Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	believe_v	faith_n	heart_n	5,328	5	5.2153	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85510	A modest vindication of the doctrine of conditions in the Covenant of Grace, and the defenders thereof, from the aspersions of arminianism & popery, which Mr. W. E. cast on them. By the late faithful and godly minister Mr. John Graile, minister of the gospel at Tidworth in the county of Wilts. Published with a preface concerning the nature of the Covenant of Grace, wherein is a discovery of the judgment of Dr. Twisse in the point of justification, clearing him from antinomianism therein. By Constant Jessop, minister of the Gospel at Wimborn minister in the county of Dorset. Whereunto is added, a sermon, preached at the funeral of the said Mr. John Grail. By Humphrey Chambers, D.D. and pastor of the church at Pewsie.	Graile, John.; Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662.; Jessop, Constantine, 1601 or 2-1658. Pauls sad farewel to his Ephesians.	1654 (1654)	Wing G1477; Thomason E817_1; Thomason E817_2; ESTC R207370	97,971	125

proportion is there betweene the debt and the acknowledgment Thus God seemes to speak to us in the matter of repentance Only acknowledg thine iniquities The summe of all is That a man gives freely which he gives on condition when withal he gives ability to perform the condition else salvation given for and through Christ would not be free But such are the conditions we pleade for as our duties so Gods gifts and graces and therefore the gift of salvation notwithstanding them is free Againe That we give on condition the condition being the parties duty to whom we give is free else the portions that parents give dutiful children would not be free gift But such are the conditions maintained by us such as we owe of duty to God whether he give or no he giveth therefore freely though he require them 3. That we give on conditions the conditions being no way beneficial to us who give no way equivalent to the thing we give nor any way causal of our giving we give most freely But such also are the conditions defended by us as hath beene made apparent they no way benefit the Lord at all they are infinitely disproportionable to the gift of salvation he bestowes nor do they any way move him to bestow salvation but rather his will and purpose to bestow salvation moves him to bestow them that by receipt of them his people might be fitted for the salvation he intends them And therefore notwithstanding that they are required the gift of salvation is most free Thus have we done with your Argument from the freenesse of grace which that it may well stand with our conditions I hope is well cleared as also with your Arguments taken from scripture We come now to those you fetch from Reason The first of which was taken from the intent of Christ in dying which the Scriptures hold out to be the salvation of those for whom he died Now say you if he died conditionally it will follow that he willed not their salvation at all but their damnation as much or more then their salvation for he wills their salvation if they believe otherwise their damnation and it is natural to them not to believe This and all that followes in the Argument may make against the Arminians who hold that Christ hath purchased salvation for us but not faith and that he died for us conditionally i. e. that we should be saved if we did believe but did no way procure for us that we should believe and accordingly it is used by our Authors though in other terms to destroy the Arminians conditionality as you may see in Owen But conditional redemption in which the conditions are purchased as wel as the salvation which is that we maintain it no way oppugneth Put case an outlandish man should procure for his Sonne some inheritance in our Country to be enjoyed by him upon his infranchisement you cannot say he intended his Sons non-enjoyment of it as much as enjoyment because of the condition of his Infranchisement if that the Infranchisement be procured by the father as wel as the inheritance The purchasers intent I hope is ful and firme Notwithstanding the conditionality of the purchase when the condition is purchased as well as the thing So when we maintaine that Christ hath procured salvation for us to be enjoyed conditionally if wee doe believe You cannot inferre thence that he intended our damnation as much as salvation because we have no power to believe for wee maintaine also that Christ hath purchased for us that wee shall believe Sir Arminians say That Christ died for us that we might be saved if wee doe believe we that Christ died for us that we should believe and believing have life through his name Dare you say that Christ died for any so absolutely as that they should be saved whether they did believe or no I hope you will not though your parallelling the new Covenant with that with Noah doth naturally yeild such an inference as hath already beene shewed Your second Argument was the same with one you used in your former sermons where you asserted the absolutenesse of the new Covenant viz. That this conditionality infers a liberty of will But Sir that those who plead for conditions are no way maintainers or abettors of free will their writings sufficiently declare You make men believe that we preach not repentance as the grace of God by his Spirit wrought in our hearts in and for Christ which is most untrue and who of us denies faith to be the gift of God or that God out of his love to us in Christ freely worketh it in us that therby we may be enabled to receive Christ That we are not only halfe dead but quite dead and can do nothing that is good until the spirit quicken us cannot goe to Christ til God the Father draweth us cannot believe on Christ nor repent of sin until the Lord give it unto us and enable us thereto is a doctrine I have long agoe learned from their Sermons and often meete with in their writings And as for the inference he which chargeth the Patronage of free will on that kind of preaching that holds out life and salvation upon condition of faith and repentance let him looke to it how he will quit Christ and his Apostles from that charge whose Sermons are full of counsels commands and calls that require men to repent and believe if ever they would be saved Sir conditions to be performed by us of our owne strength and power which the Arminians maintaine argue a power in mans will indeede But conditions purchased by Christ for us and to be wrought by his Spirit in us which we maintain Inferre no power of free wil at all Your third Argument was taken from election That from this conditional redemption would follow that men are elected but conditionally so that Gods election should be undetermined and uneffectual and the will of God should be made subordinate to the will of the creature Sir God may be said to elect conditionally two wayes 1. So as that the condition be considered as anteceding his election moving him to will salvation to such a person This conditionality indeed subordinates the will of the Creator to the creature and causeth election to be undetermined and ineffectual But such kind of conditions we oppugne as Arminian Or 2. so as that the condition preceede indeed the actual enjoyment of the benefits to which men are elected but followes election it self And this consideration of conditions of election we propugne as no way evacuating either the efficacy or determinatenesse of Gods election nor yet in any wise subjecting the wil of God to the will of man therein Hear what Dr. Ames saith to this very thing It never was denied by our Divines that faith was maintained as a condition antecedent indeed to salvation but consequent unto or following election it self i. e. but hath been constantly

against the Papists And truly I wonder that you should cavil at that distinction I gave between a condition and a meritorious cause And more that you should say that Papists ascribe no merit to conditions and preparations You know the question concerning the conditional promises of the Gospel is handled under that concerning the necessity of works where our Writers grant a necessity of presence but not of efficiencie which Bellarmine contends for Now I pray what doe they understand by that efficiency but a meritorious efficiency or what other then that can be ascribed unto works yea that our Authours understand merit by that efficiency they deny Adde to Chemnitius Chamier and consider two passages in him But the Gospel doth not promise salvation without any condition of observing the law nor did ever any of ours teach that so that he do not take the word condition for merit And in ch 5. Sect. 11. For the condition of faith is not antecedent but consequent because there is no merit of faith considered or faith is not the cause of salvation To these joyne Doctor Ames who saith We doe not deny that good works have any relation to salvation for they have the relation of an adjunct consequent and of the effect to salvation obtained as they speake and of an adjunct antecedent and disposing to salvation to be obtained and also of an Argument confirming our assurance and hope of salvation But we deny that any works of ours can be a meritorious cause of justification and salvation And in the Chapter before Promises with a condition of obedience as the causes of that right which we have to the thing promised are proper to the law but promises with condition of obedience as of the adjunct or effect of the thing promised or the donation of it have place in the most bountifull kingdome of grace where there is no place found for our merits Bishop Davenant shall be the next who averring repentance faith and love to be necessary to justification adds by way of explication and in opposition to the Popish sense of necessity These and the like inward works of the heart are necessary to all that are justified not because they conteine in themselves that efficacy or merit of justification but because according to Gods ordination either they are required as conditions precedaneous to or concurrent with justification as to repent and to believe or else as effects necessarily flowing from justifying faith as to love God to love our neighbour And in his next Chapter stating this question whether good works may be said to be necessary to justification and salvation he sets downe in his first and second conclusions that in controversies with Papists and Sermons to vulgar people wee should not use such expressions without due explication of them and that because both Papists and people wil be ready to understand them necessarily as meritorious causes of salvation Shewing by example of the Ancient Fathers how careful they have beene to forbeare some forms of speech by reason of the corrupt sense of hereticks to which purpose he alledgeth that of Hierom that which may well be spoken is not sometimes to be spoken by reason of the Ambiguity Neverthelesse in his fifth sixth and seventh Conclusions he maintains that they are necessary thereto though not as meritorious causes yet as previous and concurrent conditions Let Mr. Perkins be the first wee name for this particular who in his Reformed Catholick besides the head of Merit which wholly makes for us and shewes sufficiently the Papists to be Patrons of merit in that of Repentance speaking of the differences between us and Papists therein saith The fourth abuse is touching the effect and efficacy of Repentance for they make it a meritorious cause of remission of sin and of life everlasting flat against the Word of God And a little after They ascribe to their contrition the merit of congruity which cannot stand with the sufficient merit of Christ We for our parts hold that God requires contrition at our hands not to merit remission of sins but that we may acknowledge our owne unworthinesse be humbled in the fight of God and distrust all our own merits and further that we may make more account of the benefit of Christ wherby we are received into the favour of God and more carefully shun sin for time to come But we acknowledge no contrition at all to be meritorious save that of Christ I might adde to these learned Camero and repeate that which I cited out of him before it being the very distinction which you call a most weake evasion and the defence of which we are now upon As also renowned Pemble who spends a whole Chapter in refuting that opinion of Bellarmine and the Romanists viz. That faith justifies us as an efficient and meritorious cause obtaining deserving and in its kinde beginning justification But I shall content my self with the recitall of two more who handle the very Question now in controversie Whether the Promises of the Gospel be absolute or conditional And determine that they are absolute not conditionall The first of these is Broachman who saith It is not controverted Whether the promises of the Gospel that they may be fruitfull and saving do require faith Neither is it called into controversie Whether the promises of the Gospel be so free and absolute that they discharge a man from a serious sorrow for sins and from all study of good works For he must be an infant in Scripture that is not acquainted with these assertions of the holy Spirit But the true state of the question is whether the Gospel for any our worth intention work merit or any disposition in us doth promise to us grace mercy remission of sinnes and eternal life or rather for and through Jesus Christ apprehended by faith And againe in answer to Bellarmines fifth objection which was that the promises of the Gospel doe alwayes require the condition of Faith Thus hee saith which wee grant And further averrs that this condition of faith will stand with his Assertion of absolute promises For saith he We warned you in the beginning that it is not controverted Whether the promises of the Gospel doe require faith which wee willingly grant But whether in the free remission of sins the condition of Faith be required as any work of ours or certain disposition in us to which as to an efficient helping or cooperating cause the free remission of sins may be ascribed which we do roundly deny The other is Mr. Burges who asserts the same out of Broachman as I conceive By these Citations I hope it will more then sufficiently appear to an eye not strangely possest with prejudice 1. That the distinction between a Condition and a meritorious Cause is no slender and weak Evasion but a maine and fundamental Distinction in this Controversie such as on which the very hinges of the

to g●ve warning of such pernicious Errors and Practices as he seeth breaking in upon such as are committed to his oversight such a one however he speed in his own judgment and the judgment of others shall not fail before the Judgment Seat of God to stand in the rank and passe in the account of the faithful servants and Ministers of Jesus Christ Having thus shewed when a man may be said to bee a faithful Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I come in the next place to consider who are they who truly believe the Gospel to whom such faithful Ministers are precious who enjoy them in love and part from them in sorrow There is hardly any thing as I conceive in our unsettled times more pernicious then the mistake which many are subject to about the nature of believing Much talk there is of faith and the Gospel whilst few consider what is indeed the faith of the Gospel I shal therefore indeavour in few and plain words to clear unto you from the Scriptures who are the truly faithful the true Believers of the Gospel 1. First They truly believe the Gospel who glorifie the Word of the Lord as it is testifyed of the believing Gentiles to whom Paul preached the Gospel at Antioch When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the Word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Every true Believer glorifieth the Word of the Gospel by yeilding a firme assent unto it as a word of Truth setting a high price upon it as the only saving Truth holding it fast as a stable everlasting Truth and still desiring of it and delighting in it as an edifying and perfecting Truth which is able to build men up and give them an inheritance amongst those that are sanctified If men boast never so much of believing because they are confident that Christ is theirs and that all the benefits which flow from the Lord Christ are theirs yet if they do not glorifie the Word of the Lord the Word of the Gospel making an high account of it as a Word of Truth a saving everlasting edifying perfecting Word they shall never make it out before the presence of God that they have the true faith of the Gospel in them 2. Secondly True Believers of the Gospel are such as receive the Word of the Gospel with spiritual gladnesse as we read of that flock of faithful Converts brought in at one Sermon Then they that gladly received the word were baptized The Word of the Gospel cannot by faith enter into the soul but it bringeth in spiritual gladness with it Temporal believing hath a sleight and suddain joy accompanying it as our Saviour testified in the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower as to the stony ground He that received the seed in stony places the same is he that heareth the word and anon with joy receiveth it yet hath he not root in himself but dureth for a while An unrooted faith yeildeth an unsettled joy but when the Word is with a stedfast sound and saving faith received it usually out of the state of strong temptation and spiritual disertion filleth the soul with joy and peace in believing Now this receiving the Word by faith importeth a taking of it into all the faculties of the soul to new mould and transform them according to the holiness of the Gospel The Apostle James calleth it the receiving of the engrafted word because the word of the Gospel thus received as the graft set into the stock causeth all the sap of the inward faculties of the soul to bring forth such fruit as is sutable to the holy Word of the Gospel It is a very unworthy and ungrounded Opinion that a man can believingly receive the word of the Gospel and not be new moulded by it unto holines If any think that the Word of the Gospel shall be mighty to save them when it is not effectual to sanctifie them they deceive themselves and should attend to the Apostle James his Doctrine for right information in this point who sheweth that the Word of the Gospel is received as an ingrafted new moulding word in all those towards whom it is effectual to save their souls 3 Thirdly They that believingly receive the Word of the Gospel are brought off from trusting upon their own works and righteousnesse to trust and rest their souls upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the one which in Scripture dialect imports the only Mediatour between God and man for forgivenesse of sins peace with God righteousnesse and eternal life The Apostle Paul called believing in Christ hoping or trusting in Christ Ephes 1. 12 13 because all that truly believe cast away the thought of acceptance with God unto life in the merit of their own Righteousnesse and as worthlesse sinners build their hope of righteousness to life fully and wholly upon the Lord Jesus as the Mediator of the New Testament through whom they finally bottom their faith and hope on God 1 Pet. 1. 21. 4 Fourthly They truly believe the Gospel who trusting on Christ for Righteousnesse and life have their hearts brought on by believing to the love and high prizing of the Lord Jesus as most precious and desirable 1 Pet. 2. 7. Faith looking and resting upon Christs love inflameth the heart with the love of Christ according to the Apostles words In Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love And this true love of Christ the necessary and inseparable product of Gospel faith in all true Believers is obediential causing the faithful heart to stoop to the yoak and work of the Lord Christ as we learne from our Saviours own mouth If ye love me keep my Commandments And again He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me And yet further If any man love me he wil keep my words By all this it is manifest That they who truly believe the Gospel are such as glorifie the Gospel by embracing it as a saving everlasting edifying and perfecting Word of Truth who with gladnesse receive this word into all the faculties of the soul to mould them into a frame of Gospel holinesse who rest themselves upon the Lord Christ for Righteousnesse and life according to the Gospel and in the strength of that faith have their hearts knit to the Lord Christ in high prizing obediential love of him These two Points being dispatched viz. Who is a faithful Minister and Who are the true Believers of the Gospel I proceed in the next place to shew that such a Minister is enjoyed with much love by such a people This we have fully ascertained by the Apostles testimony which hee bare unto the Galatians when the faith of the Gospel at first prevailed amongst them My temptation saith he which was in my flesh ye despised not nor rejected but received me even as an Angel of God

in that regard he was forward by his departure in doing good to his servants and continueth more able to communicate himself in all celestial and spiritual blessings to those that wait upon him for he is still walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks and hath the stars in his right hand and is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him because he ever liveth to make Intercession for them But none of these things hold in the inferiour Ministers of the Gospel when they are removed by death their personal Ministry from the moment of their death ceaseth for ever as to all uses and advantages in respect of others and that consideration layeth a heavy weight of sadnesse upon the hearts of Believers when their faithful Ministers are by death taken from them 2. Secondly True Believers know that the final removal of faithful Ministers from any people carryeth in it the face of a Judgement from the Lord. It was a Promise of great love I will give you Pastors according to my heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding And on the contrary when the Lord taketh away faithful Ministers from any people he then depriveth them of one of his choicest mercyes upon earth which cannot therefore but have the appearance of a Judgement in the eyes of true Believers The Prophet Micah represented evil men as weary of the faithful Teachers and saying to them Prophecy ye not and then from the Lord denounced the Judgement of their ceasing from amongst them They shall not prophecy unto them Their refusal of the Prophets was their great sin and the Lords removal of his Prophets was his heavy judgment upon them If it be asked concerning a faithful Minister when he dyeth of what Disease he dyed it may be often truly answered of the judgment of God upon an unthankful people When men are sick again of their faithful Ministers and long to be rid of them it is a righteous thing with God to let them dye that such a people may dye without instruction The contempt of the Ministers of the Gospel who desire to be faithful is a spreading Disease amongst us at this day Men looking divers wayes do yet unanimously consent to render the Ministers of the Gospel in this Nation as odious as possibly they can Without distinction they are all branded as Tythe-Mongers Time servers Antichristian Self-seekers and what not But it is enough that God is the supreme Judge of those that are thus traduced and of their Accusers 〈◊〉 howbeit whilst this Disease so generally reigneth and rageth it is no marvel though many of Gods faithful servants dye of it whose removal by death though possibly some triumph in yet the true Believers of the Gospel of whom there is blessed be the Lord a very considerable number throughout our Land ●annot but be as they are much sadded at it as carrying the face of an ill presaging judgement in it Having thus gone through the Doctrine proposed I come now to a few words of Application 1. Here is one work whereby they that truly believe the Gospel may have reflexive knowledge of themselves namely by their enjoying the faithful Ministers of the Gospel in love and parting with them in sorrow I know there is great difference of judgement at this day who are to be accounted the faithful Ministers of the Gospel of Christ To this an answer may be gathered from what I have before delivered at present I shall only say this That they who being in the place of the Ministers of the Gospel do visibly apply themselves to do the work of the Ministers of the Gospel labouring in the Word and Doctrine that they may ministerially translate men out of darknesse into the Kingdom of Gods dear Son and build them up in faith and holinesse to eternal life are so farre doubtlesse unto others at least the faithful Ministers of the Gospel that they who take them to be such and as such enjoy them in love and part from them in sorrow may from that disposition of theirs receive some evidence in themselves that they are in the number of the true Believers of the Gospel whereas they who make it a chief ingredient of their Religion to scorne and revile the Ministers of the Gospel whilst they live and to insult over them when they dye to vomit out their choler upon them both living and dying are not likely for ought I can learne from the Scriptures to be approved by our Lord Jesus Christ at his appearing as true Lovers and Believers of his blessed Gospel 2. Secondly This should be a strong inducement to those that are imployed in the Ministry of the Gospel to make it their special desire care and study to be found faithful in the Work of the Lord committed to them that they may bee enjoyed in love and have the true Believers of the Gospel their unfeigned Mourners at their Funeral The Apostle saith Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God Moreover it is required in Stewards that a man be found faithful The Office as we see which God hath called the Ministers of the Gospel unto calleth upon them to be faithful Without faithfulnesse a nominal Minister of the Gospel how much soever he boasteth and prideeth himselfe in his Office is but like unsavoury salt good for nothing but to be trodden under foot with contempt both by God and men But when faithfulnesse is found in a Minister of the Gospel it maketh him shine as a Star very gloriously in the eyes of the Lord and all true Believers That Minister of the Gospel hath the best monument to perpetuate his name with honour whose faithfulnesse in the Ministry hath procured him the love of true Believers so that his presence is pleasant to them in life and his memory precious with them after death 3. In the third place the servants of God may here read their warrant for sadly bewailing and mourning over such as have been faithful in in the Ministry of the Gospel when they are by death finally taken from them Heathenish mourning over the dead accompanied with murmuring and impaciency against God becometh not the children of God in any wise It is the Lords command given of old to the Jewes Ye are the children of the Lord your God you shall not cut your selves nor make any baldnesse betweene your eyes for the dead Because they were by Covenant the children of God above other Nations therefore they were not to follow the practice of other Nations in their excessive mourning for the dead but to quiet themselves in the will of their God and Father knowing that his Saints are precious in his sight both in life and death And accordingly the Apostle Paul carefully provided that the Thessalonians having imbraced the Gospel of Christ might not sorrow over their dead as Heathens destitute

a gold chain with a rich Jewel of the Crown in it and withal should bind himself to give her both the chain and a will to wear it Again He is both without doors knocking and within doors opening yet he never cometh in but upon condition we open which condition is also his own work He offers Righteousness so the sinner believe and he works belief that the sinner may have Righteousnesse pag. 109. Thus you see others as well as Dr. Preston assert the absolutenesse of the Covenant in that part who yet still maintain the other part viz. the promise of life and salvation to be conditional which as hath been already shewed Dr. Preston doth maintain 8. As for Mr. Walker he denies not all kinds of conditions in the place cited but only Conditions Legal and conditions for which meritorious ones but conditions which are as a means by which the free gift is received and as a qualification whereby one is made capable and fit to receive and enjoy the free gift such he granteth and calleth them Conditions in the place cited by you saying There is no condition of the Covenant propounded but only the way and means to receive the blessing or the quality and condition by which men are made capable and fit to enjoy the blessing which is as much as I plead for under that Title As for Mr. Strong though both what I have heard from him my self and also what I have heard from others who have seen his Sermon induce me to believe that he is not against our conditions yet having not his Sermon I must be altogether silent at this time concerning him By this Sir you may see that I have looked into the most of the Authors which you cited and amongst them all I must professe unto you that I find not one that speaketh fully for you but more against then for your Tenent and for that sort of conditions whose cause I plead I must intreat you therefore to shake hands with them and leave them to stand on my side To them I shall add some few more 1 Mr. Perkins shall be the first who puts down conditions in the very description of the Covenant saying The Covenant of Grace is that whereby God freely promising Christ and his benefits exacteth again of man that he would receive Christ by faith and repent of his sins In the Covenant of Grace two things saith he elsewhere must be considered the substance thereof and the condition The Substance of the Covenant is that Righteousnesse and life everlasting is given to Gods Church and people by Christ The Condition is that we for our parts are by faith to receive the foresaid benefits and this condition is by grace as well as the substance 2. Mr. Reynolds shall be the next in his Treatise of the Life of Christ p. 399. he calls Faith the conveyance and p. 403. We expect Justification by faith in Christ Faith unites us to Christ and makes his death merit life kingdom sonship victory benefits to become ours You may see p. 451 452 453. That to marriage between Christ and his Church whereby the Church hath a right and propriety created to the Body Name Goods Table Possession and Purchases of Christ is essentially required consent which consent must be mutual for though Christ declare his good will when he knocketh at our doors yet if we keep at distance stop our ears at his invitations there is then no Covenant made It is but a wooing and no marriage c. Pag. 465 466 467. That the office of Faith is to unite to Christ and give possession of him till which union by Faith be made we remain poor and miserable notwithstanding the fulness that is in Christ Pag. 478 479. and to name no more pag. 512. setting down the difference between the two Covenants he saith They differ in the Conditions for in the old Covenant legal obedience but in the new Faith only is required and the certain consequent thereof Repentance 3. Mr. Ball shall be the third who saith The Covenant of Grace doth not exclude all conditions but such as will not stand with grace and pag. 18. The stipulation required is that we take God to be our God that is that wee repent of our sins believe the Promises of mercy and embrace them with the whole heart and yeild love fear reverence worship and obedience to him according to the prescript rule of his Word and p. 20. If then we speak of Conditions by conditions we understand whatsoever is required on our part as precedent concomitant or subsequent to Justification Repentance Faith and Obedience are all conditions But if by conditions we understand what is required on our part as the cause of that God promised though only instrumental Faith or belief in the Promises of free mercy is the only condition 4. Let learned Pemble be the fourth who speaking of the difference between the Law and the Gospel saith The diversity is this The Law offers life unto man upon condition of perfect obedience cursing the transgressors thereof in the least kind with eternal death The Gospel offers life unto man upon another condition viz. Repentance and Faith in Christ promising remission of sin to such as repent and believe That this is the main essential difference between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace we shall endeavor to make good against the Romish Apostacy And about a leaf after Hence we conclude firmly that the difference between the Law and the Gospel assigned by our Divines is most certain and agreeable to the Scriptures viz. That the Law gives life unto the Just upon condition of perfect obedience in all things The Gospel gives life unto sinners upon condition they repent and believe in Christ Jesus Where you may take notice that he layes it down not as his own private opinion but as the general Tenent of all the Orthodox Divines in his time and that in opposition to our Popish Adversaries It was then no Popery to hold conditions in the Covenant and as he of the Divines of his time so may I of the Divines of this present age See their consent and harmony herein Larg cat p. 9. 5. Doctor Downam shall be the fifth That which is the only condition of the Covenant of Grace by that alone we are justified But Faith is the only condition of the Covenant of Grace which is therefore called Lex fidei And l. 7. c. 2. Sect. 6. Our Writers distinguishing the two Covenants of God that is the Law and the Gospel whereof the one is the Covenant of Works the other is the Covenant of Grace do teach that the Law of Works is that which to Justification requireth Works as the condition thereof The Law of Faith that which to Justification requireth faith as the condition thereof The former saith Do this and thou shalt live the latter Believe in Christ and thou shalt be saved

even as Christ Jesus It is not possible to make a higher expression of enlarged love then this is whereby the Apostle set forth the affection which the believing Galatians bare towards him as a Minister of the Gospel who loved him and welcomed him upon this account as they would have done an Angel from Heaven or the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe if he had personally appeared and spoken to them The Grounds of this enlarged love of true Believers towards the faithful Ministers of the Gospel are amongst others which it would be too large exactly to treat of these which follow 1. First Believers look upon the faithful Ministers of the Gospel as a special gift of Christ unto his Church What thoughts soever others have of faithful Ministers yet true Believers know that they are in much love given by the Lord Christ for the edifying of his body till all the Members thereof come in the unity of the Faith and Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ And therefore Believers cannot but love such a guift of love proceeding from their beloved Lord and Saviour 2. Secondly True Believers look upon the faithful Ministers of the Gospel as Ambassadors for Christ in whome hee negotiateth with them in much mercy for the accomplishing their reconciliation to God and eternal happinesse 2 Corinth 5. 19 20. And therefore beholding Christ in them they cannot but greatly love them in Christ and very highly esteem them in love for their works sake 3. Thirdly True Believers are experimentally assured that the faithful Ministers of the Gospel are Ministerial Fathers to some and Nurses to all Gods people who hear the Gospel from their mouthes To such as are brought out of a state of ignorance and wickednesse unto the faith and obedience of Jesus Christ by the Gospel which they preach they are ministerial Fathers as we learne from what the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians Though ye have ten thousand Instructors in Christ yet have ye not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel The Lord of his own will originally begetteth his children by the word of Truth dispensed in the mouthes of the Preachers of the Gospel for How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard How shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent As it is written How beautiful upon the mountaines are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things The faithful Ministers of the Gospel of peace given by our Lord Christ for the work of the Ministry are therefore Ministerial Fathers too and so as spiritual parents acknowledged and beloved by those who through their Ministry are brought to the faith of the Gospel To others who have formerly entertained the truth of the Gospel in a regenerating power the faithful Ministers of the Gospel are as Nurses cherishing and strengthening them by the Word of God which they preach For the same Word of the Gospel which begetteth nourisheth and buildeth up the people of God unto eternal life And in this second cherishing work the Ministers of the Gospel are and are acknowledged by believers for spiritual Nurses according to the Apostles expression to the Thessaloniuns We were gentle amongst you even as a nurse cherisheth her own children Now Nurses we know sometimes get away the love of children from their true parents and in the case before us it is often seen that though true believers cannot forget their ministerial Fathers yet they are apt to fall much in love with their spiritual Nurses who at present feed and refresh them with the word of Truth The sum is that as Fathers or Nurses or both all those that truly believe the Gospel are ready to love the faithful Ministers of the Gospel whilst they enjoy them Now this Truth being acknowledged the last point I am to speak to in the Doctrine becometh evident of it selfe namely That a faithful Minister is finally parted from with much sorrow by those who truly believe the Gospel for love is a strong bond knitting the soul so fast to that which is beloved that it cannot lose it or be loosed and parted from it without much sorrow We read that Jacob loved Joseph more then all his brethren and when he thought that Joseph was finally taken from him He rent his cloathes and put sackcloath upon his loynes and mourned for his son many dayes And all his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him and he refused to be comforted and he said For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning And even thus it is betweene true Believers and faithful Ministers of the Gospel the true and great love which such Believers bear unto such Ministers makes their presence sweet and therefore necessarily their final parting very grievous unto them To this I will briefly add two further grounds of much sorrow in those who truly believe the Gospel for the final removal of faithful Ministers by death from them 1. First When faithful Ministers are taken away by death Believers are at an utter losse as to the enjoyment of any comfort or benefit from the person or personal Ministry of them that are so removed from them If they could have the least hope of re-enjoying a faithful Minister after death there would be yet some string of comfort to hold by at their departing but Believers know that this is a final parting from a faithful Minister they must never seek counsel or comfort or instruction more from his mouth death unavoydably putteth the servants of Christ to silence and taketh them off from being in their persons useful in the work of the Ministry unto the living for ever The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians that his abiding in the flesh would be needful for them for their furtherance and joy of Faith Philip. 1. v. 24 25. and thereby intimated that when he was by death removed from them they neither could expect nor should receive any farther benefit from his person or personal Ministry Herein our blessed Saviour happily differeth from and hath a transcendent preheminence above his servants in the Ministry that whereas their final parting from their people in the flesh maketh them personally unuseful to others for the time to come it was not so with our Lord Jesus Christ His parting from his people in the flesh caused a greater imparting of himself unto them in spiritual benefits as is testified by our Saviour himselfe saying to his Disciples Neverthelesse I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you Our Saviour went away as a Mediatour and Advocate between God and Man and not as a bare Minister of the Gospel and