law Psal 119. 18. For which cause Paul prayed fervently for the Ephesians and all other Christians whom hee had converted That God the father of glory