as the misapprehension of the thing it self for as long as they mistake it in its own nature no sign no mark can satisfie in it You take Faith to be a perswasion of Gods love that calms and quiets the mind Now such a perswasion needs no sign to know it by it is manifest by its own presence as light by its own brightnesse It were a foolish question to ask any How they knew that they were perswaded of anothers affection The very perswasion it self maketh it self more certain to the soul then any token So then while you question whether you have Faith or not and in the mean time take Faith to be nothing else but such a perswasion it is in vain to bring any marks or signs to convince you that you have Faith for if such a perswasion assurance were in you it would be more powerfull to assure your hearts of it self than any thing else and while you are doubting of it it is more manifest that you have it not than any signs or marks can be able to make it appear that you have it If any would labour to convince a blind man that he saw the light and give him signs tokēs of the lights shining the blind man could not believe him for it is more certain to himself that he sees not than any evidence can make the contrary probable You are still wishing and seeking such a Faith as puts all out of question Now when Ministers bring any marks to prove you have true Faith it cannot satisfie or settle you because your very questioning proves that ye have not that which ye question if you had such a perswasion you would not question it So then as long as you are in that mistake concerning the nature of Faith all the signs of the word cannot settle you But I say if once you understood the true nature of Faith it would be more clear in it self unto you than readily marks and signs could make it especially in the time of temptation If you would know then what it is indeed Consider what the Word of God holds out concerning himself or us the solid belief of that in the heart hath something in the nature of saving Faith in it The Lord gives a testimony concerning Man That he is born in sin that he is dead in sin and all his imaginations are only evil continually Now I say to receive this truth into the soul upon Gods Testimony in a point of Faith the Lord in his Word concludes all under sin and wrath ◅o then for a soul to conclude it self also under sin and wrath is a point of Faith Faith is the souls testimony to Gods truth the Word is Gods Testimony Now then if a soul receive this testimony within whether it be Law or Gospel it 's an act of Faith if a soul condemn it self judge it self that is a setting to our seal that God is true who speaks in his Law so it s a believing in God I say more To believe with the heart that we cannot believe is a great point of found belief because it 's a sealing of that Word of God The heart is desperatly wicked and of our selves we can do nothing Now I am perswaded if such souls knew this they would put an end to their many contentions and wranglings about this point and would rather blesse God that hath opened their eyes to see themselves then contend with him for that they have no Faith It is light only that discovers darknesse and Faith only that descerns unbelief Its life and health only that feels pain sicknesse for if all were alike nothing could be found as in dead bodies Now I say to such souls as believe in God the Law-giver believe also in Christ the Redeemer and what is that It is not to know that I have Interest in him No that must come after it is the Spirits sealing after believing which puts it self out of question when it comes and so if you had it you needed not many signs to know it by at least you would not doubt of it more than he that sees the light can question it But I say to believe in Christ is simply this I whatsoever I be ungodly wretched polluted desperate am willing to have Jesus Christ for my Saviour I have no other help or hope if it be not in him it is I say to lean the weight of thy soul on this foundation stone laid in Zion to embrace the promises of the Gospel albeit generall as worthy of all acceptation wait upon the performance of them It is no other thing but to make Christ welcome to say even so Lord Jesus I am content in my soul that thou be my Saviour to be found in thee not having my own righteousnesse I am well pleased to cast away my own as dung find my self on other not an ungodly man Now it is certain that ◅any souls that are still questioning whether they have Faith yet do find this in their souls but because they know not that it is Faith which they find they go about to seek that which is not Faith and where it is not to be found and so disquiet themselves in vain and hinder fruitfulnesse Now the Faith of a Christian is no fancy it 's no light vain imagination of the brain but it dwells in the heart with the heart man believes and it dwels with love Faith and love we need not be curious to distinguish them it is certain that love is in it from it it s in the very bosome of it because faith is a soul embracing of Christ it 's a choosing of him for its portion and then upon the review of this goodly portion and from consideration what he is and hath done for us the soul loves him still more is impatient of so much distance from him We find them conjoyned in Scripture but they are one in the heart O that we studied to have these joyntly engraven on the heart as they are joyned in the word so our heart should be a living Epistle Faith and Love are two words but one thing under different notions they are the out-goings of the soul to Christ for life the breathings of the soul after him for more of him when it hath once tasted how good he is Faith is not a speculation or a wandring thought of Truth it 's the truth not captivated into the mind but dwelling in the heart getting possession of the whole man you know a man and his will are one not so a man and his mind for he may conceive the truth of many things he loves not but what ever a man loves that and he in a manner becomes one with another Love is unitive it 's the most excellent union of distant things The will commands the whole man and hath the office of applying of all the faculties of their proper works Illa imperat aliae exsequuntur
therefore when once Divine truth gets entry into the heart of a man and becomes one with his will and affection it will quickly command the whole man to practise and execute and then he that receiveth the truth in Love is found a walker in the truth Many persons captivate truth in their understandings as the Gentiles did they held or detained it in unrighteousnesse but because it hath no liberty to descend into the heart possesse that Garrison it cannot command the man But O it's better to be truths captive then to captive truth saith the Apostle ye obeyed from the heart the truth to which ye were delivered Rom. 6. O a blessed captivity to be delivered over to truth that is indeed freedome for truth makes free Ioh. 8. And it makes free where it is in freedome give it freedome to command thee and it shal indeed deliver thee from all strange Lords and thou shalt obey it from the heart when it is indeed in the heart When the truth of God whether promises or threatnings or commands are impressed into the heart you shal find the expressions of them in the conversation Faith is not an empty assent to the truth but a receiving of it in love when the truth is received in love then it begins to work by love Faith works by love saith Paul Gal. 5. 6. That now is the proper nature of its operation which expresses its own nature Obedience proceeding from love to God flowes from Faith in God and that shews the true and living nature of that Faith If the soul within receive the seal and impression of the truth of God it will render the image of that same truth in all its actions Love is put for all obedience it s made the very summe and compend of the Law and fulfilling of it for the truth is it s the most effectual and constraining principle of obedience and withall the most sweet pleasant The love of Christ constrains us to live to him not henceforth to our selves 2 Cor. 5. 15. As I said a man and his will is one if you ingage it you bind all if you gain it it will bring all with it As it is the most ready way to gain any party to engage their head whom they follow and upon whom they depend let a mans love be once gained to Christ the whole train of the souls faculty of the outward senses and operations will follow upon it It was an excellent and pertinent question that Christ asked Peter when he was going away if Peter had considered Christs purpose in it he would not have been so hasty and displeased Peter lovest thou me then feed my sheep If a man love Christ he will certainly study to please him and though he should do never so much in obedience it s no pleasure except it be done out of love O this and more of this in the heart would make Ministers feed well and teach well and would make people obey well If ye love me keep my commands Love devouts and consecrats all that is in a man to the pleasure of him whom he loves therefore it fashions and conforms one even against nature to anothers humor and affection it constrains not to live to our selves but to him its joy delight is in him and therefore all is given up resigned to him Now as it is certain that if you love much you will do much so it is certain that little is accepted for much that proceeds from love therefore our poor maimed and halting obedience is called the fulfilling of the law he is well pleased with it because love is ill pleased withit love thinks nothing too much all too little and therefore his love thinks any thing froÌ„ us much since love would give more he accepts that which is given the lovers mite cast into the Treasure is more then ten times so much outward obedience from another man He meets love with love if the souls desire be towards the love of his name if love offer thogh a farthing his love receiving it counts it a Crown love offering a present of duty finds many imperfections in it and covers any good that is in it seems not to regard it and then beholds it as a recompence his love receiving the present from us covers a multitude of infirmities that are in it And thus what in the desire and endeavour of love on our part and what in the acceptation of what is done on his part love is the fulfilling of the Law It s an usuall proverb all things are as they are taken Love is the â—…ulfilling of the Law because our loving Father takes â—…t so he takes as much delight in the poor childrens willingnesse as in the more aged's strength the offer â—…nd endeavour of the one pleaseth him as well as the â—…erformance of the other The love of God is the fulfilling of the Law for it 〈◊〉 a living Law it is the Law written on the heart it is â—…e Law of a spirit of life within Quis legem detamen â—…bus major lexamor sibi ipsi est You almost need not prescribe any rules or let over the head of love the authority and pain of a command for it is a greater Law to it self it hath within its own bosome as deep an engagement and obligation to any thing that may please God as you can put upon it for it is in it self the very engagement and bond of the soul to him This it is indeed which will do him service and that is the service which he likes it is that only serves him constantly and pleasantly and constantly it cannot serve him which doth it not pleasantly for it is delight only that makes it constant Violent motions may be swift but not durable they last not long fear and terrour is a kind of externall impulse that may drive a soul swiftly to some duty but because that is not one with the soul it cannot endure long it s not good company to the soul. But Love making a duty pleasant becomes one with the soul it incorporates with it and becomes like its nature to it that though it should not move so swiftly yet it moves more constantly And what is love but the very motion of the soul to God! and so till it have attained that to be in him it can find no place of rest Now this is only the service that he is pleased with which comes from love because he sees his own image in it for love in us it s nothing else but the impression and stamp that Gods love to us makes on the heart it 's the very reflection of that sweet warm beam so then when his love reflects back unto himself carrying our heart and duty with it he knoweth his own superscription he loves his own Image in such a duty He that loveth me and continueth in my love I will love him and I and my Father will come and
make our abode with him Ioh. 14. 23. Here now is an evidence that he likes it for he must needs like that place he chooses to dwell in he who hath such a glorious Mansion and Palace above he must needs love that soul dearly that he will prefer it to his high and holy place Now I know it will be the secret question and complaint of some souls How shal I get love to God I cannot love him my heart is so desperatly wicked I cannot say as Peter Lord thou knowest that I love thee I shal not insist upon the discovery of your love unto you by marks and signs only I say if thou indeed from thy heart desires to love him art grieved that there is not this love in thy soul to him which becomes so love-worthy a Saviour then thou indeed lovest him for he that loveth the love of God loveth God himself And wherefore aâ—…t thou sad for want of that love but because thou lovest him in some measure and withall finds him beyond all that thou canst think and love But I say that which most concerns thee is to love still more and that thou wouldest be more earnest to love him then to know that thou loves him Now I know no more effectuall way to encrease love to Jesus Christ then to believe his love Christ Jesus is the Author and Finisher both of Faith and Love and we love him because he first loved us Therefore the right discovery of Jesus Christ what he is and what he hath done for sinners is that which will of all things most prevail to engage the soul unto him But as long as ye suspend you Faith upon the being or encrease of your Love and obedience as the manner of too many is you take even such a course as he that will not plant the Tree till he see the fruit of it which is contrary to common sense reason Since this then is the sum of true Religion to believe in Christ and to love him and so live to him we shal wind up all that is spoken into that exhortation of the Apostles Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard You have this Doctrine of Faith and Love delivered unto you which may be able to save your souls Then I beseech you hold them fast salvation is in them they are sound words and wholesom words words of life spirit life as Christ speaks as well as words of truth But how will you hold them fast that have them not at all that know them not though you hear them You who are ignorant of the Gospel and hear nothing but a sound of words in stead of sound wholesome words how can you hold them fast Can a man hold the wind in the hollow of his hand or keep in a sound within it You know no more but a sound a wind that passeth by your ear without observing either truth or life in it But then again you who understand these sound words and have a form of knowledge of the Letter of the Law what will that avail you You cannot hold it fast except you have it within you and it is within you indeed when it is in your heart when the form of it is engraven upon the very soul in love Now thogh you understand the sound of these words the sound of truth in them yet you receive not the living Image of them which is Faith and Love Can you paint a sound Can you form it or engrave it on any thing Nay but these sound words are more substantial solid they must be engraven on the heart else you will never hold them they may bee easily plucked out of the mouth and hand by temptation unlesse they be enclosed and laid up in the secret of the heart as Mary laid them The truth must hold thee fast or thou canst not hold it fast it must captivate thee and bind thee with the Golden chains of affection which only is true freedom or certainly thou wilt let it go Nay you must not only have the truth received by love into your heart but as the Apostle speaks you must also hold fast the form of sound words Scripture words are sound words the Scriptures method of teaching is sound and wholesome There may be unsound words used in expressing true matter and if a man shal give liberty to his own luxuriant Imagination to expatiat in notions and expressions either to catch the ear of the Vulgar or to appear some new discoverer of light and Gospel-mysteries he may as readily fall into error and darknesse as into truth and light Some men do busk up old truths Scripture-truths into some new dresse of language and notions and then give them out for new discoveries new lights but in so doing they often hazard the loosing of the truth it self We should beware and take heed of strange words that have the least appearance of evil such as Christed Godded let us think it enough to be wise according to the Scripturs and suspect all that as vain empty unsound that tends not to the increase of faith in Christ and love and obedience unto him As ordinarily the Dialect of those called Antinomians is giving and no granting that they had no unsound mind yet I am sure they use unsound word to expresse sound matter the cloaths should be shaped to the person Truth is plain and simple let words of truth also be full of simplicity I say no more but leave that upon you that you hold fast even the very words of the Scriptures and be not bewitched by the vain pretentions of Spirit all Spirit pure and spiritual service and such like to the casting off of the word of truth as Letter as Flesh and such is the high attainment of some in these daies an high attainment indeed and a mighty progresse in the way to destruction the very last discovery of that Antichrist and Man of sin Oh make much of the Scripture for you shal neither read nor hear the like of it in the world Other books may have sound matter but there is still something in manner or words unsound no man can speak to you truth in such plainnesse and simplicity in such soundnesse also But here is both sound matter and sound words the truth holden out truly health and salvation holden out in as wholsome a manner as is possible Matter manner are both divine Exod. 3. 13 14. When they shal say unto me What is his Name What shal I say And God said I AM THAT I AM. WE are now about this question What God is But who can answer it Or if answered who can understand it It should astonish us in the very entry to think that we are about to speak and to hear of his Majesty Whom eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath it entered into the heart of any creature to consider what he is Think ye blind
visions were indeed from the Lord And that they did not frame any imagination in their own hearts and taught it for his Word as many did I say you need no more ask that than ask How shal a man see light or know the Sun-shine light makes it self manifest and all other things it s seen by its own brightnesse even so the holy men of God needed not any mark or sign to know the Spirits voice his revelation needed not the light of any other thing it was light it self he would certainly over power the soul and mind and leave no place of doubting God who cannot be deceived and can deceive no man hath delivered us this Doctrine O with what reverence should we receive it as if we heard the Lord from heaven speak If you ask How you shal be perswaded that the Scriptures are the Word of God his very mind opened to men made legible Truly there are some things cannot be well proved not because they are doubtfull but because they are clear of themselves and beyond all doubt and exception Principles of Arts must not be proved but supposed till you find by triall and experience afterward that they were indeed really true There are no question such characters of Divinity and Majesty imprinted in the very Scriptures themselves that whosoever hath the eyes of his understanding opened though he run he may read them and find God in them What Majesty is in the very simplicity and plainnesse of the Scriptures They do not labour to please mens ears and adorn the matter with the curious garments of words and phrases but represent the very matter it self to the soul as that which in it self is worthy of all acceptation and needs no humane eloquence to commend it Painting doth spoil native beauty external ornamēts would disfigure some things that are of themselves proportioned and lovely therefore the Lord choses a plain and simple style which is foolishnesse to the world but in these swadling cloaths of the Scriptures and this poor Cottage the Child Jesus the Lord of Heaven and Earth is contained There is a jewel of the mysterious wisdom of God and mans eternal blessednesse in the Mineral What glorious and astonishing humility is here What humble and homly Glory and Majesty also He is most high and yet none so lowly What excellent consent and harmony of many writters in such distant times Wonder at it All speak one thing to one purpose to bring men to God to abase all glory and exalt him alone Must it not be one Spirit that hath quickned all these and breathes in them all this one heavenly Song of Glory to God on high and good will towards men Other Writers will reason these things with you to convince you and perswade you and many thinks them more profound and deep for that reason and do despise the basenesse of the Scriptures But to them vvhose eyes are opened the Majesty and authority of God commanding and asserting and testifying to them is more convincing from its own bare assertion then all humane reason Although there be much light in the Scriptures to guide mens vvay to Gods glory and their own happinesse yet certainly it vvill all be too smal purpose if the eyes of our understanding be darkned and blinded If you shal surround a man vvith day-light except he open his eyes he cannot see The Scriptures are a clear Sun of life and righteousnesse but the blind soul compassed vvith that light is nothing the vviser but thinks the lamp of the Word shines not because it sees not it hath its own dungeon vvithin it therefore the Spirit of God must open the eyes of the blind enlighten the eyes of the understanding that a soul may see vvonderfull things in Gods Law Psal. 119. 5. 8. Ioh. 1. 5. The light may shine in the darknesse but the darknesse cannot comprehend it I vvonder not that the most part of men can see no Beauty no Majesty no excellency in the holy Scriptures to allure them because they are natural and have not the spirit of God and so cannot know these things for they are spiritually discerned 2 Cor. 2. 14. c. Therefore as the inspiration of God did conceive this writting at first and preached this Doctrine unto the world so there can no soul understand it or profite by it but by the inspiration of the Almighty Verily there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding saith Iob. When the spirit comes into the soul to engrave the Characters of that Law and truth into the heart which were once engraven on Tables of Stone and not written with Pen and Ink then the spirit of Christ Jesus writes over and transcribes the Doctrine of the Gospel on fleshly Tables of the heart draws the lineaments of that faith and love preached in the word upon the soul then the soul is the Epistle of Christ written not with ink and pen but with the spirit of the living God 2 Cor. 3. 3. And then the soul is manifestly declared to be such when that which is impressed on the heart is expressed in the outward man in walking that it may be read of all men Now the soul having thus received the Image of the Scriptures on it understands the Spirits voice in them and sees the truth and divinity of them The eye must receive some species and likenesse of the object before it see it it must be made like to the object ere it can behold it Intelligens in actu fit ipsum intelligible So the soul must have some inspiration of the holy Ghost before it can believe with the heart the inspyred Scriptures Now for the utility and profit of the Scripture who can speak of it according to its worth Some things may be over-commanded nay all things but this one God speaking in his word to mankind Many Titles are given to humane writings some are called accurate some subtile some ingenious and quick some profound and deep some plain some learned But call them what they please the Scriptures may vindicate to it self these two Titles as its own prerogative Holy and profitable The best speaker in the world in many words cannot want sin The best Writer hath some drosse refuse but here all is holy all is profitable Many Books are to no purpose but to feed and inflame mens lusts many serve for nothing but to spend drive over the time without thought most part are good for nothing but to burden and over-weary the world to put them in a fancy of knowledge which they have not many serve for this only to nourish mens curiosity and vain imaginations and contentions about words and notions but here is a Book profitable all profitable If you do not yet profit by it you can have no pleasure in it it s only ordained for souls profiting not for pelasing your fancy not for matter of curious speculation not for
their nakednesse and filthinesse which is in it self as menstruous and unclean as any thing It is now the very propension and naturall inclination of our hearts to stand upright in our selves Faith bowes a souls back and take on Christs righteousnesse but presumption lifts up a soul upon its own bottom How can ye believe that seek honour one of another The engagement of the soul to its own credit or estimation the engagement of self-self-love and self-honour do lift up a soul that it cannot submit to Gods righteousnesse to righteousnesse in another And therefore many do dream and think that they have eternall life who shal awake in the end and find that it was but a dream or night-fancy Now from all this I would enforce this duty upon your consciences to search the Scriptures if you think to have eternall life search them if you would know Christ whom to know is eternal life then again search them for these are they that testifie of him Searching imports diligence much diligence it s a serious work it s not a common seeking of an easie and common thing but it s a search and scrutiny for some hidden thing or some special thing It s not bare reading of the Scriptures that will answer this duty except it be diligent and daily reading and it s not that alone except the Spirit within meditate on them and by meditation accomplish a diligent search There is some hidden secret that you must search for that is inclosed within the covering of words and sentences there is a mystery of wisdome that you must apply your hearts to search out Eccles. 7. 5. Jesus Christ is the Treasure that is hid in this field O precious treasure of eternall life Now then souls search into the fields of the Scriptures Pro. 2. 4. for him as for hid treasure It is not only truth you must seek and buy and not sell it but it is life you would search Here is an object that may not only take up your understandings but satisfie your hearts Think not you have found all when you have found the truth there and learned it no except you have found life there you have found nothing you have missed the treasure If you would profite by the Scriptures you must bring both your understandings your affections to them and depart not till they both return full If you bring your understanding to seek the truth you may find truth but not truly you may find it but you are not found of it you may lead truth captive and unclose it in a prison of your mind and encompasse it about with a guard of corrupt affections that it shal have no issue no out going to the rest of your soul and wayes and no influence on them you may know the truth but you are not known of it and brought in captivity to the obedience of it The Treasure that is hide in the Scriptures are Jesus Christ whose intire and perfect Name is Way Truth and Life He is a living truth and true Life Therefore Christ is the adaequat object of the soul commensurable to all its faculties He has Truth in him to satisfie the mind and he has Life and Goodness in him to satiate the heart therefore if thou wouldst find Jesus Christ bring thy whole soul to seek him as Paul expresseth it He is true and faithfull and worthy of all acceptation then bring thy judgement to find the light of truth and thy affections to imbrace the life of goodnesse that is in him Now as much as ye find of him so much have ye profited in the Scriptures If you find commands there that you cannot obey search again and you may find strength under that command digg a little deeper you shal find Jesus the end of an impossible command when you have found him you have found life and strength to obey you have found a prepitiation and sacrifice for trantgressing not obeying If you find curses in it search again you shal find Jesus Christ under that made a curse for us you shal find him the end of the curse for righteousnesse to every one that believes When you know all the Letter of the Scripture yet you must search into the Spirit of it that it may be imprinted into your spirits all you know does you no good but as it s received in love unlesse your souls become a living Epistle the Word without be written on the heart you have found nothing As for you that cannot read the Scriptures if it be possible take that pains to learn to read them O if you knew what they contain whom they bear witnesse of you would have little quietnesse till you could read at least his love-epistle to sinners And if you cannot learn be not discouraged but if your desires within be servent your endeavours to hear it read by others will be more earnest But it is not so much the reading of much of it that profiteth as the pondering of these things in our hearts and digesting them by frequent meditation till they become the food of the Soul This was Davids way and by this he grew to the stature of a tall well-bodied Christian. Eph. 2. 20. And builded upon the foundation of the Apostles c. BElievers are the Temple of the living God in which he dwels and walks 2 Cor. 6. 16. Every one of them is a little Sanctuary and Temple to His Majesty Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts in your hearts though he be the high lofty one that inhabits eternity yet he is pleased to come down to this poor Cottage of a creatures heart and dwell in it Is not this as great a humbling and condescending for the Father to come down off his Throne of Glory to the poor base foot-stool of the creatures soul as for the Son to come down in the state of a servant and become in the form of sinfull flesh But then he is a Temple and Sanctuary to them and he shal be to you a Sanctuary Isa. 8. A place of refuge a secret hiding-place Now as every one is a little separated retired Temple so they all conjoyned make up one Temple one visible body in which he dwels Therefore Paul calls them living stones built up into a spiritual house to God 1 Pet. 2. 5 All these little Temples make up one house Temple fitly joyned together in which God shews manifest signs of his presence and working unto this the Apostle in this place alludes The Communion Union of Christians with God is of such a nature that all the relations and points of conjunction in the creatures are taken to resemble it hold it out to us We are Citizens saith he Domesticks houshold men so dwel in his house and then we are his House beside Now ye know there are two principal things in a House the Foundation and the Corner-stone the one supports the building the
the Holy Ghost all of them first agreeing in one Testimony the Father declares from heaven that he is abundantly well pleased with his Son not only because he is his Son but even in the undertaking and performing of that work of Redemption of sinners It is therefore his most serious invitation and peremptory command to all to hear him and believe in him Mat. 3. 17. 1 Ioh. 3. 23. Nay if we speak properly our salvation it is not the businesse of Christ alone as we imagine it but the whole God-head is interessed in it deeply so deeply that you cannot say who loves it most or likes it most The Father is the very fountain of it his love is the spring of all God so loved the World that he hath sent his Son Christ hath not purchased that eternal love to us but is rather the gift the free gift of eternal love And therefore as we have the Son delighting among the sons of men Pro. 8. and delighting to be imployed and to do his will Psal 40. So we have the Father delighting to send his Son taking pleasure in instructing him and furnishing him for it Isa. 42. 1. And therefore Christ often professed that he was not often about his own vvork but the Fathers work vvho sent him and that it was not his own will but his Fathers he was fulfilling Therefore he should not look upon the head-spring of our salvation in the Son but rather ascend up to the Father whose love wisdome did frame all this And thus we may be confident to come to the Father in the Son knowing that it was the love of the Father that sent the Son though indeed we must come to him only in the Son in the name of Christ and faith of acceptation through a Mediator not because the Mediator purchaseth his good-will but because his love and good-will only vents in his beloved Son Christ and therefore he will not be known nor worshipped but in him in whom he is near sinners and reconciling the world to himself And then the Holy Ghost concurrs in this Testimony and as the Son had the work of purchasing rights and interests to grace and glory so the great work of applying all these priviledges to Saints and making them actually partakers of the blessings of Christ his death is committed in a special way to the Holy Ghost I will send the Comforter c. So then Father Son Holy Ghost all agree in one that Jesus Christ is a sure refuge for sinners a plank for ship-broken men a firm sure foundation to build everlasting hopes upon there is no party dissenting in all the Gospel the businesse of the Salvation of lost souls is concluded in this holy Counsell of the Trinity with one voice as at first all of them agreed to make man Let us make man So again they agree to make him again to restore him to life in the second Adam Who ever thou be that wouldst flee to God for mercy â—…o it in confidence the Father the Son the holy Ghost are ready to welcome thee all of one mind to shut out none to cast out none But to speak properly it is but one love one will one counsell and purpose in the Father Son and Spirit for these three are one and not only agree in one they are one and what one purposes oâ—… loves all love purpose I would conclude this matter with a word of direction how to worship God which I cannot expresse in fitter terms then these of Nazianzen I cannot think upon one but by and by I am compassed about with the brightnesse of three and 〈◊〉 cannot distinguish three but I am suddenly driven back unto one There is great ignorance mistake of this even amongst the best Christians the grosser sort when they hear of one God only thinks Christ but some eminent man and so direct their prayers to God only excluding the Son and Holy Ghost or when they hear of three Persons the Father the Son Holy Ghost they straight way divide their Worship imagine a Trinity of Gods And I fear those of us who know most use not to worship God as he hath revealed himself Father Son Holy Chost and yet one God our minds are reduced to such a simple unity as we think upon one of them alone or else distrâ—…cted and divided into such a plurality that we worship in a manner three Gods in stead of one It is a great mystery to keep the right middle way Learn I beseech you so to conceive of God so to acknowledg him and pray to him as you may do it in the name of Jesus Christ that all the Persons may have equal honour and all of them one honour that while you consider one God you may adore that sacred blessed Trinity while you worship that holy Trinity you may straight way be reduced to an Unity To this wonderfull and holy One Father Son Holy Ghost be all Praise and Glory Eph. 1. Who worketh all things after the Counsell of his own will Job 23. He is in one mind who can turn him c. HAving spoken something before of God in his Nature and Being and Properties we come in the next place to consider his glorious Majesty as â—…e staâ—…s in some nearer relation to his creatures the works of his hands For we must conceive the first rise of all things in the world to be in this self-being the first conception of them to be in the Womb of God's everlasting purpose and Decree which in due time according to his appointment brings forth the childe of the creature to the light of actual existence and being It is certain that his Majesty might have endured for ever possessed himself without any of these things If he had never resolved to create any thing without himself he had been blessed then as now because of his full and absolute self-sufficient perfection His purposing to make a world his doing of it ads nothing to his inward blessednesse and contentment this glorious and Holy One incloses vvithin in his own being all imaginable perfections in an infinite and transcendent manner that if you remove all created ones you diminish nothing if you add them all you encrease nothing Therefore it was the superabundance of his perfection that he resolved to shew his Glory thus in the world It is the creatures indigence limited condition which maketh it needfull â—…o go without its own compasse for the happinesse of its own being Man cannot be happy in loving himself he is not satisfied with his own intrinsick perfections but he must diffuse himself by his affections desires endeavours as it vvere walk abroad upon these legs to fetch in some supply from the creatures or Creator The creature is constrained out of thus to go out of it self which speakes much indigence and want within it self But it is not
and glory to his ever glorious Name for whom are all things There is none but they will allow God some government in the world Some would have him as a King commanding and doing all by Deputies and Substitutes Some would have his influence generall like the Suns upon sublunary things but how shallow are all mens thoughts in regard of that which is God has prepared indeed his Throne in heaven that is true that his glory doth manifest it self in some strange and majestick manner above but he whole tenour of Scripture shews that he is not shut up in heaven but that he immediatly cares for governs disposes all things in the world for his kingdome is over all It is the weaknesse of Kings not their glory that they have need of Deputies it is his glory not basenesse to look to the meanest of their creatures it is a poor resemblance empty shadow that Kings have of him He rules in the Kingdomes of men to him belongs the dominion the glory he deserves the name of a King whose beck Heaven earth obeyes Can a King command that the Sea flow not Can a Parliament act and ordain that the Sun rise not or will these obey them Yet at his decree and command the Sun is dark the Sea stands still the Mountains tremble at thy rebuke the Seafled Alas What do we mean that we look upon creatures act our selves as if we were independent in our being and moving How many things fall out you call them casuall attribute them to Fortune How many things do the World gaze upon think upon and discourse upon and yet not one thought one word of God all the time What more contingent than the falling of a sparrow on the grōnd And yet even that is not unexpected to him but it flows from his will counsel What lesse taken notice of or know than the hairs of your head yet these are particularly numbred by him and so no power in the World can add to them or diminish from them without his counsell O what would the belief of this do to raise our hearts to sutable thoghts of God above the creatures to encrease the fear faith and love of God and to abate from our fear of men our vain and unprofitable cares and perplexities How would you look upon the affairs of men the counsels contrivances endeavours successes of men when they are turning upside down and plotting the ruine of his people establishing themselves alone in the earth What would you think of all these revolutions at this time Many souls are astonished at them and stand gazing at what is done and to be done and this is the very language of your spirits and wayes The Lord hath forsaken the earth the Lord seeth not this is the language of our Parliaments and people they do imagine that they are doing their own businesse and making all sure for themselves But O what would a soul think that could escape above them all and arise up to the first wheele of present motions A soul that did stand upon the exaled Tower of the Word of God and looked off it by the prospect of faith would presently discover the circle in which all these wandrings and changes are confined and see Men States Armies Nations and all of them doing nothing but turning about in a round as horse in a Mill from Gods eternall purpose by his Almighty Power to his unspeakeable glory you might behold all these extravagant motions of the creatures inclosed within those limits that they must begin here and end here though themselves are so beastly that they neither know of whom nor for whom their counsels and actions are Certainly Satan cannot break without this compasse to serve his own humour principalities and powers cannot do it if they will not glorifie him he shal glorifie himself by them and upon them Gen. 2. 17. In that day thou eatest thou snalt die the death Gen. 1. 26. Let us make man according to our image THe state wherein man was created at first you heard was exceeding good all things very good and he best of all the choisest externall visible peece of Gods workmanship made according to the most excellent pattern after our Image though it be a double misery to be once happy yet seeing the knowledge of our misery is by the grace of God made the entry to a new happinesse it is most necessary to take a view of what man once was that we may be more sensible of what he now is You may take up this Image and likenesse in three branches First there was a sweet conformity of the soul in its understanding will and affections unto Gods holinesse light A beautifull light in the mind dirived from that fountain-light by which Adam did exactly know both divine and naturall things What a great difference doth yet appear between a learned man and an ignorant rude person though it be but in relation to naturall things the one is but like a beast in comparison of the other O how much more was there between Adams knowledge and that of the most learned The highest advancement of Art and Industry in this life reaches no further then to a learned ignorance of the mysteries in the works of God and yet there is a wonderfull satisfaction to the mind in it But how much sweet complacency hath Adam had whose heart was so enlarged as to know both thing higher and lower their natures properties vertues and severall operations No doubt could trouble him no difficulty vex him no controversie or question perplex him but above all The knowledge of that glorious eternall Being that gave him a being and iniused such a spirit into him the beholding of such infinite treasures of wisdome and goodness power in him what an amiable and refreshfull sight would it be when there was no cloud of sin and ignorance to interpose and eclipse the full enjoyment of that increated light When the Aspect of the Sun makes the Moon so glorious beautifull What may you conceive of Adams soul framed with a capacity to receive light immediatly from Gods countenance How fair and beautifull would that soul be until the dark cloud of sin did interpose it self Then consider what a beautifull rectitude and uprightnesse what a comely order and subordination would ensue upon this light and make his will and affections wonderfull good Eccl. 7. 29. God made man upright There was no throw or crack in all all the powers of the sou bending upright towards that fountain of all gooness now the soul is crooked bends downward towards those base earthly things that is the abasement of the soul then it looked upright towards God had no appetite no delight but in him and his fulnesse and had the Moon or changeable World under its feet there was a beauty of holynesse and righteousnesse which were the colours that did perfect
that God As his authority should imprint reverence so his goodnesse thus manifested should engrave confidence And thus the life of man vvas not only a life of obedience but a life of pleasure and delight not only a holy but a happy life yea happy in holinesse Now as it was Pauls great businesse in preaching to ride marches between the covenant of grace and the covenant of works to take men off that old broken ship to this sure plank of grace that is offered by Jesus Christ to drowning souls So it would be our great work to shew unto you the nature of this Covenant and the terms thereof that you may henceforth find and know that salvation to be now impossible by the Law which so many seek in it We have no errand to speak of the first Adam but the better to lead you to the second Our life was once in the first but he lost himself and us both but the second by losing himself saves both We have nothing to do to speak of the first Covenant but that we may lead you or pursue you rather to the second established upon better tearms and better promises The tearms of this covenant are Do this and live perfect obedience without one jot of failing or falling an intire and universall accomplishment of the whole will of God that is the duty required of Man there is no latitude left in the bargain to admit endeavours in stead of performance or desire in stead of duty there is no place for Repentance here if a Man fall in one point he falls from the whole promise by the tenour of this bargain there is no hope of recovery If you would have the duty in a word It s a love of God with all our heart and soul our Neighbour as our self that testified verified in all duties offices of obedience to God love to men without the least mixture of sin infirmity Now the promise on Gods part is indeed larger then that Duty not only because undeserved but even in the matter of it it 's so abundant Life eternal life continuance in a happy estate There is a threatning added In what day thou eatest thou shalt die that is thou shalt become a mortall and miserable creature subject to misery here and hereafter which is more pressingly set down in that Word Cursed is he that abides not in all things written in the law to do them It is very peremptory that men dream not of escaping wrath when they break but in one suppose they did abide in all the rest Cursed is every man from the highest to the lowest the Lord Almighty is engaged against him his countenance his Power is against him to destroy him make him miserable whoever doth fail but in one jot of the commands he shall not only fall from that blessed condition freely promised but lose all that he already possessed fall from that image of God dominion over the creatures and incur in stead of that possessed and expected happinesse misery here on soul body in pains sicknesses troubles griefs c. And Eternal misery on both without measure hereafter Eternall destruction from the presence of the Lord the glory of his power Now This Law is not of Faith saith the Apostle This opens up the nature of the bargain and the opposition between the present Covenant that which is made with lost sinners in a Mediator This Covenant is called of Works Do this and live To him that worketh is the promise made though freely too It is grace that once a reward should be promised to obedience but having once resolved to give it herein justice appears in an equall and uniform distribution of the reward according to Works So that where there is an equality of works there shall be an equality of reward and no difference put between persons equall Which is the very freedome of the Covenant of grace that it passes overall such considerations and deals equally in mercy with unequall sinners unequally it may be with them that are equall in nature You may ask was not Adam to believe in God did not the Law require faith I answer Christ distinguishes a twofold faith You believe in God believe also in me No question he was called to believe in God the Creator of the VVorld and that in a three-fold consideration First to depend on God the self-beeing and fountain-good his own goodnesse was but a fluxe and emanation from that Sun of righteousnesse so was to be perpetuated by constant abiding in his sight the interposition of mans self between him and God did soon bring on this eternal night of darknesse Nature might have taught him to live in him in whom he had life beeing and motion and to forget look over his own perfections as evanishing shadows But this quickly extinguished his life when he began to to live in himself Next he was obliged to believe in Gods word both threatning and promise to have these constantly in his view And certainly if he had kept in his serious consideration the inestimable blessing of life promised and the fearful curse of death threatned if he had not been induced first to doubt and then to deny the truth and reality of these he had not attempted such a desperate rebellion against the Lord. Then thirdly he was to believe and perswade himself of the Lords fatherly love and that the Lord was well pleased with his obedience and this faith would certainly beget much peace quietnesse in his mind and also constrain him to love him and live to him who loved him and gave him life and happinesse out of love yet this holds true that the Apostle saith the law is not of faith to wit in a Mediator and Redeemer it was a bond of immediate friendship there needed none to mediate between God and man there needed no reconciler where there was no ods nor distance But the Gospell is of Faith in a Mediator it s the souls plighting its hope upon Jesus Christ in its desperate necessity so supposes man sinfull and miserable in himself and in his own sense too and so putting over his weight burden upon one whom God hath made mighty to save The Law is not of Faith but of perfect works a watch-word brought in of purpose to bring men off their hankering after a broken and desperate Covenant It admits no repentance it speaks of no pardon it declares no Cautioner or Redeemer there is nothing to be expected according to the tenor of that Covenant but wrath from Heaven either personall obedience in all or personall punishment for ever that is the very tearms of it it knows no other thing Either bring compleat righteousnesse and holinesse to the promise of life or expect nothing but death This may be a sad meditation to us to stand and look back to our former estate compare it with that into which we
not his whole soul to God cannot truly ingage any part of it to him p. 23. SERMON III. 2 Tim. 3. 16. Of the Scriptures THat which most men seek is not true happiness p. 24 The principles of reason and light of nature are become so dark that they cannot direct us in the path-way to everlasting blessedness p. 25 The authority of the Scriptures divine p. 26 How the Apostles and Prophets knew that they spake truth and how men may be perswaded that the Scriptures are the Word of God ibid. The simplicity and plainness of the Scripture p. 27 The Spirit of God must open a mans eyes before he understand the Scriptures p. 28 The Utility of the Scriptures p. 29 The Scriptures a Doctrine of Eternal life p. 30 The sharpness of the Scripture mingled with sweetness p. 31 Some cannot hear the word of reproof others prefer their own vain imaginations to the Word of God p. 32 33 SERMON IV. Joh. 5. 39. Eph. 2. 20. Of the Scriptures THe Lamp of the Word without and the light of the Spirit within necessary for directing us in the way to eternal life p. 34 Why the multitude find no sweetnes in the Scriptures p. 35 How eternal life is to be found in the Scripture p. 36 It may commend the Scriptures to us that Eternal life is to be found in them p. 37 We are to lay this present perishing life in the ballance with eternal life and compare both the happiness and miseries of this life with eternal blessedness p. 38 Many groundlessely fancy that they have a right to everlasting life p. 39 Most of the Hearers of the Gospel have either to knowledge at all or nothing but knowledge p. 40 Life Eternal is no where to be found out but of Jesus Christ. p. 41 42 Some foolishly think that if they do all they can then God ought to be pleased p 43 Christ the only pacificatory sacrifice p. 44 Christ is either the subject or end of all that is in the Scriptures p. 45 The march which divides between heaven and hell is coming to Christ. p. 45 46 The necessity of searching the Scriptures and what search it must be p. 47 The Rule whereby to measure our profiting in the Scriptures p. 48 49 SERMON V. Eph. 2. 20. Of the Scriptures BElievers the Temple of the living God p. 50 Christ in the Scriptures a sure foundation to build upon all other foundations sandy and unsure p. 51 How firm and stable a foundation the Word of the Lord is p. 52 A Promise layes an obligation on the Promiser which a command doth not on the commander p. 53 All the Promises are Yea and Amen in Christ. ibid The chief point of Obedience is faith and what that is p 54 Christ is the Corner-stone as well as the foundation which should strongly perswade Christians to an union in Affection p. 55 What kind of foundation Christ is ibid. Some prefer their own imaginations to the Word of the Lord under the dark notion of new light p. 56 Many have nothing but the word of man for the foundation of their Faith p. 57. SERMON VI. 2 Tim. 1 13. Of the Scriptures ALL Religion may be reduced to these two what we are to believe and what we ough to do p. 58 God manifests himself differently to Man according to his different state p. 59 60 The marvellousness of mercy in saving of lost sinners p. 61 62 What manner of Persons Believers ought to be p. 63 64 â—…belief ruined man at first p. 65 A twofold mistake of the nature of Faith ibid. What course a soul is to take who questions its interest p. 66 67 The mistake of the nature of Faith leads many well-meaning persons into labyrinth p. 68 What Faith is p 69 What a soul ought to do that is sentenced by the law ibid. The faith of a Christian no fancy p. 70 71 Love is unitive and operative ibid. Love is put for all obedience and how it is the fulfilling of the. p. 72 God is pleased with no service that proceeds not from love and why p. 73 74 How to attain to the distinct knowledge of our love to God and the way to increase it p. 75 Who cannot hold fast the truth p. 76 When man lost his holiness he could not retain his happiness ibid. The necessity of holding fast the form of sound words and of forbearing strange words p. 77 SERMON VII and VIII Exod. 3. 13 14. Of the Name of God IT is impossible to declare what God is p. 78 How we may know that there is a God ibid. Naturall men are Atheists p. 79 God's Name a mystery that cannot be conceived or expressed p. 80 81 82 83. This name I AM THAT I AM imports his unsearchableness p. 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 His absolutness and soveraignity p. 94 His unchangeableness and Eternity p. 95 96 97 How impossible it is for a mortall creature to find out God to perfection yet so much may be known of him as is sufficient to teach us our duty and maâ—… us happy in obedience p. 98 99 The saving knowledge of God a self-emptying and self-abasing thing p. 100 101 Why God hath called himself by so many names ibid. SERMON IX Exod. 24. 5 6 7. What God is to us GOD is loath to depart even when he is provoked to go away p. 102 103 114 Infirmity and iniquity puts us into an incapacity of nearness with God p. 105 106 It is God himself who only can teach a soul to know what he is p. 107 One who considers how al-sufficient God is how empty and insufficient all other things are must needs cleave to him p. 108 God vents himself towards the creatures either in a way of Justice or Mercy p. 109 There is a Tribunall of Justice and a Throne of Mercy erected in the word so that every sentenced sinner may appeal from the Bar of Justice to Christ Jesus sitting on the Throne of Mercy p. 110 111. The Name of the Lord rightly considered is sufficient to answer all possible objections that a sinner can make against coming to Christ and what those objections are p. 112 113 114 115 116 117 Many souls suck delusion and destruction out of the sweet and saving Promises of life which are held forth in the Gospel p. 118 119. SERMON X. Joh. 4. 24. What God is THe knowledge of what God is presupposed to all true worship Christian walking p. 120 How mishapen apprehensions we have of God p. 121 That God is a spirit shews us that he is not like any visible thing p. 122 That he is invisible dwels in light inaccessible ib. That he is most perfect most powerful p. 123 124 That he cannot be circumscribed by any place p. 125 And there is no comprehension of his knowledge p. 126 127 It were of excellent use and advantage for us to be all the day in the faith of Gods infinite
according to the Word and receive no more upon trust from men but as you find it upon triall to the truth of God 1 Tim. 〈◊〉 13. Hold fast that form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me in Faith and Love c. HEre is the sum of Religion here you have a compend of the Doctrine of the Scriptures All Divine Truths may be reduced to these two Heads Faith Love What we ought to believe and what we ought to do This is all the Scriptures teach and this is all we have to learn What have we to know but what God hath revealed of himself to us And what we have to do but what he commands us In a word what have we to learn in this world but to believe in Christ love him and so live to him This is the duty of man this is the dignity of man and the way to eternall life Therefore the Scriptures that are given to be a Lamp to our feet and a Guide to our paths contain an perfect and exact rule credendorum faciendorum of Faith and Manners or Doctrine and Practice We have in the Scriptures many truths revealed to us of God and of the works of his hands many precious truths but that which most of all concerns us is to know God our selves this is the special Excellency of the reasonable creature that it s made capable to know its Creator and to reflect upon its own being Now we have to know of our selves What we are now and what man once was and accordingly to know of God what he once revealed of himself and What he doth now reveal I say The Scâ—…iptures holds out to our consideration a twofold estate of Mankind according to these a twofold revelation of the Mystery of God We look on Man now and we find him another thing than he was once but we do not find God one thing at one time and another thing at another time for there is no shadow of change in him and He is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Therefore we ask not What he was and what he is now but how he manifests himself differently according to the different estates of Man as we find in the Scriptures man once righteous blessed Eccles. 7. 29. and God making him such according to his own Image Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 25. in righteousnesse and true holinesse we finde him in communion and friendship with God set next to the Divine Majesty and above the works of his hands all things under his feet How holy was he And how happy And happy he could not chuse but be since he was holy being conformed and like unto God in his will and affection chosing that same delight that same pleasure with God in his understanding knowing God and his will and likewise his own happinesse in such a conformity he could not but have much communion with him that had such conformity to him Union being the foundation of coÌ„munion great peace solid tranquility in him Now in this state of mankind God expresses his goodnesse and wisdom and power his holinesse and righteousnesse These are the Attributes that shine most brightly In the very morning of the Creation God revealed himself to man as a holy and just God whose eyes could behold no iniquity therefore he made him upright and made a Covenant of life and peace with him to give him immortall eternal life to continue him in his happy estate if so be he continued in well-doing Rom. 10. 5. Do this and live In which Covenant indeed there was some out-breakings of the glorious grace free condescendency of God for it was no lesse free grace and undeserved favour to promise life to his obedience than now to promise life to our Faith so that if the Lord had continued that Covenant with us we ought to have called it grace and would have been saved by grace as well as now though it be true that there is some more occasion given to mans nature to boast glory in that way yet not at all before God Rom. 4. 2. But we have scarcely found man in such an estate till we have found him sinfull miserable and fallen from his excellency That Sun shined in the dawning of the Creation but before ye can well know what it is it s eclipsed and darkned with sin and misery as if the Lord had only set up such a creature in the Firmament of Glory to let him know how blessed he could make him and wherein his blessednesse consists and then presently to throw him down from his excellency when ye find him mounting up to the Heavens and spreading himself thus in holiness and happinesse like a Bay-tree Behold again and you find him not though you seek him you shal not find him his place doth not know him He is like one that comes out with a great Majesty upon a Stage and personates some Monarch or Emperour in the World then ere you can well gather your thoughts to know what he is he is turn'd off the Stage and appears in some base despicable appearance so quickly is man stript of all these glorious ornaments of holinesse and puts on the vile rags of sin and wretchednesse and is cast down from the Throne of eminency above the creatures froÌ„ fellowship with God to be a slave and servant to the dust of his feet and to have communion with the devill and his angels And now ye have man holden out in Scripture as the onlie wretched Piece of the Creation as the very plague of the World The whole Creation groaning under him Rom. 8. and in pain to be delivered of such a burthen of such an Execration and Curse and Astonishment You find the testimony of the Word condemns him altogether concludes him under sin and then under a curse and makes all flesh guilty in Gods sight The Word speaks otherwise of us than we think of our selves Their imagination is only evil continually Gen. 6. 5. O then What must our affections be that are certainly more corrupt What then must our way be All flesh hath corrupted their way and done abominable works and none doth good Psal. 14. 1 2 3. But many flee in unto their good hearts as their last refuge when they are beaten from these out-works of their actions and wayes but the Scripture shal storm that also The heart is deceitful above all things who can know it Jer. â—…7 9. It is desperatly wicked In a word Man is become the most lamentable spectacle in the world acompend of all wickednesse and misery inclosed within the walls of inability and impossibility to help himself shut up within the prison of despair a stinking loathsome and irksome dungeon It is like the mytie pit that Ieremiah was cast into that there was no out-coming and no pleasant abode in it Now Mans estate being thus nay having made
himself thus and sought out to himself such sad inventions Eccles. 7. 29. and having destroyed himself Hos. 13. 9. What think ye Should any pity him If he had fallen in such a pit of miserie ignorantly and unwillingly he had been an object of compassion but having cast himself headlong into it who should have pity on him Or who should go aside to ask how he doth or bemoan him Ier. 15. 5. But behold the Lord pities man as a Father doth his Children Psal. 103. His compassions fail not He comes by such a loathsome and contemptible object and casts his skirts over it and saith Live Ezek. 16. And maketh it a time of love I say no flesh could have expected any more of God than to make man happy and holy to promise him life in well-doing But to repair that happinesse after it's wilfully lost and to give life to evil doers sinners O how far was it from Adams expectation when he fled from God Here then is the wonder that when men Angels were in expectation of the revelation of his wrath from heaveÌ„ against their wickednesse the execution of the curse man was concluded under that even then God is pursuing man pursues him with love and opens up to him his very heart and bowels of love in Jesus Christ Behold then the second revelation manifestation of God in a way of grace pure grace of mercy pity toward lost sinners The kindnesse of God hath appeared not by Works but according to his abundant mercy shewed in Christ Iesus Tit. 3. 4. 5. So then we have this purpose of Gods love unfolded to us in the Scriptures and this is the substance of them both Old and New Testament or the end of them Rom. 10. 4. Christ is the end of the Law to all sinners concluded under sin and a curse by it our Lord Jesus the good Ebedmelech comes and casts down a cord to us draws us up out of the pit of sin and misery he comes to this prison and opens the doors to let captives free so then we have holden out to us a Redeemer as a repairer of our breaches God in Christ reconciling the world O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy Help found Hos. 13. 9. He finds to himself a ransome to satisfie his justice Job 33. 24. He finds a propitiation to take away sin a sacrifice to pacifie and appease his wrath he finds one of our Brethren but his own Son in whom he is well pleased And then holds out all this to sinners that they may be satisfied in their own consciences as he is in his own mind God hath satisfied himself in Christ you have not that to do he is not now to be reconciled to us for he was never really at odds though he covered his countenance with frowns threats since the Fal hath appeared in fire and hunders and whirlwind which are terrible yet his heart had alwayes love in it to such persons and therefore he is come near in Christ about reconciling us to himself Here is the business then to have our souls reconciled to him to take away the enmity within us and as he is satisfied with his Son so to satisfie our selves with him be as wel pleased in his Redemption and purchase as 〈◊〉 â—…er is and then you believe indeed in him Now if this were accomplished what have wee more to do but to love him and to live to him when you have found in the Scripture and believed with the heart what Man once was and what he now is what God once appeared and what hee now manifests himself in the Gospel ye have no more to do but to search in the same Scriptures what ye henceforth ought to be Ye who find your estate recovered in Christ ask what manner of persons we ought to be And the Scripture shal also give you that form of sound words which may not only teach you to believe in him but to love him and obey his coÌ„mands The Law that before condemned you is now by Christ put in your hands to guide you and conduct you in the way teacheth you to live henceforth to his glory The grace of God that hath appeared to all men Tit. 2. 12. teacheth us that denying ungodlinesse and worldlie lusts we should live godly and righteously and soberly in this present world Here is the summe of the rule of your practise and conversation piety towards God equity towards men and sobriety towards our selves self-denyal and world-denyall and lust-denyal to give up with the world and our own lusts henceforth to have no more to do with them to resign them not for a time not in part but wholly and for ever in affection and by parts in practice and endeavour and then to resign and give up our selves to him to live to him and live in him Thus we have given you a summe of the Doctrine of the Scriptures of that which is to be believed and that which is to be done as our duty Now we shall speak a word of these two Cardinall Graces which are the compend of all Graces as the objects of them are the Abridgement of the Scriptures Faith Love these sound words can profite us nothing unlesse wee hold them fast with Faith and Love Faith is like the Fountain-grace streams come out of it that cleanseth the Conscience from the guilt of sin and purifieth the heart from the filth of sin because it is that which cometh to the Fountain opened up in the house of David draweth water out of these Wells of Salvation If you consider the fall and ruine of Mankind you will find infidelity unbelief the fountain of it as wel as the seal of it Unbelief of the Law of God of his promises and threatning This was first called in Question and when once called in Question it is half denied Hath God said so that you shal die It s not far off you shall not surely die Here then was the very beginning of mans ruine he did not retain in his knowledge and believe with his heart the truth and faithfulnesse and holinesse of God which unbelief was conjoyned intermingled with much pride you shal be as Gods he began to live out of God in himself not remembring that his life was a stream of that Divine Fountain that being cut off from it would dry up Now therefore our Lord Jesus Christ an expert Saviour and very learned and compleat for this work he brings man up out of this pit of misery by that same way he fell into it he fell down by unbelief and he brings him up out of it by faith This is the cord that is cast down to the poor Soul in the Dungeon or rather his Faith is the dead grip of the cord of Divine Promises which are sent unto the captive prisoners and by vertue thereof he is drawn out into the light
of Salvatiō Unbelief of the Law of God did first destroy man now the belief of the Gospel saves him The not believing of the Lords threatnings was the beginning of his ruine the believing of his precious promises is his Salvation I say more as our Destruction began at the Unbelief of the Law so our salvation must begin at the belief of it The Law and Divine Justice went out of his sight and so he sinned now the Law entring into the Conscience discovers a mans sinnes makes sin abound and that is the beginning of our remedy to know our disease But as long as this is hid from a Mans eyes he is shut up in unbelief he is sealed and confirmed in his miserable estate and so kept from Jesus Christ the remedy Thus unbelief first and last destroyes Faith might have preserved Adam and Faith again might restore thee who hath fallen in Adam There is a great mistake of Faith among us some taking it for a strong and blind confidence that admits of no questions or doubtes in the soul and so vainly perswading themselves that they have it and some again conceiving it to be such an assurance of Salvation as instantly comforts the soul and looseth all objections and so foolishly vexing their own souls disquieting themselves in vain for the want of that which if they understood what it is they would find they have it I say many souls conceive that to be the best Faith that never doubted and hath alwaies lodged in them and kept them in peace since they were born But seeing all men were once aliens from the common wealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant of Promise and without God in the World so without Christ also it is certain that those souls who have alwaies blest themselves in their own hearts and cryed peace peace and were never afraid of the wrath to come have imbraced an imagination and dream of their own hearts for true Faith It is not big and stout words that will prove it men may defy the Devil and all his works and speak very confidently yet God knows they are captives by him at his pleasure and not farre from that misery which they think they have escaped Satan works in them with such a crafty conveyance that they cannot perceive it and how should they perceive it For we are by nature dead in sins and so cannot feel nor know that we are such It is a token of life to feel pain a certain token for dead things are senselesse You know how Juglers may deceive your very senses and make them believe they see that which is not and feel that which they feel not O how much more easie is it for Satan such an ingenious and experimented spirit assisted with the help of our deceitfull hearts to cast such a mist over the eyes of hearts and make them believe any thing how easily may he hide our misery from us and make us believe its well with us And thus multitudes of souls perish in the very opinion of Salvation that very thing which they call Faith that strong ungrounded perswasion it 's no other thing than the unbelief of the heart unbelief I mean of the Holy Law of Divine Justice and the wrath to come for if these once entered into the souls consideration they would certainly cast down that strong hold of vain confidence that Satan keeps all the House in peace by Now this secure and presumptuous despising of all threatnings and all convictions it is vernished over to the poor soul with the colour and appearance of Faith in the Gospell They think to believe in Christ is nothing else but never to be afraid of Hell whereas it is nothing else but a soul fleeing into Christ for fear of hell fleeing from the wrath to come to the city of Refuge Now again there are some other souls quite contrary minded that run upon an other extremity they once question whether they have Faith and alwayes question it You shal find them alwayes out of one doubt into another and still returning upon these debates whether am I in Christ or not And often peremptorily concluding that they are not in him that they believe not in him I must confess that a soul must once question the matter or they shal never be certain nay a soul must once conclude that it is void of God and without Christ but having discovered that I see no more use and fruit of your frequent debates and janglings about interest would say then unto such souls that if you now question it it is indeed the very time to put it out of question And how Not by framing or seeking answers to your objections not by searching into thy self to find something to prove it not by meer disputing about it for when shal these have an end But simply and plainly by setting about that which is questioned Are you in doubt if you be Believers How shal it be resolved than but by believing indeed It is now the very time thou art called to make application of thy soul to Christ if thou thinkest that thou cannot make application of Christ to thy soul If thou cannot know if he be thine then how shal thou know it but by choosing him for thine and embracing him in thy soul Now I say if that time which is spent about such unprofitable debates were spent in solid and serious endeavours about the thing in debate it would quickly be out of debate if you were more in the obedience to those commands then in the dispute whether you have obeyed or not you would sooner come to satisfaction in it This I say the rather because the weightier and principall parts of the Gospel are those direct acts of Faith and Love to Jesus Christ both these are the outgoings of the soul to him Now again examination of our Faith and Assurance are but secondary and consequent reflections upon our selves are the soul-returning in again to it self to find what is within Therefore I say a Christian is principally called to the first and alwayes called it is the chief duty of man which for no evidence no doubting no questioning should be left undone If you be in any hesitation whether you are Believers or not I am sure the chiefest things most concerning is rather to believe then to know it it is a Christians being to believe it is indeed his comfort and wel-being to know it but if you do not know it then by all means so much the more set about it presently let the soul consider Christ and the precious promises and lay its weight upon him This you ought to do and not to leave the other undone 2. Secondly I say to such souls that it is the mistake of the very nature of Faith that leads them to such perplexities and causeth some inevidence It is not so much the inevidence of marks and fruits that makes them doubt
of it nor find the breadth of it Can a child wade the Sea or take it up in the hollow of its hand when ever any thing of God is seen he is seen a wonder Wonderful is the Name he is known by All our knowledge reacheth no farther than admiration who is like unto thee Exod. 15. 11. Psal. 89. 6 7. and admiration speaks ignorance The greatest attainment of knowledge reacheth but such a question as this Who is like unto thee To know only that he is not like any other thing that we know but not to know what he is And the different degrees of knowledge is but in more admiration or lesse at his unconceivablenesse in more or lesse affection expressed in such pathetick interogations O who is like theLord How excellent is his Name Here is the greatest degree of Saints knowledge here-away to ask with admiration and affection such a question that no answer can be given to or none that we can conceive or understand so as to satisfie wondring but such as still more increaseth it There is no other subject but you may exceed it in apprehensions and in expressions O how often are mens songs thoughts and discourses above the matter But here is a subject that there is no excesse into nay there is no accesse unto it let be excesse in it imagination that can transcend the created Heavens and Earth fancy to it self millions of new worlds every one exceeding another all of them exceeding this in perfection yet it can do nothing here that which at one instant can passe from the one end of Heaven to the other walk about the circumference of the Heavens travel over the breadth of the Sea yet it can do nothing here Canst thou by searching find out God Iob 11. imaginations cannot travel in these bounds for his Center is every where and his Circumference no where as an old Philosopher speaks of God Deus est cujus Centrum est ubique Circumferentia nusquam how shall it then find him out There is nothing sure here but to lose our selves in a mystery and to follow his Majesty till we be swallowed up with an Oh altitudo O the depth and heigth and length and breadth of God! O the deepth of his wisdome O the heigth of his power O the breadth of his love And O the length of Eternity It s not reason and disputation saith Bernard will comprehend these but holinesse and that by stretching out the arms of fear and love reverence and affection What more dreadfull than power that cannot be resisted and wisdome that none can be hid from and what more lovely than the love wherewith he hath so loved us his unchangeablenesse which admits of no suspition 〈◊〉 fear him who hath a hand that doth all and an eye that beholds all things love him who hath so loved us and cannot change God hath been the subject of the discourses and debates of men in all ages but Oh Quam long e est in rebus qui est tam Communis in vocibus How little a portion hath men understood of him How hath he been hid from the eyes of all living Every age must give this testimony of him we have heard of his fame but he is hid from the eyes of all living I think that Philosopher that took it to his advisement said more insilence than all men have done in speaking Simonides being asked by Hiero a King what God was sought a day to deliberate in and think upon it when the King sought an account of his meditation about it he desired yet two dayes more and so as oft as the King asked him he still doubled the number of the dayes in which he might advise upon it The King wondring at this asked what the matter by those delayes saith he Quanto magis considero tanto magis obscurior mihi videtur he more I think on him he is the more dark and unknown to me This was more real knowledge then the many subtil disputations of those men who by their poor shell of finite capacity reason presume to empty the ocean of Gods infinitenesse by finding out answers to all the objections of carnal reason against all those mysteries riddles of the Deity I professe I know nothing can satisfie reason in this businesse but to lead it captive to the obedience of Faith and to silence it with the faith of a mystery which we know not Pauls answer is one for all better then all the Syllogisms of such men what art thou O man who disputest Dispute thou I will believe Ut intelligatur tacendum est silence only can get some account of God quiet and humble ignorance in the admiration of such a Majesty is the profoundest knowledge Non est mirum si ignoretur majoris esset admirationis si sciatur It is no wonder that God is not known all the wonder were to know comprehend such a wonder such a mystery it is a wonder indeed that he is not more known but when I say so I mean that he is not more wondred at because he is passing knowledge If our eyes of flesh cannot see any thing almost when they look straight stedfastly upon the Sun O what can the eye of the soul behold when it is fixed upon the consideration of that shining and glorious Majesty will not that very light be as darknesse to it that it shal be as it were darkned dazled with a thick mist of light in superlucente caligne confounded with that resplendent darknesse It is said that the Lord covers himself with light as with a garment yet clouds and darknesse are about him and he makes darknesse his covering Psalm 18. 9. 10 12. His inaccessible light is this glorious darknesse that strikes the eyes of men blind as in the darknesse the Suns light is the night owles night darknesse when a soul can find no better way to know him by then by these Names and notions by which wee deny our own knowledge when it hath conceived all of him it can then as being overcome with that dazling brightnesse of his Glorie to think him inconceivable to express him in such terms as with all expresses our ignorance There is no name agrees more to God theÌ„ that which saith we caÌ„not name him we cannot know him such as invisible incomprehensible infinite c. This Socrates an heathen profest to be all his knowledge that he knew he did know nothing and therefore he preached an unknown God to the Athenians to whom after they erected an Altar with that inscription To the unknown God I confesse indeed the most part of our discourses of our performances have such a writting on them To thâ—… unknown God because we think we know him and so we know nothing But O that Christians had so much knowledge of God so much true wisdom as solidly and willingly to confesse in our souls our
long-suffering patient and if he had not been so we had been damned ere now patience hath a long term and we cannot out-run it out-weary it Why do we not wonder that he presently and instantly executed his wrath on angels gave them not one hours space for repentance but cast them down head-long into destruction as in a moment and yet his Majesty hath so long delayed the execution of our sentence and calls us to repentance and forgivenesse that we may escape the condemnation of Angels His patience is not slacknes and negligence as men count it 2 Pet. 3. 9. He sits not in heaven as an Idol and idle spectator what men are doing but he observes all wrongs and is sensible of them also And if we were mindfull and sensible of them also he would forget them He is long-suffering This is extended and stretched-out patience beyond all expectation beyond all deserving yea contrary to it Therefore as long as he forbears if thou apprehend thy misery and sin and continuance in it so not conclude that it is desperate Why should a living man complain As long as patience lengthens thy life if thou desire to come to him believe he wil accept thee But saith the doubting soul I am exceeding perverse and wicked there is nothing in me but wickednesse it so abounds in me that there is nothing in me but wickednesse it so abounds in me that there is none like me but saith the Lord I am aboundant in goodnesse Thy wickednesse though it be great it is but a created wickedness but my goodness is the goodness of God I am as abundant in grace goodnesse as thou art in sin nay infinitely more thy sin is but the transgression of a finite creature but my mercy is the compassion of an infinite God it can swallow it up suppose thy sin cry up to Heaven yet mercy reaches above Heaven is built up for ever Here is an invitation to all sinners to come and taste O come taste and see how good the Lord is goodnesse is communicative it diffuses it self like the Suns light There is riches of his goodnesse Rom. 2. 4. Poor soul thou canst not spend it though thou have many wants But I am full of doubtings fears and jealousies I cannot believe his Promises I often question them How then will he perform them I say saith the Lord I am abundant in truth He will certainly perform Shal our unbelief or doubting make the faith of God of none effect c. Rom. 3. 3. God forbid His faithfulnesse reaches unto the Clouds he will keep Covenant with thee whose soul hath chosen him though thou often question and doubt of him Indeed thou would not give indulgence to thy doubtings jealousies but look on them as high provocations for what can be more grievous to fervent love than to meet with jealousie jealousie would quench any creatures love but though it grieve provoke him yet he will not change he will not diminish his only do not think your disputings quarrellings innocent and harmlesse things no certainly they grieve the Spirit stir up the Beloved to go away as it were before he please make thee walk without comfort without fruit yet he will bear with quench the smoaking flax of a Believers desires though they do not arise to the flame of Assurance But the wounded spirit hath one or two burdens more I have abused much mercy How can mercy pitty me I have turned grace into wantonnesse so that when I look to mercy and grace to comfort me they do rather challenge me the sins of none are like mine none of such a hainous presumptuous nature But let us hear what the Lord speaks I keep mercy for thousands and forgive iniquity transgression and sin Thou hast wasted much mercy but more is behind all the treasure is not spent though there were many thousand worlds beside I could pardon them all if they would flee unto my mercy thou shalt not be straitned in me mercy will pardon thy abuse of mercy it will forgive all faults thou dost against it self Thou that sins against the Son of man the Redeemer of the World remedy of sin yet there is pardon for thee what ever thy quality condition or circumstance of thy sin be whoever convinced of it and loadned with it desires rest to thy soul thou may find it in Christ whose former kindnesse thou hast answered with contempt many sins many great sins and these presumptuous sins cannot exclude nay no sin can exclude a willing soul. Unbelief keeps thee unwilling and so excludes thee Now as the Spider sucks poyson out of the sweetest Flower so the most part of souls suck nothing but delusion and presumption and hardening out of the Gospel Many souls reason for more liberty to sin from mercy but behold how the Lord backs it with a dreadful word who will by no means clear the guilty As many as do not condemn themselves and judge themselves before his Tribunall of Justice there is no rescinding of the condemnatory Sentence but it stands above their heads He that believes not is condemned already Justice hath condemned all by sentence he that doth not in the sense of this flee into Jesus Christ from sin and wrath is already condemned his Sentence is standing there needs no new one since he flees not to mercy for absolution the sentence of condemnation stands unrepealed Yoâ—… guilty souls who clear your selves God will not clear you alas How many of you do clear your selves Do you not extenuate and mince your sins How hard is it to extort any confession of guilt out of you but in the general If we condescend to particulars many of you will plead innocency almost in every thing though ye have like children learned to speak these words That ye are sinners I beseech you consider it it is no light matter for God will by no means clear the guilty by no means by no intreaties no flatteries What will he not pardon sin Yes indeed His Name tells you he will pardon all kind of sins absolve all manner of guilty persons but yet such as do condemn themselves such as are guilty in their own conscience their mouths stopped before God you who do not enter into the serious examination of your wayes and no not arraign your selves before Gods Tribunal daily till you find your selves loathsome and desperate and no refuge for you you who do flatter your selves alwaies in the hope of heaven and put the fear of hell alwayes from you I say God will by no mean no prayers no intreaties clear or pardon you because you come not to Jesus Christ in whom is preached forgivenesse and remission of sins You who take liberty to sin because God is gracious and delay repentance till the end because God is long suffering know God will not clear you he is holy and just as he is mercyfull If his
certainly the greatest fault of Christians grounds of many more that ye do not look to God but to creatures in any thing befalls you therefore there are so frequent risings of spirits against his yoke frequent spurnings against it as Ephraim unaccustomed with the yoke so do ye this is it only makes it heavy and troublesome if there were no more reason for it but your own gain it is the only way to peace quietnesse Durum sed levius fit patientiá quicquid corrigere est nes as your impatience cannot help you but hurt you it is the very yoke of your yoke but quiet and silent stooping makes it easie in it self and brings in more help beside even Divine help Learn this I beseech you to get your wills abandoned and your spirits subdued to God both in the point of duty and dispensation If duties commanded crosse thy spirit as certainly the reality and exercise of Godlinesse must be unpleasant to any nature know what thou art called to to quit thy own will to him to give up thy self to his pleasure singly without so much respect to thy own pleasure or gain learn to obey him simply because he coÌ„mands though no profit redound to thee by this means thou shalt in due time have more sweet peace and real gain though thou intended it not And in case any dispensation crosse thy mind let not thy mind rise up against it do not fall out with providence but commit thy way wholly to him and let him do what he pleaseth in that be thou minding thy duty be not anxious in that but be diligent in this and thou shalt be the only gainer by it besides the honour redounds to him Then I would exhort you from this ground to trust in him seeing he alone is the absolute Soveraign Lord of all things seeing he hath past a determination upon all things and accordingly they must be and seeing none can turn him from his way O then Christians learn to commit your selves to him in all things both for this life and the life to come why are ye so vain and foolish as to depend hang upon poor vain depending Creatures Why do ye not forsake your selves Why do ye not forsake all other things as empty shadows Are not all created powers habits gifts graces strength riches c. like the idols in comparison of him who can neither do good neither can they do ill Cursed is he that trusts in man Jer. 17. 15 16. there needs no other curse than the very disappointment you shal meet withall Consider 〈◊〉 beseech you that our God can do all things what ever â—…e pleaseth in Heaven and Earth and that none can obstruct his pleasure blest is that soul for whom the counsel of his wil is ingaged it is ingaged for all that trust in him he can accomplish his good pleasure in thy behalf either without or against means all impediments thorns set in his way he can burn them up you who are heirs of the promises O know your priviledge what his soul desireth He doth even that what he hath seriously promised to you he desires If you ask who are heirs of the Promises I would answer simply these and these only who do own them and challenge them and claim to them for their life and salvation these who seek the Inheritance only by the Promise and whose soul desires them and imbraces them O if you would observe how unlike ye are to God ye change often ye turn often out of the way but that were not so ill if ye did not imagine him to be like your selves and it is unbelief which makes him like to your selves when your frame and tender disposition changes when presence and accesse to God is removed that is wrong it speaks out a mortall creature indeed but if it be so O do no more wrong do not by your suspicions and jealousies and questionings of him imagine that he is like unto you and changed also that is a double wrong and dishonour to his Majesty Hath he not said I am God and changes not He is in one mind who can turn him How comes it then that ye doubt of his love as oft as ye change When ye are in a good temper ye think he loves you when it is not so ye cannot believe but he is angry and hates you is not this to speak quite contrary to the Word that he is a God that changes that he is not in one mind but now in one and then in another as oft as the unconstant wind of a souls self-pleasing humour turns about Here is your rest and confidence if you will be established not within your selves not upon marks and signs within you which ebbe and flow as the Sea and change as the Moon but upon his unchangeable Nature and faithfull promises This we desire to hold out to you all as one ground for all you would every one have some particular ground in your own disposition and condition thinks it general doctrine only which layeth it noâ—… home so but believe it I know no ground of realsoul-establishment but general truths and pinciples common to you all and our businesse is not to lay any other foundation or moe foundations according to your different conditions but to lay this one foundation Christ and God unchangeable to exhort every one of you to make that general Foundation your own in particular by leaning to it building upon it claiming to it all other are sandy and ruinous Let us now in this sad time presse consolation from this the Lords hand is in all this it 's immediate in every dispensation and its only carnal-mindednesse that cannot see him stretching out his hand to every man with his own portion of affliction Know this one thing that God is in one mind for all these many wayes judgements he is in one mind to gather the Saints to build up the Church the body of Christ this is his end all other businesses is in the by subservient to this therefore he will change it as he pleases but his great purpose of good to his people all the World cannot hinder Let us then establish our souls in this consideration all is clear above albeit cloudy below All is calm in Heaven albeit tempestuous here upon Earth There is no confusion no disorder in his mind though we think the world out of course and that all things reel about with confusion hee hath one mind in it who can turn him And that mind is good to them that trust in him And therefor who can turn away our good Let men consult and imagine what they please let them passe votes decrees what to do with his people yet it is all to no purpose for there is a Counsel above an older Counsel which must stand and take place in all generations If mens conclusions be not according to the Counsell
are fallen that Image we spoke of is defaced and blotted out which was the glory of the Creation and now there is nothing so monstrous so deformed in the world as man the corruption of the best thing is alwayes worst the ruines of the most noble creature are most ruinous the spot of the soul most abominable we are nothing but a masse of darknesse ignorance errour inordinate lust nothing but confusion disorder and distempers in the soul and in the conversation of men in sum that blessed bond of friendship with God broken discord enmity entered upon our side separated us from God and so we can expect nothing from that first Covenant but the curse and wrath threatned By one mans disobedience sin entered upon all death by sin because in that agreement Adam was a common person representing us and thus are all men once subject to Gods judgement come short of the glory of God fallen from life into a state of death for any thing could be expected irrevocably But it hath pleased the Lord in his infinite mercy to make a better Covenant in Christ his Son that vvhat vvas impossible to the Law by reason of our vveakness and vvickedness his Son sent in the flesh condemned for sin might accomplish Rom. 8. 3. There is some comfort yet after this that Covenanâ—… vvas not last and that sentence vvas not irrevocable He maketh a new transaction layes the iniquity of his elect upon Christ and puts the curse upon his shoulders vvhich vvas due to them Justice cannot admit the abrogation of the Law but mercy pleads for a temperament of it and thus the Lord dispenses vvith personal satisfaction vvhich in rigour he might have craved and finds out a ransom admits another satisfaction in their name And in the Name of that Cautioner and Redeemer is salvation preached upon better terms Believe and thou shalt be saved Rom. 10. Thou lost and undone sinner vvhoever thou art that findest thy self guilty before God and that thou canst not stand in judgement by the former Covenant thou vvho hast no personal righteousness and trusts in none come here embrace the righteousness of thy Cautioner receive him and â—…est on him and thou shalt be saved Eccles. 7. 29. God made man upright but he sought out many inventions THe one half of true Religion consists in the knowledge of ourselves and the other half in the knowledge of God and vvhatever besides this men study to know and apply their hearts unto it 's vain and impertinent and like medling in other menâ—… matters neglecting our own if vve do not give our minds to the search of these All of us must needs grant this in the general that it is an idle and improfitable wandering abroad to be carried forth to the knowledge and use of other things and in the mean time to be strangers to our selves vvith vvhom vâ—… should be most acquainted If any man vvas diligenâ—… and earnest in the enquiry and use of the things of the vvorld Solomon vvas he applyed his heart to seek out vvisdom and vvhat satisfaction vvas in the knowledge of all things natural and in this he attained a great degree beyond all other men yet he pronounces of it all after experience and tryal that this also was vanity and vexation of spirit not only empty and unprofitable and not conducing to that true blessedness he sought after but hurtful and destructive nothing but grief and sorrow in it After he had proved all vvith a resolution to be vvise yet it vvas far from him I said I will be wise but it was far from me verse 23. And therefore after long vvandering abroad he returns at length home to himself to know the estate of mankind Lo this only have I sound c. ver 29. When I have searched all other things found many things by search yet saith he vvhat doth it all concern me vvhen I am ignorant of my self There is one thing concerns me more then all to know the original of Man vvhat he once vvas made and to know how far he is departed from his Original This only I have found profitable to men and as the entry and preparation to that blessedness I enquire for To have the true discovery of our misery There are two things then concerning man that you have to search to know that not in a triâ—…ing or curious manner as if you had no other end in it but to know it as men do in other things but in a serious earnest way as 〈◊〉 a matter of so much concernment to our eternal well-being In things that relate particularly to our selves vve labor to know them for ome advantage besides the knowing of them even though they be but â—…mal and lower things how much more should vve propose this unto our selves in the search and examination of our own estate not meeâ—…ly to â—…now such a thing but to know it that vve may be 〈◊〉 up and provoked in the sense of it to look after the remedy that God holds forth There are two things that you have to know What man once vvas made and how he is now unmade how happy once and how miserable now And answerable to these two are the branches of the Text God made manâ—…upright that he was once and they have fought out many inventions not being contented vvith that blessedness they vvere created into by catching at a higher estate of vvisdom have fallen down into a gulf of misery as the man that gazed on the stars above him and did not take notice of the pit under his feet till he fell into it and thus man is now So you have a short account of the two estates of men of the estate of grace and righteousness vvithout sin and the estate of sin and misery 〈◊〉 grace You havâ—… thâ—… 〈◊〉 story of man from the creation unto his present condition But all the matter is to have the lively sensâ—… of this upon our hearts I had rather that vve vvent home bewailing our loss and lamenting our misery and longing for the recovery of that 〈◊〉 then that vve vvent out vvith the exact memory of all 〈◊〉 is spoken and could repeat it again God made man upright At hiâ—…â—…st moulding the Lord shewed excellent Art and Wisdom and Goodness too Man did come forth from under his hand in the first edition very glorious to show vvhat he could do Upright that is all right very exactly conformed to the noble and high pattern endowed vvith divine vvisdom such 〈◊〉 might direct him to true happiness and furnished vvith a divine vvillingness to follow that direction The command was not above his head as a rod but within his heart as a natural instinct all that vvas vvithin him vvas comely beautiful for that glorious light that shined upon him having life and love vvith it produced a sweet harmony in the soul he knew his duty and loved it and vâ—…as