for the sinnes of the world If reason weigh the one and the other yet because both were performed upon the motive of the love of God commanding both was most spirituall obedience especially because the duty is both work and wage and the more of the Word of God is in the obedience I mean not the letter only but the word including the love 2. The authority of the Commander 3. The beauty apprehended to be and the peace in obedience the more spirituall is the obedience The letter only may show you duty your obligation and the penaltie of disobeying and all these three in a literall way and yet upon that account the obedience is not spirituall but gospel-Gospel-love added to the Laws-letter makes spirituall obedience CHAP. XVIII The new heart of Covenanters the Nature Characters Properties thereof hitherto of the new Spirit Quest. 6. WHen are we to judge that we have a new heart And when do we know that it is not the old heart Ans. 1 Propos. As Physically so also Morally the heart is the man the good heart the good man the evill heart the evill man and God weights men by the weight not of the tongue of the hands of the outward man but by the weight of the heart Asa his heart was perfect 2 Chron. 15.17 the heart of Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 17.3 was perefect And Psal. 78.37 their heart was not right the froward heart is the froward man Pro. 3.32 For there is a man speaking within a man and a heart within a heart acting as if it were a man made up of soul and body Thou hast said in thy heart I will ascend up to Heaven so the King of Babylon Isa. 14.13 So the heart acts Heaven or Hell within the man Psal. 14.1 Luk. 12.19 they have a heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 busied in the Colledge studying and reading covetousnesse 2 Pet. 2.14 2. Propos. When the Lord tryes the man he tryes the heart and the reins Prov. 15.11 Hell and the heart both are naked before him Prov. 17.3 Theodoret. God acteth the noon-day-Sun meridionaliter in every heart The man himself is without and God within Jer. 17.9 Man searcheth not his own heart and reins for there be plottings and inclinations to evill in the heart which the heart knows not 2 King 8.12 13. Peter hath a better heart then all men in the books of his own heart Matth. 26.33 but it s not so indeed 3. Propos. The washen heart that lodges not vain thoughts Jer. 4.14 purged from dead works by the blood of Christ above all the blood of bullocks and goats Heb. 9.14 purified by faith Act. 15.14 is the good heart It is a better heart according to the heart of God 1 King 15.5 that turneth not aside 1 Sam. 13.14 of Gods seeking out and finding then the first heart created of God Eph. 4.24 Col. 3.10 And ah we seek a good Ruler a good Physician when we are sick a good house to dwell in and which is strange a good horse but not to have a good heart 4. Propos. The excellent acts of God in a manner with glory to his Highnesse to mind his first work to create a better heart then the first which he created saith that there is great need of a good heart Psal. 51.10 of a new heart Ezek. 36.26 It s beyond all admiration to create so raâ—e a peece as the Sun out of no thing and a beautifull Lillie out of mire and dirt out of common clay to bring forth Saphirs Carbuncles and in liew of a stony heart for grace is not educed out of the potencie of any created thing to create a new heart which God loveth to dwell in rather then in heaven the high and holy place Isai. 57.15 which so ravisheth the heart of Christ Cant. 4.7 9. and is of more price with God then gold or any corruptible thing even a meek and quiet spirit 1 Ptt. 3.3 4. is the rarest peece of the works of God It s an excellent act of God to keep the vessell in a spirituall season as David prayes 1 Chron. 29.18 To make roome for Christ dwelling by faith and for love to comprehend love Eph. 3.17 18. and who puts such a thing in the heart Ezra 7.27 when a sparkle of fire from flint falls on water or green timber there is no fireing from thence But when actuall influences fall upon an heavenly habit as the Lord can cast in a coal or a lump and flood of love Cant. 2.5 6. Luk. 24.32 Cant. 6.12 there are most heavenly actings of the soul. 3. He bows and inclines the heart to the Lords testimonies and to cleave to him without declining Jer. 32.39 40. Ps. 119.39 Cant. 1.4 Ps. 141.4 4. We are to beware of 1. the reigning evils of the heart of a rotten and unsound heart 1 Tim. 6.5 Psal. 119.82 2. Of an unsavoury stinking heart that smells of hell and the second death of all sort of unrighteousnesse and malice like a green opened grave Psal. 5.9 3. Of an uncured heart that never came through the hands of the Physician Prov. 14.13 A sound heart is the life of the flesh Of an unsound unsavoury and a rotten heart Eph. 4.29 compared with vers 23. from whence issue rotten words borrowed from rotten and worm-eaten trees which speak an uncured heart 5. We are to look to deadnesse of heart in all the branches of it As 1. sullennesse and dumpish sadnesse in refusing comforts and being full of unbeleeving heavinesse in David Psal. 69.20 Psal. 42.11 whereas we are alwayes to rejoice Psal. 119.52 Phil. 4.4 2. Fainting at the greatnesse of the affliction Isa. 20.3 Joh. 14.1 whence comes withering of heart Psal. 102.4 Psal. 27.13 3. An overwhelmed and unbeleeving sowning heart Psal. 61.2 Psal. 142.3 Psal. 143.3 4. 4. Deadnesse in going about the service of God Psal. 119.37 Quicken me in thy way of this else where 5. Narrownesse to take in God opposed to an inlarged and wide heart Psal. 119.32 Psal. 81.10 and straitening of heart when the soul is so hampered that he cannot speak Psal. 77.4 unbeleef clipps the wings of the Spirit and layes on fetters which may come from the wicked company and may be laid on by our selves Psal. 39.1 2. 6. There is an Atheist heart to hate the existence of God of Christ of a Gospel Jam. 2.19 Matth. 8.29 Compared with Psal. 14.1 Eph. 2.12 Some beleevers are near to say I take my leave of Christ I 'le pray no more for it is in vain Jer. 20.9 Ps. 73.13 14. but it is not a fixed resolution of this else where 7. There is an evill heart of unbeleef to depart from the Living God Heb. 3.12 8. A heart that deviseth ploweth or delveth wicked imaginations Prov. 6.18 As Prov. 3.29 Plow not evill against thy neighbour Hos. 10.13 You have plowed iniquity such plots are forged against the people of God Matth. 27.1 Nah.
fountain-grace all the satisfaction that the Lord craves of sinners begins at this spring the old and eternall design of love in the heart of God toward his Son his everlasting delight the bosome darling and beloved of the Father is the designed Prince upon whose shoulder is the Government Here was mutuall love-delight acted by the Father and Son Prov. 8.31 My delights were with the sons of men even before the fountains of waters were created v. 24. O what everlasting out-goings and issuings of eternall love came from the heart of the Father and the Son in their eternall Covenant-delights towards the sons of men here was the eternall marriage of the Lamb the Kings eternall Son and of the not as yet created Bride first written and sealed by the King and his Son and our not knowing of this and Gods delighting in us when we little knew or dreamed of his eternall love highnesse his grace Should the heart of God be taken and to speak so be sick of love for so many Nothings whom he was to make heirs Far more being reconciled and justified we need not fear we shall be saved Here in this Covenant were first drawen the lineaments and draughts of the free and gracious interest of Jesus Christ to the sons of men And who should not wonder here at the purest fountain-grace that is in Jesus Christ which did set on work eternall wisedome to frame such an eternall peace of God Covenanting with the Son of God and love eternall hiring love eternall with the reward to speak so of the certain hope of enjoying a soul-satisfying seed and a numerous off-spring of Redeemed ones if love should die and triumph over justice which was done by love 6. There is here much of the eternall interest of JEHOVAH to the Son and of the essentiall love of God to his only begotten Son Prov. 8.24 When there was no depths I was brought forth 30. Then I was by him as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight rejoycing alwayes before him And they may that have been verified Jer. 30.21 And their noble One shall be of themselves and their Governour shall proceed from the midst of them and I will cause him to draw near and he shall approach unto me for who is this that engadged his heart to approach unto me saith the Lord The love eternall here in JEHOVAH loves and wonders that Christ his Son layes hands upon his own heart to take upon him the Office of Redeemer and Priest and the Lords saying Who is this is a note of love and wonder as Psal. 24.8.10 Isa. 63.1 Cant. 6.10 and that his heart closes with the Covenant-designe Obj. But Arminius himself also teacheth that there was â— Covenant betwixt the Lord and Christ. God required of Christ our Priest that he would lay down his life for sin give his flesh for the life of the world and he promised if he should so do he should see his seed and be an eternall high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck and by the exercise of his Priestly Office he should be exalted to a royall dignity Christ our Priest closed with the condition and said Behold here am I to do thy will c. And Socinians who hold him to be a divine Man only will agree that Christ was under an obedientiall Covenant to God Ans. Arminians and others may yeeld to a Covenant between the Father and the Son but it is a far other thing then such as we hold for Christ did close with the condition of laying down his life for sinners But when Christ hath ended his work and payed the price of Redemption laid down his life for Pharaoh Cain for Aegyptians Syrians Persians Chaldeans and all in whom ever was the breath of life yet cannot the Lord promise to Christ that he shall have any seed or one redeemed one nor can the Lord either promise or pay wages to Christ For a promise if sincere is of things that are in our power to do even among men Can a King promise that to morrow he shall cause the wind for seventy dayes to come blow out of the North-West It s not in his power Now Arminians Socinians and all of that Family teach that God hath no forceable antecedent dominion to bow and determine the free-will of any one man The Lord then no more can promise nor give the reward of a seed to Christ for his work of laying down his life for man then he can ingage that the Serpent with reverence to our blessed Lord shall see his seed For when Christ hath wrought the same work payed the same very ransone as these Sophists teach for millions that perish through their own free-will eternally What seed hath he of them Where is his wage Were not all and every one of mankind promised in the Arminian Covenant to be the gifted seed of Christ upon condition that they should repent and beleeve But Arminians deny that God doth promise faith or that he is so Lord and Master of the free-will of any as indeclineably and unsuperably he can make good his promise and cause them beleeve and persevere therein to the end and that is it by which they are his seed It s but said in vain that God promises they shall be Christs gifted seed providing they be willing to beleeve that is but to say the Lord promises all shall be his seed providing they shall be his seed For willing beleeving makes them his seed 2. By this also the Lord promises what is in mens power to perform and it might fall out that all and every one should do the like that multitudes do who perish eternally and so shall Christ do his work and injoy no seed at all But the Covenant of suretyship which we teach makes not the truth of God to depend upon our faith or our unbeleef Yea the Lord promises that Christ without all fail shall undeclineably see his seed yea and shall be the restorer of the Tribes of Jacob and a light to the Gentiles and the salvation of God to the ends of the earth Isa. 49.6 Isa. 54. He shall be King and Lord of the Iles Isa. 42.6 7. Isa. 60.9 Psal. 2.8 9. A Prince and a sheepherd over his people Ezek. 34. Ezek. 37.24 25. Psal. 89.25 not upon condition they be willing over whom he is set but to meet with the temptation Ah! my iron and rockie will shall still resist the Lord and he shall be King of the Nations if the Nations shall determine their own will to submit to him and vote that he be Crowned King Nay but the Covenant-promise saith he shall be King of thy will This is a part of his raign Psal. 110.2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion rule thou in the midst of thine enemies 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Deut. 30 6. Ezek. 11.19 20. Ezek.
with God and his decrees under pretence of this what if he have not chosen me and I have no right to Covenant-mercies except I take a Law-way to earne them by fulfilling the condition 5. When we beleeve a conditionall promise if I beleeve I am saved faith relyes not fiducially upon the if I beleeve or upon the condition It s a weak pillar to a sinner to stay his unquiet heart upon to wit his own beleeving but faith rests upon the connexion if thou beleeve thou shalt be saved and it stayes upon the connexion as made sure by the Lord who of grace gives the condition of beleeving and of grace the reward conditioned so that faith binds all the weight upon God only even in conditionall Gospel-promises 1. Man is to be considered as a creature 2. As such a creature to wit endued with reason and the Image of God in either considerations especially in the former all that are created are obliged to do and suffer the will of God though they never sinned It s not enough to say that Sun Moon Trees Herbs Vines Earth Beasts Birds and Fishes cannot suffer the ill of punishment which is relative to the break of a Law for the whole Creation is subject to vanity for our sins Rom. 8.20 21. The Servant is smitten and sickened for the Masters sake and God may take from them what he gave them their lives without sense of pain and dollour for all beings yea defects and privations are debters to the glory declarative of God Prov. 16.4 Rom. 11.36 yea and no beings are under this debt God can serve himself of nothing yea that there are not created Locusts Caterpillars more numerous then that all the fruits of the earth can be food to them Preach the Glory of the Lords goodnesse to man and what are never to be no lesse then all things that have futurition or shall come to passe either absolutely or conditionally are under the positive decree of God else we should not owe thanks to the Lord for many evils that never fall out that the Lord turns away violent death violence of men and wilde beasts and many possible mischiefs contrair to Deut. 28.11 12. Lev. 26.6 Psal. 34.20 Psal. 91.5 6 7 8. And all these beings or no beings owe themselves to God to hold forth the glory of goodnesse wisedome mercy justice c. suppone there had never been sin Far more now who wants matter of meditation or can write a book of all the pains aâ—kings convulsions pests diseases that the Lord decreed to hold off so that every bone joynt lith hair member should write a Psalm Book of praises Psal. 35.10 All my bones shall say Lord Who is like unto thee Nor can any man write his debts of this kind But we are little affected with the negatives of mercies except we read them upon others and little then also Self-pain Preacheth little to us far more the borrowed experience of fallen Angels of Sodom of the old world c. leaves small impression upon stony spirits 2. Complain not that you have not that share of grace another hath if ye you think had it you would be as usefull to glorifie God as they but ye know not your self swell not against him that thou hast no grace O vessell of wrath thou owes that bit clay and all thy wants to glorifie his Justice 3. My sicknesse my pain my bands owe themselves to God and are debtors to his glory I and every one of men should say O that my pain might praise him and my hell and flamings of everlasting fire might be an everlasting Psalm of the Glory of his Justice That my sorrow could sing the Glory of so High a Lord But we love rather that he wanted his praise so we wanted our pain 3. God hath made a sort of naturall Covenant with night and day Jer. 31.35 For all are his servants Psal. 119.91 that they should be faithfull to their own naturall ends to act for him Ier. 5.22 Ier. 31.37 Psal. 104.1 2 3.4 and they are more faithfull to their ends then men Isa. 1.3 Ier. 8.7 The oxe and the asse being more knowing to their owner and the swallow and the cran being more discerning of their times then men are 2. They so keep their line that there is more self-deniall in their actings then in mans way as if fire were not fire and nature in it denied the fire devours not the three Children Dan. 3.27 28 The Sun stands still the Moon moves not Iosh. 10.12 13. The hungry Lions eat not Daniel ch 6.22 When the Lord gives a counter-command to them and that is a clause in the Covenant that the Lord entered with them that they act or no act as he shall be pleased to speak to them John 2.10 Isa. 50.2 Mat. 8.16 It is a most humbling Theame that an asse is more in denying nature and the cran and the fire then man yea then a renued man in some cases 4. But if man be considered as such a man endued with the Image of God and withall the Covenant be considered as such a Covenant as is expressed in the Ten-Commandements in which one of seven is a Sabbath to the Lord it will be found that many positives Morall are in the Covenant of Works that are not in naturall Covenants 5. So man must come under a three-fold consideration 1. As a creature 2. As a reasonable creature 3. As such a creature reasonable endued with the image of God In the first consideration man comes under the Covenant naturall common to all creatures So is Peters body carried above in the water as iron swims 2. As a reasonable creature he owes himself to God to obey so far as the Law written in the heart carries him to love God trust in him fear him But this can hardly bear the name of a Covenant except it be so called in a large sense nor is there any promise of life as a reward of the work of obedience here 3. But man being considered as indued with the Image of God so the Holy God made with him a Covenant of life with Commandements though positive and Morall yet not deduced from the Law of Nature in the strictest sense as to observe such a Sabbath the seventh from the Creation the not eating of the forbidden tree and with a promise of such a life And therefore though Divines as our solid and eminent Rollock call it a Covenant naturall as it is contradistinguished from the supernaturall Covenant of Grace and there is good reason so to call it Yet when it is considered in the positives thereof it is from the free will of God and though it be connaturall to man created according to the Image of God yet the Covenant came so from the Lords wisedom and free-will as he might have casten it in a new and far other frame And it cannot be denyed though it be most
to the death of the Crosse Phil. 2. Hence to weary of submitting to God speaks much unnaturall pride yea will not be under God 2. There is little of Christ in such for it was life to Christ and meat and drink Psal. 40.8 Heb. 10.8 John 4.34 Act. 10.38 to obey and it is the Angels life Jsa 6.2 3. Psal. 103.20 Rev. 4.8 and they are neer him who both at once serve and Raigne Rev 22.3 5. much delight to obey speak much of God in the heart Tyre not of your Master examine more untowardnesse to pray to confer to give c. if it be not a cause of deadness and be not a way of backsliding 5. Use. If creatures keep their Covenant-naturall with God shal not the oxe the cran Isa. 1.3 Jer. 8.7 the asse 2 Pet. 2.16 who never had a design of rebellion depon against us in Judgement Ah! what an unnaturall policie the first evill wit of him that sinned from the beginning John 8.44 and whom we follow at the heels it is to please our own wit in Covenant breaking Such as are sick of love for their own wylie time-serving custome If all naturall men in their death bed damne not this folly aske them and they shall speak 6. Use. If God Covenant with us for hyre when his absolutenesse may bear him to command how sinfully soft are our spirits and weak is reason that is broken with a straw when an apple conquers Evahs eye and heart Talents of Silver and a wedge of Gold Achan and Gehazi A drink of water if not at hand in time of thirst make the people murmure against God the more sanctified defecat and spirituall reason be the farther it is above that which crusheth Balaam and Judas The first heavens motion the primum mobile which draws all the rest must be the most excellent and the moving power must be most spirituall it s neither heavinesse which is in stones or clay nor lightnesse in the aire and fire but a more heavenly force which throwes about that body so the motions of sanctified reason which is sweyed and driven by no Argument but from eternity communion with God a Kingdom above time must be most spirituall The dogge is moved with a bone the oxe with hay 7. If no law and poor obedience of ours can buy a communion with God let us examine the peace that flowes from obedience It s purer and more solid peace that flowes from Justification and more immediatly removes the warre between God and us Rom. 5. 1. and comes by a purer and nearer emanation from God and from the ransome of Redemption that is in Christ then that which flowes from created acts of inherent holinesse 2. Our first Adams Element is Justification by works in which we love to live and die The Law is an home-born Idol in us Our apprehensions of our own actings are lively and vigorous the 3000. Acts 2.37 Saul Acts 9.6 and the Jayler Acts 16.30 aske what we shall doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But it is not the law word of working Rom. 4.2 4 5 6. Rom. 3.20 28. It s much to be dead to the Law and to Law-righteousnesse Gal. 2.19 20. I live not but Christ lives in me Christ 2. is a stranger to us and comes from without gifted righteousnesse comes from heaven Grace only makes us willing debters to grace The pride of self will neither begge nor borrow from nor be debter to a Crucified Saviour when it despiseth him untill the roof of the house fall 3. Seldome do these two concurre deadnesse to works of grace and lively activity in the doing of them Paul attained to both but every man is not Paul 1 Cor. 15.9 10. I laboured more abundantly then they all But fearing and trembling at at that I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he strikes sail to Christ yet not I but the grace of God in me This pride Paul notes in the Jewes they stouped not nor bowed as inferiours to their Master King or Lord or Father and Husband so the word to the righteousness of God When I self or nature meets with working yea with grace often there followes some loftinesse except it be humbled and mortified I which can weep and say Lord what am I CHAP. VIII What place death hath in the Covenant 2. What such as Cain and Judas are to do in their desperate state 3. And why the LORD is no where called the GOD of Adam Q. WHat room hath death in the Covenant A. Death hath room in the broken Covenant of Works as the Pursevant and Sergeant of revenging justice Hence deaths reign I must die whether I will or not Unwillingnesse to die and bondage through fear of death is the Law-sting in death from which Christ hath delivered us Heb. 2.15 Original sin and death came and entred the world by the Covenant of Works The Covenant of Grace made not death but found it in the world Christ made of an old enemy death a new servant it s now the Kings ferry-boat to carry the children over the water It s a sutable condition to a spirituall state to die being sent for not legally summon'd and to die because I desire to be dissolved Ph. 1.23 not because I must And better it is to summon our selves then to be summoned Though we love heaven too much as a place of pleasure rather then a place of holinesse yet most men would wish a better causey to it then to sleep through th◠cold grave or a dark hole in the earth Q. What room hath life in the Covenant Ans. The Administration of the Law-Covenant is first habituall holinesse of works and then a crown The Administration of grace is first faith and a title to Christ our life and hope of glory and then habituall holinesse begun here and perfected hereafter The Gospel-life is both a reward and a duty of praising and loving eternally in place of all the ten Commands yea of Law and Gospel The Law-life for ought that is revealed is a reward to be purchased by our legall obedience Q. If Adam in the intervall betwixt his fall and the publishing of the blessed Seed was not to despaire but to rely upon God as mighty to save What should such as Judas or Cain do A. The conscience of Cain and of despairers being no authentick Bible nor Judge which can carry the controversie between them and God so long as they are in the way or are viators the Gospel treaty betwixt them and Christ yet standing and not broken off upon the part of Christ they are to cherrish and hold up the Treaty and as it were to force speech out of Christ and to pursue the news of an offered salvation 2. There is no Spirit of God that suggests to them despaire and bids them write themselves in the black roll of Reprobates for though they beleeve hell as the Devils haply beleeve there is a God yet they blow
Covenant Christ and the Apostles are more sparing in denouncing temporall plagues in the New Testament Christ sayeth the worme never dieth the fire never goeth out the Hypocrite is to be bound hand and foot and cansten into utter darknesse Math. 22.12 and the Holy Ghost such shall not inherite the Kingdome of Heaven 1 Cor. 6 9. Eph. 5.5 the Apostate is near a curse his end burning Heb. 8.6 he is to look for judgement and firie indignation Heb. 10.27 to some is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Jude 7. the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21.8 Because 1. Temporall blessings and curses are more legall and more easily believed when the light was dimmer then now when light is larger convictions stronger and men are more apâ— to believe Everlasting wrath 2. It s a more Gospel way to bear in the threatning of Everlasting wrath then of Temporall rods 3. Desertions and tryalls under the Law were more legall and sharp and sad upon David Ezekiah Job Jeremiah Heman Psal. 6. Psal. 38. Psal. 77. Psal. 102. Psal. 88. Isa. 38. Jer. 20. But it is to be thought that in regard the day now hath dawne the Gospel desertions coeteris paribus for the aboundance of light are more sharp nearer to dispaire see 2 Cor. 1.8 We were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we despaired even of life having received the sentence of death It s a doubt if Paul should be so pressed by a sentence of temporarie death Though there be a larger measure of faith to bear up the soul under the New Testament but it would appear there is more of hell now then under that dispensation and that the Gospel despair of Judas and of these that cry for mountains and hills to cover them Luke 23.29 30. is more intollerable under the Gospel 4. There is a more numerous company of these who have not loved their lives to the death and the Martyres that suffered more exquisite torments for Christ under the persecuting Emperours and reigne of Antichrist then ever before the constraining love of Christ which is stronger then death or hell hath so swallowed up all temporarie sufferings the Spirit hath such influence on the flesh 5. When the world seeks wisdome 1 Cor. 1. and Rabbies of the Jews and learning and artes abound all the world over as the profound Philosophers of the Gentiles the wonders of nature prove yet not many wise are called 1 Cor. 3.21 26 27. and unlettered and ignorant are in number for Godly spirituall knowledge farre beyond the Godly learned and make that true Esa. 11.9 The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea and Isa. 30.26 And the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be as the light of seven dayes so hath the Lord darkned carnall learning though of it self the good gift of God with the shining of spirituall wiâ—edome in the fools of the world for so are they judged 1 Cor. 1.27 Q. 3. What are the speciall differences of one under the Covenant of Works and of one under the Covenant of Grace Answ 1. The dominion and kingly power of sin to condemn and judge to eternall wrath and also to command against all shaddow of reason such crying sins 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Rom. 1.29 30. Gal. 5.20 21. Eph. 4.17 18 19. Col 3.5 1 Tim. 1.9 Rev. 21.8 Rev. 22.15 16. without exception makes an universall slave for as far as the lusts of sin go as far goes the dominion of sin and this is to be under the Law Rom. 6.14 2. There is subjection to the Law when men are agents in resigning and giving themselves over or offer themselves as sacrifices at the altar or servants that tender their service to their masters Rom. 6.16 to sin which hath strength from the Law to condemne 1 Cor. 15.56 and to be a captive is not intended but comes on by occasionall force Rom. 7. such are patients as it were But 3. Then they are sinnes servants when there is a Law of sin and a Covenant as there is between a master and a servant And 2. full consent and men give themselves and willingly commit and deliver themselves the word spoken of Christs willingnesse to offer himself for us Eph. 5.25 and to God the Judge 1. Pet. 2.23 to commit filthinesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in aboundance with greedinesse Esa. 9.19 when the renued part enters not a spirituall protestation on the contrare see Rom. 7.19 the carnall protestation entered by naturall reason is not the protestation of the renued will and affections against the will and affections but will against will makes a division of the practicall act and division weakens the half is lesse then the whole especially when half and half are contrare half fire and half water makes the burning lesse half light half darknesse makes twylight it s not perfect day light yea and it not only lesseneth but weakneth yea and alters the kind of the morall act no reason can admit that when a merchand casts his goods in the sea for fear of shipwrake that he does an act of prodigalitie or wastrie It wants delight and full consent Herods killing of John Baptist though he did it with sorrow yet was no compelled nor devided action between renued affection and unrenued affection And so it was no protestation in favour of the Law of God for he was not grieved because murthering of the man of God was against the honour of God but because not murthering of him was against his supposed credit he should appear before men perjured and to kill was a torment of conscience it was then a protestation in favour of his own credite and conscience naturall Hence the formall objects of action and action show the clear difference between the combate between sense and reason or between a naturall conscience and the flesh for a naturall conscience cannot plead for and protest in favour of the spirituall Law of God and the combate between the flesh and the Sprit 2. The second speciall difference is in the Law convictions and the Gospel convictions convictions under the Gospel are stronger and more solide for they have more of sanctified reason 2. Will. 3. Inclination of heart and affection A believer accuseth himself and joines actively with the Spirit to convince himself and hightens his own guiltinesse Psal. 51.1 2 3 4 5 6. Dan. 9.5 6 7 8 9 20. but a Law conviction comes upon Divels and they tremble John 2.19 and upon such as are under the Law and are unsent for by resultance from a naturall conscience as heat from fire light from the Sun Compelled convictions speak a Law-state 2. It is easier to be found and Orthodox then to be Godly Sathan in a manner foundly believes there is one God Jam. 2.19 and
34.15 16. 1 King 11.2 Ezra 9.2 12. Nehem. 13.23 Judg. 3.6 7. Judg. 4.2 3. Except there be some middle between a cursed and a blessed seed a seed in the Church and in Covenant and the seed of the Serpent of Heathen without the Covenant 2. A middle between the Kingdom of darknesse of Satan and the Kingdom of God of his dear Son Contrair to Eph. 2.2 3 4. Acts 26.18 Col. 1.13 14. 1 Pet. 2.9 10. Eph. 5.8 which is unknown to Scripture Yea the Covenant is made to Christ and his seed Gal. 3.16 and the same blessings of Abraham comes on us Gentiles Gal. 3.13 14. But he and all his seed were blessed and in grace by the externall call of the Covenant Ezek. 16.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Deut. 7 7 8. Rom. 10.25 I will call them my people that were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved And this externall calling is of Grace and so Grace no merit as well as predestination to life is grace or for grace For whosoever are called not because Elect but because freely loved of such a God and without merit called Father and Son they are in a state of graceâ— But so are all within the Visible Church If any object by Christs comming all the Nations old and young are not become the Nations of the Lord and of his Christ but only true Believers even by our Doctrine Answ. They are become the Kingdoms of the Lord not only because they are truely converted but because they are the chosen of God in the Office-house of Christ and Christ reigns over them by the Scepter of his Word whom he is to convert And external Covenanting with God is of it self free Grace and a singular favour bestowed of God Psal. 147.19 20. Deut. 5.1 2. Mat. 21.42 43. Luke 14.16.21 2. It is free Grace that God will have hypocrites and real infidels to beget children to him that are internally in Covenant with him and fills up the number of the Elect by Reprobate Parents who are instrumentall to the in-coming in the world and into the Visible Church of many Heirs of Glory and in so doing there is a Church right communicated from Reprobate Parents to their Children that are Heirs of Glory 3. Externall Covenanting goes before internall Covenanting as the means before the end and the cause before the effect For faith comes by hearing of a sent Preacher Rom. 10.14 and the Preaching of the Gospel is a saving means of begeting a new heart and of a new spirit Hence 1. All must be first externally in Covenant before they can be internally and really in Covenant 2. God is a God simply to some and no more but a God to them in regard of outward Church priviledges as the Word Seals Protection Peace Hedge of Discipline his planting and watering by a Ministry But he is to speak so more then a God to others Hos. 2.19 I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse in judgement and in loving kindnesse and in mercy Now the Lord is joyned to back-sliding Israel in an externall marriage Covenant But Jer. 3.14 not in righteousnesse in loving kindnesse and mercy in reference to the rotten party In regard of which he saith v. 2. Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife neither am I her husband Zech. 8.7 Thus saith the Lord I will save my people from the East Countrey and from the West Countrey 8. And I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and they shall be my people and I will be their God in truth and in righteousnesse Then he is not to all a God in truth and righteousnesse fulfilling the first and substantiall promise of ingraving the Law in the heart not that he keeps not Covenant even to external confederatâ— to wit the conditionall Covenant for if they should beleeve they should be saved but he promised not a new heart and faith to them 3. Because he is a God externall to the Elect and that of free Grace therefore he is a God in truth and righteousnesse to ingrave his Law in their heart But externall confederation is not the adequate cause for then he should give a new heart to all with whom he externally Covenants but the adequate cause is confederation external tali modo out of his discriminating love and free grace he is a God to some 4. He is a God to his Elect that he may ingrave his Law in their heart and inward parts so that the promising to be a God tali modo is the cause and the ingraving of a new heart is the effect Jer. 31.33 Jer. 32.38 And they shall be my people and I will be their God That is the cause 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their children after them See the same order Ezech. 11.19 20. though the words ly not in that order there and here And Heb. 8.10.5 God is not then a God to any because they have a clean heart and the Law ingraven therein for then they should be in Covenant before they be in Covenant And so this is true because he is our God in truth and righteousnesse therefore we beleeve but this is not true because we beleeve therefore he is our God except we argue from the effect to the cause But to return Calvine on Matth 19.14 We hence gather that the grace of Christ is extended to Infant age for whole mankind had perished Beza Infants are also comprehended in the free Covenant Pareus its unlawfull to â—â—barre these from baptism and the Church whom Christ â—â—ds come to him c. Obj. But Christ commands not they be baptized Answ. Nor doth Christ in this place command the Parents to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Nor speak the Evangelists of any Parentall duty shall we from that conclude it was not Christs mind that the Parents take care of the fourth fifth Command Pareus saith it was neither time nor place Mat. 28.19 he bids baptize all 3. He who prayed for them blessed them laid his hands upon them invited them to bring Infants to him of all which Infants were as uncapable as of the use and ends of Baptism and of actuall confession of sin and of beleeving judged they ought be Baptized 4. It s never to be found where any are Baptized but the Head of the Family is Baptized And when we read that houses were Baptized 1 Cor. 1.16 Acts 16.33 There is no more ground to say Infants are not Baptized then to say when the Lord saith to Abraham Gen. 12.2 I will blesse thee and make thy name great And 22.17 in blessing I will blesse thee And when the Lord saith Isai. 19.25 blessed be Aegypt my people he should mean he would blesse Abraham
by the key-hole For 1. this speaks much soul-soul-love to be where he is Cant. 1.7 2. To be able to write a spirituall Chronicle and History of all Christs stirrings towards your soul saith ye have letters daily and good intelligence of the affairs of the Spirit and of the Kings Court and that he writes to you as Cant. 5.1 I am come into my garden my sister my spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice I have eaten my honey-comb with my honey I have drunk my wine with my milk Then will Christ write a letter to spirituall ones and as it were with reverence to his Holinesse give a sort of account where he is what he does what thoughts he hath to us O! how few know this 5. Godly missing of Christ must be a gracious disposition Cant. 5.6 I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself Cant. 3.1 I sought him but I found him not vers 2. I sought him but I found him not Such as are pleased with a bare literall missing and are not also in a holy manner anxious and are not 6. Restlesse in rising and going through the City in the streets and the broad wayes seeking and asking saw ye him whom my soul loveth Cant. 3.1 2 3. are not so spirituall as is required Cant. 5.6 My beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone my soul failed when he spake remembring his speeches when he knocked v. 2. There may be some too longsome securitie under sad falls when he is not soon missed 2 Sam. 11.1 2 3. Psal. 26.15 Yea a spirituall soul having regard to all the Commandements misseth the spirits acting in all the wayes in eating Pro. 3.6 Act. 27.35 1 Cor. 10.31 Job 1.5 7. Frequent convictions which are the connaturall actings of the Spirit Joh. 16.9 and of the most spirituall sins as of unbeleef and Gospel-ignorance Joh. 16.9 prove a spirituall state as flaming prove fire to be fire Unbeleef is more contrair to the Spirit then carnall sins being most contrary to the flower and bloomings of the Spirit in his sweetest operations and most against the mediator-Mediator-love of Christ. For as by the fall Christ hath a new Office to redeem us Matth. 1.21 1 Tim. 1.15 Luke 19.10 Isa. 61.1 2. Isa. 44.6 9. So the Spirit hath a new Office which he should not have had if man had not sinned to apply the blood of sprinkling as a sort of Mediatory intercession to dippe us in the fountain of his blood John 16.14 He shall receive of mine and shew it unto you Joh. 14.16 to be the Comforter Joh. 14.16 the Leader Joh. 16.13 the Witnesse Joh. 15.26 Rom. 8.15 16. The Spirit in his Office cannot step one foot with the unbeleever Hence much tendernesse and smiting of heart where the Spirit 1 Sam. 24.5 is Yea conscience to weep as one over his mothers grave for his enemies Ps. 35.13 14. and strict doubling of faith in greatest deeps In which Christ proves himself to be more then a believing man Mat. 26.39 Luk. 22.42 44. for no man that is only man can both drink hell believe heaven at once 8. In duties there be these 1. The end 2. The delight in them 3. The successe As to the first the lesse of the creature and self and the more of God in the end so much the more denyed and spirituall is the doer when purely for God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we do 1 Cor. 10.13 Col. 3.23 we are sick for God and in health for God and wake to him Psal. 119.62 147 148. and sleep to him Psal. 16.7 Psal. 139.18 live to him 1 Pet. 2.23 live and die to him and to Christ Rom. 14.7.8 and pray to him even when we speak to God Eccles. 5.1 2. and preach to prepare a Bride to him 2 Cor. 1.14 2 Cor. 4.25 we may be not speaking to God or for God and his honour 1 Cor. 11.2 1 Thess. 2.19 20. How miserable and carnall to doe all for the creature the flesh Rom. 13.14 Jer. 22.15 Isa. 5.8 for self Dan. 4.30 Heb. 2.5 6. and this speaks much of the Spirit when the man is sick and hungry for the exalting of God and the will is so capaciously wide in this that he would his eternall glory were a foot-stool for the highting of his glory Exod. 32.31 Rom. 9.3 the will is a most spirituall and capacious facultie and O! what acceptable service when the mans will looks right toward an infinite Majestie as thirsting for and panting after this O! if all beings millions of Worlds Angels and men and all created beings Heaven Earth Sun Moone Stars Clouds Air Seas Floods Beasts Birds Fishes and all the drops of Raine and Hail Snow Dew so many Worlds of Angels would sing his praises What wonder then he accept the will for the deed And what is to be thought of the will averse from God and which hates him and wishes that God were not How contrair to a Spirituall disposition is this 2. For delight it is a spirituall disposition to go about the duty as duty ut bonum honestum and not upon this formall account because it delighteth us Except the delight be in the Law of the Lord night and day as it glorifieth him 2. It 's spiritualnesse when abstractedly from private consolation we go about the duty for God and can rest upon suffering and burning quick as it is duty though the sufferer should be deserted all the while We often feed our selves with the bonum secundum the pleasantnesse in the duty which is our sin except the sweetnesse of the holinesse of the duty be our delight and the beauty of pleasing God allure us but feeling being away we find how hard it is to delight our selves in the Lord. 3. We do duties too often for the successe not for the duty We pray the Lord hears not we wearie we rebuke men they care not and we wearie Sucesse and not duty self-delight and not the honouring of God which should be all our delight take us up I pray and weep for my enemies Ah! if it could be done saith David they are worse Psal. 35.13 but my prayer returned to my bosome that is the sweet peace of God which is the fruit of the duty of praying came to my soul and cheered me We consider not that the promise of peace and consolation is made to the duty it self Psal. 119.165 Psal. 19.11 Prov. 3.21 22 23 24 25. not to successe of the duty and wee consider not that we are to be quieted in the duty and to be armed with patience against the temptation of the duty Often it inrages Pharisees against CHRIST and the Apostles yet the Spirit bids them Preach Therefore whether successe in praying and the suggar of delight in duties hire us or not We are to know that though Abrahams offering of Isaac to God had neither in it the one nor the other nor our Saviours offering himself to God
Frustrà fit per plura quod aequè benè potest fieri per pauciora There 's no need of reall satisfaction 2. Faith imputed doth well bear the sense of the object that faith layes hold on as our righteousnesse Rom. 3.21 Now the righteousnsse of God without the Law is manifested What righteousnesse of God ver 22. Even the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ unto all Now if the righteousnesse of God is manifested without one Law to wit of works why not without another Law of faith and of inherent Gospel-righteousnesse And what need that Christ should die if the act of beleeving should be that precious righteousnesse of God and that according to the Law of faith This by the way As hope is put for the object hoped for As Rom. 8.24 Hope that is seen is not hope that is the thing possessed the salvation which we have in present possession is not hoped for Col. 1.5 For the hops sake laid up in heaven that is the thing hoped for For the grace of hope is not laid up in heaven ver 27. Christ in you the hope of glory So faith here put for the thing beleeved so saith the Martyr my love is crucified that is Christ my loved or beleeved one is crucified So by faith in his name is this man made whole It were strange to say by faith and repentance and mortification is this man made whole And it must be said if so be that faith includes repentance Now Peter denies Acts 3.12 this why marvail ye as if we by our power and holinesse had made this man to walk It s not our holinesse but Jesus Christ hath done it even God the God of Abraham c. ver 13. hath done it And yet ver 16. faith in his Name hath made him strong That is faith or beleeving in his Name that is in his Power Authority God-head hath made him strong Ergo faith is put for the thing or righteousnesse beleeved So Heb. 11. By faith the walls of Jericho fell that is by love the soul and form of faith say Papists and by repentance and new obedience which is all one with faith say Socinians the walls of Jericho fell So by faith they subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouths of Lions What influence reall or physicall had faith in slaying men in refraining the hungry Lions to eat Daniel None at all But thus the mighty God beleeved in by these men subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouths of Lions if it be replyed there is not alike reason of justifying faith which is dead as touching the influence and causality to justifie as there is of the faith of miracles in these points it is replyed there is every way the same reason For as Abrahams dead faith if it had been dead could no more have justified and saved him then the hypocrites dead faith can save and justifie him as James saith 2.14 15 16 c. So could not these worthies recorded Heb. 11. have casten down the walls of Jericho subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouths of Lions by faith if that faith had been as dead in its nature as the faith of the vain Gnostick and Hypocrite who saith to the brother oâ— sister naked depart in peace be thou warmed and filled and yet gives him not these things that are needfull to the body Jam. 2.15 16. And this we must say except we admit that the fancied faith of the Hypocrite can remove mountains nor is it place to dispute whether Reprobates as Judas have saving faith in working miracles it is sure their faith of miracles cannot be a Hypocriticall faith such as is Iames 2.14 15 16. 3. The Scripture differenceth between faith and love and faith and repentance As 1. we are not once said to be justified by faith but are never said to be justified by love repentance almes deeds It s easie with an active ingine to labour to prove how faith includes love And so doth hope and love include many other works and gifts of the Spirit but the Holy Ghost distinguisheth them As 2. by faith as from a saving principle Abraham sojourned in the Land by faith Noah builded an Ark Iacob blessed the sons of Ioseph Moses would not be called the Son of Pharaohs daughter yet to build an Ark is not to beleeve in God we pray in faith hear in faith yet these are not the same 3. Mar. 1.15 Repent and beleeve Act. 20.21 Testifying repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Iesus Heb. 6.1 Not laying the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God 1 Tim. 1.5 Love and a good conscience and faith unfained Phil. 5. Love and faith 1 Thes. 1.3 We thank God remembring your work of faith and labour of love Heb. 6.10 Labour of love 11. The full assurance of hope 12. Faith and patience We beleeve in Christ but do we repent in Christ 4. Faith is a leaning on God Isa. 10.20 Isa. 26.3 Isa. 50.10 love is not so Faith is a coming to God by way of affiance Ioh. 5.40 Matth. 11.28 Ioh. 6.37 a receiving of Christ Ioh. 1.11 an eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood Ioh. 6.54 55 56. not any of these can be said of love of repentance of new obedience 4. If to beleeve in Christ as Lord and Law-giver be formally for effectively and practically we may with that Learned and Pious D. Prestoun say it is a consenting to Christs Dominion and Government over us to obey him though to consent at the Corronation and to swear an oath of loyaltie to a King be widely different from obeying his Laws as unbeleef is a rebellion against his Government Luk. 19.17 then well may Adam in the Covenant of Works be said to be justified and saved by faith for if to beleeve in God Redeemer be to give our selves to obey him as Lord Redeemer and if this surrendering be the obedience of works by which we are justified and saved and perfectly righteous before God upon the same reason to beleeve in God Law-giver and Creator in the Covenant of Works and for Adam to surrender himself Covenant wayes by a legall faith shall be the Law obedience of works by which Adam is justified and saved and so he is saved by Law-faith as we are by Gospel-faith And this is to be remembred that for one to give himself to Christ as his Lord to be governed and commanded and to be willing to obey him is neither formally faith though it may be conjoined with beleeving nor obedience but an intention or purpose to obey And 1. shall we then be justified by works that is by a purpose and intention to work 2. There are in us May resolutions and purposes like May blossomes that wither before Harvest as some are willing but not obedient Isa. 1.19 One saith he will go work in his fathers Vineyard it may be he purposes to work but yet he works not Mat. 21.30 nor is a practicâ—ll
purpose of heart to obey either obedience or faith formally 5. If to be justified by faith in Christ as not only Jesus who saves but as Lord who commands then we are justified by love for we are to love him not as Jesus only but also as Lord 1 Cor. 16.22 Eph. 6.24 especially since all the works of the Law come under the command of love Matth. 22.3.7 Luk. 7.27 Deu. 6.5 Rom. 13.8 6. All these thy faith hath saved thee Matth. 9. Luk. 7. only beleeve must be of this truth thy good works hath saved thee only do good works And it is strange that Paul saith Eph. 2.8 By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God 9. Not of works lest any man should boast Nor could Paul make an opposition between grace and works as in Rom. 11.6 if the grace of beleeving and good works were one in the New Testament for so we should be saved by works and not by works And Paul by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 takes that away Yea but we are saved that is justified and delivered from obligation to wrath by the works of free-grace He answers nay but neither are we saved or justified by these works of grace as by means or causes For we are first saved and justified before we can do good works for good works are the fruits of free-grace since v. 10. we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus and so justified and saved in Christ Jesus to good works that we should walk in them Yea and Paul undenyably removeth this doubt 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self that is by his grace I am free of such sinnes as bring condemnation and so he must abound in works of grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet thereby and notwithstanding of all my inherent holinesse by works of grace I am not justified 7. There should be no ground of gloriation and boasting more then this by the Socinian and Arminian way if we should be justified by works which come from free-will not determined by any grace either habituall or actuall which is merited by the death of Christ but do proceed from pure free-will which separateth the beleever from the non-beleever Then might we glory and boast that we are not in the debt of Christ or of his grace for that which is our formall righteousnesse before GOD and so no flesh can say they are justified by grace but that we are justified by nature the same way that Adam should have been justified without being beholden to CHRIST or to his death Asser. 3. There are not properly the same causes of the possession of Life Eternall and of the righteousnesse of Life Eternall The ransome of Christs blood is only the cause of the right For jus or right to Life Eternall is a legall and a morall thing eâ—s morale and hath a morall cause as a man hath right to such a City being the Lord and owner thereof by birth or money or conquesse or by gift or grant of a Prince or of the Citizens themselves but possession and injoying the houses and rents of the City is a Physicall thing ens Physicum and hath a Physicall cause as eating drinking lodging sleeping wearing of cloaths to defend the body from the cold So the legall right a man hath to the bread and lodging he hath in an Innes but the Physicall causes are hunger appetite bodily necessities so require and his pleasure to make use of such necessities Hence the eating drinking may be Physically good and the right jus legale very bad he may have no right to the bread when he comes to it only by spoil and rapine So the legall right jus legale to life eternall is the ransome of blood that Christ payed our Goel our friend and kinsman to make the inheritance ours but that great I may say almost Apostolick light Mr. John Calvin saith good works are as it were the inferiour causes of the possession of life So simple possession is one thing and quâ— jure aut titulo but by what Law-right he possesseth is another thing But 1. Good works are necessary necessitate praecepti by the command of God and promise 1 Thes. 4.4 1 Cor. 6.20 Eph. 2.10 Matth. 28.20 and where it is said 1 Tim. 4.8 Godlinesse is profitable to all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the promise is opposed to the Law And that is a strong Argument Gal. 3.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the inheritance be of the Law it is no more of promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise Covenant-promise What is that to the Galatians and to us Gentiles Mâ—ch every way For three notable points are therein 1. The heavenly inheritance promised to the seed to Christ and his ver 16. not a pâ—or earthly Canaan as Sociniâ—ns and Papists say were promised to Abraham and his seed except they say that an earthly Canaan was promised to Christ. 2. That Covenant-promise of an heavenly inheritance made to Abraham the same is made to the believing Galatians the Gentiles and their seed else Paul saith nothing for the Doctrine of Justification by faith to the Gentiles contrair to the purpose of the Apostle 3. There is an inheritance by Covenant-promise a promise of eternall life made not to works as the price that buyes the right for sure then Christ must have dyed in vain 3. Works are not necessary simply necessitate medii for then we must exclude all Infants But the necessity of a Precept inferreth a necessity of means ordinary to all capable of a Command that they do good and sow to the Spirit that they may reap of the Spirit life everlasting Gal. 6.8 3. They are necessary for the glory of God Math. 5.16 1 Pet. 3.1 2. 1 Pet. 2.12 4. They are necessary by the law of gratitude which is common both to the Covenant of Works and of Grace as we are debters to God for being so to God-incarnate as ransoned ones for everlasting life 1 Cor. 6.20 Luke 1.75 1 Pet. 1.18 and eternall well-being But such as will have our works the formall cause of our justification they put them in the chair of Christs merite and they must be meritorious as Adams legall obedience should have been yea but not but by and of gracious estimation God so esteeming them say they True but as is proven neither was Adams obedience meritorious but by Gods estimation Yea and Calvine gives a power of meriting ex pacto to our works But our works of grace are dyed and washen in Christs blood and justified that they may justifie us But the Scripture speaks nothing of justifying of works or not imputing sin to our works Antinomians dream of a freeing of both the person and works of a justified man from Law-obligation and that is a way indeed to justifie works of murther
is a gift of grace Phil. 1.29 the mercies bestowed and promised are all of free grace for we are justified by his grace Rom. 3.24 freely and are saved and called with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace 2 Tim. 1.9 For by grace saith Paul are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 and the new creation is framed in us of grace But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ Eph. 2.4 5. and the new heart promised Ezek. 36.26 is given upon this account v. 32. Not for your sakes do I this saith the Lord be it known unto you be ashamed and confounded for your own wayes O house of Israel We have remission of sins freely of his grace Eph. 1.7 In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace Col. 1.14 Perseverence is promised of free grace Jer. 31.35 Jer. 32.39 40. Isa. 54.10 as life eternall is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.23 and every influence of grace is of free grace Phil. 1.13 Joh. 15.5 and CHRIST the Surety of the Covenant of free-grace and love is given Joh. 3.16 to taste of death for every man Heb. 2.9 CHAP. XXVII Of cases of Law-fear and Gospel-faith How a child of God fears Law-threatnings FRom these properties flow diverse cases touching the stability of the Saints their perseverance their temptations their standing in grace 1. If they cannot fall away who are thus seated in the Covenant is not free will left to much loosnesse of security Answ. Not at all For a principle of Godly fear is fixed in the heart and so in free will never to depart from God Jer. 32.39 40. And where this Godly aw is the heart is in a Godly trembling and fear and darre not be loose wanton and secure to fear nothing but fears alway Prov. 28.14 and fears and trembles at the Lord and his goodnesse Hos. 3.5 A Godly heart trembles more for fear of grace and the debt of grace then of justice and wrath and fears sin more as it is against the bands of grace and against Christ and gospel-Gospel-love who can save then as it is against Law the Law-giver and him who eternally destroyes And so the aw of heaven hath a stronger impression then the terrour and aw of hell Quest. 2. How can the fear of falling away and the faith of perseverance absolutely promised and absolutely given consist together Ans. The Law-fear of falling away and the Gospel faith of persevering are not consistent The fear legall of the least sinne is a fear of hell and of eternall wrath to be irrecoverably inflicted but because the person is under grace the beleever cannot fear this fear except the Law-fear be letten out against him as a temptation but it is not his oblidged duty so to fear 2. The Law-fear upon a beleever is conditionall and not absolute as he fears hell and falling away jure as his deserving if God should enter in judgement with him and if he were not in CHRIST But he is oblidged to a Gospel-faith which layes hold on Christ righteousnesse and deliverance from condemnation and if Christ and interest in him be hid from him and nothing on but Law-fear that is a triall not a duty of Law-fear But there is a Godly Law-fear or a Gospel-Law-fear which is a Godly horrour conditionall for that which is never to be inflicted but yet according to deserving may be inflicted and this is the terrour of the Lord which breedeth Gospel perswasion 2 Cor. 5.11 and so may well stand with Gospel-faith and assurance of deliverance from falling away and of being stablished and confirmed to the end As a child in the fathers arm threatened to be cast over a sharp Rock in the Sea may have horrour and fear and cry out for fear and yet beleeve so his fathers compassion as he will not throw him in the Sea because the threatning is ordained not to be exercised but that the child may so much the more thrust his arms about his fathers neck Quest. 3. What is the best victory over temptations from such fears Ans. As in all temptations so here overcoming is attended with precious promises which are to be read Rev. c. 2.7.17.26 27 28. c. 3.5.12.21 Rev. 21. For 1. Feavers of the Law that have no kindly cools and relenting by the promises of the Gospel tend not to the strengthning of the life of God but only when they leave a standing self loathing and loving of Christ. 2. It argues the strength of faith after many yea six foyles to stand as the Army that is broken six times yet rallies and draws up again is often at the seventh time victorious 3. Such as stand against a strong and mighty tentation bâ—ing pressed out of measure above strength as Paul was 2 Cor. 1.8 9. in so much saith he that we despaired even of life But wee had the sentence of death in our selves do prevail to the being taught of God not to trust in our selves but in God who quickens the dead For here there comes reall strength from fighting As he who by strength of nature lives and convalesceth after a running boatch and strong pestilence goes through pest-houses and is never infected again So the worthies by faith who overcame strong temptations Heb. 11. to the end keep the fields and prevail till death 4. Godly fear of self-weaknesse and trembling at sin which may darken the feelings of received mercies and sweet influences addeth strength Something of that is here 2 Cor. 12.10 when I am weak then am I strong 5. A fixed peace in assurance of deliverance from condemnation and quietnesse in beleeving pardon and righteousnesse in Christ ought alwayes to be as touching the state of Justification for the questioning of this in a beleever if Antinomians will yeeld to truth is contrair to faith and no warrantable assurance But 2. a fixed peace in David immediatly after blood-shed and adultery before beleeving of the remission of these particular sins be in the Lords order renewed is security and not Godly peace Psal. 32.3 While I keept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day 5. I acknowledged and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Psal. 51.1 2 3 c. prove this But it may be said doth not this holy feeling of and trouble for the particular hainous guiltinesse brangle the fixed peace and the persons faith and confidence that he is in a state of justification Ans. Not at all for the outcries of the child of God Rom. 7.24 under not a finger or an arm or a leg but a body of sinne O wretched man who shall deliver me from the body of this death are good and
Judas nor was grace to beleeve and repent purchased by the death of Christ to Judas by these Authors though they boast of the amplitude of Christs death nor did the Lord by that will of purpose ever decree or intend the salvation of Judas Therefore 3. this that the death of Christ is of its own nature preachable to all Nations in every age is not true For the phrase is neither in Scipture in Old or New Testament nor is the thing it self in Scripture For the meaning is either GOD may send Apostles in any age to all the Nations of the world to Preach If that be by his extraordinary power he may save all the damned that way That Preachablenesse is not the object of our faith Nor is that Preachablenesse a fruit of Christs dying for all If it be meant that God by his ordinary power may send Apostles in any age to all Nations How is that to be said Except we say God hath decreed in his will of purpose to send Preachers to all That cannot be except his decree be disappointed Oâ— 3. If it be his command and revealed will that the Gospel be Preached to all Nations every age they grievously sin who Preach not the Gospel to the Brasilians and Antipods whether they can speak in their Language or not And if the Doctrine of the Covenant of its own nature may so be Preached to all Nations without exception in every difference of time then must all the Nations of the earth in all differences of time be in a capacity to be a Covenanted people of God the Church of Christ the Vineyard of the Lord his inheritance the Spouse of Christ his Body his Called and Chosen flock For to have the Doctrine of the Covenant fixedly Preached to a Nation and Christ offered to them is to be the planted Vineyard of the Lord for to Preach to Macedonia fixedly they willingly hearing is indeed the Lords entering in Covenant with Macedonia and his choising them to be his confederate people and the Lords planting a Vineyard and building a Wine-presse in it and setting up a Ministry therein and therefore the Lord was not in Covenant with them before Indeed to Preach the Word simply to scoffers who reject it and that occasionally in the passing so as there is no sort of accepting of the Covenant nor any fixed Ministry there is not a renewing of the Covenant with them nor does it presuppose a Covenant before made with them 2. It is against the wisdome of God that 1. there should be such a band of love the greatest love that ever was Joh. 15.13 lying upon all mankind Brasilians Americans binding them to thankfull Gospel-obedience that Christ died for them yet this obligation of the greatest love is neither written in their heart as the Law of nature nor is it ever revealed to them that they are under so much love by Covenant 2. How can the Lord say I choosed you O Israel among all the people of the earth and entred in Covenant with you and your seed only For 1. there is no need of a new establishing of the conditionall Gospel-Covenant for it was established with Israel and with all the world before he choosed or called them 2. He cannot be said to enter in Covenant with them only For all the world ever was thus Covenanted with God 3. All the world must be an invisible Covenanted Church and the fit matter to be a Church For the Evangel may be Preached est de se annunciabile not to stones and to rocks but to all Nations quovis seculo 4. Since the Preaching of the Gospel to some Nations and not to others is an act of the Soveraign pleasure yea and of the free grace of God to such as this Sun-light graciously doth visit by this way the sinfull neglect of such as refuse to Preach shall be the cause of the perishing of the elect a dream 2. CHRIST may be said to die for us as if we had substituted him in our place in so rigid a sense as if he had been made our surety to fulfill both the preceptive and active and also the satisfying and suffering part of the Law in our room This may please Antinomians but a doubt it is if it stand with the truth For then what ever we yea all mortall men be for Christ died for them all as many teach most wicked yet Christs active and surety and cautionary righteousnesse should be ours and though we should never beleeve yet Christ who fulfilled the Law and preceptive as well as the threatning part must have beleeved for all that he died for and what need we then in our persons either beleeve or repent It s true we need not perform any active obedience as a part of active fulfilling of that Covenant of Works which either must have all or no obedience If it be said that alio titulo upon another account of thankfulnesse to our ransom-payer we owe active obedience Yet all that CHRIST died for both actively and passively must be perfectly righteous and justified having payed the most perfect active and passive obedience that the Law required though we never beleeve and Christ must have payed the active part of justifying faith for us And why but we should be formally justified in him without faith also As also God not we laid our sins upon Christ Isai. 53.6 2 Cor. 5.21 and therefore we did commissionate and substitute Christ to die in our room Socinus Crellius the Raccovian Catechism Arminius contend that Christ died for all finaliter for to procure good and salvation to all so they beleeve and yet through their own fault they may haply never be saved not that he satisfied for us but died for example as a Martyr say Socinians as Paul suffered for the Church so as we beleeving in Christ as in the only chief Martyr and witnesse who as the only Author declared the Gospel not as a sufferer and ransom-payer who redeemed us from the Law are saved And as Arminians he died for our good not that he died in our room and stead so as the sins of the Elect were actually taken off them and translated upon Christ so as wee are actually freed from the punishment of sin as if we had substitute a Saviour our selves and payed our debt our selves to God and so according to the rigour of Justice we might crave by the Law of buying and selling deliverance from punishment and life eternall from God But this way they will not have Christ to die in the place and room of any but only for their good so as they may die eternally themselves for whom Christ died Hence 1. It follows that Christ died for them but gave no ransome of blood for them for whom he died 2. Arminians will not have the sins and punishment satisfactory to justice for of such punishment we speak actually upon Christ and translated off the sinner and laid upon
head by the ascent of Mount Olivet it is good he also praises and sings Psalms 2 Sam. 15.30 Ps. 3.1 2 3. If he be at home in his house it is good he praises Ps. 30. Ps. 101. If he be banished in the wildernesse and chased from the house of God its good he praises Psal. 42. Psal. 63. Psal. 84. Nothing falls wrong to a mortified soul. The people cry Hosanna Christ bids them rejoice their King comes Zech. 9.9 The wicked spits on his face and plucks off the hair that is good Isa. 50.6 I gave them face and back to be doing their will Heat to a gracious spirit is good cold is good joy is good sorrow is good health is good sicknesse is good Ezekiah gets a victory the Assyrians are slain that is good Isaiah prophecies that all that are in his house and his treasures shall be spoiled and his children carried captive good is the word of the Lord Is spoil and captivity and the sword good Yea Ezekiah closes with it Isai. 39.8 Grace wonders at nothing laughs at nothing weeps at nothing but faintly rejoices at nothing wantonly closes with all sayes Amen to all for Christ was crucified for me and I am crucified in and with him Q. 3. What are the speces or sorts of mortifications that we may know the true mortification A. 1. It s hard to give the division of them logically There is 1. a naturall mortification there is no fire in the affections of sucking infants to Crowns Kingdomes to treasures of Gold and Silver that is not mortification but virtually there is as much fire in a flint stone though formally it be cold as may burn twenty Cities Concupiscence driven away from the aged Eccles. 12. the hearth-stone is cold and there is in it such a deadnesse to lusts not because of deadnesse of sin Originall it lives as the souls of the old men live but because the tools are broken the animal and vitall spirits are weakened the man loves the journey but the horse is crooked and laid by there is nothing of Christs death here 2. There is a compelled mortification sicknesse and withered arms and legs and strong fetters in the prison poverty and want care for bread and the armed man poverty that hath a sharp sword necessity blunts the affections in their second acts the man hath no mind of whooring And many drink water who through Christ crucifying are not mortified to wine and strong drink 1. There is often in this an ignorance of CHRIST crucified and no faith 2. A reluctance to divine dispensation and no gracious submission to God which is in one crucified to the world 3. There is a Philosophick mortification to the creatures which are seen by the light of nature to be very nothing and most unsatisfactory to the naturall man but there is no supernaturall deadness in the heart wrought by the death of Christ. Archimedis and other great spirits sick of love to know the nature motion and influence of the starres and pained with a speculative disease of books and to know much do contemn and despise honour gain pleasure the three idols of ambitious of covetous and voluptuous men but there is no deadnesse no bluntning of the operations of the soul toward the idol world flowing from the beleeved in crucified Lord of Glory except you say that Plato and Aristotle and such were crucified with Christ Learning works not mortification 4. There is a religious or a madly superstitious mortification The Monks saith Luther dreamed that the world was crucified unto them and they unto the world when they entered unto their Monasteries but by this means Christ is crucified not the world Yea the world is delivered from crucifying and is the more quickened by that opinion of trust they had in their own holinesse and righteousnesse Col. 2.23 In will-worship in humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh There is much vain and counterfeit mortification and Papists have as good warrand to sacrifice their lives to God and to offer a bloodie sacrifice unto God under the New Testament as to shed their own blood in whipping and scourging and such bloody worship hath the ground of mortification that Baals Priests had to launce themselves with knives to the effusion of blood And the same may be said of pilgrimages of voluntary poverty in which as Luther said the world and all their lusts are quickened 5. Not unlike to this is the Pharisees mortification in which they are not crucified with CHRIST but alive and vigorously strong to self-righteousnesse to merits to dead works 6. There is a civill or morall mortification which hath diverse branches As 1. Senecâ— teacheth that nature is satisfied with water for drink and a â—urse for a house yet he was a covetous man himself And shall Horatius Cocles be a mortified man because he defended the Romans against the three Curiatii alone Though the bloody Gallant killed his own sister And was the state mortified who pardoned him that bloody fact for his gallant service And Decius father and son who suffered so much for their Countrey and loved it more then their own blood And must Africanus Major and Cato who suffered for the liberty of the publick and Diogenes who lived on herbs be mortified men to the world But what avails it to be dead to the bulk of a bit body of clay and yet be alive to vain glory 2. There is an occasionall deadnesse rising from the sight of a father a brother a friend dead not from the death of Christ. An unbeleever dies with this word I would not live for all the world and we are like water spilt on the ground The house is burnt all spoiled treasures and the stock by land and sea-robbers are plucked away and riches have wings Hence mortification transient for a time but lusts fallen in a sown are not dead they rise again and live 3. There is another transient mortification as D. Preston observes when the conscience is affrighted with Judgement and some fire-flaught of restraining grace is up 4. A good calm nature naturally either dul and stupid or some clement and meek disposition and free of the fire that often follows the complexion and hampered in with teachers parents company education learning seems a mortified nature But that is true mortification that flowes from faith in a humbled crucified Saviour and it is not to beleeve that Christ was mortified in our room and place as Saltmarsh and Antinomians would say Faith in Christ crucified is our mortification causatively in radice not formally Q. 4. To what things must we be crucified Answ. Gal. 6.14 To all things created to the world wee condemn and despise and hate the world and the world does value us nothing 1. There is a deadnesse to self which was in Christ our samplar of mortification Ro. 15.1 Let us not please
our selves but bear the infirmities of others 3. For even Christ pleased not himself Self loved and adored and mortification do not consist too much life in apprehension and admiring self argues deadnesse of deadnesse and of mortification Was not Christ a noble self Yet for the Lord and his ransoned ones Christ got above noble excellent self It is true there is a renewed spirituall self a new I in the Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 7.17 Now it is no more I that do it but sin that dwels in me Gal. 2.20 It is not I that lives but Christ lives in me Mortification sets us above new 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 renewed self and regenerated and crucified I it being a created excellency that we are not to adore 2. Mortification requires a deadnes to the will as in Christ not my will but thy will be done Much life in the will to created things speaks little or no mortification Christ excelled in this Joh. 5.30 I seek not mine own will but the will of him that sent me O what court and power and life hath our will And how soon the will is broken and dead then is the man broken dead and crucified with Christ. Much will much life of sin See Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come Luk. 19.14 We will not have this man to raign over us See Mark 6.25 Mat. 1.19 Mark 15.15 Act. 24.27 Act. 25.9 Luk. 10.29 Rev. 22.17 All will argues no mortification 3. There is required deadnesse to our life which was eminently in Christ Mat. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 Joh. 10.11 So Paul Act. 20.24 Ye speak of bonds and affliction But none of thase things move me neither count I my life dear to my self so that I may finish my course with joy To be mortified to life is to hate the life Luk. 14.26 for Christ. And Revel 12. they overcame mortification was their victory v. 11. They overcame for they loved not their lives unto death Love of life is the life of sin when it s not loved in God 4. We must be dead to wisedome and to all the gifts of the mind for the wisedome of the world is foolrie and God hath befooled it when it comes in competition with the wisedom of the Gospel 1 Cor. 1.18 19. except we be dead to it we cannot glory in the Lord. 27 28 29. Compared with v. 31. 2. There must be a deadnesse to learning to books and book-vanity Eccles. 12.12 There is no end of making many books and much study is a wearinesse of the flesh Eccles. 1.17 And I gave my heart to know wisedome and to know madnesse and folly I perceived that this also is a vexation of spirit 18. For in much wisedom is much grief and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow Paul spake more with Tongues then they all 1 Cor. 14.18 but he was dead to that gift he had rather have brought them nearer to Christ. 1 Cor. 4.10 We are fools and hardly we can away with that but we are fools for Christs sake and for the interest of Christ and the Gospel let us so be counted It s nearnesse to Christ that maks us for him to be willing that what is most eminent in us be trampled upon even shining wisedome sciences acts eloquence knowledge which puffeth up Yea there is 3. required a deadnesse of the knowledge of Gospel-mysteries 1 Cor. 13.2 Paul was not rude in knowledge but he was dead to that and would not glory in that And 4. they are not crucified with Christ not dead to opinions and sides and to lead factions I am of Paul I am of Apollo was no honour to Paul in his own esteem 1 Cor. 1. What was Paul crucified for you or were ye baptized in the name of Paul Who excells in learning who admires not his own the birth of his own mind If it were but to hold there be ten new worlds in the Moon and millions of worlds in the other side of this world My brethren be not many masters Ah! we are not dead to the Chair the Pulpit every one loves to be counted and called Rabbi The blessed Man Christ confesses that he knows neither the day nor the hour of the Son of Mans coming yet there are who darre define the time of his coming and the day The mind is a proud and haughty thing and we are not dead to it the mind is not mortified to the mind 1 Cor. 8.1 2. 5. We are not dead to Mammon O who is like Christ and refuses to be a rich King Joh. 6 Paul 2 Cor. 8 9. For ye knâ—w the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor He had a greater mind then that he could live to riches Paul Acts 20.33 saith not I have sought neither silver nor gold as the Godly judge Whose ox have I taken 1 Sam. 12.3 but I have coveted no mans silver or gold or apparrel The life of lust to riches is in the trusting in it Job 31.24 If I have made gold my hope or have said to the fine gold thou art my confidence Or 25. have rejoiced because my wealth was great It s true a beggar and an extream poor man that cannot have bread is not troubled nor much tempted to seek a Kingdom and the millions and tunnes of gold that many rich ones have but yet there are speculative desires and rolling waves and floods of wishes in the heart for these and because hunger and want of bread is his door enemy lying between him and the hope of great riches the man is neither mortified to the love of bread nor to the millions of gold that the heart is sick after And as there be diverse kinds and speces of pests and they are not all of one kind yet all contrair to the blood and the heat of life So are there sundry kinds of unmortified lusts about riches according to the sicknesse of the desire Obj. But is not the desire of food and raiment naturall how then is it faulty Ans. The desire simply is naturall and the Ants and the Conies do desire But the desire 1. beyond measure 2. With a sinfull doubting that they shall not have it which reproacheth Omnipotency 3. A desire wider then that of Ants and Conies of that which is more nor sufficient which would destroy and not feed but over-feed is the faulty desire as sicknesse desires drink more then sufficient not for health but to feed the disease it is the desire of the disease rather then of the man diseased and the forbidden desire is the sin Obj. 2. May not a child of God desire more then enough how then is he mortified Ans. If the desire of more then enough come from the habit of covetousnesse the man is not mortified to Mammon all sinfull habits in the child of God are broken and lessened and chased in to inclinations or to the habit
want of money mortifies a man to drunkennesse he drinks not excessively not because the heart will not dare to sin but because he cannot The Word backed with influences from the death of Christ strongly mortifies to all sins 8. And the soul is not easily deadned to an office or place of a Prince a Ruler a Master a Prophet a Teacher Abishai 2 Sam. 16.9 Why should this dead dog curse my lord the King Let me go over I pray thee and take off his head David standeth not much upon cursing the lord the King He is so mortified to that stile as he forgets it and v. 10. he saith Let him curse because the Lord hath said unto him Curse David He saith not the Lord hath bidden him curse the lord King David Answers thou the high Priest so It s a great word Christ was the Messiah that is a great office of King Priest and Prophet but he was willing to forget his office by way of taking much on him that he might fulfill his office by way of suffering As Rulers and such as are in place must so far be dead to their office and place as they must be willing to bear in their bosome the reproaches of all the mighty people and to have their footsteps even as Rulers reproached Psal. 89. v. 50 51. Places and office too often have an influence and strong enough on our unmortified hearts But there are some providentiall sufferings that befall Rulers as Rulers against which they should be hardned knowing that the Lord suffers in them 9. It should be our work to be deadned to pleasure I have married a wife and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I can not come This is the most lively lust There is a mortified eye Job 31.1 I have made a covenant with mine eye why then should I look on a maid Mortified eye-looks call for mortified heart-looks It s an old sin Gen. 3.6 And when the woman saw the tree that it was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes she did eat Mortified Joseph saw sin ingraven on pleasure Gen. 39.9 How then can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God 10. There must be a deadned heart to all the three to the world 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the world nor the things of the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him 16. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world Jam. 4.4 There is some life between the friends of the world and the world and James doubteth not to call that enimity with God and the three great Idols of the world gain glory and pleasure cannot make any happy which Heathens Plutarch Cicero Seneca saw and therefore they pressed a contempt of the world For strength is the glory of the Elephant or the Bull rather then of man and plucked away by age and time And beauty is no lesse uncertain being made up of quantity and colour and the Rose and the Lilly hath more of it then man Riches have wings and render not the owner happy Nobility is a borrowed good and the Parents glory not ours And honour is the opinion and esteem of men and we yet cannot be dead to nothings to shadows to emptinesse and to vanity and fair buildings are well ordered dead stones 11. They are not rightly mortified who are not deadned to creature-comforts to father and mother for they forsake and the mother may forget the fruit of her own womb but the Lord cannot forget his own Psal. 27.10 Isa. 49.15 My friends Job 19.19 2. All my friends 3. All my inward and dearest friends 4. Abhorre me Forsaking is hard but abhorring is most sad Yea even in the Cause of God Paul is put to this 2 Tim. 4.16 At my first answer no man stood with me but all men forsook me 2. So must the Church be dead to forraign forces Hos. 14.3 Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses and the people must be dead and sit still from help from Egypt Isai. 30.7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose therefore have I cryed concerning this Your strength is to sit still Sitting still is a ceasing from relying upon the Chariots and strength of Egypt as being dead to them For thus saith the Lord the holy One of Israel in returning and rest shall ye be saved in quietnesse and in confidence shall be your strength and ye would not And 4. his people must cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Isai. 2.22 and be dead to multitude for Psal. 33.16 No King is saved by an host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength 17. An horse is a vain thing for safety The help of the creature substitute in the room of God having the lustre of blue and purple or cloathed in scarlet riding upon horses Young men of desire Ezek. 23.23 doe easily dazle our eyes and when we are not renewed in the spirit of our mind unsanctified hearts are weak in apprehending and more weak in discerning of things 5. So must there be a deadning of the husband to the wife Job 19.17 to servants Job 15.16 to sons 2 Sam. 16. v. 11. of the mother to the daughter of the daughter in law to the mother in law Mic. 7.6 to blood-friends 12. All the godly and zealous Prophets said Amen to the word of the Lord even Christ with sighs and tears to the extream desolation and ruine of Jerusalem Luk. 19.41 Math. 23.37 38. and Jeremiah Ezekiel Isaiah Micah Hosea c. to the plowing of Zion as a field to the sword captivity to the laying wast of the land without inhabitants Isa. 5.9 Isa. 6.10 11 12. Jer. 9.1 2 3 4. Jer. 16.1 2 3. c. Mic. 3.12 Hos. 4.3 Hos. 5.6 9 c. There must be a deadning to our Country and Mother-Church that the glory of justice may shine yea to our fathers grave our own bed our own fireside 13. The Lord will have Isaiah and the godly dead to Lawes and Government to vision and prophecying when Judge and Prophet shall be taken away Isa. 3.2 and children shall be their Princes and babes shall rule over them v. 4. and the vineyard broken and the hedge spoiled And he will have the godly dead to King and Priest and Law 2 Chron. 15.3 Now for a long season Israel had been without the true GOD and without a teaching Priest and without law Hos. 3.4 Hos. 10.3 And now shall they say We have no King because we feared not the Lord what shall then a King do to us Hence we must be mortified to every thing created which the Lord may take from us 14. And upon this account there is required a deadning of our hearts to shipping and trading
the comforter the infant may at once both suck the breasts and also sleep And is one flower more to be smelled then the whole Garden And shall feelings and raptures and manifestations of God in his out-goings be courted and over-courted by us beyond the God of all comforts There is need that the heart be deadened to sense for feeling and sense is fiery and idolatrous and were sense more mortified at the out-goings of faith hope love it were good for our faith should be the more lively and vigorous to lay hold on God Q. Is it not lawfull to be taken and feelingly delighted with the influences of God Ans. Sure feeling of it self is not faulty the fierinesse and excessive fervour of feeling is faulty especially when terminated upon created actings of love faith joy desire hope and not upon influences as coming from the free Grace of God otherwise we are but sick and pained of love of our own gracious actings because they are our own and this is the sicknesse of selfishnesse Ah! a Godhead a Godhead is not known 23. Nor must we be in a too lively way taken with our own stock nor trust in the habit of grace or the new heart for grace in us is a created rose that spreads fair and broad and smels well but it is not God nor Christ that we may learn not to trust in our selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 1.9 But why but we may trust in our renued selves now furnished with a stock and infused habits the excellent blossoms and blooms of heaven Nay not in our selves thus fitted but in God who raises the dead for it s not possible both to trust in renewed self and in God And Paul never meant that any that professeth CHRIST is to lean upon sinfull self or upon lost and condemned self And sure it is as selfy to be alive to infused habits as to misken Christ and think being once a convert we can send our selves all the rest of the way to heaven without Christ we need not Christ for a Guide or a Tutor it s within us may save us And nothing can be more contrair to a living the noble and sure life of continuall dependencie by faith on the given Leader of the people Jesus Christ then to trust on habits of grace they are not Christ. 25. Ah! who is that mortified as to be dead to the created sweetnesse of joy and the right hand pleasures of God and the formall beatitude of glory and alive to the only pure objective happinesse of glory And yet that is mortification to love and be sick and thirsty for heaven not for the pleasures of the Garden and the Streets of Gold and the Tree of Life and the River of Water of life but for only only God the heaven of heavens And therefore we cannot be alive to pure and the only abstracted and unmixed God head except we be thus dead to heaven 26. There is a deadnesse to the letter of the promise The promise saith M. Ambrose is but the Casket and Christ the Jewell in it the promise is but the field Christ is the Pearle hid in it Christ removed the promise is no promise or but â—aplesse signes 27. We must also be dead to the rayes out-shinings and manifestations of God to the soul here and must transchange God in all presence and all love embracements and no more but he dead to the house of wine to the lifâ—ed up banner of love to love-kisses of Christ to the love-banquets and to the felt lying as the beloved all the night between the breasts for these nearest communions are not God himself There is required a godly hardnesse for receiving sparkles of hell and some draughts of sore trying wrath and the hell of his most wise and righteous frownings and necessary absence and night of hiding himself 28. And should not the Church be dead to providences of fair weather and Court or the blessing of a godly King David Ezekiah and mortified to miraculous deliverances dividing of the red sea defeat of enemies to confirmation of the truth by Martyrdome and sufferings to blood He who is dead to himself and his body and ease and hardned against contradictions of sinners against torment of body cold imprisonment sicknesse death and can in patience submit to all providences is crucified with Christ if God give or withdraw he is dead to both 28. All who are dead with Christ are dead to all dead worship saplesse ceremonies and formall worship Col. 2.20 Gal. 4.9 and are lively in the serving of God and fervent in spirit serving the Lord And rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Phil. 3.3 Rom. 12. CHAP. V. Of the Covenant of Redemption between God and the Mediator Christ. 2. Christ is not a bare witnesse to confirm the Covenant but the Author of the Covenant 3. The Socinian way of works cannot quiet the conscience 4. Christ is upon both sides of the Covenant 5. Justice mediatâ— not 6. Reasons of the entrance of sin ISai. 49.8 I will preserve thee saith the Lord to Christ and give thee for a Covenant of the people Hence the 1. Question How is Christ said to be given as a Covenant of the people Ans. As Isai. 49 6. he saith I have given thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth that is as Act. 13.46 47. I have thee O Christ to be the Preached Light and Guide of the Gentiles and the Preached Saviour declared and proclaimed by the Preaching of Paul Barnabas and the Apostles and Pastors So I will give thee for the Covenant that is the Preached surety and Mediator of the Covenant Heb. 7.22 Heb. 8.6 When the first Covenant was broken he makes with us an everlasting Covenant even the sure mercies of David Isai. 55.3 2. I will give thee as the only one who is the subject of the Gospel and Covenant of Grace For to Preach Christ and to Preach the Gospel and New Covenant are all one 3. I have given thee to be the confirmer of the promises they are all yea and Amen in thee 2 Cor. 1.20 Gal. 3.16 And 4. by thy death thou confirmes the Covenant and seals it with thy blood Heb. 9.15 16 17 22 23 24. Heb. 13.20 Q. But Socinus denies that Christ is the purchaser or the obtainer by his blood as it were of the New Covenant for he did not by his death procure or merit pardon to us he is only the surety or Mediator of the Covenant And Crellius and he say the cause why the confirming of the Covenant is ascribed to the death of Christ is because as by a slain beast and divided into two parts Covenants of old were established so by the death of Christ the Covenant of Grace was solemnly confirmed and sealed Ans. Christ is so the Surety as Mediator
a redeemed and saved people was much in the heart of Christ and much in his desire and intention Joh. 10.10 I am come that they may have life and have it more aboundantly And if to finish the work especially of saving lost man was his meat and drink Joh. 4.34 and he prayed for the ransoned ones Joh. 17. to sanctifie them 17. That they might he where he is 24. There must be always in the heart of Christ a design of love in that he made redeemed ones his end his work his souls satisfaction Isa. 53.11 And O how worthlesse were we that the desire of God should be toward us How far below the price that love put on us Was man a Crown and wager for God for God for such a God to run for to work for and to win Was there not a more fixed seat in Angels then in clay for so high a love as the Love of God Is there room in so low a peece of created Nothing for so high and deep so broad and long a design so high an aime as nothing could be the last and the least result of transcendent love but great Immanuell God with us Reason might say a lesse price may buy poor man a lower design may compasse sinners But love said no lesse could do it and this love is not capable of a mistake in buying infinite love cannot erre in designes of free-love 11. Argument is from the Oath of God Christ is made a High Priest another way then other Priests Heb. 7.21 For those Priests were made without an oath but this with an oath by him that said to him the Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec Psal. 110.4 No man enters to an office by an oath to be faithfull or to be for ever in such an administration but he enters also to the office by Covenant And this oath is sworn by the Lord JEHOVAH to Christ The Lord hath sworn thou art a Priest It s a more excellent Priesthood which is confirmed by an oath then that of Aaron which is confirmed by no oath Psal. 89.35 Once have I sworn by my Holinesse that I will not lie unto David the Messiah my Anointed the son of David 36. His seed shall endure for ever Act. 2.30 Therefore being a Prophet and knowing that God with an oath had sworn to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit upon his Throne 31. He seeing this before spake of the Resurrection Psal. 1â—2 11 The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David he will not turn from it of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy Throne 12. If thy children shall keep my Covenant and my Testimony that I shall teach them their children also shal sit upon thy Throne for evermore They shall sit so and so by Covenant blessed in Christ. And so the stability and certainty of the decree and oath is not to make the children of David secure but watchfull in their duty But this is not a condition without the which the Messiah should not reign but without this he should not reign to their comfort and everlasting good But otherwise the truth of the Lords Covenant-faithfulnesse depends not upon mens unbeleef Rom. 3.3 and for the certainty of this promise and oath which made good Christ his reign which shall not cease see 2 Sam. 7.12 1 King 8.25 2 Chron. 6.16 Luk. 1.69 Gen. 21.17 18 Hence there is no Covenant made with Christ that the Covenant of Works made with Adam should stand for ever 2. No oath in that Covenant 3. No promise or oath to give perseverance and the Spirit and influences of grace for that effect And the oath of God that Christ shall be King of my will to reign over the heart to give repentance as a Prince Acts 5.31 and that God hath sworn him to be an eternall Priest who offered himself a sacrifice to deliver me from the present evill world Gal. 1.4 to ransome me from my vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 to bring me to God 1 Pet. 1.18 that I should being dead to sin live to righteousnesse 1 Pet. 2.24 Eph. 5.25 26 27. Heb. 13.11 12. Rev. 1.5 6. is somewhat more comfortable then the doctrine of Papists Arminians who say that any tempted Saint may be a justified Saint to day and an Apostate a limme of Satan and a child of perdition to morrow as Judas was as if Christ were not a sworn Advocate in the nick and hour of temptation to help in the act of winnowing and had not made promises of actuall grace to actuall temptations when they come Luk. 22.31 1 Joh. 2.1 Math. 10.19 And if Christ be sworn a King Advocate an high Priest to overcome the rockinesse and flinty and stony rebellion of will providing that will shall first yeeld and not play the King against Christ for any thing I see the Covenant of grace is looser the corruption of the Covenanter being ten times stronger to evill then the will of Adam was then the Covenant of Works and the Gospel an infinitely more plain path to a more fiery hell then the Law And it speaks much of free grace that the everlasting salvation of the Elect is in such a castle as the oath of the Omnipotent and infinitely faithfull Lord. Lastly the Argument is the more considerable that every Priesthood even that of Levi is imposed by Covenant Mal. 2.5 My Covenant was with him of life and peace CHAP. VII The Covenant of Redemption is explained in three eternall acts 1. Designation decree or ordination and delectation in the work 2. Mercy and peace truth and righteousnes are agreed in this Covenant 3. The designed sending of the Spirit cannot be a Covenant as this was 4. The twelfth Argument 5. The thoughts of eternall love THe Covenant of Redemption is two wayes considered 1. As transacted in time between Jehovah and Christ in his actuall discharge of his office of King Priest and Prophet 2. As it is an eternall transaction and compact between Jehovah and the second Person the Son of God who gave personall consent that he should be the Undertaker and no other And these three acts are considerable in the Persons in this latter consideration 1. Designation of one 2. Decree and destination 3. Delectation in the work As to the first There must have been a Person either the Father or the Son or the Spirit 1. By God from eternity set apart separated and designed And 2. This person must have given an actuall consent from eternity to the designation Now the person designed was the Son only this lot eternally to speak so fell upon only him who was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lamb fore-ordained before the foundation of the world 1 Pet. 1.20 And because Christ-God equall with the Father does not begin to consent and agree to the designation
as the tree is in the seed as all the Rose trees and the Vine trees are in the first Rose tree and the first Vine tree created of God virtually For because God choosed us therefore shall we be in Christ by faith yea and he choosed us and ordained us to be in Christ by faith when He gave us to the Son to be keeped by him The third considerable act here is an act of delectation and the place is observable Prov. 8.22 The Lord Chanani possessed me It s not Bara created me It s not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the LXX have it but as Aquila 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the beginning of his way as Cartwright before he had created any thing 23. I was set up from everlasting Tremellius inuncta fui I was anointed Aben Ezra Electa fui I was chosen The vulgar Latine I was ordained from the beginning or ever the earth was 24. When there were no depths I was brought forth when there were no fountains abounding with waters 25. Before the mountains were setled before the hills was I brought forth c. In all which the authority of Christ saith Cartwright is proven from his eternity antiquity immortality c. and all this time He was with God as is fully v. 30. cleared Then I was by him as one brought up with him Chald. Para. I was nourished up as à maid at his side He will not want his Son out of his eye I was daily his delight rejoicing alwayes before him The Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 die die from day to day Rabbi Solomon annorum myriades myriads of years The Father and the Son from eternity delighted one in another and were solacing themselves in the works without themselves and the ratio formalis as it were that which took up the love delight and thoughts of God when as yet there was no world no mountains no depths c. is Christ as Redeemer delighting himself with the sons of men 31. I was with him rejoycing in the habitable part of his earth Heb. Sporting or playing with the sons of men both because of all his works as Ambrose saith he most longed for man and made heaven and rested not and made the earth and rested not and made the Sunne Moon and Stars and rested not there and made man and then rested as having found the choisest peece of work he so much delighted in So the Father and the Son were taken and as it were love saith Bernard triumphed over God and they solaâ—ed their heart in that great design of love and from eternity passed over that long and sweet age of myriads of ages in the pleasant and delighting thoughts of that boundlesse and bottomlesse Ocean of love to wit God is to be made sick and to die a love for the sons of men Love being above and in a maner not stronger then the grave only and then death and hell but some way with reverence to his holinesse mightier then the most High and brought God down to sick clay that you may saith Bernard see if you take heed joy sadned faith feared salvation suffering life dying strength weakned and this wisedome was hid up and kept secret since the world began Rom. 16.25 Hidden wisedome in the heart of the Lord from eternity which God ordained before the world unto our glory 1 Corinth 2.7 the like whereof the eye hath not seen nor the ear heard nor hath entered in to the heart of man v. 9. to conceive So that this mystery of the Covenant between Jehovah and the Son of God was as it were little enough to busie the thoughts of the infinite understanding of of the highest Lord God Father Son and Spirit as containing the unsearchable riches of Christ Eph. 3.8 Say there were millions and ten thousand millions of Globs of new whole earths of all gold mines perfect and purest gold yet should they not all come near to the borders of this riches and these all were in before there was a Creation and he lets out of this fulnesse to us and we are sinfully poor beside Christs gold mines and dry beside the rivers of wine and milk and dead a thousand times being under the flowings and outlettings of life and of such a life Hence the 12. Argument If Christ the Son was designed and fore-ordained with the Father the Spirit and his own consent to be the person should pay the ransome of satisfaction and to be satisfied in his soul with the getting and injoying of the bought and well payed for and ransoned yea the over-ransoned sons of men who ravished love and heart of Father and Son before the mountains were brought Prov. 8.22 23 c. 30 31. forth and when as yet there were no depths then was that bargain of love closed and subscribed before witnesses from eternity For could the heart of Christ be cold and indifferent to undergoe suretyship for the sons of men Who warmed and kindled a fire of Redeemers love in his heart from everlasting Or was his consent to the Covenant but as late and young as since Adam fell or Abraham was called to leave his countrey and his fathers house Gen. 3. Gen. 12 Ah! it s an older love then so A yesterdayes love time-mercy a grace of the age with the world could not have saved me Nor were our Charters and Writtes of Gospel-grace first drawn up in Paradice Nay but copies and doubles of them only were given to Adam in Paradice The love of God is no younger then God and was never younger to sinners and woe to us if grace and mercy to redeemed ones should wax old and weaker through age and at length die and turn in everlasting hatred I desire to hold me fast by that Jer. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love He meets as Calvin well observes with a blasphemous temptation of Sathan that the people had in their mouth Ho the Lord appeared to me of old but that is a love from one year to another and it s out of date now the Covenant-love to Abraham is dead and away and the Lord is changed No I have loved thee not for a year or a summer The Covenant-love is older then thy poor short time-love Obj. But I may leave off to love God and he loves me no longer then I love him Ans. Where is then everlasting love and because he loves us we shall not leave off to love him Night and overclouding of the Sun is not a perishing of the Sun out of the world his love quickens my fainting love CHAP. VIII The differences between the Covenant of Suretyship or Redemption made with Christ the Covenant of Reconciliation and of Grace made with sinners 2. The conjunction of the Covenants 3. How the promises are made to the Seed that is to Christ the meaning of the place Gal. 3.16 4. Christ acted and suffered alway as a publick head IT
be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead That was a judiciall declaration Acts 2.24 Having loosed the pains of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a King by authority and judicially looses a prisoner from his fetters having no more to say against him Psa. 105.20 The King sent and loosed him Isa. 50.8 He is near that justifies me who is he that contends with me in judgement Rom. 6.9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more death shall no more have Lordship or Lordly dominion over him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So the word Luk. 22.25 The Kings of the Gentiles bear dominion over them Rom. 14.9 Death had some Kingly dominion in Justice and by Law over him But Christ by Law of satisfactory payment who was also the mighty Son of God wrought himself out of the grips and fetters of death So in Christ death hath lost Law-dominion over the beleever It is against Justice and the just Covenant between Jehovah and Christ that we should be for ever among the worms and not at length be loosed from the sting and victory of the grace O death thou shalt thou must let the captives go free 1 Cor. 15.55 Hos. 13. the prison must be a free Jayle when iron gates and fetters are broken We have in Christ a good cause the cause and action of Law is win and carried on our favours 2. There is a promise of heavenly influences made to Christ Isa. 50.4 He wakeneth morning by morning he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned 5. The Lord hath opened mine ear and I was not rebellious Some great Divines say Christ had no sleepy nor closed ear he must there speak of Isaiah But so there was no sinfull drynesse in Christ Was He not therefore anointed Isa. 42.1 I will put my Spirit upon him Then all influences are promised also Isa. 11.2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him 3. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord and he shal not judge after the sight of his eyes c. 2. Christ was assured he could not sin and so of influences to duties Joh. 5.30 Joh. 8.26 27 38 50 55. Joh. 10.38 though he wanted influences at a time as touching consolation and the felt fruition of God being forsaken for a time Psal. 22.1 Luk. 22.44 Math 27.45 But Adam as he was not to beleeve perseverance nor yet sinfully to fear falling so neither was he to beleeve influences to all acts of obedience they not being promised to him Yet was not Adam to beleeve his own reprobation for it was neither true nor a revealed truth Then the only nearest way against deadnesse and drynesse is to have recourse to the fountain and fulnesse of life that is in Christ. Literall quickning of our selves miskenning Christ out of whose fulnesse we receive produceth but literall fardinesse 3. The speciall and cardinall promise I will be his God Psal. 89.26 and he shall cry to me Thou art my Father my God and the rock of my salvation is bound up with Christ in the Covenant of Suretyship and is the key and corner stone of the frame and building of the Covenant of Grace Joh. 20.17 Go to my Brethren saith Christ to Magdalen and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God It s comfortable talking that Christ saith to us I and you Beleevers are the Children of the same Father and have one Covenant-relation to one God though as is said Christ bear the relation of a Surety-Covenant to God and we of a Covenant of Mediation and notwithstanding of the differences yet it may be said that Christ and Beleevers are in one writ and one letter of acquittance dischargeth both from condemnation Christ from condemnation of punishment us from condemnation of inherent guiltinesse and punishment Blessed we to be unite to him every way and to joine our Amen and consent to the Covenant yea and in regard of profession we should subâ—cribe and write our names to it Isa. 44.1 2 3. Our maimed and broken and half consent proclaims an overly and cold Covenanting It s true parties are but once married once Covenanting by oath is as good as twenty but frequent and multiplied acts of marriage-love adde a great deal of firmnesse and of strength to the Marriage band they are confirmations of our first subscription Renewed acts of faith to take Christ for Jesus and Redeemer and renewed acts of love do more and more ingadge the heart to Christ as Lord and King Little conversing with Christ deadens marriage-marriage-love Rare visits and thin bring on worn out acquaintance We are apt to complain he visits us seldome that is because we have not the childish hire of consolation and feeling we refuse to work and yet we should look at comfort for the duty and not on the duty for the comfort when it s a duty to our Father And who looks upon the comfort both as a comfort and a duty 1 Thes. 4.18 Comfort one another with these words and so must they comfort themselves Comfort is mainly for beleeving Colos. 2.2 Heb. 6.18 and there is a feast and a fill of joy in beleeving Rom. 15.13 We seek but a comfort and a joy of chearing and solacing our selves and that is all 4. There is promised to Christ a seed Isa. 53.10 When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed Heb. 2.13 Behold I and the children that God hath given me Jacob by Covenant served for Rachel Christ also served suffered and died of love for his Spouse Eph. 5.25 26. Isa. 53. he shall be satisfied A Redeemed seed was his end and we endure hard labour for a desired end and we are sick till we get the great end we aim at It s true the honour of God was the speciall end Joh. 12.28 c. 17.1 yet it was heart satisfaction to Christ to have all his off-spring and children with him Joh. 17.24 How should Christ not be our end See if ye do all and suffer all to fetch this shoar Phil. 3.8 9. Examine comparative ends by-ends self ends It s impossible a man can be ignorant of his last and main end so strong an impulsion it hath upon his heart 5. There 's not onely a seed but a rich conquest the heathen promised and the ends of the earth Psal. 2.8 9. Dominion from sea to sea Zech. 9.10 Psal. 72.8 Dan. 7.14 and both this and the former satisfies Christ. There is not a sight so desirable to the eye of Christ as to see all his Redeemed ones conquering and last in the fields and fairly landed on the shoar passed Gun-shot and reach of all temptations We satisfy our unbeleeving hearts too much Ah! who can stand temptations are so strong But as JEHOVAH fully satisfies Christs soul his hope his aim and intended
This Christ mends the broken gold ring which was broken by the first unattentive and rash Heir Adam So that now Heavens Earth Mountains Isai. 49.13 sea trees fields Psal. 96.11 12 13. are commanded to sing a Gospel-Psalm of joy because Christ the new King and Restorer of all is come to the Throne yea let the stoods clap their hands Psal. 98.9 and he purposes to purge with fire the great Pest-house infected with sin and under bondage of corruption Rom. 8.21 2 Pet. 3.10 11. that he may set up the new world in Gospel-beauty the new heavens and the new earth 2 Pet. 3.13 Isai. 65.17 Isai. 66.22 Rev. 21.1 Oh what a life to have a cottage and a little yard of herbs in that new World and how base to be but Citizens of this World CHAP. XII The condition and Properties of the Covenant of Redemption Q. WHat need is there of any condition to be performed by Christ or of any Covenant Ans. The same Question may be of the need of an oath to Christ Psal. 110. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest c. 2. The same necessity in regard of infinite wisedome that our Redeemer should be obedient to the death of the Crosse Phil. 2.8 and be under the Law Gal. 4.4 and keep his Fathers Commandements and abide in his love Joh. 15.10 requires also a Covenant of obedience upon the part of Christ-Man for all men being born under the Law and Covenant of Works Christ-Man also must be under the same And then Christ the Mediator was to give obedience to a particular Commandement of laying down his life for sinners and this required an ingadgement by way of Covenant and so a condition of obedience to perform what this peculiar Law of Suretyship required of him to wit to lay down his life 3. It s not a condition of indifferency which is required of Christ such as is required of Adam in which there is a hazard of failing and coming short of the reward Adams Covenant had both threatnings and promises and so hath our Covenant of Reconciliation though in another way see Psal. 89.30 31 32. But the Covenant of Suretyship hath promises most large that are made to Christ but no threatnings are laid before the Man-Christ that are to be read in the Scripture There was no hazard nor possibility in regard of the Personall Union that Christ could sin yea in regard that Christ from the womb was both a Traveller a Viator and an enjoyer and Comprehensor and had the Spirit above measure from his birth as Man he had gifted to him the confirming grace which is now given to the Elect Angels in their Head Christ And therefore there was somewhat like a condition necessary and as the members enter to glory through obedience so also the Covenanted Head Luk. 24.26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter in to his glory Q. 2. What was the speciall condition of the Covenant of Suretyship Ans. The Covenant being a bargain of buying a people to God then the payed price and ransone must be the duely formall condition As for obedience to the Morall Law it was the condition of the Covenant of Works to which the Man Christ as Man was oblidged that he might have right to Law-justification and life eternall jure merito foederali operum by the Law and federall merite I mean merite by paction and faithfull Law-promise not of condignitie of the Covenant of Works that he might be saved But this Law-holinesse had influence in that most solemn act of obedience in offering himself a sacrifice to death for our sins And the Law-holinesse of the Man Christ did not exclude supernaturall grace as the Law-holinesse of Adam for it was the perfect conformity of Christs nature his soul understanding will affections and all his actions internall and externall with the holy Law of God Hence the heart and inclinations of Christ stood ever right and stright to the Law He exercised no affection in puris naturalibus his anger came not out in pure naturall anger and no more but it came out in acts of zeal Nor his joy in pure naturall joy though sinlesse but in joy of the Holy Ghost And in the whole Man Christ was a perfect masse and as it were a compleat body of all gracious qualifications Isai. 11. He received the Spirit of knowledge and was ignorant of nothing he ought to know Disputed with the Doctors being of twelve years old The world knew not his School or Teacher Hence his wisedome and practicall understanding of the Law of God and practicall conclusions He had the Spirit of counsel as the greatest of Statesmen for Government Isa. 52.13 Behold my Servant shall deal prudently And so when we are in perplexities and know not what to do he can lead the blind in a way they know not Isai. 11.1 2. He hath the Spirit of might and courage an undantoned Spirit yet conjoined with counsell no fool hardinesse but the resolute ventoriousnesse of faith Isai. 42.4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged Heb. broken till he have set judgement in the earth Our softnesse of unbeleef at the blowing of a feather or stirring of a leaf brings on falling of Spirit and swooning He hath the boldnesse of faith to beleeve victory before the battell Isa. 50.9 Lo they all shall wax old as a garment the moth shall eat them up He hath hope from the womb Psal. 22.9 Thou art he that took me out of the womb thou didst make me hope when I was in my mothers breasts And for the joy set before him he endured the crosse and despised the shame Heb. 12.2 And the Spirit of the fear of the Lord made him quick in understanding that is the high and reverent apprehensions of God made him quick to smell or sent so the word imports the snares and temptations in the work of Redemption plotted by men and devils So excelled he in righteousnesse which as a girdle went about his loines both in judging and in discharging the trust put upon him by the Lord who laid the key of David and the Government upon his shoulder his obedience to his Father and continuing in his love Joh. 15.10 and thirsting to do the will of the Father Joh. 4.34 His zeal to his Fathers house should be a fair coppie for us to follow He was meeknesse it self Isa. 53.7 1 Pet. 2.23 24. much in praying beleeving rejoicing in spirit Luk. 6.12 Psal. 16.9 10 11. tender to the weak of the flock Isa. 40.11 He shall feed his flock like a sheepherd he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosome and he shal gently lead these that are with young Isa. 42.2 He shall not cry nor lift up a shout nor cause his voice to be heard in the street 3. A bruised reed shall he not
souls especially in particular facts Answ. There is a wide difference betwixt revelations which speak what is lawfull or unlawfull agreeable unto or repugnant to the Word And what is good in jure and what in facto shall come to passe or not come to passe what ever is given to revelations of the former sort is taken from the Scripture whose peculiar perfection it is to show what is good and just what not Therefore to say that revelations now do guide us in disobeying higher Powers or killing men c. is a wronging of the Word especially of the first second and sixth Commands As to the other God may and doth lead his owne especially when they are near glory under fewest prejudices touching time and eternity to speak what shall be but it is not our rule It 's an Argument of nought Such a thing was mightily born in upon my spirit as lawfull and as certainly to come to passe when I was most near to GOD in a full manifestation of himself therefore such a way is right or such a way shall come to passe For not to say 1. that this is a wronging of the perfection of Scripture and 2. That there is a bastard Logick in the affections where God and nature hath seated discursive power And we often prophesie because we love not because we see the visions of God 3. Peter might the same way reason I saw the glory of heaven at the transfiguration and the Peers of the higher house Moses and Elias and this was then mightily born in upon my spirit It is good for us to be here let us build three Tabernacles therefore this is true It is good for us to be here But the Conclusion is a dream who should preach the Gospel as witnesses and suffer for it and write Canonick Scripture if these Disciples should be for ever there And if they should be separated from the whole glorified body and make up a Church eternally glorified in that Mount of only six persons And the word saith Peter being drunk with glory Mark 9.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knew not what he said and the Disciples were sleeping not prophecying Luke 9.32 which saith they were in heaven but cloathed with bodies of sin and not led by Scripture-light as that good Prophecie of Peter was contrair to the Gospel of suffering and dying that Christ prophesied was abiding himself and all his Math. 16.21 22. we should reel and sin for there may be no connexion between the present nearnesse to God and the thing suggested in the spirit and they cohere by accident So one in prayer is near God in respect of sweetnesse of accesse and yet the individuall favour which ye pray for conditionally never granted Ye may be saved and God more glorified in the sufficiency of his grace without granting it to you as is clear 2 Cor. 12.9 Sorrow and desire can suggest such an answer to the fasting of Israel as they may say and think they shall be victorious now over the children of Benjamin and yet they are deceived The heart would be silent and let God speak here The sight may be dazled in nearnesse to God and we take our marks by the Moon And the liberty of praying is terminated upon the fiduciall acts and we think it is fastened upon the particular thing we seek And here the Antecedent is true as heaven and the Consequence folly and darknesse So John Rev. 19. and cap. 22. seeth Heaven opened and behold a white horse and him who sate on him and he heard the voice of many saying Halelujah and saw the pure river of water of life the tree of life the Throne and Him that sate thereupon c. But he did not rightly infer that he might therefore fall down and worship a created Angel All which saith they vainly boast of the Spirit who reject the light of Scripture which is a surer day-star then the light of glory for our direction The light of glory is for our perfection of happinesse in seeing and enjoying the last end but not for our instruction in leading to the end and the means The Candle-light and Sun-light in the City comes not without the City to direct us in the way the lights and torches in Jerusalem and the new City serve not to guide the way to these Cities 2. The spirituall man judgeth all things but by the word In one particular Samuel in another Tertullian dottes upon Montanus some of the prime fathers otherwise Godly are blacked with Platoes purgatory and some of them with invocation of Saints yet speaking to them doubtingly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the spirit may be where some particular errours are but if the judgement be rotten and unsound in the matters of God rottennesse in the one side of the Apple creeps through the whole and so doth corruption from the minde sink down to the heart A godly heretick I cannot know 3. Any bone or hurt member in walking actually pains and breedeth aiking if there be a piercing and a graving conviction in a Christian motion that untowardnesse and opposition from the flesh pains the spirit and new man and hinders the stirrings of the Spirit it saith the Spirit is there as water cast upon fire speaketh there is fire Rom. 7.15 16 23 24. It were good to try the untowardnesse to spirituall duties and severall kinds of delight whether it be borrowed delight from the literall facilitie of the gift from gaine and glory adhereing to the office and calling or from the inbred sweetnesse in honouring God crooking and pain in walking is a token of life-walking 4. It s a spirituall disposition in the Church Cant. 2. in a particular soul to know and be able to give an exact account of all the motions goings and comings of Christ where he lyeth as a bundle of myrrhe all the night even betwixt the breasts Cant. 1.13 when the King brings you into his house of new wine Cant. 1.4 Cant. 2.4 when he speaks Cant. 2.8 10. My beloved spake and said to me arise my love my fair one and come away when he knocks know ye his knock to tell over again his words open to me my sister c. where he is Cant. 2.8 Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains skipping upon the hills where he is in his dispensation to his Ancient Church Cant. 2.9 Behold he standeth behind our wall he looketh forth at the windows 16. He feedeth among the Lillies when and how he imbraceth Cant. 2.6 His left hand is under my head his right hand doth imbrace me when he withdrawes Cant. 5.6 and is not to be found I sought him but I found him not I called him but he answered me not Cant. 5.6 Cant. 3.1 2. how hard he is to be found and how easie he is to be found Cant. 3.1 2.3 4. what spirituall stirrings he makes in the heart Cant. 5 4. My beloved put in his hand