shewed you may be under the Law condemned for one transgression and what can you be more then be condemned Neither doth all this as in it self any more prepare you for Jesus Christ And therefore let all the Convictions Arguments Demonstrations we have produced from the clear Light of the Word of the Lord at last prevail with you that you who thus satisfie your selves because you are baptized believe the Scriptures frequent the service of God are just and sober therefore it is well with you and you will trouble your selves no further in the matter of your salvation that the estate of your soules is as unsafe and desperate how secure soever as the profoundest Drunkard in the Countrey Therefore let this Conviction have force upon your Conscience that you must come anew to Jesus Christ as a mere sinner having nothing to commend you to him Say from the Light of the Word Though I have thus satisfied my self pleas'd my self in these Duties and outward Priviledges yet there 's no difference between me and the vilest sinner in order to my acceptance with Jesus Christ Nay if this Conviction take upon thee thou wilt say to the glory of God and thy own confusion If there be any difference 't is that thou art the greatest sinner having mocked the Lord rested in out-side service dealt hypocritically with the jealous God offered him abominable sacrifice and therefore fit to be abhorred of the Lord for ever Oh! that this might be the posture of thy Soul and so thou mayest come and lye prostrate at the feet of Jesus Christ crying Oh! no more no more a righteous person but a sinner a guilty sinner a condemned sinner a poor blind naked sinner nothing else but a sinner Away with all my former confidences tear them from my heart Lord. Now Lord Jesus I cast my self upon thee Oh! let me creep unto thy blessed feet Oh! I come to thee not because I am righteous for I would abhor my self for ever in the thought of it but as a poor perishing sinner the worst of sinners an hypocritical sinner Oh! that I could take hold of thy righteousness to cover my naked Soul I expect it onely upon the account of thy Free-Grace Oh Lord I come unto thee do not do not reject me And thus have I been endeavouring to lay the sinner before Jesus Christ in such a posture having proved him under the Law excuseless in his transgressing of it guilty before God under an impossibility of reaching to an acceptance with God by the best keeping of the Law laboured to beat him off such props and confidences that the Heart naturally cleaves to and stript him of all naked as Adam when he had sinned before the Lord as nothing else but a sinner which is that I have driven at I now come to speak of the way of a poor Souls justification and acceptance with God by Jesus Christ as the Lord shall assist to the capacity of the weakest ROM 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ I Am now come to open the Gospel-righteousness wherein a poor sinner finds acceptance with God which in ver 21. of this 3d of the Romans is said to be now manifested that is more fully manifested by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Gospel being witnessed before by the Law and the Prophets Even the righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe ver 22. called the righteousness of God namely that whereby God doth onely justifie and accept of a sinner wrought forth by the obedience of Jesus Christ and made over and imputed to a poor Soul that doth embrace it by Faith whether Jew or Gentile outwardly righteous or profane all that ever come to God must come this way and stand before him in this righteousness or perish for ever which I shall begin to open from ver 24 25. 1. Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ 2. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his bloud c. We have endeavoured in the former Discourse to go along with the Apostle in proving that by all the Deeds of the Law all the best Obedience that a sinner can reach unto he cannot be justified before God neither in part nor in whole that your good deeds will not procure pardon nor poise down your sins but all by the Law equally under condemnation Of what importance then is it for poor condemned soules to be well acquainted with and really and practically invested in that way of justification that God in infinite wisdome mercy and love hath set forth in the Gospel which is that I now design The Apostles arguing is thus If all fall short of righteousness and acceptance with God by their own obedience If all have sinned and come short of the glory of God then are all and that equally condemned If so condemned then acceptance with God and justification and remission of sinnes must come in another way The Rise and Fountain of which must necessarily be Gods free mercy and grace If made righteous it must be in the righteousness of another wrought forth by another Justice must be satisfied by another a price paid to God for a sinners redemption by another which is Jesus Christ blessed for ever From the words then I shall first lay down this plain Observation viz. Observ Gods free mercy and grace is the first Fountain of any sinners salvation or 'T is upon the account of ' Gods free grace that any sinner is saved Thus runs the current of the whole Gospel the main design of the Gospel being to glorifie the riches of Gods free grace by Jesus Christ Among many other Scriptures the Apostle doth most convincingly discourse in Rom. 5. from the 15th to the end letting the free grace of God unto justification in opposition to a sinners condemnation But not as the offence so also is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many To the same import run the rest of the verses The free gift of many unto justification much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ All of grace and of free-gift abundance of grace from first to last That as sin reigned unto death so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord vers last So the Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians wherein the Doctrine of grace is blessedly given forth drives all the spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ mentioned Chap. 1.3 c. to this blessed Fountain Chap. 2.4 c. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were
changed in thy self pray and be holy and obey God in all things yet canst thou not be hereby justified but still thy justifying righteousness is in Christ and not in thy self as the onely procuring-meritorious cause of pardon and peace with God Ierem. 33.16 Isa 54. last 3. The great question therefore that should come upon thy heart is Whether thou art in a state of condemnation or justification If not justified thou art still as I have shewed under the condemnation of the whole Law nothing thou hast yet done or shalt ever be able to do will stand between Wrath and Hell and thy poor soul till thou comest to be justified in the bloud and righteousness of Iesus Christ Oh sinners ponder of this great thing that is now laid before you Can you say from a Testimony within you Oh! I was thus and thus once under the reign power guilt condemnation of sin but now now blessed be rich and free grace I am washed justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ See that Word 1 Cor. 6.10 11. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of our Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of our God Or at least that I may speak to poor weak willing trembling soules Is this it that your soules are restless after Oh that I were that I were in such a blessed state Oh that I could but believingly say the righteousness of Iesus Christ were mine and that now I am I am justified Oh what peace and sweetness and joy would fill my heart Why Soul If this be indeed the breathing of thy Soul Iesus Christ is thine and thou art justified and pardoned and God will at last give in unto thee if thou continue to follow him the sense and comfort of it in thy poor Soul Onely by the way take a Discovery or two of the reality of thy Heart in this matter 1. If thy Soul from a Spiritual Conviction be under a real making out after justification by Iesus Christ then thou would'st also be as really sanctified be made holy 'T was as much in the purpose of God to call thee out of a state of sinne and to sanctifie thee as to pardon and justifie thee 1 Ep. John 5.6 2. If thou art brought into a justified state thy soul making out after it thou art made alive in the Spirit Rom. 8.1 Thou art in Iesus Christ and wouldst walk no more after the flesh and the lusts thereof but after the Spirit Gal. 5.18 If ye are led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law namely to condemn you but are freed from the curse of it and verse 23. Against such there is no Law that is such as would walk after the Spirit be led by the Spirit and shew forth the fruit of the Spirit And this is that which the Apostle intimateth 1 Ep. Joh. 5.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the Witness in himself namely of the Spirit So that every justified person hath the Spirit of Christ according to the measure of the grace of God dwelling in him is quickned in the Spirit being once dead prays in the Spirit mortifies sin through the Spirit is taught by the Spirit and so in all other saving and sanctifying vertues of it If it be not thus with thee thou as yet hast no part in this blessedness but art under condemnation unto death And therefore sinner come before God in the sense of thy condemned estate and give up thy self to Jesus Christ to be washed justified sanctified and then blessed for ever 3. Let called and sanctified Believers labour to live in the sense of a pardoned-justified state that God is not off and on with them in the matter of justification though it may be sometimes darkned and clouded as to the evidence of it Oh! do you labour to preserve the sense and sweet and blessed peace of it in your souls give glory to the riches of grace for now there is No No condemnation to you you are passed from Death to Life and the Blessed God imputes no sin unto you Let this be the highest and strongest Argument to Holiness and love to the glory that possibly may be and if indeed you walk in the comfort of it it will be so unto you Onely let me give caution here to young Converts whose hearts at the first discovery of the free and glorious grace of the Gospel and of Iesus Christ are wonderfully taken and affected with it but after a time are apt to want on with it unless the first humiliation be the deeper and to wax sleight in Duties and so their Lusts recover strength again and return upon them and either they fall or are near unto it to the fresh wounding of their Soules This hath been the condition of many therefore be well caution'd in it and walk with fear in the midst of your joyous apprehensions of the sweetness of grace and the endearing love of the Lord Iesus to you Having briefly shewed what the nature of justification is what it is to be in a justifyed state before God I now come to open more particularly how a Soul comes to be partaker of this justification through the redemption of Iesus Christ namely Through Faith in his bloud ver 25. of this 3d of Rom. Observ As God through Free-grace hath set forth Iesus Christ to work forth Redemption for sinners so there must be a special believing on and applying the bloud of Iesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins by every one that is saved Therefore justification is attributed to Faith Rom. 5.1 Therefore being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ So Gal. 2.16 3.11 In all which places Faith is put in opposition to the Works of the Law And so the righteousness of Christ is called the righteousness of Faith Rom. 9.30 10.6 in opposition to righteousnesse by Works Not as if Faith were the matter of our justification that it did as an Act or Work in the Soul justifie before God but that God doth thus make over the bloud and righteousness of Iesus Christ to a Soul by inabling the Soul to come unto to take hold of to apply to it self to appropriate the merit of the bloud of Iesus Christ for its own Redemption and Salvation which may afford us a plain Description of justifying Faith precisely considered namely Faith is a work of the Holy Ghost in the Soul inabling it to appropriate or apply to it self the bloud and righteousness of Iesus Christ for the remission of sin and its justification unto eternal life So it is called the work of Faith with power 2 Thes 1.11 and 't is expressed by receiving of Iesus Christ Joh. 1. and believing on his Name coming unto him resting upon him So that plainly Faith is a going out to believing in trusting on another namely the Lord Iesus Christ for what it
this Snare many of the Jewish Professours of Christ fell short as 't is clear from the Epistle to the Galathians and did frustrate the grace of God 3. A sinner hath a secret thought of making God satisfaction by his sorrow and amendment and so makes void the Free-grace of God 'T is the easiest thing in the World to put up legal sorrow and amendment of life to God as that which may make God amends yea to make an atonement of every Duty which is the closest and most desperate evil of the heart so did the Jew by his sacrifices and obedience which caused the Lord to pronounce of them That his soul loathed them Isa 1. 4. A sinner doth not savingly close with free grace from a secret pride of heart he would not be found so poor and helpless so unrighteous ungracious as to be beholden to free mercy for all Many persons will rather starve then beg then live upon another mans mercy 't is so between a sinner and the Lord till God humble him hee 'd rather venture Hell then come and acknowledge utter condemnation nothing but sin upon him and so stoop to free mercy 5. The sinner stands off from free-grace because he will make his own termes he will condition for his carnall ease his self-interest his bosome lust the love of the world and hopes God will allow him his termes which he proposeth to himself and herein he is ruined Now God hath drawn up the tenour of his free grace in the way of a Covenant and though there are no conditions left to the creature to make good on his part by his own power for that will easily imply a self-sufficiency in him and is absolutely derogatory from the grace of God in the Gospel-Covenant yet God hath drawn up as I may so speak what other good things he will bestow on the subjects of his free grace Namely The Law to be new written in their hearts the gift of the Spirit Newnesse of heart with the making good of all those promises in a degree that hold forth holinesse and new obedience which must accompany the free pardon of sins and make indeed the free grace of God more glorious Inasmuch as when he pardons them he will save them from the service of sin work his Image upon them bring them to a blessed conformity to himself which considered aright sweetens and heightens the free grace of God and makes the termes of it more blessed In a word Mercy and holinesse must go together A Saviour and Sanctifier which a sinner from the cursed love of ease and satisfaction to his lusts sticks at and so comes not up to Gods termes which are blessed and holy and so misseth of grace and mercy for ever because he chooseth sinne rather then holinesse 6. Yea a sinner and I speak all this while of such as pretend to an interest in free mercy misseth of this grace because he takes up the termes of God in his Covenant of grace in his own strength will repent and come up to new obedience before he comes to the promise to the free grace of God for it which is also a dangerous snare A sinner's first work being convinced as we have opened is to throw himself upon the free grace of God for all to give all to work all and so to follow God by vertue of promises of such good and grace as the tenour of the Covenant holds forth T is an usuall thing for poor souls first to think to convert themselves make themselves holy and then come to God and Jesus Christ this is an indirect course Oh! a poor soul must begin at the fountain of Gods free grace for Christ for pardon for the Spirit for conversion for holinesse for all as held out in promises and then the worke will be sure and prosper and nought shall hinder it 7. Sinners fail of this free grace of God from a neglect and sleighting of it Heb. 2.3 How shall you escape if you neglect so great a salvation Sinners do hear that though they are sinners and condemned in a damnable estate yet Jesus Christ will save them if they will come unto him fit them for heaven and do it himself for them and in them yet through a desperate folly security and careless temper the heart being in a dead sleep they wretchedly neglect it 8. From the power of unbelief which they are under and see it not Thus have I shew'd those speciall hinderances that cause poor souls that hear of Gospel-grace to withstand it and for ever to misse of it Oh that this word of the Lord might find you out and might be as a glasse to shew you your own hearts you who by a willfull obstinacy have withstood the Gospell-calls hitherto Oh! now fall down before the Lord and cry I yeeld I yeeld thou blessed God thy patience thy freest grace hath overcome me Lord take away a rebellious obstinate heart from me Ah Lord Thou hast waited to be gracious and Christ and Mercy and Heaven have been offered to so vile a Wretch freely Now Lord I throw my self at thy feet a thousand Hells are too good for me but if grace infinite grace be free there 's yet hope for me If there be not grace enough in Heaven for me let me go to the depth of Hell but Lord I take hold of thee I desire to do it Oh do thou take hold of me and I shall not perish You who have stood upon your terms and hoped you had Righteousness enough to cover you and God would look upon that and not upon your sin you are the most abominable in God's sight you who secretly in your hearts think your sorrowing and reforming makes God amends you who have wrapt your selves in these Cobwebs and through pride of heart will not lay them down Oh! if thou wilt have mercy thou must have all in a way of mercy and grace all freely or nothing at all see all thy righteousness made void by one sin against the Law and therefore cursed and condemned by it therefore thou hast no Plea but free mercy and grace Oh lay down all thy other Pleas they will never be heard in Heaven and now cry out Oh 't is of grace proud selfish Wretch that I have been 't is all of free grace if ever I am saved If God cannot pardon freely bestow Jesus Christ freely I am undone for ever Oh the wicked castings of my heart this way and that way Oh there 's nothing nothing but infinite mis ry to move mercy All my goodness is an accursed thing as from my self there 's an infinite Fountain of sin and self-righteousness in men Oh could I come to an infinite Fountain of grace Thus thou wilt come to God when he shall smite thy heart Which now look up unto him to do You who have been making your own terms of ease and lusts and world Oh render up your hearts to the gracious blessed holy
sin in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the Law might fulfill'd in us c. Gal. 4.4 But when the fulnesse of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law c. So that the Law was fullfilled by Iesus Christ as if the sinner had kept it fully in his own person by Christ's becoming obedient to the death of the Crosse and so suffering the punishment of the Law still in the stead and name in the sinner and by his keeping the Law in the pure originall righteousnesse of his nature 2 Cor. 5.21 and Heb. 7.26 27. and by his actuall obedience to it in the perfect observing of it Rom. 5.19 For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many were made righteous Namely by the obedience of Iesus Christ which he gave unto the Law Now all sinners being condemned by the Law the Law could not remit them till it was satisfied it call'd for punishment and full obedience which Iesus Christ gave unto it 5. God could not so freely to speak after the manner of men let out grace and mercy unlesse such satisfaction had bin given by Iesus Christ now it can come easily delightfully chearfully from the righteous and gracious God seeing his justice will not plead against it but for it being blessedly satisfied and Iesus Christ by his death did fully merit it and deserve it at the hands of God and laid down as much as God in infinite justice would require therefore t is now as well justice as mercy for God to remit a sinner that comes to God by Iesus Christ 1 Iohn 1.7 God is just to forgive us our sins Now hereupon God having ordained and accepted of such a way of atonement his justice glorified and satisfied his word that the sinner should dye made good his Law to the utmost satisfied what remaines but that the blessed God can remit the bondage guilt condemnation of the sinner having thus accepted of satisfaction what remaines but that he should pronounce as he doth Iob 33.24 Deliver him for I have found a ransome God can now pardon the sinner that comes believingly by Iesus Christ to him for it without any regreat his justice shall be glorified by it as well as his mercy God hath charg'd all upon another and accepted of full payment call'd himself to witnesse of it and will never repent of it Object If any should Object Wherein is free grace glorified if God have received full satisfaction to his justice Answ I answer 1. 'T was infinite free grace for God to give out his blessed Son Iesus Christ when there was no obligation upon him he gave him and sent him freely Iohn 3.16 from his own free love therefore there 's a world of free grace in mans salvation 2. 'T was infinite grace towards the sinner to accept of satisfaction by a Surety Heb. 5. and not on the sinner the party offending himself what abundant grace and love to lay the sins and guilt upon another specially the onely Son of his bosome who was without all sinne 2 Cor. 5.21 and not to condemn the poor helpless sinner for ever 3. 'T was infinite free grace for God himself to contrive the way of such a Redemption had it bin left to sinfull man to have found out a way how justice might be satisfied he could never have done it It could never have entred into the heart of Man or Angels to have offered to God a satisfactory way for the making up of his wronged justice but he must have perished for ever therefore this is a world of grace 4. The Father was at Liberty to impute this Redemption of Christ to whom he would to this sinner and not to another Rom. 9. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy c. So that 't is indeed a debt to Christ but all of free mercy and grace to any Sinner that is saved Use 1. If then Salvation remission of sins came in this way by the death blood of Iesus Christ then it may discover to us the infinite hatred that God bears to sin that to make expiation atonement to his justice there could no sacrifice be found but the death of his eternall Son Iesus Christ Oh! that ever a sinner should delight in that which the holy God so much hates and abhorres 2. Let it be for convincement to poor sinners of the infinite necessity of this way of Redemption by Iesus Christ in laying down his life to satisfie the justice of God and of getting their part in it you have heard the case of a sinner condemn'd by the Law liable to eternall death subject to the rigour of divine justice no way able or in a Capacity to make satisfaction to God mercy as it were bound up by justice Oh! therefore what necessity of a Mediator of a Redeemer to work forth deliverance to lay down a ransome for sinners dye and undergo the curse and wrath of the great and dreadfull God fullfill the Law make satisfaction to the wronged justice of God to the utmost this Iesus Christ hath done for miserable sinners that will come to him Now the most of poor souls have but a notion of Christs dying but know not what is meant by Christ dying for me though sometimes in their mouths Oh! sinner for Christ to dye for thee if thou gettest a part in his death is to undergo the punishment and curse and death that thy soul was liable to which otherwise must have come upon thee to the utmost it was to be made sin and curse for thee to bear thy sins and stand in them Oh! that thou couldst really be convinced of the necessity of this Redemption that thou couldst never come to God without it and therefore to get thy poor soul stated in it 3. If satisfaction to Gods justice can onely be by the blood of Iesus Christ then let me again presse you that you take heed of performing your duties and repentings as if thereby you did satisfie and pacifie God for the sin of your souls This is the most dangerous snare upon poor souls that though they have sinned yet they hope God will be pacified with some praying and sorrowing and amendement now though this shall be in a spirituall manner upon every pardoned sinner and t is a capacity God puts the sinner into when he applyes the death of his Son and so gives out mercy and pardon yet you must most carefully take heed that you offer not up such duties as if they did make God amends and pacifie him for your sins but look above and beyond them as if they were not and so to cast your eye to the great sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ which Alone makes atonement to God and makes way for a poor sinner to come to him 4. That as sinners would learn the blessed Mystery of
Remember the same Paul that thought himself a blamelesse man Philip. 3.6 afterwards cryes out of exceeding sinfulnesse Rom. 7.13 yea the greatest the chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 But I hope to meet with thee and with thy conscience as to this conviction more hereafter The next inquiry will be when a poor soul may be said to be under such a discovery of the greatnes of sin as may lead him to get pardon through Jesus Christ 1. One discovery I have named already which is such a soul doth not go about to lessen his sin but greaten it to his greater abasement t is his fear he doth not see his sin great enough to lay him low enough before the Lord. 2. When such a sight and discovery of sin it begets trouble upon the spirit In Psal 38. you have David under a great discovery of sin and he cryes out there is no rest in my bones because of my sin I am troubled I am bowed down I go mourning all the day such a trouble that will not admit of peace and healing but from Jesus Christ till it can take hold of Jesus Christ in a promise of grace and pardon and come to him and close with him to be justified and Sanctified by him and in him as I am at large to shew if God will I speak this because there is a trouble for sin that often ends in a more dangerous peace many poor creatures have for a time bin troubled for sin and they have made one shift or other to quiet themselves it may be leave their sins and do a little something more but never come in a Gospel way to Christ which I am also through grace to evidence in the discovery of a false conversion However so it is that every soul that is unbottomed from a false peace a peace in sin or his duties he comes under trouble more or lesse in and for his sin as he gets to pardon 3. God smites a soul for some speciall particular sin Jer. 3.13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God and hast scattered thy wayes under every green tree c. Generall acknowledgment of sins comes to nothing 't is the the note of a Hypocrite but particular sins lying upon the soul speak forth spirituall convictions when joyned I mean with other workings of heart we are now setting forth 4. As God smites so the sinner is in particular confession before the Lord loads his heart with sin till it breaks Object But who will not confesse himself a sinner you will say Answ Truly few in a Scripture saving sense A word or two more to this That confession of sin before the Lord is a duty and such as hath the promise of forgivenesse of sin the issue of all we are driving at such places of Scripture will clear Psal 32. I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sinne Prov. 28.13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins 1 John 1.9 This being a duty to which so blessed promises are annexed 't is of much concernment to souls that are very serious about forgivenesse to have it stated aright according to Scripture and saving Experience There is a confession of sin that doth not entitle to the promise which a hypocrite may reach to so Pharaoh Exod. 9.27 I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked here 's confession but no pardon so Judas Math. 27.3 4. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood so Saul 1 Sam. 15.29 I have sinned for I have transgressed the Commandement of the Lord Here are verball inforced confessions when the hand of God was upon them and yet did not end in mercy The confession of a Hypocrite proceeds only from judgment felt or feared but that which is sincere and ends in mercy pardon goes upon better grounds 1. As first Confession that hath the promise of pardon is accompanied with hatred of sin So in that blessed draught of the new Covenant Ezek. 36. I will save you from your uncleannesses c. verse 29. and verse 31. Then shall you remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Then when God comes in a way of mercy and pardon then God will make them remember their wickednesses that they had even forgotten and had thought that God had forgotten them also they thought they were good ways before but now the Lord shews them they were not good and they loath themselves sin is not onely a terrour but a loathsome thing to them hateful to the soul that is under this conviction 2. Whence secondly Saving confession respects the pollution of sin They shall loath themselves c. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee In that 38. Psal David is in self-loathing this doth arise as presently I shall shew from a glimpse of Gods holiness which I humbly conceive ☞ No reprobate in the world doth reach to to loath sin because it makes him an unholy Creature 3. It followes therefore that such confession drives sin to the root to the fountain there sees it most abominable odious infinite So David Psal 51.5 I was shapen in iniquity c. A Hypocrites confession ends in outward grosse sins from terrour onely and reacheth not to heart-sin pollution of nature and if he can reach to reforme such outward grosse sins he hath done as he thinks the utmost but never comes to loath and so to mortifie through the spirit sin at the root but sincere souls touched by the holy Ghost with a saving sense of sin do drive sin home to its originall to its root in the universall corruption of heart and nature and there the severest edge and indignation against it is let forth 4. Brokeness of heart for sin is an effect of such confession Psal 51 17. Isa 61.1 57 15. And this ariseth upon sense of Gods patience goodness love As hatred of the pollution of sin ariseth from a sight of Gods holines Pharaoh cryes out he had sinned when he smarted with punishment but was still under the plague of his hard heart Exod. 9.27 34. There is indeed a kind of brokennesse that the hammerings of terrour by punishments or by the word may worke which may a little wear and rough-hew the heart and yet go no further but yet leave the heart under its naturall hardnesse but now that which is the spirits saving work kindly melts the heart makes it soft and so it can powre out it self to
when a Sinner so sees his sin as great sin in order to pardon 6. One thing more which I shall but mention such a confession of sin as hath the promise of mercy is accompanied with a firm resolution through grace to forsake sin every sin in heart and life He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Prov. 28. as before Mark well that famous promise Esay 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon here 's forsaking wayes and thoughts sins of heart and life and not a forsaking or leaving of some great sins but forsaking and warring against a sinfull disposition sinfull thoughts and not onely a mere leaving of sin but a returning to the Lord which he cannot do if held under the love of but one sin and a turning to God only upon the account of free mercy and then God abundantly pardons A good word suited to a poor soul under the sense of sinning abundantly therefore need of abundance of mercy and pardon Use 4. Therefore the next Use will be of Examination Have you bin under such a trouble as before opened about sin and the pardon of it such a trouble that would not be quieted but by clasping about Jesus Christ hath the Lord smitten you with the deep sense of a particular sin your bosome sin and thereby bin brought to a deep sense of the evil of all sin Have you been upon your knees your faces in as particular a confession as your could hating loathing sin and your selves in it Oh have you driven sin to the root the fountain oh there 's a Hell of it within Say do you know what it is to have broken hearts under the weight of sin and the sense of the patience grace and love of God held forth to you in Jesus Christ Do you know what soul-abasement is acknowledging in confusion of face that you are worthy of nothing from the Lord for ever not so much as a glimpse of mercy a good look from him because you have so sinned against him Have you glorified God though he never pardon you and is he holy and blessed though you are banished from him for ever Have you been so reduced to see that there 's not the least atome of good to commend you to the Lord and so layn down as nothing else but a sinnerr before him Thousands of sins to damne thee but not a drop of righteousnesse to cover thee and so creep to the seat of mercy infinite free mercy yea hast thou seen and felt the difficulty of such a self-emptines that thou wouldst rather part with all thy sinne then thy righteounesse yea rather be righteous and holy than be humble and empty ☞ A poor soul would take up from sin upon conviction of the damnablenesse of it and be more righteous and holy but to be reduced first to Nothing nothing else but a poor vile unrighteous weak empty creature and so to Christ here the pride of heart sticks Now soul be narrow and close in the search of this for faile here and fail in all But I intend a larger discourse to further this Conviction Use 5. Let it exhort you that have never bin under any trouble about your sin and the pardon of it that you do dot ward off and get from under such convincing searching words that may trouble you many poor sinfull Creatures resolve they will never hearken to such a word as shall trouble them and cannot bear such preaching as would trouble their consciences One word with you Why soul Hast thou bin dishonouring God abusing his patience and mercy transgressing his holy Commands slighting his grace and yet thou must not be troubled for it wilt thou have thousands of sins upon thy soul unpardoned and tread upon the brink of Hell every step thou goest and not be troubled about it It seems then thou resolvest not to trouble thy self much about that petty businesse as thou makest it of being damned for ever or saved for ever No nothing about sin guilt pardon heaven and hell must trouble thee Alas poor deluded creature what a care is there to get to hell peaceably for never any one got to heaven so that was never troubled about getting his sins pardoned Away away with such a cursed peace and let it now trouble thee that thou hast put off this work so long that sin and thy soul have bin at such a peace so long Be now at a professed war against it and take part with the Lord and his word that is teaching thee how yet to arive at the blessed haven of peace not with sin but with the blessed God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned Oh look unto him to smite a hard secure heart to strike at a bosome hellish lust for whose peace thou hast so long and so foolishly contended yea go in secret and fall down before the great God particularly confessing and shaming thy self haring loathing humbling till thou cry out as David here Oh pardon what a great matter t is for any poor soul to be pardoned Now great mercy for a great sinner or I am lost for ever Out-sinned pardon thou hast not if thou comest in this posture to God for it But you may further enquire how doth God bring a poor soul to this passe to such a deep sense of sin such a sight of himself so as to be thus before the the Lord in self-loathing and abasement I intend also if God will a fuller and set-discourse as to this matter Only now a word 1. When a soul is brought to this passe God lets out an appearance of himself in measure upon a poor creature such a glimpse of light and purity that makes the creature fall down and cry out oh I am vile vile as the dust I tread on 2. God gives out his spirit in the word which convinceth and searcheth the soul shewes it its condition state sin the damnablenesse and pollution of it the greatnesse of it as was shewed The spirit opens the holiness and spirituality of the Law Rom. 7.9 and shewes the sinner as in glasse what he is The spirit gives a sight of Jesus Christ peirced with the sins of such as will come unto him Zach. 12.10 These do cause loathing and bitternesse upon the soul of a poor sinner drawing near to the Lord for pardon Therefore 't is great wisdome to be where God speakes where God appeares where God gives out his spirit which is usually in the word preacht powerfully among the Saints meetings or setting thy self in secret to muse and ponder about an eternall condition or when the afflicting hand of God is upon thee do not say I am not so great a sinner as to make so much a do about pardon or heaven if that be thy temper thou art the most likely to be
works and there 's no life in them or from them therefore they stand no soul in stead while under the law as under it he is while he goes upon this account 7. The main reason of all which is now but to be touched is this If a soul endeavouring to keep the law of God as well as he can may be accepted of God thereby what need Jesus Christ to have dyed t is Pauls great argument Rom. 8.3 4. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous of the law might be fulfilled in us c. Mark ye what the law could not do that it could not give us a righteousnesse whereby God might accept us therefore God sent his son in the flesh and condemned sinne upon him which otherwise had bin condemned upon the sinner himself Another place to this purpose is Gal. 2. last I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousnesse come by the law then Christ is dead in vain If there were a possibility of a Creatures attaining to such a degree of keeping the law as well as he can that might render him accepted with God and procure pardon wherein he failed then the dying of Jesus Christ was in vain to no purpose at all Take heed you that are outwardly righteous that you do not frustrate the grace of God and the death of Jesus Christ for ever to your own souls by thinking you indeavour to keep Gods law as well as you can and make some conscience of it and there fix your hope wholly or in part and so be undone for ever Another place in the same Epistle Gal. 4.4 5. speakes out the same truth But when the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law To redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons What need Jesus Christ to have dyed to redeem the elect from under the law if they had bin able to reach forth to such a keeping of it that God might be well pleased with and with them in it Now Jesus Christs being made under the law implyes these things which I now but hint forth 1. His being under the punishment of the law which was due to such as were under it what ever the law pronounced to the transgressours of it Jesus Christ in effect did undergo it See Gal. 3. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the law being made a curse for us If good prayers making a conscience in dealing outward sobriety harming no body giving of Almes to poor people could have taken away the curse did the wise and blessed God do well in giving out his Son to be made a curse were prayers righteousnesse good deeds made a Curse They will be indeed in another sense if thou thinkest to be accepted by them 2. Jesus Christ being made under the Law was to satisfie Gods offending justice for the breach of the Law for such as shall be saved to make atonement for God Rom. 5.11 If now all that thou hast done or shalt ever do could make the least satisfaction or atonement to God in thy good keeping the Commandements as well as thou canst as hath been shew'd God might have kept his Son in Heaven and not sent him to make atonement for any sinners 3. To reconcile sinners unto God Rom. 5.10 When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son c. If reconciliation to God can be had no other way but by the death of Jesus Christ will thy good endeavours for the time to come to keep the Law of God as well as thou canst and take up from a loose course will those I say reconcile thee to God See poor creature how little need thou thinkest thou hast of Jesus Christ and what a mere notion a Saviour is to thee when it comes to the tryal 4. Jesus Christ dyed to purchase righteousnesse for all that shall be saved Now if thou couldst come up to such a degree of being righteous by thy fair and good carriage as thou thinkest to God and man this purchase of Jesus Christ was to little purpose Rom. 10.4 Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth Now see mistaken soul how thy hope to please God well enough and make him amends for thy sin by thy good endeavours to serve him in his law as well as thou mayst makes void the whole designe of God in the glorious gift of his eternall Son as much as in thee lyeth and robs him of the glory of his grace and makes thy salvation if it might be had in such a way not of grace but of debt Rom. 4.4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of debt but of grace And thus thou in effect becomest thy own Saviour Yet bear with me a little further because a sinner can never be too thoroughly convinced of this matter let me shew you some examples in the Scriptures of such that thought as you do and as all men naturally do that they by their honest and conscionable endeavour to worship God and harm no body they should be saved and yet were found light in the balance The first is that Pharisee Luke 18.11 He thanks God he was not as other men are Extortioners Unjust Aduterers c. Here was hope for his acceptance with God He was not so bad as others as many riotous profane persons were not unjust in his dealings no Adulterer And should any one question his Salvation and going to Heaven Enough for great sinners to misse of Heaven and not such as he was reputed a good and honest man in his Country and amongst his neighbours well thought of by most And yet for all this confidence and security a great sinner was accepted before him and he not justified in the sight of God though he was in his own sight and the sight of others See another Mat. 19.20 which place hath bin at large opened to you There came a young man a man of parts a Ruler with the same confidence to reason with Jesus Christ about his condition The man conceived he wanted nothing that a man should have or do for Heaven All these things saith he I have kept from my youth up meaning specially the second Table of the Law which Christ gave out not as thereby to put him upon the law but to find him out and discover him under the law When Iesus Christ searcheth the mans heart and finds him under the power of the love of the world as a reigning soul-damning sin for all his outward blamelesnesse and so to discover his heart to himself puts him upon tryall of self-denyall Away the man packs as mute as a fish and would hear no more as worldlings now of such doctrine unlesse he
dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ for by grace ye are saved so ver 7. That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace and ver 8. For by grace ye are saved it is the gift of God Therefore the invitation of the Gospel to sinners runs upon this score Ho Every one that thirsteth come to the Waters of Life Isa 55.1 And Whosoever will let him come to the Water of Life freely Revel 22.17 I might illustrate this in all the particulars of a sinners salvation God's fore-ordaining and choosing any to salvation 't was to the praise of the glory of his grace Eph. 1.5 6. The gift of his Eternal Son Jesus Christ from free love and grace John 3.16 The New Covenant and all the Promises of it freely given out for his own Names sake Ezek. 36. Effectuall Calling from free grace 2 Tim. 1.9 The gift of Faith actual Justification Tit. 3.7 Sanctification Perseverance Eternal Life and Glory all flowing from the same Fountain of Free-grace Some Reasons of the Design of the Blessed God in this may be gathered from the Scriptures The Free-grace of God is the Fountain of all in any sinners salvation 1. Because There is nothing in the Creature that may move God to save him Nothing at all All we know or do could not move God to mercy Deut. 7.7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you because you were more in number then any people but because he freely loved you c. Not for your sake do I do this c. Ezek. 36.32 2. As God saw nothing in him so the sinner is able to bring nothing to God to draw out mercy of his own Therefore saith the Lord Isa 55.1 let him come without his price As the sinner lost all his good so he can procure none a new to bring to God that may in the least move the heart of God to give out more to him 3. If it were not all of grace then the Creature would have occasion of boasting but the Lord in infinite wisdome so laid the Project of a sinners Salvation that no Creature should have the least ground of boasting So the Apostle having given out the Doctrine of grace in this Scripture we are upon draws this conclusion ver 27. Where is boasting then It is excluded c. So in the 1 of Cor. 1.29 the Holy Ghost lays down this as the main scope of God in the Gospel That No Flesh should glory in his presence Therefore Salvation is all of grace of Free-grace 4. If it were not so The glory of God would not be so great in the Salvation of a sinner 'T is now so laid that all might be to the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1.6 It being the highest piece of glory that the Wise and Blessed God did ever design unto himself that his free rich abundant infinite grace might be made known in the Salvation of a Sinner That he might make known the riches of his glory on the Vessels of Mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 Vse 1. If Gods Free-grace be the Fountain of all in a poor sinners Salvation then let it establish our judgments in this Doctrine Therefore God had no respect to any fore-sight of Faith or Works in the Creature God had no respect to the freenesse of his Will for he knew he had none God had no respect to any conditions to be wrought in us but all he did and doth was from absolute Independing-grace Nothing moved him but his own Free-grace The same Free-grace that pardons gives and workes all in us All from the same Fountain 2. If all be of Free-grace then there is no meritorious-procuring Cause in us that moves the Lord to mercy Now the contrary is naturally rooted in our hearts poor Soules are most apt to conceive that if they can grieve for their sins repent and reform this will sure move God to mercy and pardon A most dangerous snare from which a Soul after much conviction is hardly wrought off Now though God in the way of a Sinners Salvation hath promised to give Repentance Act. 5.31 and a Spirit of mourning for sinne yet a poor Soul must take heed that he make not this a procuring cause of Pardon Many a Soul sticks here before emptyed of himself even of his very repenting and so come for grace and mercy upon the account of the Free-promise onely How many a Sinner might have been saved if he would have been saved freely 3. If God hath so laid the Design to save a Sinner freely then how great how just is the Condemnation of guilty sinners that will not hasten in unto it how could the Lord have laid it more freely then he hath Oh that any sinner for ever condemned to Hell without it should withstand it Why sinner Shall the Blessed God that might have much glory in condemning thee to all Eternity be willing to save thee freely and wilt thou not come and bow unto him accept of it All the contempt of God in all his Holy Commands is not like this to turn the back upon Free-Mercy Free-Salvation This will be the Worm that never dyes to any of your Soules that shall not come into and rightly accept of Gospel-salvation that you might have been saved freely have had grace remission of sins Jesus Christ the Spirit Eternal Life freely and yet turned your backs upon it But you may demand How is it that any sinner doth so What is it that causeth any Soul to forego Free-grace and mercy when held out unto him that we may beware of such hinderances I will therefore shew you such Hinderances that keep Soules from accepting of Gods free grace in Jesus Christ when held out unto them 1. Wilful Obstinacy Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come unto me that you might have life Ye will not such is the stubbornness rebellion of the heart of a sinner that he will not as we speak because he will not to such a height hath sinne raised the heart of the rebellious children of men for every natural man till made sensible of unbelief thinks he hath Power of himself though he hath not but his Rebellion lyes in his Will I would have gathered you and ye would not Mat. 23. last 2. A sinner doth not accept of Free-grace because he stands upon his self-justification as we use to speak he will not be perswaded he hath so much need of all Free-grace as the Gospel discovers as hath been shewed at large though he hath sinned yet also he hath obeyed and so he puts one against the other his obedience against his sin and so hopes to get that mercy he hath need of And upon this ground more sinners even that profess the Name of God do miss of Heaven then any other in the World 'T is not so easie a matter to submit to Gods Free-grace alone as many do imagine Upon
thou poor formal out-side Professour who never didst feel the vertue healing life and warmth of the bloud of Christ upon thy heart Oh rest not in good thoughts of it onely but come believingly to it as thou hast been exhorted Say and that with thy heart Now Lord I would know the power and efficacy of this Redemption upon my poor soul Wash me Lord wash me I renounce all but the blood of this Christ as to making way to God for me Oh! let it pacifie my conscience and purge my conscience and I shall be clean If the Spirit of the Lord shall work thy heart to come as a guilty helplesse unholy sinner in thy self to this blood of Jesus and make thy approaches to God daily and argue for grace and remission upon it and purging thy soul these inestimable blessings will be the issue of it which I will but name to thee 1. Thou shall Certainly find forgivenesse of thy sins In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of our sins Ephes 1.7 God will remember them no more against thee and thou shalt have peace with thy God for ever 2. God will let forth an infinite unchangeable love upon thee Rom. 5.5 which love he bore thee from eternity but will now manifest it to thee and estate thee in it for ever 3. Thou shalt have boldnesse of accesse to God Rom. 5.2 even into his intimate presence to speak with God face to face and ask of God what thou wilt according to his will Heb. 10. 4. All the promises of mercy grace and all blessings here and for ever shall be thine made over sealed in the blood of Christ 5. Thou shalt rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 with all Saints and see thy self an heir of heaven 6. Thou shalt be still a washing and purifying and fitting for Heaven till thou shalt be taken up unto God and live in the Ocean of his love to all eternity Now if ease in thy sin and the world can do better for thee than this that I have named then keep in but if not as most certainly it cannot Arise and come to this blessed Redemption and get thy part and portion in it and thou shalt say Blessed be thy counsell and advice for evermore But now upon this Redemption of Iesus Christ how is a sinner said to be justified that is to be put into an actuall possession of the Redemption of Iesus Christ through the free grace of God 1. When the Compact was made between God the Father and Iesus Christ as to the salvation of those that the Father gave to Iesus Christ and Iesus Christ undertook the fulfilling of the Condition of the Covenant ☞ God did purpose in himself to justifie them from eternity and look't upon them as in Christ 2 Tim. 1.9 Ephes 1.4 So they were justified as to the purpose of God from all eternity 2. When Iesus Christ performed the condition of obedience in his dying and paid unto God what he required at his hands for the sinners redemption then did God as in the Court of Heaven discharge the sinner though not in the court of Conscience and when Christ arose and came to Heaven the Father gave him in an absolution of them all from the guilt of sin and obligation to death and so at the death of Christ all the Elect were meritoriously justified inasmuch as the price was paid and accepted of the Father Rom. 5.10 3. When according to the purpose of God through the purchase of Iesus Christ a sinner is called by grace hath faith given him as purchased also for him to embrace Iesus Christ in the Promise to receive him as offer'd in the Gospell and with him all spirituall blessings then is the soul put into the actuall possession of what God in his purpose and love determined to give him and Iesus Christ by the purchase of his blood gave him a right to before and so there is an Act of Gods pardoning mercy passeth upon the sinner he hath an actuall discharge given in unto his Conscience hath the obedience of Iesus Christ imputed to him and so is lookt upon by God not as a sinner under guilt but as righteous in the righteousnesse of Christ which bespeakes him Justified that is made just and righteous before God by the imputation and making over Christs righteousnesse to him as if righteous in his own person upon which Act of God there is a full remission of sinne as in the Text and the believer is put into another state a state of justification unto life through Iesus Christ Rom. 8.18 who before was in a state of death and condemnation Before I speak of that faith which through grace puts a soul in his pardoned and justified state I will breifly apply this to the Capacity of the weak 1. It may informe and instruct you in this great Mystery that any sinner that is saved must be thus justified made righteous by the obedience of Iesus Christ he must come to see the justice of God made up his sin satisfied for a price paid unto God and this to be actually made over to him as we shall presently shew Most of sinners 't is to be feared do not consider this that speak of mercy and pretend they hope in mercy but are never convinc'd of the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ and what it is to passe from a state of guilt to a state of righteousnesse by Iesus Christ from a state of condemnation to a state of justification without which there can be no salvation Oh be convinced sinners of this great matter of the necessity of the righteousness of Christ his obedience in fulfilling the Law to be made over to you to be brought into a justified state or you can never have pardon of sin and be accepted with God you can never stand before God but in the righteousness of Iesus Christ Say If I do not get the righteousness of Christ made mine If I do not get thus justified I must never expect pardon of my sin and acceptance of my poor soul at the great day of the Lord. This is the Work of the Spirit to be savingly convinced of this Ioh. 16.8 Oh look up to the Father for the Spirit thus to convince you not onely of sinne and the damnableness and sinfulness thereof but of your infinite need to get not onely some general hope of mercy and pardon but the righteousness of the Son of God to bring you into a state of pardon reconciliation peace with God 2. It may further clear unto you that your justification before God is not within you but without you wrought forth by Iesus Christ for such as are or shall be called by grace and imputed to them not inherent or wrought in them 'T is not grace in you that doth or can justifie you though renewing grace shall be wrought in all that are so pardoned and justified Therefore though thou must be
perform their Duties as returnes to God Every called Believer saith in his heart as David Psal 116.12 Oh! What shall I render to thee How gracious hath God been and now how holy should I be Who shall love the Lord and fear before him and praise him if I shall not To whom shall his Name Laws Ordinances be precious if not unto me Who is more bound to love the blessed God then I and how shall I love him but by obeying him Thus doth a Believer perform his obedience as a testimony of a thankful return to God though I do not say that this is all his motive 10. By the Obedience and Holiness of Believers God is much glorifyed in the World 't is the greatest glory that God designs to himself in the World even by the holiness and willing-gracious obedience of his people to him When the World lyes in wickedness and makes War against the great and holy God this is that which Honours God that he hath a people called by his grace that set forth the glory of holiness in the world that are witnesses to the holiness of God the holiness of his Worship and all his Ways and profess and endeavour to walk in them and by this others are brought on to glorifie God on their behalf 1 Pet. 2.12 Vse 1. It may serve for instruction and information of your judgments and Consciences that there are other blessed and necessary and holy Ends in the Sanctification and Obedience of a Believer though they do not pacifie God nor justifie the Believer nor procure mercy by way of worthiness to a poor Soul called thereunto which may therefore serve to discover the damnableness of such kind of Doctrines that teach and cry in this day Grace is free Christ hath done all what need you pray and have Ordinances and be holy This is of the wicked one and comes from his Instruments and Factors who are sent abroad to damn Soules You may see that not one of those Ends mentioned but is of weight enough to convince a soul of the necessity of Holiness Duties and Obedience and such mens pretences are not a Scripture-way of Free-grace 2. If there are blessed and holy Ends of a Believers Duties and Obedience though he is not thereby justifyed It may serve to take off that prejudice of heart through misunderstanding and ignorance that is apt to be upon the hearts of such as are Carnal when they hear that all their Duties Sobriety and Righteousness is to be accounted as loss for Christ You see there are good and necessary Ends of all Duties of Obedience onely still take this with you and to your Consciences that till you come as poor and naked to Iesus Christ for your justifying Righteousness and so get life in and from him and so are carryed on in a way of Duty Your Duties serve you for no end and purpose unless for a lesser degree of Torment in Hell onely be encouraged to wait upon the means for the receiving of the Spirit for the Knowledge of Jesus Christ And these things I have spoken may be your Experience 3. It may further direct Believers what ends they are to propose to themselves in the way of their Duties and Obedience to be carryed on in them through the grace of GOD and the daily supply of the Spirit as one great end of your Redemption that you should serve the Lord in Holiness to eye the Soveraign and Absolute Command of God over you that thereby you are made conformable to God and shew forth his Image and to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that there is an equity and goodness in all the Holy and Righteous Ways of God And see that the love of God be shed abroad in your hearts to draw out your love to him and so be acted in your obedience Get your hearts taken with the beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus and so long after likeness to him See that you look after Communion with God in your Duties and that you do not neglect your Evidence for the Pardon of your sinnes by the sight of your Sanctification and your Universal Obedience And perform them not as to procure mercy by any proportion thereunto in your Duties but as Returns to God and consider how much God is glorifyed in the World by the Obedience of his people And thus may you carry on your progress in Holiness and a sweet and consciencious performance of Duties and walking with God and yet live by your Faith for your justification by the rich and Free-grace of God through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ as if you had never obeyed at all In a word If thou hast felt the power and vertue of the bloud of Jesus Christ upon thy Soul coming as a poor naked polluted guilty Soul unto it as thou hast been shewed and hast received life from Jesus Christ by a believing closing with him and art waiting for a sight and sense of thy justification but doest yet want it Remember still that in the performance of thy Duties thy heart which it is very apt to do lay no stress upon them as in them to appear before God and to procure the favour of God but still go forth to the grace bloud righteousness promises of Christ and there fix for thy acceptance with God and be much in renewing of Acts of Faith that is casting thy Soul upon them and Evidence will come in yet go on in humbling praying waiting reforming sanctifying obeying as to the ends mentioned And the peace of God fill thy heart 2. Believers that have some sense of their Justification do you remember that you obey God not that thereby you were are or ever may be justified but because you are justified therefore you obey the Lord and delight in his wayes keep this in your eye and 't will keep the heart from going to bottome upon your selves as gracious and partly righteous which mixtures render Duties uncomfortable and keep souls from assurance No Believer performs his Duties so spiritually sweetly and comfortably as that soul that labours to keep the sight of his justification still upon the account of Free-grace and out of himself that soul enjoys sweetest Communion with God in the way of his Duties and gets to Heaven with most comfort and assurance AMEN The End of the Second Treatise of the Gospel New-Creature The Third Treatise THE Gospel-New-Creature In Christ positively opened The false appearances thereof in the Legal-new-Creature so called plainly refuted And the true Evidences thereof particularly held forth to the Experience of the weak Believers 2 COR. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a New Creature I Have been opening the difference between the Righteousness of the Law and the Gospel shewing the Necessity Nature and Way of obtaining Gospel-justification by the bloud of Jesus Christ and have discovered a soul estated therein I shall now endeavour to open the Gospel-New Creature peculiarly as distinguisht
full of dead mens bones rottenness and of all uncleanness But now when the new creature is forming up then the Heart is after purifying Purifie your hearts ye double-minded Jam. 4.8 Then what a blessedness would a pure heart be saith a poor Creature Oh! that my heart were cleansed Wash thine heart saith God Jer. 4.14 Oh! that it were washed saith the new creature And this is one of the most special Works a new Creature will be after as he is more formed up in Holiness to keep the Heart pure as a Temple for God 6. The Heart naturally is dead as already hinted and feels not its own deadness but when renewed then the heart doth live that seeks God Psal 22.26 It feels and mourns over its own deadness and cries out Quicken Oh quicken me oh God! No Duty is well performed then but as the Heart lives in some measure in that Duty Now it feels its own burdens pollutions lusts corruptions carnality earthiness and bewails it before the Lord. 7. The Heart is naturally divided between Christ and the World Christ and Lusts Hos 10.2 Their heart is divided But under its renewings the heart as to the main bent of it makes a whole close with Christ the great business of a soul then is to give the whole heart up to Christ and fears he can never do it fully and singly enough and when the heart lusteth after other things so far as it is renewed it is fetcht in again to Jesus Christ 8. The Heart of it self is unbelieving Take heed least there be in you a heart of unbelief Hebr. 3. Now when the heart is made new there is a Work of Faith with power 2 Thess 1.11 And then the soul is made sensible of that bitter Root of Unbelief that is naturally in their hearts and they finde it the hardest work in the world to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to fix on Promises And that a believing heart is a special gift of God and a work of the Spirit which while a poor sinner was shut up under Unbelief he felt not Use 1. To unchanged persons who are the same in heart as ever they were Oh learn by what hath been opened what is the natural make and frame of them There is in you a Rebellious Heart against the Lord and wilfull obstinacy against his Word and Spirit and therefore 't is that you cast the Word of the Lord from you and in your hearts despise it and say This is not the Word of the Lord and we will not obey it You have hard and impenitent hearts and therefore you do not mourn for sin you have proud hearts and are well conceited of your condition though damnable and therefore you do not humble your selves to God you have hypocritiall hearts and see it not full of a Hell of Uncleanness dead in sin and without feeling the heart divided between Christ and the World unbelieving and yet say you have Faith If thou canst not make out a newness upon thy heart as we have shew'd thou hast still thine old heart with its Lusts and thy estate is as yet damnable let thy knowledge profession outward blamelessness be what it will 2. Oh therefore let this Word be yet for further tryal of your estate Can you say to the praise of free and rich grace that God hath in some measure taken away your Rebellious Heart from you and you can stoop and yield to the power of Truth and rejoyce in it that God hath made your heart soft in some measure and the pride of your hearts in the false conceit you had of your selves hath a stroak from God upon it that God hath shewed you your deep and cursed hypocrisie and how your heart was divided and was wholly unbelieving And that the Remnants of these wickednesses in you of heart-rebellion hardness pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief are your greatest burden and you mourn over them daily If this be not your Experience let that man or woman know he or she is a hypocrite and unbeliever and sees it not c. 3. Therefore let it convince you and exhort you to go and fall down before the Lord and beg him to open your hearts which naturally are shut up in darkness and to abase you in the sense of your Rebellion and that he would even do this for you in much mercy to take away a rebellious hard proud heart from you and would make your hearts pliable to the Word make them soft and humble before him and to close with the whole heart with Jesus Christ through a work of Faith upon you Do this in the fear of the Lord and through his grace coming upon you and see what God will do for you and you will be your own Wonders that ever such abominations should lye hid in your hearts yet you not be confounded in your selves in the sense of them 4. Let Souls that are through infinite grace under some heart-renewings know that they have never done with this Work till they come to glory yea Soul thou hast depths of rebellion price hypocrisie pollution unbelief which yet thou hast not reacht to and therefore as thou must ascribe all to Grace for what the Lord hath done upon thee and remembers to thy greater humbling how much a do the Lord had with thee to bring thy heart under so much as it is so to consider that the Candle of the Lord must more and more search thy dark and deep heart and 't is to be thy daily work or else all these evils will again much prevail upon thee Love therefore a searching Word from the Servants of Christ that are over you 6. The next Discovery of the Gospel New-Creature is this namely The Gospel New-Creature hath new affections Briefly to instance in some of the chief 1. The New-Creature hath new fear The fear of an Eternal Condition that first usually seizeth upon a convinced sinner the fear of a just and angry God against sin and at last upon its renewing a holy awful fear of God as great and holy and good a fear of sinning against him and that because he is gracious Naturally this affection of fear in a Carnal heart is conversant about the loss of outward things about shame in the World and the like and so far as it respects God his Soul 't is a slavish fear of breaking out of some grosser sins onely least God should damn him but not fearing the Lord with a gracious Son-like fear a fear that purifies the Heart a fear that is mixt with a blessed love of God and delight in his ways 2. The Heart is exercised with new sorrow A godly sorrowing for sin such sins which were once the delight of the Heart such a sorrowing that works an indignation against the Darling-sins a taking of a kind of Revenge of our selves for it a vehement desire after pleasing of God and Holiness 2 Cor. 7.11 There is a
c. A blessed Exercise for Saints indeed So we finde the Scripture-Saints sweetly taken up with contemplation and admiration of the Excellencies of God himself Thou art glorious in Holiness Exod. 15.11 saith Moses But Thou art Holy saith David Psal 22. Oh how great is thy Goodness Psal 8.31 as might be abundantly shewed and the exercise of the thoughts this way hath a powerful influence upon the Heart as to its abasement purity sincerity 2. Saints have the riches and freenesse of the grace of God in Jesus Christ towards poor sinners to be taken up withall Oh the free rich distinguishing grace of God to a poor Creature that was posting to Hell that was a Rebellious Wretch a vile Hypocrite the worst of sinners the most unlikely to be converted of any sinner in the World We have David and Paul's heart swallowed up in this above any other as David in many Psalms is in the admiration of grace and Paul in most of his Epistles makes it his great scope as the great Argument to be not onely believing but humble and holy and heavenly all their days specially Col. 1. and Ephes 1st 2d and 3d Chapters 3. Saints have the unsearchable Riches of Jesus Christ to take up their thoughts with the Excellencies and Dignities of his Person the Beauty and glory that is in him the depths of his love the matchless price of his bloud his bowels to sinners his care of his Churches Oh these are things worthy the thoughts of Saints indeed 4. They have to take up their thoughts the glorious blessedness of the forgiveness of their sinnes What a blessed state a state of forgiveness in the bloud of Jesus Christ is Blessed oh blessed for ever are they whose iniquities are forgiven Bless the Lord O my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities c. Psal 103. God hath not appointed me to wrath but to obtain salvation through my Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thess 5. Oh blessed extasie for a poor called pardoned Believer to be in 5. Such as are New Creatures in Christ they have the Mystery of the New Covenant the everlastingness of it to bring their hearts to and to work the Promises thereof upon their hearts to muse on the returns of their Prayers to behold the continual Providences of God towards them and his ways of mercy and kindness to them 6. They have the shortness of their time the vanity of their lives the certainty of Death to muse on Lord make me to know the number of my dayes that I may know how frail I am Yea they have a future and eternal state of blessedness and glory to have their thoughts swallowed up into That they shall one day see Jesus Christ as he is in all his glory and never look off him any more they shall do nothing else but love him enjoy perpetual communion of Saints be praising admiring adoring the blessed Majesty of God for ever and ever Oh! If there are such excellent and blessed things for the thoughts of the holy-ones of God to be exercised in oh what bare Dunghill hearts have such that pore upon nothing but earth and filth Let it not be so with such that have tasted the good and sweetnesse of those things that have a reall substanstiall soul-filling goodnesse in them What matter of Complaint to Gods poor Children whose hearts are too too apt to sink earth-wards poys'd with weights that they cannot keep them up in the vision of God his Christ and what ever is blessed in him Oh! when the thoughts of your hearts must be taken up with your Callings which cannot be done without it keep a watch over them let them not run forth to sinfull distempers but that you may be fit to go to God and converse with him and get the blessed savour of these things upon your hearts and do not let out your thoughts to idlenesse and soul-defiling vanity and feed upon vanity when there are such solid glorious things to feed upon which you expect to be taken up with in an infinite unwearied delight to all eternity And do not suffer the Devil to take up his abode by his subtle and suddain suggestions or more close insinuations upon you If he make his inroads resist check defie with abhorrency his first attempts before he work up corruption in you And remember still your spirits and bodies are the Temples of God and the Temple of God must be Holy 1 Cor. 6.19 20. What know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost that is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore Glorifie God with your spirits and bodies which are Gods And thus much of this speciall evidence of the New-Creature in the newnesse of his thoughts and the acting of them 8. The Eighth discovery of the New Creature is this The New-Creature hath a new lip a new tongue let loose to speak of God and for God And this also I shall a little insist upon Saith our blessed Lord A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things Mat. 12.35 Good and wholsome and savoury words To this we find the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures often pressing Saith the wise man Prov. 20.15 The lips of the knowledge are a precious Jewell The mouth of a righteous man is a well of Life The lips of the righteous feed many Prov. 10.11 12. So the Apostle Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers Ephes 4.29 Let your speech be alwayes with grace seasoned with salt c. Col. 4.6 By which places 't is evident that a special discovery of the New-Creature is herein manifested 1. The New-Creature hath a New-tongue to speak Savourly and Experimentally of the things of Christ and the work of the spirit Because that which the heart is exercised with it will be bringing forth Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh An evil man out of the abundance of evil in his heart bringeth forth evil things As a good man doth good things Math. 12.25 8. If the heart and affections be spiritually exercised the Tongue will be speaking forth 2. Because thereby A New Created Soul doth give glory to God they speak of the Testimonies works goodnesse grace and the wonders of the Love of God to poor sinfull Creatures And hereby God is much glorified Come and hear all he that fear God and I will tell what he hath done for my soul Psal 66.16 3. Gracious hearts do hereby stirr up the grace of Christ in them t is like the blowing of a spark and makes the heart to glow ere it is aware gracious Conference is the very breath of the Spirit which kindles all our graces afresh as it was with the Disciples going to Emaus Luke 24.32 Did not our hearts burn within while he