life tâ— behold the faire beauty of the Lord and to visit his Temple The latter part of this is called by the same David the longing of the soule after God by Saint Paul desiring to be dissolved and to be with Christ S. What are the motives to this kind of love C. 1. Gods loving us first and dying for us an expression of that love able to constreine and extort a reciprocation or returne of love 2. The true superlative delight even to flesh and bloud that is in sanctity and the practice of Christian virtues beyond all that any sensuall pleasure affords so great that when they are exprest by the Apostle in these words Neither eye hath seene nor care heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man toconceive what things God hath prepared for them that love him They are ordinarily mistaken for the description of Heaven 3. Those joies in the vision of God in another life thus described by the Psalmist In thy presence are fulnesse of joies and at thy right hand pleasures for evermore S. Well you have gone through the two parts of the love of God And told me that the sincerity required in it requires me to love God with all my heart May not I then love any thing else but God C. You may but with these conditions 1. that it be not some prohibited object as the world and the things of the world for if any man love the world the love of the father is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 15. 2. That it be in a degree inferiour to the love of God thus God being loved above all other things may lawfully in a lower degree be loved also 3. That those other things be loved for Gods sake and in that order that he prescribes them S. But may not the outward expressions of love in many good Christians be greater to some other object then to God or is this incompatible with the sincerity of the love of God C. Our love of God may be sincere though it be accompanied with some frailties now the sensitive faculty may have a sensitive love of some sensitive objects which though it be moderated so as not to fall into sinne either in respect of the object or the excesse yet through the nature of mans sence may expresse it's selfe more sensitively toward that inferiour object then toward God himselfe and this is a peice of humane frailty not to bewholly put off in this life And yet for all this the love of God may be more deeply radicated in that soule and that will be tried by this that if one were to be parted with I would part with any thing rather then God But that not to be judged by what I could answer if I were asked the question nay nor what I would resolve at a distance but in time of temptation and actuall competition betwixt God and that any thing else that could not be held without sinning against God what then I would really doe This may best be understood by that other passion of sorrow I may weepe more for the losse of a freind then for my sinnes yet my sorrow for sin may be the deeper and more durable sorrow though it be not so profuse of these sensitive expressions So may and must our love of God be most firmely rooted though not so passionately exprest as through the infirmity of our flesh and neerenesse of other objects to it our love to them is wont to be S. Shall we proceed to the other branch of Charity that of our Neighbour and first what doe you meane by the word Neighbour C. Every man in the world for so Christ hath extended the word Luk. 10. 36 37. Not onely to signifie the Jew in relation to the fellow Jew who was the Old Testament-Neighbour but to the Samaritan in relation to the Jew i. e. to him that was most hated by him as appeares by the parable in that place S. What is the love of my Neighbour C. 1. The valuing him as the Image of God one for whom Christ died and one whom God hath made the proxey of his love to receive those effects of it from us which we cannot so well bestow on God 2. The desiring And 3. The endeavouring his good of all kinds S. In what degree must this be done C. As I desire it should be done to my selfe S. How is that C. Why in all things to deale with other men as if I might be my owne chooser I would wish that other men nay God himselfe should doe to me This will certainly retaine me within the strictest bounds of justice to all men I have to deale with because it is naturall to desire that all men should deale justly with me and teach me all mercy to others both in giving and forgiving and blessing them because I cannot but desire that God should be thus mercifull to me S. But will not my love of God be sufficient without this other love of my neighbour to denominate me Charitable C. It will not 1. Because this loving my neighbour is one nay many of the Commandements which he that loveth God must keepe 1 Joh. 3. 23. 2. Because God hath pleased to appoint that as the test of the sincerity of the love of God in judging of which we might otherwise deceive our selves and prove lyers had we not this evidence to testifie the truth of our love according to that of Saint John 1 Ep. 4. 10. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seene how can he love God whom he hath not seene Which place argues that all the arguments or motives which we have to love God we have to love our brother also God having devolved all his right to our love upon our brethren here and therefore interpreting whatsoever is done to them as done to himselfe not so as to devest himselfe of it but to accumulate it on this image here below communicating all his claimes to it to which claims of God our relation to our brethren superadding one more that of acquaintance and affinity of our humane nature exprest by those words his brother whom he hath seene it followes in all necessity that he that loves not his brother that behaves not himselfe to all men superiours equalls inferiours strangers freinds enemies Turkes Iewes Heathens Heretiques sinners according as the rules of Christian charity of justice and mercy oblige him is not a lover of God S. Is there any more that I need know concerning this grace C. No more at this time The particulars farther considerable will come in out rode hereafter S. Your proposed method than leades me to Repentance next what is Repentance C. A change of minde or a conversion from sinne to God Not some one act of change but a lasting durable state of new life which I told you was called also Regeneration S. But is not Regeneration an Act of new birth C. No it is the state of new
of my future condition that assurance reflexive of which this is one ingredient cannot be a divine Faith but at the most an humane yet such as perhaps I may have no doubting mixed with nor reason that I should so doubt For at the conclusion of life having finisht his course and persevered Saint Paul could say without doubting henceforth there is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse Which if another man be not able to say with that assurance 't will not presently be want of Faith in him as long as this want of assurance proceeds not from any distrust of the truth of Gods promises but onely from an humble conceit of his owne repentance that 't is not such as God requires of him And if that place 2 Cor. 13. 5. Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you except you be reprobates be objected to prove that all are Reprobates that know not that Christ is in them the answer will be satisfactory that the words rendred in you signifie very frequently in the Scripture and peculiarly in a place parallell to this Exod. 17. 7. among you or in your congregation And so the sence will be best dissolved into a question and answer know you not by the miracles preaching the demonstration of the spirit and of power that Christ Jesus is among you by way of interrogation for so 't is in the Greeke and the meaning appeares by the context to be Know ye not discerne you not your selves that the power of the Gospell is come among you by my Apostleship and then by way of answer Except you be reprobates you are obdurate insensate creatures undoubtedly unlesse you doe S. You have shewed me the difference betwixt Generall and Particular Faith and I shall not follow that matter any farther but I pray helpe me in one difficulty We are said in Scripture to be justified by faith and we heare much talke of a justifying faith I pray tell me what Faith this is to which Justification is attributed C. First let me tell you that Faith in whatever acception is no proper efficient cause of justification for such is onely God through the satisfaction of Christ accepting our persons and our weake performances and not imputing our sinnes in which act nothing in us can possibly have any so much as inferiour instrumentall efficiency the most that can be said is that 't is a condition without which God that justifies the penitent beleiver will never justifie the impenitent infidell and therefore 't is observable that 't is no where said in Scripture that Faith justifies but that we are justified by Faith which particle by is a peculiar note of a condition not a cause S. But then what Faith is this which is the condition of our justification C. That Faith which we shewed you was Abrahams Faith or infewer words the receiving the whole Christ in all his offices as my King my Preist my Prophet whereby I beleeve the Commands as well as the Promises of the Gospell or take the Promises as they are i. e. as conditionall Promises And this a cordiall practicall beleife a firme resolution of uniforme obedience and Discipleship faith made perfect by workes Ja. 2. 22. Intimating that without the addition of such workes such obedience Evangelicall it would be imperfect unsufficient to this end that is to our Justification The same is called in a parallell phrase faith consummate by love Gal. 5. 6. which indeed we render working by love but the Greeke and Syriack signifies consummate by love that is by acts of Christian Charity and therefore in two parallell places is thus varied in one we reade instead of it the new Creature Gal. 6. 15. in another the keeping the Commandements of God 1 Cor. 7. 19. S. But how then is it so often said that we are not justified by workes Gal. 1. 16. and Rom. 3. 28. that we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law C. I have in effect already told you and shall in a word again tell you The word workes and deeds of the law in those places signifies perfect legall obedience or circumcision and the like Judaicall out-dated Ceremonies and Faith the Evangelicall Grace of giving up the whole heart to Christ without any such perfect obedience or Judaicall observances and so 't is truly said we are justified by Faith without them i. e. without such workes such perfect obedience yet not excluding but including that Evangelicall obedience for without that Faith is dead saith Saint James 2. 17. and then sure not able to justifie any And therefore you may observe in that Apostles discourse Ja. 2. he affirmes that Abraham was justified by workes v. 21. and makes that a parallell phrase to that of the Old Testament Abraham beleived God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse v. 23. where as justification and imputed to him for righteousnesse are phrases of the same importance so are workes and beleiving also S. The reason of it I conceive is because Faith alwaies brings forth good workes or if it doe not it is no true Faith C. I am not altogether of your opinion for I conceive it very possible for me to beleive and yet not to live accordingly The truth is that is not a justifying Faith or such as even now I defined and so no truefaith in that sence but yet it may be a true Faith for so much as it is I may truly without all doubting beleive the promise of mercy and salvation to the true penitent and none else which beleife is very fit and proper to set me a reforming and amending and yet 't is possible for temptations of carnall objects to perswade me to deferre this duty nay never to thinke fit to set my selfe to the performance of it the present pleasures of sinne may outweigh in my debauched choice those future spirituall joyes nay I may see and like them and yet for the present embrace the contrary the will of man being a middle free faculty not absolutely obliged to doe or choose what the understanding judgeth most honest i. e. what Reason and Faith and the Spirit of God commandeth to be done The truth is if this faith get once to be radicated in the heart to rule and reigne there if the will chooseth what Faith recommendeth then it bringeth forth all manner of good workes and so then 't is the consummation of Faith by Charity and Good workes that God accepteth in Christ to justification and not the bare aptnesse of faith to bring forth workes if those workes by the fault of a rebellious infidell will be not brought forth S. But is there no one peculiar act of Faith to which justification is particularly imputable C. That to which justification is promised is certainly the giving up of the whole soule intirely unto Christ accepting his promises on his conditions undertaking Discipleship upon Christs termes But yet 't is possible that some one
act of faith may be more excellent and acceptable in the sight of God then others as that humble act of the faithfull servant that when he hath done all acknowledges himselfe unprofitable and so excludes all glorying which the Apostle makes very necessary to justification Rom. 4. expects all good from Gods free mercy in Christ with-without any reflection on any of his owne performances or againe that of full trust affiance reliance rolling ones selfe on God depending on his all-sufficiency in the midst of all difficulties on the fidelity of him that hath promised when all worldly probabilities are to the contrary but then this must be accompanied with other acts of faith when occasion is offered for them and with use of the meanes prescribed by Christ or else reliance may prove presumption after all And however it is we must adde to our faith virtue c. or else our faith may still be dead livelesse being alone that is unable to stand us in any stead to the desired end S. I could heare you and propose scruples to you for ever on this argument but I desire to carry away onely so much of this subject of faith as may tend to the encrease of all virtue in me and I am sensible how long I have detained you on this theme and therefore I shall importune you no farther about it but yet onely vary not end your trouble and advance to the next Theologicall Grace that of Hope and desire your directions in that particular C. This Grace is subject to some mistaking and therefore I shall desire you to marke carefully what I conceive of it S. What is Hope C. It is a patient comfortable expectation of the performance of Gods promises belonging to this life or a better S. What is the ground of Hope C. Some sure word of promise assented unto by faith S. What is the object of Hope C. It is made up of two things 1. The thing promised 2. The Cause or Author of it 1. The thing promised or the performance of that promise Such is the Resurrection of the dead which nature cannot helpe us to see any thing into but being beleived by faith becomes the object of Hope And 't is observable that seven times in the Acts of the Apostles the word Hope referres to this one object the Resurrection or future state or life in another world which indeed is the supreme object of the Christians Hope and all other things but in an inferiour degree and as they referre to that and in order to that great treasure of our rejoycing Though the truth is as there be promises of this life as well as of another as that God will give us all things necessary for us and the like So is there a Secular Hope or an Hope of this life and an object of that Hope S. What is that Secular Hope C. A reliance on God that he will send me whatsoever is good for me S. What is the object of that Hope C. Good successes good things S. Am I bound to hope that all things that are good for me shall befall me C. I must answer you with some caution First Those promises are conditionall All things shall tend to good to them that love God If we be lovers of God then that promise belongs to us not else And consequently then we are to hope it not else Ye that feare the Lord hope in the Lord saith the Psalmist S. But is every true servant of God bound to hope that God will give him all secular good things as wealth peace honour and the like C. There is another condition required in him first before that promise belongs to him and consequently before he is bound to that hope S. What is that C. To pray for them for the having and finding is promised to none but to them which aske and seeke yea and to use the meanes ordinary and lawfull which are in order to that end as labour and the like among which mercifulnesse and liberality is one to which the promise of secular wealth is most frequently made and the contrary threatned with want S. Well then must the servant of God having prayed and used those meanes hope and be assured that that which he thus prayes for shall be granted him C. Yes either formally or by way of aequivalence either that or something that is better or againe either now or when God fees fitter for him for this must be allowed God to be able to choose for us better then we can for our selves both for the thing it selfe and the time of conferring it For many times that which we aske would if it should be granted be worst for us and perhaps tend to our destruction and then God by denying the particular matter of our prayers doth grant the generall matter of them which alwaies is that which is best for us Sometimes againe he deferres to grant that we may reinforce our impression pray more ardently and for us to be so exercised in prayer and hope is best for us also S. Are we bound then thus to expect and hope in every thing that we pray for C. Yes we are and the want of that is the sinne of wavering or doubting noted by Christ and his Apostles S. Well but you toldme there was another part of the object of Hope besides the thing promised which you called the cause or author of it What is that C. The person that is to make good this promise to me which is God himselfe And therefore we are so often exhorted to hope in the Lord c. For as in the other affections we are not onely angry at the injury or the provoking thing done to us but at him that did it and we doe not onely feare paine and punishment but him also that can inflict it on us so we doe not onely hope for Heaven or for any other good thing but for God as the fountaine of our blisse and through whose mercy it is that it befals us This is called hope in him or as it should rather be rendred Hope on him 1 Joh. 3. 3. And this is a speciall act of Christian hope to be thus unbottom'd of our selves and fastned upon God with a full relyance and trust and dependance on his mercy S. I thanke you for this direction Give mee leave to proceed What be the seasons and opportanities of this Hope C. 1. Time of tribulation Rom. 5. 4. Tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience Hope and Hope maketh not ashamed Where the word which we render experience signifies being approved upon a triall and the sence runnes thus Tribulation is a season and a meanes to worke patience and that patience to produce approbation as of one that is tried in the fire and hath past the test And this a meanes to worke an Hope or expectation of reward and that Hope will keepe from being ashamed of those sufferings and make us rather
favoured or indulged unto may be also reconcileable with a regenerate state so farre as not wholy to quench the spirit of God to cause spirituall desertion though it do greive that spirit wast the conscience wound the soule and provoke Gods displeasure from which nothing but hearty repentance can deliver us and commonly bring some temporall judgement upon us S. What then are unreconcileable with a regenerate state C. Whatsoever are not compatible with an honest heart a sincere indeavour particularly these two Hypocrisie and Custome of any sinne Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne 1 Jo. 3. 9. i. e. doth not live in sin as in a trade or course for his seed remaineth in him there is in the regenerate a new principle or seed of life a principle of cognation with God which whilst it continues in him is still a hazening him out of sin and he cannot sinne in such manner because he is borne of God or if he do he is no longer a child of Gods or regenerate person or as Gal. 5. 16. walke in the spirit and you shall not fullfill the lusts of the flesh i. e. these two are unreconcileable when we say an honest man cannot do this our meaning is not to affirme any naturall impossibility that he is not able but that he cannot thinke fit to do it the principles of honesty within him as here the seed of God or new principles in him will resist it or if he do it he is no longer to be accounted an honest man S. This place in Saint Johns Epistle hath sure great difficulty I beseech you make it as intelligible to me as you may C. I shall do it and that most clearely by bringing downe the sense of the whole chapter from the begining to this place in this breife paraphrase do you looke upon the words in your Bible whilst I do it v. 1. Gods love to us is very great in that he hath accepted us Christians to be his Children which by the way is the reason that the world which rejected Christ rejecteth us also v. 2. being children though we know not exactly the future benefit which shall accrue to us by this meanes yet this we know that when this shall be revealed to us we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and that vision will assimilate us to him v. 3. the very hope of it now hath the same power of making us pure as he is pure for 1 Hope includes desire and love of the thing hoped for which being Heaven a place of purity the hope of Heaven must include a desire of purity and therefore the Heaven that the sensuall man desires if he desire it for the present is a mockeheaven and if it be the true Heaven the state of purity then he desires it not for the present but hereafter when sensuall pleasures have forsaken him And 2 the condition of Gods promises being our purification or sanctification and the particular condition of this seeing God being Holynesse 't is madnesse for us to hope any thing but upon those grounds and therefore he that hath this hope of seeing him or being like him hereafter labours to become like him now in purity a speciall imitable quality of his And v. 4. he that wants it i. e. every one that committeth sin is guilty of the breach of the law of this Evangelicall law of his that sin it selfe is that breach upon which consequently followes the forfeiture of those promises contained in it v. 5. and to that end that we for whom he dyed should not thus sinne it was without doubt that he came amongst us and sinne or any such impenitent committer of sinne is not in him v. 6. For every one that remaineth in him as a member of his sinneth not wilfull deliberate sinnes if any man do so pretend or professe be what he will he hath neither seene nor knowne Christ v. 7. I pray suffer not your selves to be deceived Christ you know is righteous and the way to be like him is to be righteous also and that cannot be but by doing righteousnesse living a constant Christian life v. 8. He that doth dot so but goes on in a course of sin is of the Devill and by his actions expresses the stocke he comes of For 't is the Devill that began his age with sinne and so continued it and so sin is his trade his worke this was a speciall part of the end of Christs comming to destroy his trade to dissolve that fabricke he had wrought i. e. to turne sinne out of the world v. 9. and therefore sure no child of God's none of that superiour stocke will go on in that accursed trade because he hath God's seed in him that originall of cognation betweene God and him Gods grace that principle of his new birth which gives him continuall dislikes to sin such as though they doe not force or constreine him not to yeild to Satans temptations yet are sufficient to enable him to get out of those snares and if he be a Child of God of Christs making like him that begat him in purity c. he cannot he will not thus go on in sinne v. 10 So that hereby you may clearly distinguish a child of God from a Child of the Devill he that doth not live a righteous and charitable life to do justice and to love mercy as Micah saith is no child of Gods hath no relation of consanguinity to him I shall need proceed no farther by this you will understand the sence of the verse to be this and no more Those that are like Christ and so God's children 't is supposed that they have such a seed or principle of Grace in them that inclines them to dislike and enables them to resist all deliberate sinnes and if they doe not make that use of that grace sure they are not like Christ none of his fellow-Sonnes of God a regenerate man remaining such will not nay morally cannot do so so doing is contrary to a regenerate state S. I heartily thanke you for this trouble I shall divert you by another scruple which is this Will not I pray you the flesh as long as we continue in these houses of clay be we never so regenerate lust against the spirit the members warre against the mind and so keepe us from doing the thing that we would yea and captive us to the law of sin and so will not this captivity and thraldome to sinne so it be joyned with a contrary striving and dislike be reconcileable with a regenerate estate C. Your question cannot be answered with a single Yea or Nay because there be severall parts in it some to be affirmed others to be denyed and therefore to satisfy you I shall answer by degrees 1. That there is a double strife in a man the one called a warre betwixt the law in the members and the law in the minde the other the
pestilence as it were that walketh in darkenesse and devoures the wealth as well as the soule and no reparations to be expected from God for such losses One meanes more there is to which Gods promise of temporall plenty being annexed we may well adde it to the former Exercise of justice and mercy Bring you all the tithes saith God by Malachy into my storehouse Mal. 3. 10. i. e. both the Preists and the poore mans tith and prove me now herewith if I will not open the windowes of Heaven and powre you out a blessing c. To which purpose the Jewes had a proverbiall speech Pay tithes on purpose that thou mayest be rich And many places of Scripture to the same purpose which before mentioned and threatnings on the contrary that they that withhold more then is meete it shall tend to want To these may perhaps be added another meanes having also the promises of long and prosperous life annexed to it that of meekenesse and obedience of which saith the law their daies shall be long in the land flowing with milke and honey and the Gospell that they shall possesse the earth As also it is affirmed of Godlinesse in generall that it hath the promises of this life i. e. of so much of the prosperity of this world as shall be matter of contentment to them Now these being by God designed as fit and proper meanes to the qualifying us for the performance of his promise of secular sufficient wealth to us and the condition required on our parts 't will be but the beleiving of a lye for any man to neglect these severall meanes on his part and yet to claime or challenge the end on Gods part In the same manner and degree as it is for the impenitent sinner to beleive and challenge the pardon of his sinnes and salvation S. I cannot but consent to this truth and acknowledge the fitnesse of the meanes which you have mentioned as truly subservient to that end But you told me there were also some that were mistaken for such meanes but are not What are those C. 1. Secular wisedome pollicy contrivance for though this seeme sometimes to obtaine that end Yet 1. There is no promise made to it 2. It many times faileth of the designe Nay 3. It hath oft times a most remarkeable curse upon it 2. Hoarding up all that comes pinching the backe and belly to fill the bagge 3. Going to law and contentiousnesse 4. Tenacity not giving or lending to those that truly want the griping illiberall hand Give and it shall be given unto you not else 5. Immoderate care and sollicitude loving and courting of the world 6. Deceite and injustice and especially Sacriledge and perjury Each of these in the esteem of the world the fairest way to wealth yet in the event prove the straight rode to curse and poverty it is a snare to devoure that that is holy saith Solomon and after vowes to make enquiry and that snare to the wealth as well as the soule See the flying roll Zach. 5. 2. and the curse that it brought with it v. 3. and that entring into the house of the theife and of him that sweareth falsely v. 4. i. e. on his family also and it shall remaine in the midst of his house and never leave haunting it till it consume it with the timber and stones that that a man thinkes would be best able to endure the firmest part of an estate moulters and crumbles away betweene the fingers of the perjured person noting this to be a consuming sinne and a consumption an hereditary disease an embleme of which is to be seene Numb 5. in the perjured woman v. 27. The water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter and her belly shall swell and her thigh rot those two parts of the body that have relation to the posterity 7. Distrust of Gods promise for sure never any man got any thing of God by not trusting him He that will not take his word must find out some other pay-master 8. Oppression violence spoiling of others though that seem a sure present course to bring in wealth for the threate of the Prophet Isa 33. 1. belongs to such Woe unto thee that spoilest when thou ceasest to spoile thou shalt be spoiled Men are seldome suffered to tast any of the fruite of those sins least they or others should fall in love with them S. You have now aboundantly discharged your promise in setting downe the true and the pretending meanes Have you any more propositions now to adde to the foure already mentioned in this businesse C. Onely these two 5ly that he that useth these true meanes appointed by God and discardes the false ones suggested by the world by Satan or by his owne ravening stomacke is more sure of not wanting for the future is better provided for a comfortable old age and a thriving prosperous posterity then all the worldlings arts can possibly provide him He that gives over all anxious thought for himselfe enters into Gods tuition and then shall surely be never the poorer for not caring 6. That the using of unlawfull though never so specious or seemingly necessary meanes to the getting or preserving of worldly wealth or the necessities of life is the most direct peice of infidelity most clearely forbidden in the phrase of taking thought this being the distrusting of God and his authorized meanes and flying to the witch with Saul or rather the Devill to helpe us to it the dividing our minds or hanging betwixt two or rather indeed forsaking of one and sleaving to the other disclaiming God and his providence and trusting to our selves and our owne artifices The greatest anxiety of mind imaginable which thus drives us out of our reason our Christianity to those courses which are most contrary to both S. I conceive the summe of your whole discourse on this matter is this that for the good things of the world God having made promise to give them to his servants and his promise being conditionall requiring at our hands the use of meanes to obtains the thing promised our duty is to use those meanes labour and prayer c. and then so fully to trust God for the performing his promise as never to have anxious or dubious thought about it never to fly to any unlawfull meanes to provide for our selves And by this way of stating I acknowledge our Saviours speech here fully reconciled with Saint Pauls command of providence with Christs praying for temporall blessings c. I have onely one scruple wherein I shall desire your satisfaction whether God doth not sometimes leave men destitute of food and rayment and how then it can be infidelity to be anxious in that point Or how can Gods promise of caring for us be said to be performed C. I answer 1. That it is not ordinary for men to be left destitute of food and rayment and though sometime it cannot be had
of digniâ—ies acts of Jewish Zelots c. to the favouring or authorizing of any kinde of lust of divorces forbidden by Christ c. to the nourishing of rash anger uncharitable either timerarious or unmercifull censuring envie emulation variance strife malice revenge contumelious speaking whispering backbiteing c. to the excusing or justifying of piracy rapine oppression fraud violence any kinde of injustice c. to the spreading of lies slanders defamations c. to covetousnesse unsatisfiednesse uncontentednesse in our present condition desire of change casting the crosse on other mens shoulders that we may free our owne from it to dealing with others as we would not be well pleased to be dealt with our selves or in a word if they tend to the discouragingor discountenancing any Christian virtue set downe in this or any other sermon of Christ or by his Apostles or to the granting any dispensation or liberty from that Christian strictnesse in these duties or in those other of repentance selfe-denyall meekenesse mercifullnesse peaceablenesse c. by these markes and characters you may know this to be a False Teacher Yet not so farre this as that whosoever is guilty himselfe of any of these sins shall be if he be a Teacher a false one for 't is possible his Doctrine and Actions may be contrary but that if these be the fruits and naturall effects of his Doctrine then shall his Doctrine be thus condemned otherwise an ill man he may be and yeta teacher of truth a wicked but not a false Prophet S. But is it not said of these False Prophets that they come in sheepes clothing which sure signifies their outward actions to be innocent How then can they be discerned by their fruits C. I answer first that the fruits of their Doctrine may be discerned though their owne evill Actions be disguised and varnished over 2. That though their Actions most conspicuous and apparent be good yet their closer Actions which may also be discerned by a strict observer are of the making of the wolfe ravenous and evill 3. That though they begin with some good shewes to get authority though they enter as sheep doe some specious acts of piety at first yet they continue not constant in so doing within a while put off the disguise and are discernible S. What now is the fourth or last generall Precept C. The summe of it is that it is not the outer profession of Christianity or Discipleship though that set off by prophecying doing miracles c. in Christs name i. e. professing whatsoever they doe to be done by Christs power which will availe any man toward his account at that great day without the reall faithfull sincere universall impartiall performing of obedience to the lawes of Christ S. But can or doth God permit any wicked man to doe such miracles c C. Yes he may for the end of miracles and preaching c. being to convince men of the truth of the Doctrine of Christ that may well enough be done by those that acknowledge that truth though they live not accordingly the miracles done by them being not designed by God to the commendation of the instruments but to the perswading of the spectators S. § 3 Having received from you the full tale of the precepts you proposed there now remaines onely the conclusion of the whole Sermon to be discharged and then you have paid me all that your promise hath obliged you to C. It is this occasioned by the last precept of doing as well as professing Gods will that the profession of Christianity lending a patient eare to those doctrines will if it be as oft as it is trusted to and depended on to render us acceptable to Christ prove a very fallacious and deceitfull hope Whensoever any storme comes any shaking disease or affliction which gives us occasion to awake throughly and examine our selves to the bottome we are not then able to retaine any hope or comfortable opinion of our selves although in time of quiet and tranquillity before we were thus shaken we could entertaine our selves with such flattering glozes Hearing of Sermons and professing of love to and zeale for Christ may passe for piety a while but in the end it will not be so 'T is true Christian practice that will hold out in time of triall and that hope of ours which is thus grounded will stand firme and stable in time of affliction and temptation at the houre of death and the day of judgement This doctrine of Christian duty and obedience is such that can never deceive any man that is content to build upon it Nor infirmity nor sin committed but repented of and forsaken nor Devill shall ever shake any mans hold that is thus built endanger any mans salvation that lives according to the rule of this Sermon nor shall all the flattering deceitfull comforters of the world bring in any true gaine to any other And it came to passe when Jesus had ended these sayings the people were astonished at his doctrine For he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes OHoly Jesu that camest downe from heaven and wert pleased to pay that deare ransome on the Crosse for us on purpose that thou might redeeme us from all iniquity and purify unto thy selfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes we beseech thee to write thy law in our hearts that most excellent divine law of thine that we may see it and doe it that we may know thee and the power of thy resurrection and expresse it in turning every one of us from his iniquities That we no longer flatter our selves with a formall externall serving of thee with being hearers of thy word partakers of thy Sacraments professours of thy truth knowers or teachers of thy will but that we labour to joine to these an uniforme faithfull obedience to thy whole Gospell a ready chearefull subjection to thy Kingdom that thou maiest rule and reigne in our hearts by Faith and that we being dead unto sinne and living unto righteousnesse may have our fruit unto holinesse may grow in Grace and in the practicall knowledge of thee Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and at last persevering unto the last attaine to that endlesse glorious end the reward of our Faith the fruit of our labours the perfection of our Charity and the crowne of our Hope an everlasting blessed life of love and holinesse with thee O Father of mercies O God of all consolations O holy and sanctifying spirit O blessed Trinity coeternall To which one Infinite Majesty We most humbly ascribe the honour glory power praise might majesty and dominion which through all ages of the world have beene given to him which sitteth on the Throne to the Holy Spirit and to the Lambe for evermore Amen FINIS Theologia est scientia affectiva non speculativa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Glem Al. in pedag Of the first Covenant Of the second Covenan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉